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Don123
| | Posted on Thursday, June 12, 2003 - 12:27 am: | 
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Beams were the majority back when....
I have noticed that in CB today (least my area) Beam antennas are the minority when back in the CB booming 70s they were the majority compared to omni ground plane antennas....what changed? I don't think the interest of those CBing today are much different than back then because todays CBers all seem dedicated to this great hobby.....I think that there are still suppliers and ways to make beam antennas yet today......so why are Beams in the minority today? Maybe it's because they are too expensive by the time you purchase a new commerical Beam and rotor to turn them.......cost maybe.......but then again you can homebrew for much less and smaller Beams can be even turned with old cheap TV rotors. Maybe it's because folks just don't have the room for a Beam.....but even a small 2 or 3 element Beams deliver gain/rejection and don't take up all that much space. Maybe it's because Beams are hard to keep in the air......back when (70s) bigger was always better and if your Beam was still up come Spring it was time to announce a CB Coffee Break Antenna Party to add another element, make the boom longer, or stack them. Maybe it's because many old timer Cbers are not around to show the newer guys how important Beams actually can be to a station. One thing is for certain they are a lost asset to multiply your signal to some of the current Cbers I see around my area that only know the use of omni ground planes. There are some great ground plane antennas on the market today but they can not compete or replace the benefits of a Beam antenna. Also don't get me worng about no one using Beams on CB because there are many that still do and know the advantages but back when (70s) it was nothing to see 2 or 3 beams in just a few city blocks and that is not true today most are on vertical sticks......here are some benefits of Beams:
Gain or multiplication of power: Beams actually have true gain and the filtering of your power in a particular direction. I am afraid many of these manufactures of omni ground planes today have really stretched the truth about the gain they have and will produce....how come these new and improved 9db gain ground planes can do no better than my old Penatrator or Astroplane at their old advertized gain of 4.5 dbi....these can NOT compete against a properly working Beam. If you have $300 bucks to spend for your station spend the majority of your money on a good antenna system/Beam and leave the few dollars you have left for a temporary radio till you get funds to replace it with a better radio....let there be no doubt the ANTENNA does all the work!
Stacking Beams- Just by stacking a set of Beams you can add 3 db gain to your signal! It was common back when to stack beams......3s .....4s.....5s.....and yes even 6s stacked and get that extra gain. Best part was it also added to the F/B and side rejection so it was a win win when you stacked them.
RFI/TVI - Many don't realize that by using a Beam at or above the proper height (36 feet or higher for the CB band) that you can actually be helping rid RFI/TVI problems that you might have had on a lower mounted omni ground plane. The further you have your antenna away from electronic devices the better chance you have not to cause interference to them. The added nulls/rejection of the Beam can be a plus for RFI/TVI in a particular direction also. Have seen far too many omni ground planes that are on 10 or 20 foot poles close to the ground and wonder why they have RFI/TVI problems.
There are many Beam antennas that are still commercially available today from a simple 2 element to many more. They can legally increase your signal out and in both ways (FREE Pre-amp)so they are much better than any money spent on anything else. Our local CB dealer doesn't even carry any Beams in stock and only vertical sticks....so try Copper Electronics or others....take a second look at using a Beam...here are just a few:
http://www.copperelectronics.com/cgi-bin/product_display.cgi?categories=ANTENNAS-BASE
And remember some of the best Beams are the ones you will make yourself! You can easiily make a 2 or 3 element Yagi Beam or Quad and use a cheap TV rotor to turn them. You need not have expensive material ( many of you may have junk boxes....elect pipe, water pipe, pvc, wire for quads etc. Of course you hope if you do by commerical the provide stainless steel parts for the money you spend......go here for some homebrew ideas:
http://www.aa1do.com/ham210.htm,http://www.aa1do.com/ham210.htm
(simple 2 element on 10/11 meters...also details on homebrew gama match feed)
http://support.tandy.com/support_electronics/28570.htm,http://support.tandy.com/support_electronics/28570.htm
(3 element RS Beam...plans are here just use your own material)
http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/10m2el.htm,http://www.amwindow.org/tech/htm/10m2el.htm
http://www.radiohc.org/Distributions/Dxers/cb-2.html,http://www.radiohc.org/Distributions/Dxers/cb-2.html
http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/9904067.pdf,http://www.arrl.org/tis/info/pdf/9904067.pdf
http://www.df9cy.de/cy3ele28.htm,http://www.df9cy.de/cy3ele28.htm
(3 element 10 meters)
http://www.qsl.net/w4sat/antlegn.htm,http://www.qsl.net/w4sat/antlegn.htm
(10 meters at very bottom of page)
** use these calculators to make beams/quads or modifiy 10/11)
http://www.softcom.net/users/kd6dks/quad.html,http://www.softcom.net/users/kd6dks/quad.html
http://www.marktwain.net/~aschmitz/antennas/calcantenna.html,http://www.marktwain.net/~aschmitz/antennas/calcantenna.html
Way back when we also worked ground wave many nights......oh yes those conditions still exsist today but I sure don't hear many try ground wave when the CB band is dead silent in my area anyway.....we worked them back when Doing this was always a real challenge and a true test of your stations abilities. Our local CB club had awards of sorts if you could contat so many distant towns or work so many counties in your State. Most of the ground wave work we did on horizontal Beams since most man-made noise is vertical and horizontal carries a bit further for the most part (you don't see many large TV antennas vertical so if distant reception was better vertical believe me they would have used vertical long ago). Many of the guys that were just using vertical could never hear the action because there was of course a big 20 db difference in signal from a station using vertical to a station using horizontal.......using horizontal was a great rejection/nulling tool also if you had other unwanted signals on vertical or close.
Just wanted to share this with some of you in hopes maybe you might try putting your money toward something that will truely increase your stations performance......spending money on the most important part of your station (your ANTENNA) is money well worth spending. We have always had some techy guys on CB and I am sure those and some of the old timers know just what I am stating to be true. Thanks for letting an old CBer share some thoughts.
Don 123
kb9umt
*** Thinking of trying Ham Radio?? Only 35 questions give you an entry level Tech License... Give it a try if interested and let us help if you need any....our group is giving away a FREE copy of ARRLs Tech entry License "Now You're Talking" and hoping to find more test books to give away also...ALL are WELCOME...go here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hamradiohelp/,http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hamradiohelp/
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Tech833
| | Posted on Sunday, June 15, 2003 - 11:17 am: |
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Hi Don,
A very insightful post indeed!
I believe that the reason you don't see as many beams is in part simply that there are fewer CB base stations out there. Also, restrictions on antennas are the norm rather than the exception like it was a long time ago before cable and small satellite dishes. I remember when driving through a neighborhood meant 40 foot push-up poles on every home, and some with an extra mast for the CB antenna. These days, seeing a TV (or even a CB) antenna on a home is very rare.
Also, CB is less of a factor for those who want to 'reach out and touch someone' with minimal effort than the internet. Even the ham ranks are seeing a strong decrease in involvement.
Anyone with any technical savvy knows the benefits to a directional 'beam' antenna. However, not everybody needs or wants one. Many people can get away with an inconspicuous fiberglass 'stick' on their house, but would come under fire for installing even a simple 2 element beam. This is the 21st. century. That should explain it.
Even I do not own a 'beam' antenna. I am one of the many highly technical people on this board, and I simply choose not to use one. A: I don't need one. B: I don't want one. C: my tower is ugly enough already. D: The top of my tower is already spoken for. E: I don't like to fiddle with antennas all the time. I want to put one up and forget it is there for another 20 or 30 years. |
Don123
| | Posted on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 12:31 am: |
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Hello Tech833
Thanks for the comments back and I do appreciate them. I think your bottom line was B: I don't want one. Years back is was always fun to play and experiment with the most important part of your system...your antennas! Even a simple 2 or 3 element is not all that big if you compare it to some of the sticks with skirts today..and put it horz and it looks like a big TV antenna of sorts and less known yet...paint it black and even less seen or known. I agree not everyone needs one or wants one...but I wanted to put this out so everyone knows the benefits of having one and really might think about antenna experimenting more....it really is the only place you can put your money and get true gain and results both in and out with your signals (and best of all rejection/nulls of unwanted signals). As far as the 21st century and restrictions I am sure not in the rich part of the hood here and there are no restrictions in most older neighborhoods and it is within your rights unless your city code or county code says otherwise that you can put an antenna(beam) up of any size. Thanks again but everyone is different and that is good for all us but this ol cber would not be without a beam to multiply the signal out/in and having nulls/rejection to get rid of unwanted noise or signals.....take care 73
de kb9umt Don 123 |
bruce
| | Posted on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 7:13 am: |
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Just my view on beams.... for years i ran them on 440 2 meters 220 and 6 meters nothing works better. Now today i have gain coliners a 440 11db /144 8db a 6 db MURS since they are vertical it is not a problem. On hf i run dypoles since they are very reliable and simple to put up and support. How ever if i had the room i would have a killer beam...........maby someday. |
DE
| | Posted on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 8:21 am: |
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The wise man knows that you cannot talk to another person if you cannot hear him.
An amp does you little good if the person hearing you does so because of the amp and does not own one himself.
On the other hand if you use just a beam without an amp when they hear you you can hear them as well.
As to gain stats, gain expressed in DBD (gain compared to actual dipole) is always superior to gain expressed as DBI (gain compared to a theoretical mathametical perfect antenna in free space) |
CM 3885
| | Posted on Monday, June 16, 2003 - 12:54 pm: |
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I wouldnt trade off my Moonraker 4s for anything! I love them and wouldnt ever run my station without a set of beams.. Heck i even have a spare set in case my ones up on the tower ever get damaged i have a ton of spare parts to keep it going.. A lot of guys make fun of the fact i run mostly off of my beams but what do they know they all run stick antennas and ive been able to out talk most of them. |
Bigbob
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 17, 2003 - 8:01 pm: |
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Ya know in the upper peninsula of michigan,there's a lot of property for sale "cheap",a really great place to vacation,and dx from,zoning laws,hah,maybe circa 1890's,you could put up 4-stacked super lazer 500's on a 90-foot tower and no-one would complain,people up there still communicate with cb's quite a bit,no offense to the yoopers but they still think it's 1975 as far as cb popularity goes. |
Tech833
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 17, 2003 - 8:53 pm: |
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I have no CC&R restrictions at all. My hilltop is mine alone to ugly up as I please, but I still have to share it with my wife. Talking Mrs. 833 into a 70 foot Magnum commercial free standing tower was difficult enough. Besides, I just listen, I don't transmit. I would rather talk Mrs. 833 into a longwire across the acreage than a 10 meter beam. |
bruce
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 17, 2003 - 9:34 pm: |
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Bigbob if this antenna followed me home you think the wife would let me keep it?
http://web.wt.net/~w5un/qsl.jpg,http://web.wt.net/~w5un/qsl.jpg |
Allagator
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 12:24 am: |
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I have 2 beams in the air M104c & PDL II getting ready to stack the other PDL II but i think i still need more beams up so i have more of a choice of what i want to talk on !!!!!!
But i still ues the A99 for in town use !!! |
CM 3885
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 1:23 pm: |
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Back in the 1970s guys used to stack moonrakers and whatever they could stack! At one time i wanted to stack mine but the tower was not big enough.. |
Znut
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 7:00 pm: |
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Bruce,
In that picture, you can barely see some of the hundreds of 44 inch long elements. Too bad we can't get a higher res image of that thing on here. Maybe as it is, the forummaster could do a contest like the one at Christmas and we can guess the number of elements on that array, lol. |
bruce
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2003 - 8:44 pm: |
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last i heard the ant was 48 18 elm beams in phase
Gain 30 DBD ( REAL) |
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