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M400 STARDUSTER OWNERS: Poll & Info please.
- Thread starter cominatyalive
- Start date
Bob I don't like my Imax due to interference with computer speakers and the fact that light to moderate winds send it bending over. I had a Sirio S-2016 that went bad and went back to the Imax until I decide what to put back up.
BammBamm, based on your comments above, I have a very high regard for my StarDuster, but I would suggest you consider the New Sirio Gain Master.
It has a very low profile, easy to construct and install, no tuning required, and does not produce any TVI type responses at all...at my location, even with 500 watts or more.
Its only limitations are, its low power rating of 500 watts, but if you can't make a contact with 500 watts, then IMO you're not likely to make the trip anyway.
I don't like their mounting hardware either, it's too light weight and mine stripped the threads within several months of normal use with mostly mild winds.
Good luck and keep us posted,
We'll hear some complaints on this idea Wavrider, but I'm curious. I find the SD, in real world performance, really seems very well suited when high up, even remarkable, and maybe even similar to what you describe in some cases. I also see the same and have posted models, when comparing my Eznec5 models for the SD'r, it is remarkable.
Here is a thread I posted about a year ago comparing my SD'r to my Gain Master.
http://www.worldwidedx.com/cb-antennas/96822-marconi-testing-original-starduster-vs-gain-master.html
Do you know how high this operator's antenna is? What are you using, and how high?
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Net control antenna is around 45 feet give or take, small country town for location, not much for noise floor electrically.
I was using several different antennas, IMAX2000 mostly to compare GP to GP.
I also had the Mosley TA33 horizontal, ( most ops on the net ran vertical so not a good comparison). And a home brew four element Jo Gunn copy with wider element spacing.
Comparing GP to GP he could hear stations I could not hear readable, I could tell there was a op on freq but could not make out the audio enough to understand.
My IMAX was at 70 feet, jo gunn copy was at 45 feet.
My first antenna when I got started in CB way back in the early 80's was the Starduster, It worked well and I abused the heck out of it as far as running amplifiers to it. It took everything I could throw at it and I threw a lot.
Keep in mind we are 25 miles apart, so soil conditions, surounding structures etc etc have an effect on the performance of the antenna. I am just stating what I have observed in real world conditions.
I was using several different antennas, IMAX2000 mostly to compare GP to GP.
I also had the Mosley TA33 horizontal, ( most ops on the net ran vertical so not a good comparison). And a home brew four element Jo Gunn copy with wider element spacing.
Comparing GP to GP he could hear stations I could not hear readable, I could tell there was a op on freq but could not make out the audio enough to understand.
My IMAX was at 70 feet, jo gunn copy was at 45 feet.
My first antenna when I got started in CB way back in the early 80's was the Starduster, It worked well and I abused the heck out of it as far as running amplifiers to it. It took everything I could throw at it and I threw a lot.
Keep in mind we are 25 miles apart, so soil conditions, surounding structures etc etc have an effect on the performance of the antenna. I am just stating what I have observed in real world conditions.
Radials or no radials? 6' or 1/4 wave? Isolated or not isolated? On & on the posts go asking this about that, and so on and so forth.
It's all good info and I'm not pissed or anything but to me all this antenna stuff is a slam dunk. It's really not that hard and yes, there will always be exceptions to the rules, but unless you don't mind losing 1-3 s units of possible signal in typical installations, and depending on distance, (and I've been involved in more installations than I can count) a full size metal 5/8 about 22 1/2 feet tall is going to be the best overall performer,
unless you can go to the extra trouble to put up a Gainmaster correctly.
An A99 will work, a Starduster will work, as will an Astroplane or whatever the latest incarnation is, as will an Imax, Big Stick, Vector, Maco, 2016, they are all decent antennas so they will all work, but if you want to get the least noise possible, the best overall performance AND best overall durability while not costing way too much, and unless someone brings back the Sigma5/8 for $150, the Penetrator is the right antenna.
Period.
It's $150, not a $350 I10k or a $500 MrCoily, and yet it provides the same net performance which those do, and with fantastic wind survivability.
Now, for 2 1/2 time$ as much you can get the I10k and it will survive another 10-15mph for those 100+mph wind areas. Any antenna can be destroyed by Mother Nature or rendered temporarily unusable by snow and ice but for the money you just won't beat the Penetrator. When MFJ / DX engineering brought it back to life they did a very good thing and I can't for the life of me understand why everyone isn't jumping on 2-3 of them to have a back-up before they go away again for whatever reason, and probably permanently this time.
If you want the absolute best performing omni, you will need a Gainmaster but you will also need to install it alone in the sky, all by itself, without anything else around, (like when I drink alone) nice and high, and as high as possible because, remember, it's a near zero degree TOA so it won't like slamming it's signal into the beam tower, the 90' redwood next door or the metal shed on top of the hill behind your house, etc.
But put the Gainmaster up about 50' to the bottom and away from other antennas, big trees, 500' high smokestacks, etc., and keep the guy wire either insulated every 5'-6' or use non-metallic and you'll have the next best thing to a beam.
For the rest who just don't really care or have ground and surroundings like Marconi, just go with any old antenna, you won't really see much difference.
But if you want quiet, fairly static-free receive with great 'ears', near zero RFI / TVI, a nice low angle of radiation, durability, very reasonable cost and great looks, the Penetrator simply beats the competition.
Why waste your time and money on anything else just to have an elevated noise level, have it bend, snap and crack over time and allow water to fill up your matching network and elevate your SWR, lose it's top 2 pieces of radiator in the wind, or simply just not hear or talk as well while it lights up your neighborhood with RFI?
Don't be a cheapskate, drop the necessary coin, and hammer with a Penetrator!
I am not being financially compensated for this advertisement :laugh: But I should be!
It's all good info and I'm not pissed or anything but to me all this antenna stuff is a slam dunk. It's really not that hard and yes, there will always be exceptions to the rules, but unless you don't mind losing 1-3 s units of possible signal in typical installations, and depending on distance, (and I've been involved in more installations than I can count) a full size metal 5/8 about 22 1/2 feet tall is going to be the best overall performer,
unless you can go to the extra trouble to put up a Gainmaster correctly.
An A99 will work, a Starduster will work, as will an Astroplane or whatever the latest incarnation is, as will an Imax, Big Stick, Vector, Maco, 2016, they are all decent antennas so they will all work, but if you want to get the least noise possible, the best overall performance AND best overall durability while not costing way too much, and unless someone brings back the Sigma5/8 for $150, the Penetrator is the right antenna.
Period.
It's $150, not a $350 I10k or a $500 MrCoily, and yet it provides the same net performance which those do, and with fantastic wind survivability.
Now, for 2 1/2 time$ as much you can get the I10k and it will survive another 10-15mph for those 100+mph wind areas. Any antenna can be destroyed by Mother Nature or rendered temporarily unusable by snow and ice but for the money you just won't beat the Penetrator. When MFJ / DX engineering brought it back to life they did a very good thing and I can't for the life of me understand why everyone isn't jumping on 2-3 of them to have a back-up before they go away again for whatever reason, and probably permanently this time.
If you want the absolute best performing omni, you will need a Gainmaster but you will also need to install it alone in the sky, all by itself, without anything else around, (like when I drink alone) nice and high, and as high as possible because, remember, it's a near zero degree TOA so it won't like slamming it's signal into the beam tower, the 90' redwood next door or the metal shed on top of the hill behind your house, etc.
But put the Gainmaster up about 50' to the bottom and away from other antennas, big trees, 500' high smokestacks, etc., and keep the guy wire either insulated every 5'-6' or use non-metallic and you'll have the next best thing to a beam.
For the rest who just don't really care or have ground and surroundings like Marconi, just go with any old antenna, you won't really see much difference.
But if you want quiet, fairly static-free receive with great 'ears', near zero RFI / TVI, a nice low angle of radiation, durability, very reasonable cost and great looks, the Penetrator simply beats the competition.
Why waste your time and money on anything else just to have an elevated noise level, have it bend, snap and crack over time and allow water to fill up your matching network and elevate your SWR, lose it's top 2 pieces of radiator in the wind, or simply just not hear or talk as well while it lights up your neighborhood with RFI?
Don't be a cheapskate, drop the necessary coin, and hammer with a Penetrator!
I am not being financially compensated for this advertisement :laugh: But I should be!
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Bamm Bamm,
Was the Serio mounted in the same place as the Imax? And if it was can you estimate the distance between the antenna to the RFI/TVI affected devices? How many watts were you using?
Not that I can offer any hlep to you, but I am curious.
Thanks,
Bob
Was the Serio mounted in the same place as the Imax? And if it was can you estimate the distance between the antenna to the RFI/TVI affected devices? How many watts were you using?
Not that I can offer any hlep to you, but I am curious.
Thanks,
Bob
I'm sure something I did is the problem, Marconi.
Hey, I woke up this morning to have absolutely ZERO noise on my receive...the needles on the meters weren't moving. That's extremely rare for me...I usually have 3 S-Units as my noise floor. Something was different electrically...maybe those solar flares had something to do with it? Did you notice anything different at your QTH? I could hear weak stations for Europe that didn't move the needles at all. Pretty neat.
With no electrical noise/interference into the radios both the Imax and the Starduster had about the same receive.
Thanks for those links you posted. I'm still reading them. But what I gathered from what I skimmed is what Needle Bender suggested...try decoupling. And I may want to try a balun as well as getting that ground Plane Kit up on the Imax.
Very interesting stuff!
Are you usually on 37LSB?
Hey, I woke up this morning to have absolutely ZERO noise on my receive...the needles on the meters weren't moving. That's extremely rare for me...I usually have 3 S-Units as my noise floor. Something was different electrically...maybe those solar flares had something to do with it? Did you notice anything different at your QTH? I could hear weak stations for Europe that didn't move the needles at all. Pretty neat.
With no electrical noise/interference into the radios both the Imax and the Starduster had about the same receive.
Thanks for those links you posted. I'm still reading them. But what I gathered from what I skimmed is what Needle Bender suggested...try decoupling. And I may want to try a balun as well as getting that ground Plane Kit up on the Imax.
Very interesting stuff!
Are you usually on 37LSB?
You absolutley should be compensated, NB. By Serio and MFJ
I think for my particular location, and given the horrendous amounts of electrical interference I have around me, my next antenna will be some type of 5/8's metal GP. Which do you recommend? Just kidding!!! I have no problem with the price of the Penetrator.
When the lines and transformers are acting up the Star Duster deals with their noise MUCH better than the Imax does.
When that's not happening there's not much difference at all.
As far as transmitting I am sure the 5/8's has got all others beat most of the time. But I'll still leave the SD up as I have two mounts to play with. Or maybe try a small yagi. It's all fun...as long as the neighbors aren't bothered.
Thanks for your thoughts.
I think for my particular location, and given the horrendous amounts of electrical interference I have around me, my next antenna will be some type of 5/8's metal GP. Which do you recommend? Just kidding!!! I have no problem with the price of the Penetrator.
When the lines and transformers are acting up the Star Duster deals with their noise MUCH better than the Imax does.
When that's not happening there's not much difference at all.
As far as transmitting I am sure the 5/8's has got all others beat most of the time. But I'll still leave the SD up as I have two mounts to play with. Or maybe try a small yagi. It's all fun...as long as the neighbors aren't bothered.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Radials or no radials? 6' or 1/4 wave? Isolated or not isolated? On & on the posts go asking this about that, and so on and so forth.
It's all good info and I'm not pissed or anything but to me all this antenna stuff is a slam dunk. It's really not that hard and yes, there will always be exceptions to the rules, but unless you don't mind losing 1-3 s units of possible signal in typical installations, and depending on distance, (and I've been involved in more installations than I can count) a full size metal 5/8 about 22 1/2 feet tall is going to be the best overall performer,
unless you can go to the extra trouble to put up a Gainmaster correctly.
An A99 will work, a Starduster will work, as will an Astroplane or whatever the latest incarnation is, as will an Imax, Big Stick, Vector, Maco, 2016, they are all decent antennas so they will all work, but if you want to get the least noise possible, the best overall performance AND best overall durability while not costing way too much, and unless someone brings back the Sigma5/8 for $150, the Penetrator is the right antenna.
Period.
It's $150, not a $350 I10k or a $500 MrCoily, and yet it provides the same net performance which those do, and with fantastic wind survivability.
Now, for 2 1/2 time$ as much you can get the I10k and it will survive another 10-15mph for those 100+mph wind areas. Any antenna can be destroyed by Mother Nature or rendered temporarily unusable by snow and ice but for the money you just won't beat the Penetrator. When MFJ / DX engineering brought it back to life they did a very good thing and I can't for the life of me understand why everyone isn't jumping on 2-3 of them to have a back-up before they go away again for whatever reason, and probably permanently this time.
If you want the absolute best performing omni, you will need a Gainmaster but you will also need to install it alone in the sky, all by itself, without anything else around, (like when I drink alone) nice and high, and as high as possible because, remember, it's a near zero degree TOA so it won't like slamming it's signal into the beam tower, the 90' redwood next door or the metal shed on top of the hill behind your house, etc.
But put the Gainmaster up about 50' to the bottom and away from other antennas, big trees, 500' high smokestacks, etc., and keep the guy wire either insulated every 5'-6' or use non-metallic and you'll have the next best thing to a beam.
For the rest who just don't really care or have ground and surroundings like Marconi, just go with any old antenna, you won't really see much difference.
But if you want quiet, fairly static-free receive with great 'ears', near zero RFI / TVI, a nice low angle of radiation, durability, very reasonable cost and great looks, the Penetrator simply beats the competition.
Why waste your time and money on anything else just to have an elevated noise level, have it bend, snap and crack over time and allow water to fill up your matching network and elevate your SWR, lose it's top 2 pieces of radiator in the wind, or simply just not hear or talk as well while it lights up your neighborhood with RFI?
Don't be a cheapskate, drop the necessary coin, and hammer with a Penetrator!
I am not being financially compensated for this advertisement :laugh: But I should be!
You bet, Bob. And if you do get a Penetrator or I10k you will find you no longer have need for a SD.
But I have a switch on my MFJ Antenna Tuner for a second or even third antenna;-)
I believe you, though.
I believe you, though.
You bet, Bob. And if you do get a Penetrator or I10k you will find you no longer have need for a SD.
Radials or no radials? 6' or 1/4 wave? Isolated or not isolated? On & on the posts go asking this about that, and so on and so forth.
It's all good info and I'm not pissed or anything but to me all this antenna stuff is a slam dunk. It's really not that hard and yes, there will always be exceptions to the rules, but unless you don't mind losing 1-3 s units of possible signal in typical installations, and depending on distance, (and I've been involved in more installations than I can count) a full size metal 5/8 about 22 1/2 feet tall is going to be the best overall performer,
unless you can go to the extra trouble to put up a Gainmaster correctly.
An A99 will work, a Starduster will work, as will an Astroplane or whatever the latest incarnation is, as will an Imax, Big Stick, Vector, Maco, 2016, they are all decent antennas so they will all work, but if you want to get the least noise possible, the best overall performance AND best overall durability while not costing way too much, and unless someone brings back the Sigma5/8 for $150, the Penetrator is the right antenna.
Period.
It's $150, not a $350 I10k or a $500 MrCoily, and yet it provides the same net performance which those do, and with fantastic wind survivability.
Now, for 2 1/2 time$ as much you can get the I10k and it will survive another 10-15mph for those 100+mph wind areas. Any antenna can be destroyed by Mother Nature or rendered temporarily unusable by snow and ice but for the money you just won't beat the Penetrator. When MFJ / DX engineering brought it back to life they did a very good thing and I can't for the life of me understand why everyone isn't jumping on 2-3 of them to have a back-up before they go away again for whatever reason, and probably permanently this time.
If you want the absolute best performing omni, you will need a Gainmaster but you will also need to install it alone in the sky, all by itself, without anything else around, (like when I drink alone) nice and high, and as high as possible because, remember, it's a near zero degree TOA so it won't like slamming it's signal into the beam tower, the 90' redwood next door or the metal shed on top of the hill behind your house, etc.
But put the Gainmaster up about 50' to the bottom and away from other antennas, big trees, 500' high smokestacks, etc., and keep the guy wire either insulated every 5'-6' or use non-metallic and you'll have the next best thing to a beam.
For the rest who just don't really care or have ground and surroundings like Marconi, just go with any old antenna, you won't really see much difference.
But if you want quiet, fairly static-free receive with great 'ears', near zero RFI / TVI, a nice low angle of radiation, durability, very reasonable cost and great looks, the Penetrator simply beats the competition.
Why waste your time and money on anything else just to have an elevated noise level, have it bend, snap and crack over time and allow water to fill up your matching network and elevate your SWR, lose it's top 2 pieces of radiator in the wind, or simply just not hear or talk as well while it lights up your neighborhood with RFI?
Don't be a cheapskate, drop the necessary coin, and hammer with a Penetrator!
I am not being financially compensated for this advertisement :laugh: But I should be!
1/4 wl, 1/2wl. 5/8 wl, anyone on the receive end of a transmission will be hard pressed to "SEE" any difference in ony of those ground planes in a controlled field test. Note I said " CONTROLLED FIELD TEST". Not in Bubba's backyard install testing comparisons.
The only way to get gain from an antenna is to sacrifice the radiation pattern in another area. The Yagi is prime example.
I use my GP for all around 360 degree receive, when I hear the DX or a station I want to rag chew with I go to the yagi..
Bob everything was and is the same except for antenna and the affected speakers where about 75 foot from base of tower. Marconi I have thought about the Gainmaster but I have a tree branch about 30 foot from my antenna and I'm thinking this will affect the GM? I will probably buy another S-2016.