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Base New Imax wont tune 11m....this sucks

Hello I have had the I Max 2000 for only a few day's but will tell you the I Max 2000 work's very well. I have a G5RV and a S9 Vertical and a 80 Meter wire Vertical. On 10 meters, 11 meters, 12 meters and 15 meters the SWR is very good. Signal reports are on par with my other antenna's I have the antenna mounted on the roof with the antenna at 40 feet.I have worked stations all over Europe on 15 and 10 meters with 100 watts. I had too put the tuning rings almost all the way up too get good SWR on 10,11,12,15 meters. Here are my SWR reading's.
28.000-1.2
28.100-1.2
28.300-1.2
28.400-1.2
28.500-1.2
28.700-1.4
26.965-1.5
27.205-1.5
27.405-1.4
24.890-2.1
24.990-2.1
21.000-1.5
21.275-1.4
21.450-1.3
I think I'm going too have a lot of fun with this antenna. The antenna is well made and has a nice finish to it. I was going too paint it olive drab but never got around too it. For the price you can't really beat it, how long it will last I don't know because we get real strong wind's coming off of Lake Erie I'm on a big hill. I'll report back in a few month's and see if I feel the same way about the antenna.
73's Dale KO8L
 
Several years back I put up a 2000 on a 30 pole off the back porch, total height was 34'.
I had 1.3 on 11 meters and I adjusted the rings up, then all the way down, nothing changed. So for me the swr was just fine.

But, being not happy with the way the antenna was performing, it came down a month later and the I-10k replaced it - lots happier now!!
 
Sorry I just have to ask and I know you're already aggravated with the whole situation , but are you moving that aluminum ladder out of the way when you check your SWR ? Would it make a difference ? Just curious .o_O:)
 
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357magnum said:
Sorry I just have to ask and I know you're already aggravated with the whole situation , but are you moving that aluminum ladder out of the way when you check your SWR ? Would it make a difference ? Just curious .o_O:)
Click to expand...

Made zero difference, I'm not that stupid.
I tried everything.
Took my choke out of line, swr went up .02.

Just crappy attention to detail, solarcon failed plain and simple.
Cost my months of dicking around, money wasted, labour and risking my life.
They obviously dont care about any of that.

Now I got to take this pos down and put up the old one that was at least 1.3 on 38 lower
 
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that last graph with the rings down low looks to be about 1.5:1 swr,, whats wrong with that? yes its not perfect 1.1:1 but still very usable,, might just be the mounting situation / height / objects near by,, run it and see how it performs
 
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Putting an Imax up on my tower this coming Monday. Have it temporarily mounted on a 5ft tripod with 8ft of mast pipe. The tunning rings are at factory default.
I'm assuming the close proximity to earth is skewing my swr plots. I would think once on my tower this plot will change to a more favorable cure in the CB-10 meterTech class range.
Otherwise the antenna is centered more for freeband and 10 meter Tech class range operations.
My readings are from my Comet CAA-500 Mark II
18.110 6.6
18.168 6.7
21.275 2.1
21.350 2.2
24.940 1.8
26.965 2.0
27.205 1.9
27.405 1.7
27.590 1.5
27.900 1.4
28.270 1.5
28.540 1.6
29.000 2.0
29.600 2.3

I have also considered doing the whole choke thing with my LMR feedline.
I was thinking somewhere around 4 to 6 turns around zip tied off a few feet from the bottom of the Imax 2000's feed point.
I had an Imax 2000 up many years ago and fed it with RG8X direct with no chokes ect.
Never had any common mode current in the shack.
Not really sure if the coaxial choke is needed but thought I would try it and see.
Any thoughts on the LMR 400 coaxial choke?
 
Well I re-used the old bottom section with the new top sections.
I measured both middle section on both new/old I got anywhere from 47-51pf on both so no difference there.
Its defiantly the bottom section solarcon is screwing up somehow.
I have 1.34 on 38 lower again.
I'm gonna try the rings a cunthair and see.

Its windy as f out, I devised a system of pulling the antenna up with one arm while holding on to the mast with the other and then grabbing the antenna and the mast up high as I can and then using my free hand, quickly zap-strapping the base to the pipe above and below the u-bolt holes, then resting a minute and then putting in the u-bolts loosely and wiggling the antenna up to the top of the pole.

Then I can tighten the u-bolts and relax a bit...

Huge pain in the ass, huge waste of time thanks to solarCON.
 
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camaro1 said:
that last graph with the rings down low looks to be about 1.5:1 swr,, whats wrong with that? yes its not perfect 1.1:1 but still very usable,, might just be the mounting situation / height / objects near by,, run it and see how it performs
Click to expand...
1.5 sucks, my radio starts throttling.
Plus my graph I made on ms paint, its only to give an idea of what I'm seeing.

 
1.5:1 SWR really isn't bad,, if your that worried about the radio not seeing a perfect 1.1:1 swr just put a small tuner inline,,, no one is going to tell the difference from you running 1.1:1 or 1.5:1 swr

so now your back to 1.34:1 swr on 27.385,, perfect run it
 
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