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Solarcon MAX OPTIMZER The Ultimate 10-11 Meter Base Antenna

One of the local guys (my friend) recently purchased a I MAX 2000 from ebay. I advised him to measure the shipping box prior to opening and if the box is not eight feet long, he did not receive the original twenty-four foot antenna. The box was not eight feet long and he opened the box and measured the total length of the segments, and it was not a twenty-four foot antenna as advertised on ebay. He contacted ebay and the seller. The seller authorized the antenna be returned at no cost.
He recently received and installed an Antron 99, and he is happy as a pig in mud!
I have had a A99 for years and think it is great. And it tunes in many bands. I believe 12, 15, 17,and possibly 20 Don't hold me to it but all with the radios internal tuner.
 
  • Replacement for IMAX2000 Antenna
  • Original IMAX 2000 is now discontinued
  • 1-2 DB better than ANY other 5/8ths wave(y):ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
Wow! $210 USD plus shipping (R & L has $239 free ship) ...
Think I would buy Penetrator for $$220 USD...Hell the MOSLEY GP is only $100 more...The Zero 5 still $150 more...so maybe not horrible price since ALM cost has Doubled last 2 years!!! but BIG jump from the old $100 USD price for years.
A99 still less than $100...but that antenna not even as good as Dipole :LOL::p
Just add a 12 inch piece of wire to the regular IMAX on the top section!
 
two pieces of 3/4 emt conduit less than $10
cut to length and have a vertical dipole OPTIMIZED for frequency of design.
direct feed no matching network loss
 
Makes sense since those two bands are what folks are tuning for. Wish antron-99 had the same thing since the trim data in their manual is incorrect and it's difficult to switch back to 11 after trimming for 10. I trimmed my 99, 4" less than the manual said, and it put me perfectly at 28.410. Would have had to learn CW if I believed the book.
I'd buy a 10/11 top section for the 99 with a cap built in it for both bands if they made it.
 
Hi Tom..So after trimming for 10 meters were you able to get a reasonable SWR on 11 meters to use that band? Thanks
 
It's strange that owners of the too short max 2000 don't have the option of buying the extension piece. You'd think after getting jipped It's the least a company could do.

Local operator bought this and it fit his Imax 2000. It dropped the SWR on 11 down to 1.3-1.
 
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Local operator bought this and it fit his Imax 2000. It dropped the SWR on 11 down to 1.3-1.

Thanks FlatlandBusa

At last, good news for the shortened IMAX. And good news for the ones who want to experiment with the old Solarcon antennas like old 2000 and maybe, A99
 
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Thanks FlatlandBusa

At last, good news for the shortened IMAX. And good news for the ones who want to experiment with the old Solarcon antennas like old 2000 and maybe, A99
No problem. Before this extension was available, I extended my short IMAX by soldering and heat shrinking about a 10 inch wire extension to the tip.
 
A few months back, I saved an I Max from the weeds at a cb buddy's house. He had actually forgot it was even there. Been back there for several years.
With the help of a good friend of mine I put it on a 20 foot pole. He has an antenna analyzer and we set the swr before putting it in the air.
SWR`s on this antenna as a whole are; It stays below 1.8 - 1 from 26.055 through 28.325
On 11 meters it's 1.3-1 unlike my A99 which is 1.1 through 11 meters but doesn't have the frequency range that the I Max has.
I have no problem at all with transmission or reception with either. Both have have taken me all over the world, so no complaints here.

I'm not sure why they felt the need to change it.
 
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