New antenna from Sirio Gain-Master

[bob85]

shockwave that is a very surprising claim as i have never seen any other vertical but a big-mac mix it with a dialed in extended sigma/vector and i don't think you had either, it is however great news if the majority of people get the same results, even i could be tempted to try one,

lets hope sirio make a hp version with rg213

 

[jazzsinger]

I do get your point Jazzy.....but I'm convinced it's the better antenna.I guess now it's up to people to take the plunge and judge in their own location . Good look to everybody

i'm merely stating to the best of my knowledge so far,none of the tests on this antenna have been done by replacing the antenna it's competing against directly,which in my opinion is a far more accurate and meaningful measure of comparitive performance.

I'm in no way knocking your results dave, if anything they have made me even more curious about the gainmaster, especially with what shockwave is also saying.

But having witnessed even bigger rx/tx gains simply by moving the vehicle 2-3 feet on an aprox 60 mile contact over rough terrain it made me accutely aware of just how much geographical path and possibly also altitude of the antenna can effect signal strength massively. you get exactly the same effect from a mobile station moving away or towards you with massive climbs and dips in the signal. i'm sure most people have witnessed that effect, so a difference of 50 feet by comparison is huge and could have all types of effect on signal strengths.

like you say it's up to others to decide whether to invest in it or not, i personally think if it does beat others then the price ain't too bad, but if it doesn't then its maybe too high. if as shockwave says its good in the rfi department (which i expect it would be due to its design) then thats another bonus.

as bob 85 says, i'm surprised sirio didn't choose high quality rg213/u or similar coax for the choke. but then if they did it would have reduced the overall length of the antenna too, as its velocity factor is less than foam dielectric type coax.

being a frugal ( read tight arsed) glaswegian it takes a lot to convince me to splash cash, especially under this newly inflicted conservative/lib dem nightmare we now have to live under in the uk.

to those who do buy one early, good luck, i hope it delivers what it promises, because its a long time since anything new in the cb world delivered anything we didn't have before.

 

[CDX-007]

Yes, I agree.
The Singer of Jazz makes great points and I'll be looking forward to posting my comparison results running the Sirio GM against my Hy-Gain Penetrator500.

My plan is to get several sig reps between now and when it arrives, then I'll paint & mark the mast, replace the Penetrator500 with the SGM and, using the same 60.3' of 9913, (2 wavelengths @ .84 VF, 27.385MHz) antenna base at 40' above ground, 20' of mast over the 20' rooftop, I'll compare sig reps.

I should have several within 3-10 miles, several in the local foothills 10-30 miles, a few 10-30 miles in the valley, 2-3 @ ~60 miles in the valley, and one @ 85 miles & 2100' ASL.

That should be a reasonably comprehensive empirical comparison. :mellow:

 

[Oggy]

FTAO Jazzy

i'm merely stating to the best of my knowledge so far,none of the tests on this antenna have been done by replacing the antenna it's competing against directly,which in my opinion is a far more accurate and meaningful measure of comparitive performance.

I'm in no way knocking your results dave, if anything they have made me even more curious about the gainmaster, especially with what shockwave is also saying.

But having witnessed even bigger rx/tx gains simply by moving the vehicle 2-3 feet on an aprox 60 mile contact over rough terrain it made me accutely aware of just how much geographical path and possibly also altitude of the antenna can effect signal strength massively. you get exactly the same effect from a mobile station moving away or towards you with massive climbs and dips in the signal. i'm sure most people have witnessed that effect, so a difference of 50 feet by comparison is huge and could have all types of effect on signal strengths.

like you say it's up to others to decide whether to invest in it or not, i personally think if it does beat others then the price ain't too bad, but if it doesn't then its maybe too high. if as shockwave says its good in the rfi department (which i expect it would be due to its design) then thats another bonus.

as bob 85 says, i'm surprised sirio didn't choose high quality rg213/u or similar coax for the choke. but then if they did it would have reduced the overall length of the antenna too, as its velocity factor is less than foam dielectric type coax.

being a frugal ( read tight arsed) glaswegian it takes a lot to convince me to splash cash, especially under this newly inflicted conservative/lib dem nightmare we now have to live under in the uk.

to those who do buy one early, good luck, i hope it delivers what it promises, because its a long time since anything new in the cb world delivered anything we didn't have before.

Hey George I know your a friend of mine, if your a Mate of Caine, so no offence taken. The antenna is around 30 feet away I would say from the Shakesphere mast and after a good look today I would say only 3 foot in higher. I know a swop over would be better ,but there again the antenna switch was an instant test. Every TX and RX,I got North ,South East and West came back with the same results......surely if terrain changes one direction would favour the ABS1600.........plus we live in North Lincolnshire....as "Flat as a Witches T@t" not Wales ect.I checked the losses in the coax with the MFJ and the Gainmaster had twice the run of coax ,so had the worst feeder for a start. As I said before George I know antennas (as many I see on here do ,including you Jazzy ) Next summer I will hopefully be swopping the Shakespere over with the GM so then I will do the test you suggest. But I guess by then everyone will come up with their own conclusions. I am just a radio hobbyist who makes my money as a welder. I am not a Trader of CB Radio gear, and have no Gain from advertising this product like a business does. I guess it will not suit everyone .........but I still maintain my opinion this antenna is the biggest step in Omidirectional CB Radio antenna design in the last 30 years.....OK not rocket science , but I feel a lot of other premium antenna builders will not know whats hit them.....when people start buying them....I guess time will tell !!

 

[Oggy]

Yes, I agree.
The Singer of Jazz makes great points and I'll be looking forward to posting my comparison results running the Sirio GM against my Hy-Gain Penetrator500.

My plan is to get several sig reps between now and when it arrives, then I'll paint & mark the mast, replace the Penetrator500 with the SGM and, using the same 60.3' of 9913, (2 wavelengths @ .84 VF, 27.385MHz) antenna base at 40' above ground, 20' of mast over the 20' rooftop, I'll compare sig reps.

I should have several within 3-10 miles, several in the local foothills 10-30 miles, a few 10-30 miles in the valley, 2-3 @ ~60 miles in the valley, and one @ 85 miles & 2100' ASL.

That should be a reasonably comprehensive empirical comparison. :mellow:

Good luck Scott..........I already have an idea of what you'll find though.......LOL

 

[bob85]

you have some nice antennas there dave,
im not about to abandon my sigma4.5 but if the gainmaster outperforms the best of the rest nothing would put a bigger smile on my face

 

[CDX-007]

...time to start buying Sirio stock, 'old boy?

 

[nav2010]

This antenna should change conventional thoughts on fiberglass antennas. The Gain-Master replaced my Vector last week. Before the antenna arrived I didn't intend to install it on my roof. Some back yard testing of the bandwidth made me give it a try. I'm glad I did. It is working every bit as good as the Vector with much wider bandwidth and simple appearance. RFI is non existent.

I see signs that this antenna with it's virtually parallel 0 degree TOA is performing better then I expected in the distance. It does exactly what Sirio advertises. I think this will be the antenna I recommend to most people seeking a good vertical omni. The only possible drawback is the power rating. Do not exceed the advertised ratings. I intend to investigate the possibility of replacing the capacitor with a Semco metal cased mica and attempt to convince Sirio to do the same.

That sounds like a excellent advert for Sirio and from you Shockwave seems to lack your usual degree of scrutiny. Its almost as if it was pre-meditated in some way. Personally speaking, I would want to wait a while longer and see others opinions on the matter.

 

[Shockwave]

That sounds like a excellent advert for Sirio and from you Shockwave seems to lack your usual degree of scrutiny. Its almost as if it was pre-meditated in some way. Personally speaking, I would want to wait a while longer and see others opinions on the matter.

I guess it's easy to confuse excitement as a promotion for the product. The reality is I did not rush to judgment on my conclusions. The Gain-Master was installed an operated during the course of last week so that I could make all of my usual contacts and compare how it worked beyond just one quick signal check after changing antennas. I don't suggest anyone take their Sigma clone down for this model unless you need the bandwidth or your Vector is falling apart in the weather.

I am telling you for a fact that if you have anything other then a Vector for an omni, this Gain-Master will show you a noticeable improvement in signal at a distance. I didn't guess or plan my response in any way and I don't benefit if one sells or one hundred thousand. The only company that benefits from the sales of the Gain-Master in the USA is H&Y Electronics and I don't particularly care for some of their practices from my personal experiences. Although, they will get you an antenna without issue.

I know it's hard to believe a fiberglass stick has become a first rate performer however that is the case. Simply because it works better then expected should not cause you to assume my claims were premeditated or lacked accuracy. The antenna will be in the market soon enough for others to arrive at the same conclusion. The Gain-Master is a winner if you don't operate above it's power rating. I'll stand behind that even though I have nothing to gain and could only risk my reputation if I were deceptive.

 

[Marconi]

Shockwave what kind of bandwidth do you see with your new GM? How big is the coax inside and does it look to have enough room to use 213 like Bob suggested?

 

[Shockwave]

Shockwave what kind of bandwidth do you see with your new GM? How big is the coax inside and does it look to have enough room to use 213 like Bob suggested?

On the MFJ it has a 1.5:1 VSWR bandwidth from about 26.800 to 29.700 with the vast majority of that spectrum covered at 1.2:1 or less. The coax used is about RG-58 sized or just slightly larger however, it is very high quality Teflon insulated. Possibly even Mil Spec as it has that appearance. There is not enough room on the coil form to wrap the choke with RG-213.

 

[jazzsinger]

That sounds like a excellent advert for Sirio and from you Shockwave seems to lack your usual degree of scrutiny. Its almost as if it was pre-meditated in some way. Personally speaking, I would want to wait a while longer and see others opinions on the matter.

i think that may be a bit unfair, both Shockwave and Oggy are both radio hobbyists with absolutely no financial interest in the sale of this new antenna, from previous experience i have found both of them to be honest and indeed critical if they found something was lacking in any product they talk about.

As for waiting a while longer, that wouldn't be a bad idea, but then that is true for anything new in the radio field as more often than not new radio gear comes with teething troubles.

For me i don't doubt either of their claims as this antenna looks to be very well designed, albeit maybe its not perfect, but then what radio gear is?

i have to admit when i see signal increases of the stature some people are seeing with this gainmaster i feel compelled to question if the tests were carried out on a like for like basis, which as far as i'm concerned is the only true way to test any two antennas against each other, and i know for a fact others will agree with me on that, because if its not done that way there is too many variables that can skew results in favour of either antenna on test.

i've never been a fan of bigsticks,a99's or any other fibreglass antennas, so for me the true test will be how it compares to antennas like the sigma 4/ vector 4000, sirio 827, penetrator 500 and jays i10k, or any other 5/8 wave for that matter, as for me these are the antennas the sirio has to match or even better beat to justify such a hefty price tag. as far as i'm concerned the only aspect of any antenna that really matters is performance. other antennas may offer ease of set up,build quality,weather resistance but the bottom line is no matter how good they are in these criterias, if they don't perform as far as i'm concerned they suck.

 

[Robb]

Maybe Shockwave or Oggy can test the antenna for 12, 15, & 17 meter capability/performance with an analyzer.

No rush; just curious . . .

 

[Oggy]

Ham Band tests

Maybe Shockwave or Oggy can test the antenna for 12, 15, & 17 meter capability/performance with an analyzer.

No rush; just curious . . .

Last night I did 10 meter tests and also checked it with the MFJ on the bands you suggested.....this video will be posted within the week Robb.

 

[regencycb]

Shockwave what kind of bandwidth do you see with your new GM? How big is the coax inside and does it look to have enough room to use 213 like Bob suggested?

Eddie and all take a look at these antenna plans and notice it uses a shunted stub of coax
for matching. Like the gain master . While not identical in design .I have played with this design mounted inside an old commercial fiberglass housing. I used quarter wave radials at the base straight out no angle and below the radials
a wound choke coil. This antenna had 1.5 swr at 49mhz and at 53.8 mhz

The Bazooka Vertical

Later RCB