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.
The Feb 2025 Radioddity Giveaway Results are In! Click Here to see who won!

Reply to thread

Message

That might be a good idea Homer. For me the Merlin is more like a shortened Starduster. The coil and the top hat both may have the tendency to allow the physical radiator to be shortened some and remain resonant with resistance at or near 50 ohms at the same frequency.

The combination of the coil and top hat together will need to be figured out, but I am confident you, if anybody, can figure that out in short order. Personally, I think it is possible that combination in the radiator may actually provide for an even better resistive match at resonance, than even a full 1/4 wave element can provide by itself and stay resonant. I think the Starduster has a slight offset with the otherwise balanced dipole design it is supposed to emulate and maybe that too does some good. It is hard to say which compromise idea works the best. I love my Starduster and I make my Marconi 6x out of 7 x 1/4 wave ss whips that emulates the SD'r pretty much, and it is very effective as well.

I'm pretty sure of this with the Starduster and it may also be true of the Merlin, but you'll be surprise at how quiet they can be. Your experience with the AstroPlane should also show you how important that characteristic can be when conditions are generally quiet already and the AP is a pretty good match in that same category. Believe it or not, I'm finding the same with my new Gain Master too, and I can say that regarding my other vertical CB antennas.

I may have the measurements, but I'm not sure Cajun ever did send them to me. I'll look. I do have some close up pictures of the Merlin however.

Good luck and keep us posted.

<blockquote data-quote="Marconi" data-source="post: 259399" data-attributes="member: 903">That might be a good idea Homer. For me the Merlin is more like a shortened Starduster. The coil and the top hat both may have the tendency to allow the physical radiator to be shortened some and remain resonant with resistance at or near 50 ohms at the same frequency. &nbsp;The combination of the coil and top hat together will need to be figured out, but I am confident you, if anybody, can figure that out in short order. Personally, I think it is possible that combination in the radiator may actually provide for an even better resistive match at resonance, than even a full 1/4 wave element can provide by itself and stay resonant. I think the Starduster has a slight offset with the otherwise balanced dipole design it is supposed to emulate and maybe that too does some good. It is hard to say which compromise idea works the best. I love my Starduster and I make my Marconi 6x out of 7 x 1/4 wave ss whips that emulates the SD&#039;r pretty much, and it is very effective as well.&nbsp;I&#039;m pretty sure of this with the Starduster and it may also be true of the Merlin, but you&#039;ll be surprise at how quiet they can be. Your experience with the AstroPlane should also show you how important that characteristic can be when conditions are generally quiet already and the AP is a pretty good match in that same category. Believe it or not, I&#039;m finding the same with my new Gain Master too, and I can say that regarding my other vertical CB antennas.&nbsp;I may have the measurements, but I&#039;m not sure Cajun ever did send them to me. I&#039;ll look. I do have some close up pictures of the Merlin however.&nbsp;Good luck and keep us posted.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Marconi, post: 259399, member: 903"] That might be a good idea Homer. For me the Merlin is more like a shortened Starduster. The coil and the top hat both may have the tendency to allow the physical radiator to be shortened some and remain resonant with resistance at or near 50 ohms at the same frequency. The combination of the coil and top hat together will need to be figured out, but I am confident you, if anybody, can figure that out in short order. Personally, I think it is possible that combination in the radiator may actually provide for an even better resistive match at resonance, than even a full 1/4 wave element can provide by itself and stay resonant. I think the Starduster has a slight offset with the otherwise balanced dipole design it is supposed to emulate and maybe that too does some good. It is hard to say which compromise idea works the best. I love my Starduster and I make my Marconi 6x out of 7 x 1/4 wave ss whips that emulates the SD'r pretty much, and it is very effective as well. I'm pretty sure of this with the Starduster and it may also be true of the Merlin, but you'll be surprise at how quiet they can be. Your experience with the AstroPlane should also show you how important that characteristic can be when conditions are generally quiet already and the AP is a pretty good match in that same category. Believe it or not, I'm finding the same with my new Gain Master too, and I can say that regarding my other vertical CB antennas. I may have the measurements, but I'm not sure Cajun ever did send them to me. I'll look. I do have some close up pictures of the Merlin however. Good luck and keep us posted. [/QUOTE]

Top Bottom