Base Workman M400 Starduster

[SuperLid]

The Workman antennas are made in Asia, unlike the Sirio. I have been using a homebrew Starduster, that uses a Workman hub and 4 HamStick type antennas. I also use a impedance matching shunt coil, for matching and DC ground. It works pretty well for what it is. Very lightweight, easy up and down, no worries in storms and seems to get out better than some of the other antennas I have here at 22' AGL.

SuperLid

 

[Marconi]

What happened with the replacement part from Workman? 08-28-22

Must have been a Monday morning and a hung over cross eyed builder. Kind of a bummer, go figure.

So I called workman and surprisingly spoke with a human if you can believe it! Sent them a picture of it and they're sending me another hub to make it right.

I'll report back as project starduster goes along.

What happened with the replacement part 8-2-8?

 

[Eldorado828]

What happened with the replacement part from Workman? 08-28-22

What happened with the replacement part 8-2-8?

Mr Marconi, my apologies for not updating on this post. At first was told they didn't have any spares but then they actually sent another hub that really didn't look brand new. The insulator is centered so I left it at that. Going any further just wasn't worth the battle on the hub. Maybe it was from a demo or something. They didn't have me send in the bad one so if there was a way to manufacture an insulator the other would probably work for a home brew or a spare.

 

[whiteastro]

They didn't have me send in the bad one so if there was a way to manufacture an insulator the other would probably work for a home brew or a spare.

Hey did you ever get one of those Workman Star dusters up in the air and try it, and if so how did it work for you ?

 

[Eldorado828]

Hey did you ever get one of those Workman Star dusters up in the air and try it, and if so how did it work for you ?

No sir, that was originally the plan but I got the sigma silver rod up instead. My mast goes up about 26 feet so went with the sigma because I could get that dude higher in the sky at the tip.

So I've got 2 of them boxed up and ready for service when that time comes.

 

[Rick330man]

Workman used to sell a product sold as a "6 Hub". It was a hub that screwed right onto standard plumbing pipe. It was threaded for 3 3/8" x 24 thread downward sloping radials. It also had the space on the top side for a vertical radiator.

An old Radio Shack 102" fiberglass whip serves as the vertical. Three Radio Shack 102" stainless steel whips serve as the downward sloping radials used for the counterpoise. My SWR across the CB runs in the 1.2:1 range. No tuning issues; no matching networks; no metric to imperial conversions: the final contraption was just a simple, efficient and resonant antenna (some call it a center fed dipole while others say this design is a 1/4 wave Marconi ground plane) that provides pretty decent performance and minimal headaches.

 

[Rick330man]

I just put my Workman hub Starduster back up after doing some regular maintenance on it. The stainless steel 102" whips got some naval jelly to help get rid of some of the rust stains that had formed over 3 years. The threads were completely cleaned. Any hardware that wasn't stainless was replaced with stainless. I haven't had a chance yet to talk either skip or local on it, but I hope to change that in the next few days.

For some head to head comparison, I'm going to set up a Big Stick about 30' away and see which performs better.

 

[Marconi]

I would go with the Sirio Starduster M400

 

[Eldorado828]

I just put my Workman hub Starduster back up after doing some regular maintenance on it. The stainless steel 102" whips got some naval jelly to help get rid of some of the rust stains that had formed over 3 years. The threads were completely cleaned. Any hardware that wasn't stainless was replaced with stainless. I haven't had a chance yet to talk either skip or local on it, but I hope to change that in the next few days.

For some head to head comparison, I'm going to set up a Big Stick about 30' away and see which performs better.

Please report back on the comparison. I've got a workman starduster that I've been itching to get up.

 

[Rick330man]

Please report back on the comparison. I've got a workman starduster that I've been itching to get up.

Will do! Alternatively, I'll have the two antennas set up together for next week's LSB 16 net. If you hear me, I'll be glad to switch for you so you can hear for yourself. Just ask.

 

[Marconi]

Grampa wishes you guys' good luck in your comparisons...I have high regards for the Original Star Duster when I could get it up high.

Keep us posted too.

 

[whiteastro]

My 1st antenna getting back into 11 meter after a 20 year break away from radio was a Workman Stardust which served me well for years until water got in it and froze. I remembered the name Star Duster from back in the day and it was affordable while going thru a divorce. It's been a long hard haul back into 11 meter. piecing together a system to talk the Elusive DX, LOL

 

[Marconi]

My 1st antenna getting back into 11 meter after a 20 year break away from radio was a Workman Stardust which served me well for years until water got in it and froze. I remembered the name Star Duster from back in the day and it was affordable while going thru a divorce. It's been a long hard haul back into 11 meter. piecing together a system to talk the Elusive DX, LOL

WA, I don't know anything about Workman, but I've heard about problems with their products. Maybe that goes with any company.

Good to hear you had a good working SD'r, one of my favorite antennas.

 

[Rick330man]

My 1st antenna getting back into 11 meter after a 20 year break away from radio was a Workman Stardust which served me well for years until water got in it and froze. I remembered the name Star Duster from back in the day and it was affordable while going thru a divorce. It's been a long hard haul back into 11 meter. piecing together a system to talk the Elusive DX, LOL

Mine is not actually a Workman Starduster. It is a Workman hub to which I added the 3/8" X 24 coupling for the vertical radiator and 3 downward sloping 3/8" X 24 102" long stainless steel whips. The hub itself is already drilled out for 3 downward sloping 3/8" x 24 radials. I happen to have used Radio Shack stainless steel 102" whips on mine. So, Workman hub with Radio Shack whips.

As for freezing, no chance. That hasn't been a possibility down here since the last ice age.

 

[whiteastro]

Well like the old saying goes You get what you pay for and I think their products are priced for the Working Man. Of coarse being a working stiff I have seen and worked with people who could Wreak everything they touch. A lot of people complain about Harbor Freight Tools but they have enabled me to fix and create a lot of items I couldn't afford to otherwise.