Workman W58 Not Really A 5/8 Wave Antenna?

[SuperLid]

2024 workman and 2015 maco v58 the new workman are good now and cheaper i have built both maco and workman i will say this not a hole lot difference in material the wire used for the ring is thinner from maco and the bottom section as well but they get out roughly the same i have a a99 up and my friend has the workman 5/8s wave and he talks farther than me and on a scale from 1-10 i give the workman a 8 and the maco a 9 and the penetrator a 10 and a 6 for a imax or a99 my other friend has a maco and that thing gets out all involved running 4 watts with a 100 watts when i built the workman it was on the maco instructions 1.2 swr 1.5 with boomer 500 the maco with a Palomar 225 1.3swr but a 2.0 with the amp

There are some differences between the current Maco V58 and the new Workman 5/8.

The Workman has better aluminum tubing, thicker and finished, 304 stainless worm clamps, different matching values and material, which bring the antenna to true 5/8 wave radiator length.

The new Workman is lower cost, on purpose. The antenna kicks ass in the real world.

 

[snippits75]

There are some differences between the current Maco V58 and the new Workman 5/8.

The Workman has better aluminum tubing, thicker and finished, 304 stainless worm clamps, different matching values and material, which bring the antenna to true 5/8 wave radiator length.

The new Workman is lower cost, on purpose. The antenna kicks ass in the real world.

OK that sounds good about the Workman.

I took down my Maco V58 for one reason. Every time it rained it would de-tune downward in frequency by lots. Otherwise, it worked great. Just wondering if the Workman will de-tune with rain?

 

[SuperLid]

OK that sounds good about the Workman.

I took down my Maco V58 for one reason. Every time it rained it would de-tune downward in frequency by lots. Otherwise, it worked great. Just wondering if the Workman will de-tune with rain?

This phenomena is not a result of the antenna design. It is water on the surface of the antenna that causes this. You should have weatherproofed the RF connector and tuning ring connection points, as a matter of good practice. There should be some expectation of change in resonance from water, with any exposed antenna.

 

[snippits75]

I did have the RF connection sealed with Scotch 33, and coax seal on top of that. Used coax seal where the wire from the ring loop attaches to the RF connection. Did not use anything on the other end of the wire that comes from the ring loop. Probably should have done that.

Can the copper wire from the ring to the RF connection point be insulated or sealed?

 

[SuperLid]

I did have the RF connection sealed with Scotch 33, and coax seal on top of that. Used coax seal where the wire from the ring loop attaches to the RF connection. Did not use anything on the other end of the wire that comes from the ring loop. Probably should have done that.

Can the copper wire from the ring to the RF connection point be insulated or sealed?

I also seal the connection point at the ring. You could use insulated wire, but that is not the cause of the issue. The base assembly parts at the top, where the base tube, insulator and radiator meet, should all be sealed at the factory. If there is water ingress in that part of the antenna, you will see a dramatic change. You may want to check if those seals are intact.