IMAX 2000 VERSES THE SOLARCON / ANTRON 99

[walterb]

A99/IMAX

I am on board with Radioreddz 100% he did the testing as I did an the results are the same. I have found that if all antennas are about the same height an resonant on the frequency being used the results will be very close indeed, but it was fun learning it for sure! Last Wednesday was the PERFECT radio day in radio life for me, everything was working, I talked an heard very long skip from my QTH from all over the world, ground wave was the best I have heard it in a very very long time, all the antenna were pulling in signals at the same level ( don't think that has ever happen before) None to little background noise on my receivers, was hearing a 4 watt mobile 25 miles away at S3 on the meter with full quieting on AM.
Bet ya that don't happen again in my lifetime. Sort'a like seeing the great race horse Secretariat win the triple crown an set all those world records, its a once in a life time thing I guess hmmm. KB6HRT

 

[Needle Bender]

why would anyone want to waste the difference in price for a 5/8 wave imax when they can have a 1/2 wave a99? everyone knows that a 1/2 wave is just as good and has just as much gain as a 5/8. and everybody knows that 5 1/2 feet more antenna wont receive any better why wuold it? just because there is more antenna in the air and 5 1/2 feet higher. there shouldnt be any diference at all. no reason whatso ever. and everybody also knows that just because that guy cut apart both a imax and a a99 and found the imax is much better built that shouldnt matter iether. quality meqans nothing when you can save $30. i think eveyybody should get a a99 because they are as good as everything else made. even stacked 6 element beams:closedeyes:

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

there's so many variables in where and how base antennas are mounted ..... i wouldn't swear by the results of a few testing locations to mean it applies to every or most other installs . i can be at a red light in the mobile and the fm stereo radio can be severely distorted and full of static ..... rolling forward several inches can make it perfectly clear . all locations/installs are not the same and i suspect most any popular antenna can be the best in certain installations .

 

[Klondike Mike]

why would anyone want to waste the difference in price for a 5/8 wave imax when they can have a 1/2 wave a99?

Sounds to me someone trying to justify their purchase of an A99.

 

[Mudfoot]

Sounds to me someone trying to justify their purchase of an A99.

It's only money.

Some have more than others.

 

[Needle Bender]

Sounds to me someone trying to justify their purchase of an A99.

oh ya. my favorite:

 

[357]

I had a a-99 and it was a splatter stick.
Imax was much cleaner

 

[Needle Bender]

Geez I've come a long way since the mountain biking accident. Got most of my average intellect back!

Imax will probably-almost-nearly-close-to-always provide right about at almost exactly 2 s-units on the meter more than an A99 on both receive & transmit. I've seen it, others I know have seen it, a few stragglers might disagree but there's always an other side to truth. If you've seen it too, step up and post.
Around town here, it's a given.

 

[RadioDaze]

If there is one thing I feel I have learnt for myself in practice over the last 6 months is that with lower to moderate F2 long haul skip levels, is that whatever the antenna the starting magic height for 11M is 18-20 feet. (6M)

This seems to make most antennas start working significantly better than anything lower.

I have used a range of mast heights being a mobile static station and find if I only mount at 15feet (3 poles) it seems MUCH harder work to break through pile ups. (impossible almost in many cases)

So now I really try not to put less than 20 feet of pole under any antenna I am using. This saves me wasted DX journeys. At 20 feet I can usually work low skip with the IMAX 2000 or Gain Master.

Despite the fact I operate at circa 600 feet ASL this remains very true. The hill top height is helpful for long distance line of sight but whether you are 0 feet AGL or 600 feet AGL that 20 feet under the antenna between it and the ground is ALL important.

(Hill height possibly helps the relative phase re-combination of your direct wave and that reflected ground wave in the near field (often many multiple wavelengths from your antenna), you get a little less loss, that keeps the TOA down a little, due to the slope of the hill, your reflected wave hits the hill side further out. The roll off from the hillsides seems to help as the reflected wave may be more distant than when on a flat landscape. Unless you are over salt water then this is almost always 90 degrees + out of phase with your direct wave so some signal cancellation at some angles occurs = loss)

I am not saying you will never manage F2 skip from a low antenna cause clearly you can (especially with a large effective ground plane of some kind, someone I speak to who DX's well at only 2.5M above ground clamps their IMAX to horizontal work ladders on a van roof, they do very well, nice large metal sheet directly under the antenna !) but if you want to increase your average station performance (by reducing ground losses and detrimental reflected wave interaction) 20 feet + is the ONE ! More than this will be helpful as well.

It is not a small difference IMO

When I hit 7.5M - 9M (24feet - 29 feet) which can only be realized on a very, very low wind day for me. These antennas sing the song of unimpeded radio performance. The signal flies out, given some skip I can get through to virtually anywhere on 150W given a little patience in a pile up.

 

[M0GVZ]

I had a a-99 and it was a splatter stick.
Imax was much cleaner

An antenna does not make a signal splatter, overdriving the audio and any amps you have does.

 

[M0GVZ]

Imax will probably-almost-nearly-close-to-always provide right about at almost exactly 2 s-units on the meter more than an A99 on both receive & transmit. I've seen it, others I know have seen it, a few stragglers might disagree but there's always an other side to truth. If you've seen it too, step up and post.
Around town here, it's a given.

Those of us who disagree are those who know about antenna theory. There is no way that one vertical monopole CB antenna has 6dB let alone 12dB more gain as you're claiming with the exception of the stubbies which sacrifice efficiency for a small size.

The "other side of the truth" is that when you've installed this so called super antenna that defies physics, you've made a change.

 

[Oatmeal]

I've never ran a A99, only reason I have the Imax is because of the price I bought it new about 5 years ago and had it on the mountain for 3 years, at 21ft off the ground, and it did really well up there I thought anyways..
This was on 10 and 11m bands I used it on...

When I got the HF radio I worked a lot of dx on 10m just using 30 watts it seemed to do really well, sure surprised me....today I still have it in the air at 21ft, and its tuned for 10-17m bands...I didn't think these Imax's was/are a good antenna, but it does good for what they are...

Have heard for years there a splatter stick, guess it depends on what your running through them.....

Is it better than the A99, that depends on mother nature how well it does...

 

[hotrod]

i had both an imax was 0.5 s-unit better than a99 locally at 50 miles out/at 20 miles or less there was no noticable difference..both antennas were mounted on same pipe ,coax, location, same radio output

 

[RadioDaze]

After all I wrote about the 1/2 wavelength pole being optimum today I spoke 6,000 miles with a cheap 1/2 wave silver rod at 4 feet from the ground (just showing my father how it all works).... boom! S-9 into South Africa to another station (JayJay) using a vertical.

Other days with the same antenna mounted on a gate (possibly turning it into a very good cloud warmer) I could speak virtually no DX at all. (when skip was low to moderate)

Radio conditions and antenna set ups sure are strange, conditions almost make a mockery of the theory at times on 11m. Todays F2 was exceptionally good.