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

[AudioShockwav]

A sign of the times Jeff

Yes, a lot of once great brands have been sold off, and some pencil pushing office employee determines the quality by how much it costs to build.

73
Jeff

 

[Big Kahuna]

Just to be clear, the max 2000 aka imax 2000 is still made at the same factory it’s been made at for the last 20 years regardless of who now owns the company/rights. Yes they messed with the length and now you need the extension piece to get a low SWR on the cb band but build quality etc should still be on par. I’ve had some conversations with the factory and they are good people, regardless if the customer service reps for DAS road pro are clueless.

 

[AudioShockwav]

My question is, are they going to sell the add on to fix the mess of cutting the antennas down.
It is just vehemently wrong to change the antenna so that it no longer performs as it did when it came out, not inform the buyers, and then make you buy a complete new antenna to replace what you thought you had already bought, a CB antenna.
It would be a excellent customer service, if, with proof of purchase, they would provide existing owners of max 2000 antennas with the extension to make the antenna do what it was sold as to do.

73
Jeff

 

[Eldorado828]

RoadPro now owns
Astatic microphones,
Francis Antennas,
K-40 antennas and accessories,
Solacon,
TruckSpec, and a couple other products.
If you dig around here long enough there was a member that had contact with the guy that designed the original I-max and questioned him about cutting it down, his response was " Then they ruined the antenna"
The original Solarcon no longer builds antennas
The Original K-40 no longer builds antennas and so on.

They are built for RoadPro by there cheap manufacturers.
They are not retailers of these products, they bought them and in many cases reduced the quality in cost cutting measures.
Francis Antennas at one time were top of the line products, you can go find the Patents from Francis when they developed the " Triple Quarter Wave" antennas then, Barjan LLC bought Francis.
Barjen = RoadPro.
The 1/4 wave fiberglass whips went away about this time due to shipping cost.
And they never could properly duplicate the manufacturing process
and they have not been the same since.
Next.
Astatic.
In 1930 2 hams, W8WR and W8AHW started playing with microphones for there ham radios.
Then they got together with Charles Semple, who had been experimenting with Rochelle
Salt Crystals.
They founded The Astatic Microphone Laboratory, Inc. in Youngstown in 1933.
They manufactured and marketed the company's model D-104 Crystal Microphone as well as other crystal microphones and products.
The commercial audio product division of Astatic became CAD Professional Microphones brand in 1988.
in 2000, CAD, Astatic and Omnitronics combined.
In 2012, the Citizens Band (CB) product division of Astatic that had been acquired from Omnitronics by Barjan LLC.
Barjan = RoadPro
In 2006 it was all sold to DAS Companies, DAS is the owner of Road Pro, a communications product distributor for interstate truck stops. DAS expanded the Astatic name to non-microphone accessories including coaxial cables, meters and antennas.
DAS = RoadPro.
This is when the Mic switches went to crap.
I can keep going but there is a common theme here, RoadPro bought product lines and shortly after there were cost cutting measures and in my opinion quality declined.


73
Jeff

Well said. I've said the same before and then we find ourselves back in this discussion again. Not many original of anything anymore and the reason the names we remember and see today aren't the same as we bought back in tha good o'l days.

 

[Recon]

I will presume 1 each male and female 3/8-24 end. Somewhat similar to the Amazon product ASIN B007QXLG0M without the female adapter.

Interesting. I have not seen the new / short IMAX 2000, but I am curious to know if the top section has a pre-drilled and tapped ferrule that will accept the 12-inch extension. I would think there is not enough material to attach a ferrule on the top stinger. Has anyone seen the 12-inch extension?

 

[Big Kahuna]

My question is, are they going to sell the add on to fix the mess of cutting the antennas down.
It is just vehemently wrong to change the antenna so that it no longer performs as it did when it came out, not inform the buyers, and then make you buy a complete new antenna to replace what you thought you had already bought, a CB antenna.
It would be a excellent customer service, if, with proof of purchase, they would provide existing owners of max 2000 antennas with the extension to make the antenna do what it was sold as to do.

73
Jeff

Yes it would make sense for them to do that, no idea why they haven’t made it available. I was sent one of the extensions from the factory to test and they work as expected.

 

[Marconi]

Yes it would make sense for them to do that, no idea why they haven’t made it available. I was sent one of the extensions from the factory to test and they work as expected.

Big Khuna, where was the added new section for the new shortened Imax installed?

Can you give us a picture and/or show us how long it is?

Marconi

 

[Marconi]

Here is what Copper Electronics describes for the Imax Optimizer

Solarcon Maxoptimizier | Copper Electronics

Solarcon Maxoptimizer

www.copperelectronics.com

• NEW! Upgraded replacement for IMAX-2000 antenna
• MaxOptimizer allows you to choose between a balanced 10 -11 meter antenna that will perform well in both bands or optimize the antenna for the 11 meter band.
• To Optimize for 11 meter performance assemble the antenna with the 12” optimizer section installed between the mid and top section as a 4 piece antenna.
• For balanced 10-11 meter performance leave out the 12” optimizer section and assemble as 3 piece antenna.
• Antenna rated at 5000 Watts

A65-00012

 

[AudioShockwav]

Eddie, thanks for that post, I take it from that it goes below the hidden cap inside the antenna if I understand this.

73
Jeff

 

[AudioShockwav]

I love this review in that link.

"
Not sure how the manufacturer achieved this, but when this antenna is used in a horizontal configuration on 27.875 MHz LSB, it will receive transmissions from interstellar space. However, the incoming signals are not decipherable and are disguised as common atmospheric static.
"
Proof there are nuts out there somewhere.

73
Jeff

 

[Marconi]

Eddie, thanks for that post, I take it from that it goes below the hidden cap inside the antenna if I understand this.

73
Jeff

There are two capacitors in the Imax 2K. One in the matching section at the base and the other is in the middle section near the middle of section 2.

When the New optimizer is used to maximize 11 meters this new device is connected at the top of the middle section...as I read from Copper Electronics noted above.

Hopefully the Big Kahuna can confirm this.

 

[Marconi]

Eddie, thanks for that post, I take it from that it goes below the hidden cap inside the antenna if I understand this.

73
Jeff

That is possible Jeff, but it is not the way I understand the New Optimizer.

 

[jtrouter]

That is possible Jeff, but it is not the way I understand the New Optimizer.

Based on this picture it goes on top, at least for the current version.

 

[AudioShockwav]

Yes I was talking about the cap inside the antenna, not at the base.
So I am assuming it takes 12" to get back to the original length?

73
Jeff

 

[Blackcat630]

RoadPro now owns
Astatic microphones,
Francis Antennas,
K-40 antennas and accessories,
Solacon,
TruckSpec, and a couple other products.
If you dig around here long enough there was a member that had contact with the guy that designed the original I-max and questioned him about cutting it down, his response was " Then they ruined the antenna"
The original Solarcon no longer builds antennas
The Original K-40 no longer builds antennas and so on.

They are built for RoadPro by there manufacturers.
They are not retailers of these products, they bought them and in many cases reduced the quality in cost cutting measures.
Francis Antennas at one time were top of the line products, you can go find the Patents from Francis when they developed the " Triple Quarter Wave" antennas then, Barjan LLC bought Francis.
Barjen = RoadPro.
The 1/4 wave fiberglass whips went away about this time due to shipping cost.
And they never could properly duplicate the manufacturing process
and they have not been the same since.
Next.
Astatic.
In 1930 2 hams, W8WR and W8AHW started playing with microphones for there ham radios.
Then they got together with Charles Semple, who had been experimenting with Rochelle
Salt Crystals.
They founded The Astatic Microphone Laboratory, Inc. in Youngstown in 1933.
They manufactured and marketed the company's model D-104 Crystal Microphone as well as other crystal microphones and products.
The commercial audio product division of Astatic became CAD Professional Microphones brand in 1988.
in 2000, CAD, Astatic and Omnitronics combined.
In 2012, the Citizens Band (CB) product division of Astatic that had been acquired from Omnitronics by Barjan LLC.
Barjan = RoadPro
In 2006 it was all sold to DAS Companies, DAS is the owner of Road Pro, a communications product distributor for interstate truck stops. DAS expanded the Astatic name to non-microphone accessories including coaxial cables, meters and antennas.
DAS = RoadPro.
This is when the Mic switches went to crap.
I can keep going but there is a common theme here, RoadPro bought product lines and shortly after there were cost cutting measures and in my opinion quality declined.


73
Jeff

Well said.. Good summary of the downfall of those brands. It's unfortunate that's for sure.

Don't even get me started on the (barjan) Wilson antenna line... sad what things have come to..