• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.
  • Click here to find out how to win free radios from Retevis!

IMAX 2000 ?

I might agree with that point, but that is not what you said. You said the radials were mounted an inch below the tuning rings. I highlighted what you said in red in my post above.

"The GP kit bolts directly onto the base of the Antron about an inch below the tuning rings and consists of a 3 sided clamping system similar to the basket clamp on a Sigma 4."

You must have made a mistake, right?

Then, tell us why the picture does not show the BS you're repeating here again.
The radials ARE bolted about an inch below the tuning rings. You cannot see it in the picture. Bob-85 will confirm this when he see's it. Don't talk to me about BS, i've seen your video on you tube where you compare the Imax and the Gainmaster using an antenna switch. Again you are comparing antenna's in two different locations with two different sets of coax and PL plugs, two different mounting poles. You don't give two monkeys about attenuation in the local surroundings, you couldn't give an hoot about the fact you are using a lossy antenna switch aswell as doing tests on side bands that are totally unpredictable. Again I will stress that your antenna tests are nothing but an examination of how good you can solder a pl plug, how much difference there is in the two mounting locations you use and a BS pointless exercise.
None of your tests actually test one antenna against another and you have wasted hundreds of hours of your own time besides everyone else's.
Put that in thee pipe and smoke it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Im...xt=C313104bUDOEgsToPDskJnB55rRNVA7ZiiFcVMDSQN
 
Last edited:
imax 2000

Hello everyone, I was reading this forum when I came across this thread and I felt compelled to join and tell everyone my experience of ground planes on my Imax.
I was having huge problems with RF in my shack and in my house, I tried a choke on its own but that alone didn’t cure the problem. So, after taking advice I decided to isolate the antenna, add my ground plane kit as well as choking the antenna. Wow! Problem solved and my TX has improved to various different breakers in my area. As far as I’m concerned this method seems to be the cleanest way of mounting an antenna and I’d like to thank Bob-85 for his advice on this matter. Here is a picture of my Imax with the ground plane kit on, isolated with a piece of strong ash and my choke wound around a plastic former. Happy days.

isolatedimax-1.jpg
 
im happy it worked for you bowler, the rfi was getting on my tits (y),
that's a nice piece of wood/isolator, spade handles work ok too, simple and effective.
 
Nice work there DXbowler. Just goes to show if people isolate their antenna PROPERLY instead of wrapping tape around their mast results can be obtained.
It's another victory for the isolating method.:whistle:
 
Nice work there DXbowler. Just goes to show if people isolate their antenna PROPERLY instead of wrapping tape around their mast results can be obtained.
It's another victory for the isolating method.:whistle:

I'm quite confident a mast wrapped with electrical tape and then isolated again with the addition of PCV pipe over said mast qualifies as properly. As for "some" seeing an improvement, I agree. some also feel better after placebo treatments:laugh: You stick with your shovel handle:blush: and I will follow the manufacturers directions<proof> after all they are the ones who designed and built the antenna, if an improvement was to be gained by isolation I am sure they would know it and include it in their directions, by the way, how well do you suppose that wooden handle is isolating during a rain or even a heavy dew for that matter?
 
dxbowlers pic shows one way to do it that works, i would put the coil closer to feedpoint and have the in /out on opposite sides of coil, 4.5 turns of his rg8x would work fine,
it may not work for everyone that has rfi in the shack from the feedline but its worked for 4 of my locals.

what did they do different to you? they all isolated the antenna like bowler, "fork handle trumps wrap n strap" they also wound a properly sized choke for 27mhz from the chart provided above,
your choke looked pretty but it was near useless,

there is no placebo effect, just an ability to follow instructions.

before bowler isolated he had issues,
could not use the mc60a on his 850 kenwood, could not use the mc80 either had to use stock mic, compressor on 850 was messing up, audio dropped when it was switched on and very little meter movement,
he had issues with other radios/mics too in the past, and tvi,

after trying chokes grounding ect to no avail he tried what you see in the pic,
result, no more rf in the mics, compressor works and meter shows proper deflection, no tvi, small signal increase,
 
Last edited:
i don't think there is any placebo effect here . it's just simply that some installations/locations will benefit from the extra tinkering and tweaking , and some won't .

btw , has anyone tried adding ground elements to a gain-master ? i know , i know , it doesn't need them .... center-fed .... yadda yadda .... but just for the heck of it to see what does or doesn't happen ... ????
 
If rfi was a problem and now it's gone, great I am happy it worked for them but, I have to think that would have more to do with winding a proper choke than isolating an antenna. I was just after better performance as rfi was never a problem for me. Maybe a good coax like the LMR is all thats really needed. In closing, after countless hours of R&D not to mention millions of dollars in testing and production equipment, I believe if the Imax actually performed better isolated, one of the many engineers who brought it to production would have noticed. I'm sure they would rather be touting 3 to 4db relative gain higher than the best of our competitors, instead of 1 to 2 db higher. Isolated or not, it's just another choice and I choose not.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 person
If rfi was a problem and now it's gone, great I am happy it worked for them but, I have to think that would have more to do with winding a proper choke than isolating an antenna. I was just after better performance as rfi was never a problem for me. Maybe a good coax like the LMR is all thats really needed. In closing, after countless hours of R&D not to mention millions of dollars in testing and production equipment, I believe if the Imax actually performed better isolated, one of the many engineers who brought it to production would have noticed. I'm sure they would rather be touting 3 to 4db relative gain higher than the best of our competitors, instead of 1 to 2 db higher. Isolated or not, it's just another choice and I choose not.
There is absolutely no way that Imax could have tested thousands of different locations and set ups. Everyone is different, has different radio gear, different surroundings etc etc. If you use tape or plastic tube between the mast and the antenna you will create a capacitive coupling between the two per se. That is not a good idea. The best way is to isolate the way Bob-85 has mentioned because it works regardless of what you think.
Manufacturers know best do they? How come every CB that comes out of a factory needs re-alighning?, how come some amps need much more work on them to sound nice on SSB and they sound shite on side bands out of the box? If manufactuers know best how come the Anytone 5555 sounded like a pile of horse manure on SSB RX, had a crappy mic that distorted its ass off and made a terrible pumping sound, then took another five versions with feedback from the public before they got it sorted?
President Jackson aswell as many other rigs need mods to make them sound nice on SSB?
You talk absolute nonsence dude.
 
There is absolutely no way that Imax could have tested thousands of different locations and set ups. Everyone is different, has different radio gear, different surroundings etc etc. If you use tape or plastic tube between the mast and the antenna you will create a capacitive coupling between the two per se. That is not a good idea. The best way is to isolate the way Bob-85 has mentioned because it works regardless of what you think.
Manufacturers know best do they? How come every CB that comes out of a factory needs re-alighning?, how come some amps need much more work on them to sound nice on SSB and they sound shite on side bands out of the box? If manufactuers know best how come the Anytone 5555 sounded like a pile of horse manure on SSB RX, had a crappy mic that distorted its ass off and made a terrible pumping sound, then took another five versions with feedback from the public before they got it sorted?
President Jackson aswell as many other rigs need mods to make them sound nice on SSB?
You talk absolute nonsence dude.

You have removed me from your friends list on paltalk, why when we were getting on so swimmingly? :D

Does your sister still have her African friend?
 
IDIeselman you haven't got a clue ....could you please tell me wot part of the imax makes the imax not suitable with groundplanes?and could you please tell wot part of 4.5 -5 turns on a 4.25" former...DONT YOU UNDERSTAND...the chart is easy to follow .you need to do more research and educate yourself.Telling other members that radials dont work...Well look at dxbowleruk it worked fine for him....Do yourself a favour and try the dxbowleruk WAY you may be surprised it does work for some people :)
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • @ kopcicle:
    If you know you know. Anyone have Sam's current #? He hasn't been on since Oct 1st. Someone let him know I'm looking.
  • dxBot:
    535A has left the room.