What Is The Best Base Antenna Under $135

[222DBFL]

Good aluminum isnt cheap!!

 

[space cowboy]

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5336136228&icep_item=301394323386

 

[DJboutit]

I would like to get the Workman 5/8 Sirio 2012 or 827 the radials need to be 4 1/2ft or shorter

 

[Oatmeal]

A Imax 2k is ok long as you don't run alot of power through it, then it becomes a splatter stick,....don't no enough about a A99 to say one way or the other about it...

If you can find one in good shape, I'd look for a old school super penetrator there about the best aluminum antenna I've seen...the new ones sold today, not sure what they may cost...there are several other aluminum antennas to pick from....aluminum antennas are better than the fiber glass antennas, tho..

 

[222DBFL]

The sirio 2016 is about the best route you could go. The radials are 2.29ft., which is under 4.5ft and it is an easy antenna to tune an will tune well if you use the chart that sirio sends. The aluminum is heavy duty and the radials are as well. I'm not sure where to get the 2012 but the 2016 is available at DNJ radio or H&Y. I was very impressed with this antenna. Very robust and handles the FL weather great per my local pal that I put it up for. Use a drop of red locktite on the Allen screws and the radial threads as well. Just a drop or two is all that is needed. The only thing you need to mark is the top section for the freq that you use most. This is JMHO. Good luck with whatever you get and don't forget to get some good coax and connectors as well.

 

[Needle Bender]

Keep in mind that niether the 827 nor the 2016 is a 5/8 (except in name) as both are noticeably shorter than the true 5/8 Tornado.
I don't see a problem devising a matching network to tune any arbitrary or random length of wire or tubing for low swr and low reactance, but where I do have a problem is in expecting the same performance / pattern / gain from differing types of antennas just because of a name affixed to them..

I have a 6" long 5/8 for 11m, but I 'loaded it' to 5/8 by having only a 261 turn coil . L0L

If you want the performance of a 5/8 then why not buy an antenna with a radiating element which measures .625 x the wavelength? (which happens to be right about 22' 4", not including the mounting tube nor coil / match length)

I"d like to see Sirio produce a more robust version of the Tornado using similar tubing to that of the 827.

Maybe even offer it with an adjustable match, like the I10K / Shockwave, so it could even be lengthened to .64 if someone wanted the additional higher angle gain for D-layer or over a ridge performance.

 

[Stellasstillarat]

If you decide to go with the imax 2000. Cheap ham charges $102 shipped. Granted there only about 30 miles from me but I'm fairly sure they will ship it for the $102 in the continental US. I'm currently using an a99 but will swap it to the imax 2000 in June. I'm hopeing to gain an s unit on my recive. Fingers crossed.good luck and no matter your choice I hope you do some DX'ING. It's a great hobby.

I had to get rid of my ride so I will be running base to little while what is the best base antenna under $135?

H&Y has a Maco 5/8 for 70$ and a Astro Plane Alpha for $120 which of these 2 antenns is better?

 

[Needle Bender]

The 827 is built with thicker aluminum sections. Which one is better is a matter of what you want. The tornado is a great antenna, but is lightweight aluminum it's almost 1/3 the weight of the 827. The 827 uses thicker aluminum sections for sure. The 2016 is just about like the 827, the 2016 is about 1.5lbs less in weight. The 827 weighs over 13.22lbs so better have a good mast setup or tower for it if you plan on going up very high with it. As far as which is better, the 827 and tornado are both 5/8th wave antennas, the 827 most likely the better antenna due to the beefier aluminum, but both probably perform about the same at the same height. JMHO.

Odd.
Looking at the Sirio website, they say nothing about the tubing of iether the 827 or the Tornado except that they're both 6063 T832.
edit* --> I just noticed Sirio also make a 6m Tornado, which I expect to be 1/2 the weight of an 11m 5/8, and since the 11m Tornado lists as exactly 1/2 the weight of 2 other SHORTER 11m '5/8' supposedly using the same tubing, I expect a mistake on the Sirio webpage showing the weight of their 6m Tornado where the weight of the 11m version should be?

 

[Needle Bender]

If you decide to go with the imax 2000. Cheap ham charges $102 shipped. Granted there only about 30 miles from me but I'm fairly sure they will ship it for the $102 in the continental US. I'm currently using an a99 but will swap it to the imax 2000 in June. I'm hopeing to gain an s unit on my recive. Fingers crossed.good luck and no matter your choice I hope you do some DX'ING. It's a great hobby.

In my experience the Imax provided 2 s/ units improvement over an antron99, but it depends on the radio's AGC, on a Galaxy it seems most signals are squeezed into the area between S9-10 over.
I typically see another s/ unit improvement when switching from the Imax to the Penetrator 500, and an additional 2dB when going to the Gain Master.
I bet you will be satisfied having spent the ca$h no matter what you get to replace the A99.
I also believe you'd find much better receive on a metal vs fiberglass, due to metal having typically less static.

 

[wavrider]

Needle bender??? I2K 2 S units over an A99

Super penetrator 1 s unit over the I2K (3 s units over the A99)

Gain master 2 DB gain over the super penetrator ( 3.33 DB gain over the A99)

so the gain master has 18.2 DB gain over the A99.

The gainmaster is better than an beam, considering the A99 has no gain.

 

[222DBFL]

Needlebender, I went off the weight of the antennas. The 11m tornado comes in at around 6.4lbs. The 827 weighs 13.2lbs. I don't think the same thickness aluminum was used for these antennas. Maybe the same type yes, but not the same thickness. Just to clarify what I was saying.

 

[Beetle]

Got trees? Put up dipoles. Cheap, and easy except possibly the installation.

 

[Z-MAN]

Ive been using a Sirio Tornado for almost 2 yrs, awesome RX & TX and looks like the Mr. Coily but $400 cheaper, lol. Holding up so far during these cold, snowy and very windy Michigan winters or strong summer storms. Im very suprised the Tornado hasnt turned into the best selling base antenna on the market, best bang for your buck and outperforms the whole Sirio lineup IMO.

 

[Ironman1956]

Might want to check out the sirio line of antennas too. The sirio 2016 is just a tad more than 135 with shipping, but is built well and tunes well. Set one up for a local and had very good results. The sirio tornado is about 106 shipped and isn't bad either, but is a lighter antenna and is more prone to damage from bad weather. I have a sirio tornado up at 18ft and it has worked well for me, but if I was looking for another the sirio 2016 would be one I would consider. The Maco 5/8 are decent antennas as well but have their weak points.

I run a Sirio 27 5/8 wave, rated at 250 watts continuous and 750 watts intermediate so with my Tech license I run 100 watts onn 10 meter USB and barefoot on cb without any type of tuner and good swr. They run around 78.00

 

[Ironman1956]

Ive been using a Sirio Tornado for almost 2 yrs, awesome RX & TX and looks like the Mr. Coily but $400 cheaper, lol. Holding up so far during these cold, snowy and very windy Michigan winters or strong summer storms. Im very suprised the Tornado hasnt turned into the best selling base antenna on the market, best bang for your buck and outperforms the whole Sirio lineup IMO.View attachment 15841

I like the Sirio products, probably outperforms my Sirio 27 will have to look into that.