Tak-tenna Antenna systems

[fourstringburn]

Better off laying a 133ft wire dipole on the roof or under and around the eave of the house.

 

[The DB]

This method works fine for maintaining efficiency to a point, but for a 40 meter antenna a 30 inch boom is just to much shortening, the same with their 48 inch boom on the 80 meter antenna. Sure they will function, and if you have nothing else that will fit they are better than that alternative, but to be effective they are simply way to short.

All this antenna really is is an antenna with a funny looking top loading coil that doubles as a kind of capacity hat as well. Such methods are fine to about 40% of the antenna's overall length before the efficiency (from ARRL Antenna Book series, older books), however, as I pointed about above, the boom lengths used are well shorter than that.

Based on some initial modeling of this type of coil at the tip of the antenna, I retract these statements I made.

For further information you can read this post posted in the CB Antennas section of the forum.


The DB

 

[Heavy Metal]

Was just curious, I can lay over 300' both sides with lots to spear, just playing around with ideas and came across this. If does half it says does could be pretty neat, but I'd like to make a homemade one from scratch maybe using 1.1 or 4:1 even 9:1 and 16:1 balun, as well as a bit larger wire @10ga / awg

 

[Road Squawker]

rated # 1 for birds too

 

[Riverman]

1. Umbrella in place? (For parade rainers) Check.
2. Ear Plugs in place? (For Debby Downers) Check.
3. Finger on Ignore button? (For the usual suspects) Check.

Okay, here we go!

Have ordered a TAK-tenna (40 meter version).

Will post photos of assembly, placement, and analyzer readings and provide an straightforward report on performance. Have hacksaw ready just in case. (Used it on a ProComm Patriot 12 a few years back.)

Let the fun begin!

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Have ordered a TAK-tenna (40 meter version).

Will post photos of assembly, placement, and analyzer readings and provide an straightforward report on performance.

Make sure you have a good reference antenna to compare it too otherwise performance is almost meaningless. I have seen many people heap great praise on a poor antenna simply because they had nothing to compare it too. Once a half decent reference antenna was installed , even a half wave dipole at a half decent height, they realized that there was nothing special about their expensive whiz-bang antenna they had spoken so highly of before.

 

[Riverman]

Make sure you have a good reference antenna to compare it too otherwise performance is almost meaningless. I have seen many people heap great praise on a poor antenna simply because they had nothing to compare it too. Once a half decent reference antenna was installed , even a half wave dipole at a half decent height, they realized that there was nothing special about their expensive whiz-bang antenna they had spoken so highly of before.

I don't have a good reference antenna to compare it to. My "performance" evaluation will simply be whether I can hear and make contacts with it. Being able to do so doesn't make it a great antenna but does tell those considering one what they might can expect. If we were experiencing great propogation conditions (the wet noodle paradigm), such an evaluation would be meaningless, but we aren't.

Don't think I am set on reporting good results. The hacksaw is not a prop. It is a "I'm losing patience" cure. And works better than Advil in that capacity.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I don't have a good reference antenna to compare it to. My "performance" evaluation will simply be whether I can hear and make contacts with it. Being able to do so doesn't make it a great antenna but does tell those considering one what they might can expect. If we were experiencing great propogation conditions (the wet noodle paradigm), such an evaluation would be meaningless, but we aren't.

Don't think I am set on reporting good results. The hacksaw is not a prop. It is a "I'm losing patience" cure. And works better than Advil in that capacity.

I once made several 11m DX contacts using a dipole in my basement. Those contacts didn't mean I had a decent antenna however. It's all about the reference antenna. When I switched from the basement dipole to the beam at 40 feet it was like kicking in a Gigawatt amp. LOL

 

[Riverman]

When I switched from the basement dipole to the beam at 40 feet it was like kicking in a Gigawatt amp. LOL

Captain, if I had a beam at 40', I'd be seated at my radio rather than messing with antennas.

My end fed is rated 25 watts max. I usually run 10.
Already limbering up my fingers in preparation of venturing out of QRPland.

 

[BJ radionut]

I wish you would have used that money...for a descent outboard manual tuner...and a roll of ladder line
All the Best
Gary

 

[Riverman]

I wish you would have used that money...for a descent outboard manual tuner...and a roll of ladder line
All the Best
Gary

Gary,
With a neighborhood and yard non-conducive to an outdoor antenna, I have been relegated to my attic. Stringing my endfed there was a pain in the rear. Gettin' too darn old. Any antenna using ladder line would be equally difficult. And have the same discouraging bends.

The TAK-tenna has a small footprint (resulting in decreased efficiency, I know) but will be easy to hang. And, I can get it higher.

 

[928bolo]

Make sure you have a good reference antenna to compare it too otherwise performance is almost meaningless.

How true. Almost anything connected to a radio will make a few contacts.

I'll admit that I bought/built the 20m version of this antenna. The Q is very high so tuning it for my favorite part of the band was difficult. Also there is a lot of current on the shield of the coax so I guess that is part of the antenna "system". hihi.

 

[fourstringburn]

I considered a Tak antenna because I live in an HOA neighborhood. Fortunately I took a chance with a Carolina Windom antenna to have something better. and many years later I still haven't had any complaints.

Any antenna is usually better than no antenna but there are better options to consider.

You could get 135 ft of THHN wire in a color that can match your roof and make a dipole. Lay it across your roof or attatch it to the facing along the eave.

Just something to think about if the Tak antenna doesn't work too good.

Good luck!

 

[Riverman]

I considered a Tak antenna because I live in an HOA neighborhood. Fortunately I took a chance with a Carolina Windom antenna to have something better. and many years later I still haven't had any complaints.

Any antenna is usually better than no antenna but there are better options to consider.

You could get 135 ft of THHN wire in a color that can match your roof and make a dipole. Lay it across your roof or attatch it to the facing along the eave.

Just something to think about if the Tak antenna doesn't work too good.

Good luck!

Thanks, fourstring. Have considered that before, but my home has aluminum gutters around its perimeter. These wreaked havoc with antennas I placed near them in the past. If the TAK-tenna flops, I'll just bite the bullet, order a 40' Rohn tower and put a 80 meter hamstick dipole atop it.

 

[Riverman]

Relax. Just kidding, guys.

This is from another thread:

Two additional things to note, the antennas from http://tak-tenna.com/ and many of these that have been made are closer to the earth, which will, in and of itself, raise R, although not likely enough to tune on its own. Further, looking at their web site closely, those are tapped coils. Here is the image on their main site being used as an example.

If those are tapped coils, that might solve all tuning problems, all I need to do is use tapped coils in the models myself... These coils are also much larger than the ones I used in the models... With such a system I can see the potential for the antenna to be tunable over a fairly wide range of frequencies, or perhaps length of the antenna inside of said coils?

The DB

This post from The DB is one reason I decided to go ahead and give the TAK-tenna a try.