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Vanillagorilla
Advanced Member
Username: Vanillagorilla
Post Number: 942
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 - 5:25 pm: | 
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I may be completely out of my mind but...
Why does it seem like my Antron99 worked better at 33ft than at 40?
Why does it seem like my Antron99 worked better than the Army Big Stick 5/8wave I have up now...at 40ft?
I seem to lose a little TX/RX with the locals and DX really hasn't been in to see if it would make a difference.
Again..."Feels" like I'm going right over the heads of locals up to 10mi away with either antenna at 40ft.
Before I may be asked.... the current Big Stick has SWR measured at antenna at 1.4:1 and measured in the shack at 1.7:1. at the end of brand new 75ft RG8U from Copper.
Could it be the radiation pattern generated by the 5/8 wave? Is it just the hight making for a lower take off angle that cuts down my local communications?
Tell you how I feel....I feel when all is said and done I'm gonna lower my tower to 36' and buy another 99! I don't know...file this one under "Hated to ask why" but too stupid to figure out myself.
Hank~CEF559
Long Island NY
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Crackshot
Intermediate Member
Username: Crackshot
Post Number: 242
Registered: 10-2005
| | Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 - 6:35 pm: |
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I had antron 99 11 feet in air and was slamming DX all over the world.
KE7JFA
CEF 655
HAM 225
ARRL Member
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Bruce
Senior Member
Username: Bruce
Post Number: 4288
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 - 6:37 pm: |
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STRANGLY my a-99 out does my dipole buy several s units .... and both were vertical .....
I don't have a clue why ..... |
Patzerozero
Senior Member
Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 3439
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 - 7:30 pm: |
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my well bent maco v5/8 is mounted to the chimney on the old part of the house, about 23-24' to the feedpoint. last time i talked to you, hank, was when i talked to kid vicious on DX & antenna was leaning against side of house, maybe 12' to feedpoint. as i said, you were hitting me S5 on the ar3500, though i've had you S7 before. nelson was solid S9, flashing the 30 light slightly, just as he & larry/mug usually do. just before i passed by ch 20, i was on ch 6 & was S9 to big boss in bridgeport, S3 to wicked willie by kennedy airport, S5 to 923 mobile/bethpage. that is the 'norm'. all were hitting me the same as usual. i think i've heard you S7 with the box on high, so that may account for the difference in signal tonight. we're talking 20 years since my original 1974 version big stick just died one day, but the a99 i replaced it with showed no noticeable difference. the v5/8 i put up a month or 2 after the a99, has much less 'air noise', knocked out tvi to my house, & showed a noticeable signal increase on rcv & xmit-at any distance. |
Vanillagorilla
Advanced Member
Username: Vanillagorilla
Post Number: 944
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 - 10:39 pm: |
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Crackshot...Bruce, thanks for your input...I'd think the 99 would thankyou too...it's been the Rodney Dangerfield of base antennas forever 
Yea Pat...thanks for the contact  if I didn't recognize the voice I would have never known it was you!
BTW...I didn't know you knew those guys?
Nelly is in mastic on your south shore about 15mi closer to you doing 140w. Tonight I was keying 20 swinging 70 on the 2000GTL.
BUT LET ME TELL YOU...I was only doing that so another "Mast-iod" could hear me! He's 15mi or so from me and needed it to hear me at S5!
YOU heard me 20+mi FURTHER away at the same level!
I've talked with you before only with heater on high and the Pluto or AR3300(180-200w)...on the other hand the last time I heard YOU that good from your base was..you guessed it..when my 99 was at 38-40.
This is helping establish my current theory.
Better long range (your 40mi or so?) by suffering a little loss within 10-15mi with the Army 5/8 not being much of an improvement over the 99.
Of course I'll keep looking for that elusive "Have your Locals and eat DX too" antenna.
A new antenna IS comming and more than likely the M 5/8 but I'm having fun experimenting and learning at the same time. 
Would like to hear a professional take on this.
Is what I'm seeing..to be expected?
Hank~CEF559
Long Island NY
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Road_warrior
Senior Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 2064
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, January 01, 2007 - 11:08 pm: |
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Sometimes antennas can be a mystery...
Just go with what works best for ya. |
Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833
Post Number: 1572
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 12:32 am: |
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I have a possible answer.
It sounds like you don't have any ground radials (I am not talking about ground rods). If you had some ground radials, the feedpoint elevation would mean a lot less to your takeoff angle.
Without ground radials, increments between the feedpoint and the unbonded ground will have an effect on your takeoff angle. |
Thehobo
Intermediate Member
Username: Thehobo
Post Number: 115
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 - 11:52 am: |
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A=MEN
thehobo
269150 am
monitor ch |
Hotwire
Senior Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 2155
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 8:48 am: |
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I have had the same issue myself Hank. It's just how it is. You try different things and eventually you find that sweet spot or you slide into the butter zone. Every setup is different. Location, elevation, type of antenna, coax and radio, the sun and the moon align and BLammO! perfect setup! Change one little detail and big differences are noticed. Once you find out what works the best then keep it that way!
Kenny
cef491(27.115lsb)
2sf491(27.555usb)
Indiana
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Vanillagorilla
Advanced Member
Username: Vanillagorilla
Post Number: 946
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 03, 2007 - 1:58 pm: |
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Roger that Kenny...I'm gonna keep on plugging away at it. BTW did you notice we have an avatar war between us?
Paul...yep...no radials..just a standard Army B/S that replaced a standard '99. Although the new installation does include much more in the way of RF/ Saftey and Ground plane grounding the antennas SO FAR have been without ground plane radials. Interesting idea. I'll have this up for a while then likely go to a M 5/8 and I'll revisit this post to share MY findings.
Thanks
Hank~CEF559
Long Island NY
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Danusee
Member
Username: Danusee
Post Number: 57
Registered: 10-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 8:58 pm: |
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Put a GPK on the A99 and give that a try at 40'. I had very good success with that setup till lightning got it. |
Ae548
Junior Member
Username: Ae548
Post Number: 22
Registered: 1-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, January 06, 2007 - 10:13 pm: |
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I had a imax2k @ 65'. I removed a 10' section of mast. I noticed I had better rx / tx & it's been there ever since. GO FIGURE?
Moderator Note!
Removing 10' would put you at 55' only 1 foot above 1-1/2 Wave Lingth.  |
Vanillagorilla
Advanced Member
Username: Vanillagorilla
Post Number: 952
Registered: 4-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, January 09, 2007 - 9:06 pm: |
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hmmmmm...should that make a difference?
Is it possible I'd see ANY difference if I lowered mine to 36'?
I have to wonder....more importantly I have to get someone to help me walk the tower down!
I'll wait till I change antenna's then lower it to one wavelength...I figure 4ft isn't going to hurt.
Hank~CEF559
Long Island NY
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Hotwire
Senior Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 2166
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 - 10:55 am: |
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I have both of my Imax's on 30 foot pushup poles. So I'm short 6 feet. No GPK's, I have had great results. Worked stations all over S. America and Canada and get excellent groundwave results!
Kenny
cef491(27.115lsb)
2sf491(27.555usb)
Indiana
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