Base SOLARCON Scoop

[M0GVZ]

I don't know whether my antenna was damaged in transit, it doesn't appear to have any marks on the outside, but nowhere on my antenna analyzer can i find a 50 ohm feed point moving the rings anywhere from top to bottom

Unless you're using a very short length of coax then the coax will skew the readings. When using an antenna analyser you want to be ideally connecting it directly to the antenna feedpoint.

Also if the antenna isn't in the clear with nothing shadowing it that'll skew the readings too.

I wouldn't take not being able to see a 50 Ohm impedance as an indication it isn't working properly. In fact when you look at say a 1/4 wave antenna over perfect ground with that you want to be seeing a 36.8 Ohm feedpoint and with a dipole 72 Ohms.

 

[Recon]

I cannot believe that they would not check it before sending it to Australia and it also arrived without the booklet I had to down load it from the internet.

I think the booklet for my antenna was in the same sealed plastic bag as the fasteners. Maybe you were sent an antenna that was returned because of the missing treads.
Something to think about. I don't know how the center wire in the fiberglass rod connects to the end fitting, but if your friend drilled and tapped a through hole into the end fitting, there is the possibility the wire was severed.

 

[Unit 75]

I never got a booklet with mine when it arrived. Just one of those danger electrocution stickers that came in the hardware bag.

 

[Marconi]

I hope he drilled and tapped a "blind" hole and not a through hole. If water passes by the lock washer it will eventually fill the hole in the center of the antenna where the single wire is.

Good point Recon.

However, I think the wire enters a small thru hole from the bottom to the top of the two metal hubs...and are off to the side a little bit.

I think if you look close you might be able see the wire looks to be soldered into place. The top element wire may be soldered into the middle of its threaded stud however.

I think this style of antennas can and does allow water to get into the feed line however...even though there should be a small weep hole right beside the coax connector in the base. When I took these antennas down I always checked the weep hole to make sure it seem clear of varmint nests.

 

[Marconi]

I never got a booklet with mine when it arrived. Just one of those danger electrocution stickers that came in the hardware bag.

I would be interested to see the full manual that comes with the New Imax, which appears to be setup for 10 meters instead of 11 meters.

 

[Unit 75]

Not sure if this is it or not???

 

[Unit 75]

Here it is. Read under "Tuning Rings" It says DO NOT TOUCH THEM. for 10 or 11 meters lol

 

[Recon]

Good point Recon.

However, I think the wire enters a small thru hole from the bottom to the top of the two metal hubs...and are off to the side a little bit.

I think if you look close you might be able see the wire looks to be soldered into place. The top element wire may be soldered into the middle of its threaded stud however.

I think this style of antennas can and does allow water to get into the feed line however...even though there should be a small weep hole right beside the coax connector in the base. When I took these antennas down I always checked the weep hole to make sure it seem clear of varmint nests.

Yes, I remember seeing the weep hole at the base and it looked to be only a 1/16" drilled hole. If the threaded hole at the top was drilled and tapped straight through, the lock washer at threaded connection is definitely not a watertight connection. How much harm would the water do if the 8' hollow section of the mast was filled with water and/or moisture?
Also, you would have to be extra careful when drilling and tapping into the end cap because if the end cap gets slightly twisted, the hidden soldered connection could be compromised and you would never know it. Are the end caps chrome plated brass or stainless steel?

 

[Robert Buttle]

I cannot believe that they would not check it before sending it to Australia and it also arrived without the booklet I had to down load it from the internet.

Just for an "experiment"............ try adding some 1/4 wl radials to it @ 90 degrees,............you may even want to later adjust the 90 degree angle to point the radials end closer to the earth.

I did know about that but did not want to add quarter wave radials as that would lock into 11m only, this antenna is used as a field day antenna and i have to be able to use it on ham bands as well.

 

[Robert Buttle]

I hope he drilled and tapped a "blind" hole and not a through hole. If water passes by the lock washer it will eventually fill the hole in the center of the antenna where the single wire is.

No he only tapped it to the bottom of the hole that was there, its still sealed.

 

[Recon]

No he only tapped it to the bottom of the hole that was there, its still sealed.

Well that is great news! That proves that the manufacturer does not assemble the sections and check the thread fit-up prior to packing and shipping. Just curious about the material of the end fitting. Chrome plated brass or stainless steel?

 

[357]

Recon, here is a review from CB Radio Magazine you may find interesting.

http://cbradiomagazine.com/Antenna Reviews/Imax 2000/Imax 2000 Antenna Review.html

Road Squawker, there is some talk about calculator math for the 5/8 wave, including Velocity Factor in the link above.

My Imax was very broad banded while working <> 70' feet of feed line. I recall the BW was so wide when using a CB radio it showed a very low SWR the entire CB bandwidth...like a straight line with no curve. Using my VA1 analyzer the antenna showed more than 4 MHz <1.50:1 SWR. I would think that would put the match >29 MHz and possibly still showing close to 1.50:1 SWR.

Has anybody asked 357 if he measured and recorded the dimensions for one of the Max 2000 he returned?

357, did you ever hear back from Solarcon after they received your returns. They make a promise in their manual to do just that if you included contact information with returns.

IMO, something just isn't jiving here.

Hey sorry I missed this thread been concentrating on my SB221
Solarcon sent me a new bottom section after I almost lost it on them, they didn't want to do it but they did.
Mine was cracked and so was the section they sent. I never heard back from them.
The others I bought from amazon, they weren't cracked but had a shit swr, as did the cracked ones.
Amazon was the best to deal with, they sent a new one and then a truck came and got the old one, all free of charge. Unfortunately I'm still dealing with a crap swr and the cracked section solarcon sent me. I should have put the old one in the box and gave that to amazon but I try to be honest.

It's very likely that shipping changes may have effected their business - in our business we see changes like this all the time and overall box size often may trigger the higher rate, not just the length - however - you'd have to be a total moron to think you can simply cut your antenna product shorter to save money on shipping.

I've met some dumb people in my time in the radio business world but I can't imagine anyone who spent a bunch of money and "purchased" an antenna product would be that dumb.

We do have the measurements in my article from the previous model so it will be interesting to see. Also I'd be interested to see if they are being manufactured somewhere new.

Bells posted this on their website -

We no longer sell this antenna because Solarcon decided to shorten the antenna so that it would ship easier. They did this without changing the tuning of the antenna so now it comes tuned for 10 meter Ham band and not CB radio.

Also saw this review on Amazon - (maybe from our forum member)

Purchased I-Max 2000 installation and assembly was pretty easy, so when i’ve had The Antenna up in the air, decided to do an SWR check even if the Manufacture guarantees that there is no need for. Connected my MFJ 269C analyzer and was surprised by high SWR on chenel 1 reading was at 2.0 and chenel 40 at 1.7 wich means the Antenna was to short.
Tried to raise antenna by adjusting the ring. With out an result. The SWR was at the same level.
The adjusting rings are not working. Sending back to the shipper.
Note: always check your SWR before starting transmitting.

Not my review, mine is second newest but this person has the same results I did, they suck.

I was in Medellin today to pick up some packages from AVIANCA/DEPRISA ( my preferred shipper). When shipping to the US, they hand off packages coming from Colombia to USPS for final US delivery. They told me that the maximum length was 274 cm (108").
However, they also told me that the shipping cost for any package exceeding 93" in length will be over $90 USD ( !!!!) if shipped via UPS.

I recently purchased several Shakespeare 4208 8' Loran whip antennas from a US seller. They gave me free shipping via USPS to my forwarding agent (Avianca /Deprisa ) in Florida. I still have the box the antennas came in, and it measures 98" inches long. The USPS stamp showed the US ship cost was $7.36.My forwarding agent allows any package up to 2.75 meters in length, and the charge I pay to Colombia is based on weight only.

The following note was on the shipping invoice from my US seller:
Please Note: Due to the length of this antenna, you will only see USPS as a shipping option. If you need to have this antenna shipped via UPS, please contact us to place an order- just realize that the UPS shipping charge is $90+.

So ... Solarcon's owners didn't switch to USPS, they just shortened the antenna. REALLY good thinking.

- 399

This^^

You may have the missing piece to the puzzle if you can confirm the length of each section or the total length of the assembled antenna. Do you still have the shipping box so as to measure it?

I have 3 boxes here,


Not 97" thats for sure

 

[Robert Buttle]

Well that is great news! That proves that the manufacturer does not assemble the sections and check the thread fit-up prior to packing and shipping. Just curious about the material of the end fitting. Chrome plated brass or stainless steel?

the material on mine is brass once you could only nickel plate brass

 

[Marconi]

Not sure if this is it or not???

Thanks Unit 75.

Your link below looks just like my manual.

https://www.worldwidedx.com/attachments/max-2000-instructions-pdf.32084/

Here it is. Read under "Tuning Rings" It says DO NOT TOUCH THEM. for 10 or 11 meters lol

I don't see this information in my manual, and I don't recall ever seeing it. Is this info in the manual for the New IMax? What is the source for this information in the JPG file? I would like to read the rest.

 

[Marconi]

Hey sorry I missed this thread been concentrating on my SB221

Hey 357, that link wasn't required reading...I figered' you was just walkin' the Dog with that SB221.