Base looking for final advice on 4 verticle base antennas

[1iwilly]

hello ok due to HOA and budget more of HOA than budget I need final advice before i buy one of these 3 choices.
i'm will be using no more than 300 watts for DX the 3 antennas of choice are

1=imax2000 still not sure read bad reports about the length and bad SWR
.
2=SIRIO GPS27 1/2 WAVE CB/10M BANDS

3=Sigma Venom 1/2 Wave High Gain Silver Rod CB Base Station Antenna 10 & 11 Meters= liking this one

 

[1iwilly]

i just found number 4=
Sigma Venom 5/8 Silver Rod, Performance
it's showing the same info as the 1/2 wave 1000watts 4.2 db gain

 

[M0GVZ]

It hasn't got 4.2dB gain. They'll all work pretty much the same. One with the radials wins.

 

[Justme]

My Imax 2000 works from 17 meters ( 18 MHZ to 10 meters 29.7 MHZ.
SWR from 26.000 to 29.000 is below 1.5.
admitting it is an older one though, was still new in box when i got it for spare.
The old one broke it's top after 18 years in storms on the roof.
I use wire radials but longer ones since it is used also on lower ham frequencies.

 

[TheBlaster]

I admit not knowing what HOA is but I own and have used each one of the antennas you have listed, the only one that is not in the loft in storage is the Sirio GPS 1/2 wave. The only issue is none of the antennas have radials and the Venom "hi-gain's" are just 12 inch, they may as well not exist.

In my humble opinion unless you are going to go for a 5/8 wave that has full length 102 inch radials I would get a Sirio GPS 27 1/2 wave as it is much more robust than the Venom version 1/2 wave. (thicker aluminium / steel bracket / higher quality, thicker loading coil and the antenna is slightly longer overall)

If you can have an antenna with ground plane radials given your range of price point (i.e. an IMAX2000 is an expensive antenna, at least in the UK) a Sirio 827 is a very strong antenna that has some ground planes.

If you cannot have the radials as 1/2 wave GPS 27 will work.

 

[Slowmover]

HOA= HomeOwnersAssociation

Since violation of the First Amendment guarantee of Freedom of Association in the late 1940s, the only way to have housing covenants to keep out the violent, criminal and despicable is via money.

Thus stringent rules in a defined neighborhood it covers. Fees apply. Commons maintenance, etc.

— No tearing down a 1949 Ford in the front driveway over the next three years.

— No chartreuse house trim.

— No RVs

Etc.

Infamous for busybodies “reporting” their neighbors.

Ostensibly, this is all to these homes surviving in value.

As Radio is Speech (First Amendment again), an HOA has no powers to enforce an illegal contract.

Sorta like a non-existent “person” telling you to wear a face diaper.

.

 

[TheBlaster]

Ok I think if understand that it seems the original poster needs to be discrete with homely actvitivies, the 1/2 wave Sirio GPS is the most discrete. Unless you deem the IMAX2K being white as being more discrete (albeit 6 feet longer). As I recall the IMAX2K makes a bit of noise as the copper inside rattles against the fibreglass radome. So if you have a neighbour close to that antenna the IMAX would probably annoy the hell out of them.

 

[1iwilly]

yes i see the serio is 18.86483 feet long while the venom is 17.55249
i don't see how 12-inch radials would help so, for now, the Sirio it is
thanks for the replies

 

[L2]

I use an Imax 2000. Maybe it's location but mine is very quiet. This is my second one. First one was destroyed during hurricane Sandy. It works really well for me.

 

[bob85]

Venom, Hi-gain and all the other low cost european market "Hy-Gain silver rod" clones
since the early 80's use loose fitting soft alloy tube that bends if you look at it with a mean face,

sirio are middle of the road quality,
a stepup from the made from cheese antennas that imho is worth more than the difference in price.

 

[M0GVZ]

My Imax 2000 the other day....40MPH winds plus gusts. That's a 21ft long 2" diameter pole bending...

You'll notice the ground plane kit. The box directly under the antenna is a RF choke which you can't see that well is made from a FT240-43 toroid and put in a nice plastic box. Really must make another with a FT240-61 for 10/11m. It connectes to the antenna with a male to male PL259 adapter so there's effectively a direct connection between the choke and the antenna, no coax.

 

[TheBlaster]

A well set up IMAX2K. Any thoughts on how that with the ground plane kit compares to a Gain master, I know you have used one before. Very similar I would have thought with the benefit of use on other bands.

I never quite got on with the IMAX, I am sure if I had it set up like yours it would be fine. I found a difficult to SWR in (even with an MJF 1:1 balun/choke), heavy, and a GP kit was a no go.. (static mobile). And it also made the radio's self noise floor higher compared to the gain master, subtly but noticeably and I don't think it was because it was RX better.

Still in the loft and I am very pleased to say its value has appreciated. I paid £88.00 in 2015 and now they cost £170.00 where it is in stock. I will keep it and you just never know I may even need it one day. It won't rot in the loft.

 

[bob85]

The mfj choke won't work unless you give the current somewhere else to flow,

plenty of people claim a choke did not fix their imax rfi issues, in my experience they do work if done right as seen above,

imagine the outside braid of your coax is like a hose pipe with 10,000psi water pump at the antenna feed-point,
no matter how hard you press your finger ( choke ) on that pipe pressure will rise until that water is flowing again,
you have an impossible situation & your getting piss wet through,

how do you fix it so you don't get wet ?

you tee in more pipes ( your radials ),
now when you put your finger on the hose pipe you can press hard enough to almost stop the water, its much easier now, theres some leaking but its only dripping,
the rest is flowing from the other pipes you added,

the other pipes can be your radials or mast & ground wire,
you don't want it to be your mast so make it flow in the radials where it won't do any harm.

 

[TheBlaster]

The analogy is a little odd..but I do understand your point, I think people say an opposing current has to flow by nature of the laws of physics in these type of antenna designs. I did not find it was great with or without the choke and those GP look a bit unwieldy. I wonder why they sell it as 1/2 an antenna then for such a high price.

What I like about the Gain Master is other than height above ground and obvious surrounding objects it just works as a complete highly optimized antenna system direct from it's box.

I appreciate that people have different ways of setting antennas up and different purposes and goals, it's all very interesting and influences us to make better setups / stations.

 

[Big Kahuna]

Imax issues were discussed and there are no current problems - read the full thread on that issue.