I want to know anything about this Base Station antenna by Antenna Specialists and made in the 1970s Model M-117 Super Magnum 27 MHZ Citizens Radio 1/2 wave length end fed, verticle base station antenna. Anyone have any info on this as I just bought one new old stock in box. Thanks.
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Info on Model M-117 Super Magnum antenna
- Thread starter zinger827
- Start date
What info are you looking for? I had one as a kid back in the mid-60's for my first base antenna. Sold locally for $29.95-$32.95, advertised gain was 3.75 dB IIRC. The red plastic cover on the loading coil will sunfade to a delicate pink hue, swr will go up slightly in rainy weather till it dries out. Birds love sitting on the radials. Back in the day, you either had a Super Mag or a Hy-Gain CLR2 for your omni. Performance-wise the 5/8's wave CLR2 (advertised gain of 4 dB) usually was better. All in all, a decent enough antenna, easy to set-up, pretty much plug-n-play. There's still a few up on roofs around here (some are the later version with the shortened, l/t 9' radials).
I just bought a new old stock M-117 in box just wanted to know a little about it. What will it handle power wise do you remember? I only use a KLV-200 base amp 1-519 tube. I wanted a aluminum antenna but not a 24 footer on my roof just a basic 18ft. I did not want to put it up if was not going to do as good as a A99 at least. Thanks for the info.
I had the version with the shorter 9 ft radials, I would assume these will take 500 watts max, but not much more. I liked my "droopy drawers" antenna, compared to the A-99, it had excellent tranmit & recieve, JPT.
A decent antenna. A step down (minus 1-1.5 S-units) from the I-10K, Penetrator, Sigma 5/8, etc...
Should perform about like a Maco V5/8. Decent antenna. Don't know how the coil will hold up to power. If you fry it, rebuild it into a better one.
- Maybe Jay would sell you a compatible higher power matching network...?
Should perform about like a Maco V5/8. Decent antenna. Don't know how the coil will hold up to power. If you fry it, rebuild it into a better one.
- Maybe Jay would sell you a compatible higher power matching network...?
Hello All:
I use to have one of those Super mag type 1/2 wavelength antennas, many years ago. I won it at the local CB Break. I had in a box for some time and then I put it up and worked reasonable well. I did not measure the antennas gain, but I think it worked better than most none ground plane antennas.
The Super Mag uses a coil as the impedance matching device, and I agree with JPT with the 500 watt rating. Maybe even a even 1000 watts but no more.
I used the Super Mag Antenna as a vertical with a Moonraker 4 element beam, that was about 50 foot away. They worked well as in those days we didn't have anything better. Before all this I went down to Buddy Sales in Reseda California in the San Fernando Valley, and they no longer could get the Hy-Gain Penetrator 500....#@%$*& And those who had the Penetrator 500 would not sell them.
So it is not a waste of time to install the Super Mag Antenna, if you have it there in a box. The ground plane radials may break off after a few years in strong winds, but not everyone has the strong Santa Ana Winds we have here in the Southern California. While back in Georgia and North Carolina last year I saw a few Super Mag antennas still up and in one piece.
My Super Mag Antenna broke at the Base Plastic Insulator, exposing the matching coil. The vertical antenna element was now at a 45 degree angle and the SWR went up some. So if you put this antenna up you will need to protect the Base Insulator Plastic with black tape or paint to last longer. Or replace it with some heavy walled Gray PVC Pipe. The Gray PVC Plastic Pipe is made to take the suns UV rays and last, but I would paint it anyway.
Good luck with the Super Mag Antenna.
Jay in the Mojave
I use to have one of those Super mag type 1/2 wavelength antennas, many years ago. I won it at the local CB Break. I had in a box for some time and then I put it up and worked reasonable well. I did not measure the antennas gain, but I think it worked better than most none ground plane antennas.
The Super Mag uses a coil as the impedance matching device, and I agree with JPT with the 500 watt rating. Maybe even a even 1000 watts but no more.
I used the Super Mag Antenna as a vertical with a Moonraker 4 element beam, that was about 50 foot away. They worked well as in those days we didn't have anything better. Before all this I went down to Buddy Sales in Reseda California in the San Fernando Valley, and they no longer could get the Hy-Gain Penetrator 500....#@%$*& And those who had the Penetrator 500 would not sell them.
So it is not a waste of time to install the Super Mag Antenna, if you have it there in a box. The ground plane radials may break off after a few years in strong winds, but not everyone has the strong Santa Ana Winds we have here in the Southern California. While back in Georgia and North Carolina last year I saw a few Super Mag antennas still up and in one piece.
My Super Mag Antenna broke at the Base Plastic Insulator, exposing the matching coil. The vertical antenna element was now at a 45 degree angle and the SWR went up some. So if you put this antenna up you will need to protect the Base Insulator Plastic with black tape or paint to last longer. Or replace it with some heavy walled Gray PVC Pipe. The Gray PVC Plastic Pipe is made to take the suns UV rays and last, but I would paint it anyway.
Good luck with the Super Mag Antenna.
Jay in the Mojave
Hello Jay,
I was perusing your website and noticed that you are offering upgraded "Trombone" matching systems for beams and was wondering if you have thought about offering your "Trombone" matching system as an upgrade for other older omni antennas like the R/S .64, CLR-2, Mighty Magnum, Jam-Ram, Penetrator, etc..., (though I'm still a bit of a doubter that I would exclaim "WOW!!" after making the mod, or swapping out the P500 for your I-10K...) with perhaps some quality tubing as needed for an extension for those 18'-20' antennas out there which are old-skool & lower performing?
Since not everyone can afford $350.00+ for an omni, (let alone a beam,) it seems the market might be there for upgrading an existing omni to a higher level of performance, similar to what your I-10K offers, if it could be done for somewhere in the $75-$100 range.
I know for a fact thst there are a lot of dead coil-matched R/S .64s out there which, with a little cutting and drilling could be made to work extremely well. I've built several into P500s and they kick a$$!
- Just a thought.
73,
Scott
I was perusing your website and noticed that you are offering upgraded "Trombone" matching systems for beams and was wondering if you have thought about offering your "Trombone" matching system as an upgrade for other older omni antennas like the R/S .64, CLR-2, Mighty Magnum, Jam-Ram, Penetrator, etc..., (though I'm still a bit of a doubter that I would exclaim "WOW!!" after making the mod, or swapping out the P500 for your I-10K...) with perhaps some quality tubing as needed for an extension for those 18'-20' antennas out there which are old-skool & lower performing?
Since not everyone can afford $350.00+ for an omni, (let alone a beam,) it seems the market might be there for upgrading an existing omni to a higher level of performance, similar to what your I-10K offers, if it could be done for somewhere in the $75-$100 range.
I know for a fact thst there are a lot of dead coil-matched R/S .64s out there which, with a little cutting and drilling could be made to work extremely well. I've built several into P500s and they kick a$$!
- Just a thought.
73,
Scott
that is pretty darn good I think. i recently bought a new old school m117 super magnum locally for a couple bucks at a auction. it had been left in an old garage since the 70's when they came out. the box and instructions had been chewed up by mice, but the antenna is in great shape.
I was thinking of learning how to convert into a penetrator but if this thing will do 40 or 50 miles as a half wave, i will probably just leave it, unless if someone thinks it be better off converted.
on edit: http://www.cbtricks.com/ant_manuals/ant_specialists/m_117/ad/index.htm
Last edited:
B
BOOTY MONSTER
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I had the M117 up until last year. A total of about 5-6 years. My elev. was about 1000ft and I was able to talk to Gettysburg regularly. In fact we used to accidentally interfere with each other's local qso's. The distance was around 80 miles. No extra power. But as I said I had good elevation and the antenna was about 35ft up to its' base. I liked that antenna !
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...runna pile-up on 6m SSB