| Author |
Message |
    
Toad
| | Posted on Sunday, March 24, 2002 - 8:45 pm: | 
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Hi - I am new to radio and do not know anything about antenna's. I want to set up a Base Station. I do not want a hugh antenna but want a better antenna then the fiberglass ones. Does the Starduster work as well as the big 5/8 wave (MACO)ground plane antenna's or the Imax 2000? I know people had them in the 70's and they liked them. Just want to be sure before I bid on one. Do they have any problems with other people's radio's, phones, computers, ETC. I do not want people to hear me on their electronics..
THANKS for any Help..
Toad |
joseph shmoe
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 6:07 am: |
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The starduster is not a good antenna. It is just a quarter wave ground plane with the radials bent downward. It has ZERO db gain. I remember when people used to rave about this antenna , but I could never figure out why. Durability was not good either. If you want a good omni-directional antenna try any 5/8 wave vertical . A 5/8 wave antenna will give you 3 db gain over a quarter wave ground plane. Also , many antenna manufacturers tend to inflate the db gain rating on their antennas. Just remember, a 5/8 wave vertical will give you 3 db gain ( imax 2000,and maco5/8 ) , and a half wave ( a-99 ) will give you about 2-2.5 db gain over a quarter wave ground plane. Any antenna can cause telephone interference or electronics interference. |
Taz
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 11:15 am: |
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THE STARDUSTER IS JUNK! AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN "BETTER THAN THOSE FIBERGLASS ONES" Fiberglass antennas like the antron 99 and imax 2000 are great!!! |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 11:49 am: |
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It is a great antenna but i have had better but it is NOT JUNK! IMHO the Hy Gain Penetrator 500 and the Avanti Sigma 5/8 are superior antennas to the ol' SDer.
Like i have said in the past this is JMHO and my own exsperiences from "hands on" exsperimenting with diferent antennas and not from some dusty ol' book with antenna formulas and stuff..... |
Grumpy8220
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 1:12 pm: |
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TOAD,
LIKE TAZ SAID THE STARDUSTER IS JUNK,I HAD ONE IN THE 70'S. I HAD IT UP ABOUT A MONTH OR SO AND TOOK IT DOWN, IT WENT IN THE TRASH THAT WEEK. TRY THE A99,IMAX 2000,ANTTRON3050XL JUST DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND STAY AWAY FROM THE STARDUSTER. THE ANTRON99 IS A GOOD ANTENNA, YOU MAY HAVE SOME TROUBLE WITH TVI WITH THIS ANTENNA. GOOD LUCK IN WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE! |
Phoneman
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 1:57 pm: |
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There were 100's of thousands of Stardusters sold in the 70's I can't believe anything could sell that well and be "Junk". In the CB world word spreads fast because it is a communications hobby. If something is truly "Junk" everyone would know it fairly quickly.
To describe something as "Junk" implies it doesn't work at all or that it falls apart in a very short time. I have noticed a trend in the CB world to describe something as "Junk" if it didn't work well in one particular instance. But that could happen for numerous reasons other than what I stated above. Let me name a few.
1) It wasn't installed properly such as a ground plane not being installed high enough to account for its particular radiation pattern.
2) It was compared to something outside its price range such as comparing a beam to a ground plane.
3) It was not suited for the particular use such as someone wanting a handheld with a rubber duck antenna to work like a similar unit with a 102" whip.
4) A dealer doesn't sell a particular unit so he calls it "Junk" so that he can sell what he does stock.
I think we should stop calling something "Junk" just because it didn't work in our one particular instance. We should state that it didn't work well for us and so we switched to another unit that is working well for us. If enough people state it didn't work correctly we as consumers can then label it "Junk". But if one guy claims it's "Junk" an ten other people say it works great what are we going to think the next time this guy calls something "Junk"?
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Taz
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 3:33 pm: |
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It HA NO GAIN AND ITS FLIMSY. MY DAD HAD ONE AND IT BLEW OVER. THE MIDDLE OF IT BEND OVER IN A 45MPH WIND!!!!!!
JUNK!!! |
B1kshad0w
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 3:58 pm: |
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Yeah, it's not a very good antenna. I had one and it's pretty small. It would bleed over my neighbors with less than a watt and almost no modulation. I could at least turn it down to about 3/4 of a watt with the antron and not bother them. I bought a maco 5/8 and up to about 200 watts I get not complaints from the neighbors. Recieve/transmitt is better too. Seems like I get less static with the maco. Could be just me or conditions though. |
Phoneman
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 5:49 pm: |
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Taz,
Why are you yelling? I am here to discus the subject not for an argument.
I have heard the same things about the A99 does that make it junk also?
If you do a search on this forum you will find posts about fiberglass antennas breaking in the wind, bleeding, and with poor overall performance. By fiberglass I mean the A99 and Imax2000 type antennas.
How do you account for the fact that in the 70's the Starduster was the most popular ground plane?
The Starduster at the time was the least expensive, easiest to install antenna around. The only reason the fiberglass antennas took it's place was because the government outlawed metal ground planes on 11 meters. |
Taz
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 6:29 pm: |
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Haha, the a99 isnt going to break in a 45mph wind!
Maybe the mast you mounted it on will break but not the antenna.
If the fiberglass bleeds so what.
It was the most popular antenna because it was probly the best omini of its time, small and somwhat well priced.
The outlawed them? What do you call the maco v5/8? its a 5/8ths wave aluminum antenna.
And the maco v5000
What about all the beams?
And I wasnt yelling. Did anyone hear me yell? |
Grumpy8220
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 6:32 pm: |
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PHONEMAN,
THE STARDUSTER WAS NOT THE EASIEST ANTEENA TO INSTALL BY FAR. AS FAR AS BEING POPULAR THE ONLY REASON IT SOLD SO WELL IS THE PRICE WAS CHEAP! WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. THERE MAYBE SOME WHO LIKED THIS ANTEENA, BUT YOU CAN NOT CONVINCE ME THAT A STARDUSTER IS AS GOOD OR EVEN BETTER THAN THE SHAKESPEARE BIG STICK! AS I POSTED EARLIER I HAD ONE UP FOR A LITTLE OVER A MONTH,TOOK IT DOWN AND PUT THE BIG STICK BACK UP. MAYBE I SHOULD NOT CALL IT JUNK,MAYBE A BETTER WORD WOULD BE A WASTE OF MONEY!!! |
bruce
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 7:12 pm: |
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Phoneman your right the only antennas i ve seen that rearly broke were were the mosley, hygain and antenna spec endfeds but even thoses antennas were good for 80 MPH. Now the starduster is a center fed 1/2 wave and like most of the 18 foot antennas have about the same gain it tended to break because its so thin at its feed point. Ringo antennas didnt break but bent even the 6 meter one would not be srate after a year. Now you know if you want a good antenna like DB you got to pay the price not too many cbers want to bay 150 or up for a 1/2 wave o but it will last. You get what you pay for.
Intresting that CB antennas MUST be fiberglass but ham antennas dont ....humm |
bopper
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 8:37 pm: |
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Gotta agree with phoneman, had both antennas, a-99 and starduster. But I would take a Starduster over a a-99 any day! The higher you can put them the Starduster the better. Height makes might!! |
Bullseye
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 8:53 pm: |
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AWWW Taz is always yellin'. I prefer the aluminum antennas particularly the Maco V58 but most any are acceptable. The fiberglass jobbies tend to have more interference in my experience but they all do the job of transmitting messages from point A to point B. The biggest advantage I can see to aluminum is if it gets hit by lightning and you disconnected your radio all you have to do generally is hook up your coax check your SWRs and start talking. With a fiberglass one you have to clean up yards in 3 directions,buy another, reinstall then talk. Usually aluminum is better. |
Colt
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 11:01 pm: |
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The product review on the A99 on this forum makes it pretty clear that the A99 is not a quality piece of equipment. I don't know about the so-called "Starduster"s (not actually Stardusters) of today, but I can tell you, I had a genuine Starduster back in the '70's and it was a smoke-blower! It was high in the sky, as I lived on a hill, and with all the wind you get on top of a hill, I never had any trouble with it. Standing wave was always fine and I never had a problem with it's durability.
Many a modulator in my area went out and bought one based on what mine did. From what I remember, they never regretted it.
I agree with what was posted earlier. With all the folks that were on the air back in the '70's jawing a lot more hours per day than operators do today, word would have spread quickly that the Starduster was "junk" if, indeed it really was junk.
But it wasn't. It was a good antenna. |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 11:09 pm: |
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Well then i guess i run mostly "junk" antennas!! LOL. I guess my avanti moonraker 4, my avanti sigma 5/8, my avanti sigma 4, and my Hy gain P 500 are all junk compared to the hold of holy the I max 2000 and the A 99!!!!! LOL!!!
I dunno if i should say this but something ive noticed both on the air and especially on the forums is if you dont run what everyone else runs well, your stuff is looked dimly down upon and called...... JUNK!
This ol' boy has never ran with the "A99 and I max 2000 and Galaxy base and mobile radios in crowd" on the CB channels and i never will! LOL!
Just one mans humble little ol' opinion!! |
Taz
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 11:20 pm: |
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It wasnt junk, BUT IT IS NOW COMPARED TO WHAT IS AVAILIBLE..... |
Rightwing
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 11:24 pm: |
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stardusters are junk. i had one and i couldnt get a match on it. in my opinion a total waste of money. get an astro plane or a sgma by avanti if you want metal. otherwise for simplicity ,stick to an antron99 or a similar antenna. |
Taz
| | Posted on Monday, March 25, 2002 - 11:43 pm: |
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they are made with the metal you find on an aluminum can. |
joseph shmoe
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 - 6:16 am: |
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The starduster is NOT a center fed half wave. It is just a quarter wave ground plane with the radials bent downward. Don't let the overall hight of the antenna fool you. I think that it was so popular at one time because of it's appearence. Unfortunatly many people are taken by things that look "cool" , as this antenna had a unique appearence. If I wher given a starduster, I would cut it up and make a few scanner antennas out of the pieces. |
bruce
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 - 9:40 am: |
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joe look at it like all ground planes they ARE center fed 1/2 wane antennas 1/4w hot 1/4w counterpoise. Bending DOWN the radials LOWERS the angle of radiation with is high in groundplans and acheves a better match ..... yes its looks good .... as for cutting them up i cut one down to 6 meters for 52.525 ( it was given to me bent )... it worked ok just like any dypole would |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 - 12:16 pm: |
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To each there own i guess. The SD was very very popular around were i live and they still are for that matter! Ill stick to my antennas i have for now.. LOL |
Grumpy8220
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 - 2:00 pm: |
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RCI2990,
I WOULD AGREE WITH YOU THAT A MOONRAKER 4,SIGMA5/8,PENATRATOR 500 AND THE ASTRO PLANE WERE ALL GOOD ANTENNAS. INCLUDED IN THAT WOULD BE THE ASTRO BEAM,WILSON SHOOTING STAR, PDL,AND MAYBE THE SUPER SCANNER. I WOULD TAKE ANY OF THESE OVER THE A99 IN WHICH I RUN NOW.I ALSO PREFER THE OLD BIG STICK,NOT THE ONES THEY MAKE TODAY! OH YEA LETS NOT FORGET THE LASER 500, FROM MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE STARDUSTER WAS NOT A GOOD ONE.
I HOPE THAT TOAD WILL LEARN SOMETHING FROM ALL OF THIS THAT EVERYONE WILL HAVE THEIR OWN IDEAS AND THEIR FAVORITES IN MANY DIFFERENT AREAS WHEN IT COMES TO RADIOS,ANTENNAS ECT... THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT ONE PERSON IS RITE AND EVERYONE ELSE IS WRONG.
TOAD I HOPE THAT YOU HAVE COME TO SOME KIND OF UNDERSTANDING ON WHAT YOU WANT TO PURCHASE AND I HOPE THAT YOU ENJOY YOUR NEW RADIO AND ANTENNA!!! |
joseph shmoe
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 - 4:01 pm: |
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Yes, ENJOY ! Radio is a great hobby, and antennas are the most interesting part of it. And you don't have to be a ham either. Hey, you should consider checking out the new VHF cb channels ,MURS, ( multi use radio service ) . Me and all my radio buds are headed there. It's really nice, not full of cb crap. We're all using that 2 channel radio shack buisiness band mobile as our main radios. Enjoy ! |
Taz
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 - 4:14 pm: |
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Those antennas are defenatly good ones grumpy |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 26, 2002 - 10:47 pm: |
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I must say though the Sders i have had were a pain in the a$$ to install and the idea of the coax running up into the mast is a bad bad idea! What happens if the end goes bad? Well you then would have to disaasemble the whole damn thing to fix the coax PL 259 end!!! |
Taz
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 12:15 am: |
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bad design, cool looks, cheap materials, = junk |
Rightwing
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 1:16 am: |
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amnen and hallelua taz. |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 11:20 am: |
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Well what if a guy buys one and puts it up and talks all over creation with it and the guy says he really likes it are you gonna tell him its a POS??? |
Taz
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 1:35 pm: |
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Ok, he talks all over creation on a
STARDUSTER POS then it blows over while he is talking on it, yes its still a pos no matter who he talks to on it 2990. Its conditions that lets him talk, not the antenna. |
Scrapiron63
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 1:59 pm: |
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I believe some people have confused the reproduction StarDuster with the original. I never ran one, my choise of GP's was the hygain penatrator 500, but I know lots of people that loved the old SD. It is/was a broadband antenna, and also a quite one, low on rain noise. And, I know where several are still standing from the 1970s, so it must have been quite durable also. I had a friend that died a couple years ago, he was still using the same one he bought in the early 1970s. Its still on his old tower. That's the reason for most antenna failers anyway, people stick them up on flimsey pipe or in a tree, they take a hell of a beating. |
Bulldog
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 2:26 pm: |
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Do they make, or does someone copy the Penatrator design anymore? That was a great antenna!! |
Taz
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 3:47 pm: |
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the penetrator 500 is an excellant antenna. |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 10:40 pm: |
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yes the penetrator 500 IS a great antenna! Just ask me i know because i own one plus the cousin to it the Avanti sigma 5/8 (cant decide which antenna is better theough!) ! its actually a non POS antenna IMHO!
I belive there is a guy out in the Mojave destert that makes a copy of the original.
If you contact Jack @ "292 radio shop" in Holbrook, Arizona im pretty sure he can get you hooked up with the guy that makes the copies..
Now the -ONLY- problems and the -ONLY- things i DO NOT like about the Penetrator 500 is it tends to be a tad on the narrow banded side and also ive noticed whenever it rained the SWR and bandwidth changes... |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 27, 2002 - 10:47 pm: |
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OK! OK! Taz I/WE all get the point on the SDer being "junk" in your opinion! Did i hit a nerve there guy??? LOL!;-) Like i always say "to each their own" but i digress there are a LOT of old timers out there that i talk to that absolutely SWEAR and SWEAR that the SDer was the best antenna made. But for me and my practical purposes i wouldnt have one because i dont like the way the coax fastenes to it and the way it mounts.. Ill stick with my old 5/8 wave antennas i have now....... :-) |
Taz
| | Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 12:27 am: |
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There are always going to be those old timers as you call them that are going to say that. The penetrator 500 remake is being made in spain. I will get the name for you. The guy in holbrook I hear is a real nutcase. |
291
| | Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 4:08 am: |
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Solve all your problems... Just get a Spectrum 1600 5/8 Wave Base Antenna, these antenna's are great... |
Santa
| | Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 8:34 am: |
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Or a Sirio 2016 5/8 wave this antenne works great for me .Both DXing & local.
Santa |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 11:53 am: |
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LOL!!!!!
10-04 on that Taz!!
Well the guy I know lives in the Mojave desert that makes the new version of the P 500 and is a pretty nice fella. I just wish I had his email addy!
When you get that new name for that new version let me know...
TY!! |
Taz
| | Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 1:05 pm: |
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I heard they are. Isnt that ther one with all those radials? |
Galileo
| | Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 7:39 pm: |
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Well guys, I know that one of my freinds have an Sder and he sure likes it...I ran an astroplane for years and it was a great antenna.I now have an Imax 2000, and a Maco 5/8ths.By the way just cuz someone is an old timer does not mean they dont know there stuff...Just MHO... |
Taz
| | Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 10:44 pm: |
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I never said anything about an old timer not knowing his stuff. I didnt even bring up the words old timer. To me its actually kind of rude if you get my drift.
No 2990 you didnt hit a nerve.
I want to set somthing straight. When I use all the !!!!!!!!!!!! I dont mean to yell and am sorry if I offended anyone. |
Spacecadet
| | Posted on Thursday, March 28, 2002 - 11:59 pm: |
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Starduster junk??? No way good antenna and would take whatever you put into it. I fed 1500 into it once and didnt hurt it. |
Taz
| | Posted on Friday, March 29, 2002 - 2:15 pm: |
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Ok cadet, yes sir!
hahahah lmao!! |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Friday, March 29, 2002 - 10:45 pm: |
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I have to interject here.
I once knew a guy in the Buckeye that ran a SDer back in the middle to late 1970s that ran a blackcat JB 2000 into a SDer and it never even flinched it!! They are a "direct drive" antenna and thus no load (like the Hy gain P500 and the avanti sigma 5/8 and astro plane) or coil so you can pretty much run anything you want into it! I also know a tech that used to work for the owner of Black Cat when they were over in Syracuse, Ind and he told me they used to use an astro plane back in the mid 1970s up until about 1994 or so that was used to tune and load up those HUGE linears (some of them were from Chicago and Detroit so YOU know what those boys ran!!!)on the air there that they used to fix there and that antenna never failed once either!!! Dont believe me? I have the former techs phone # right here next to the computor if you want to ask him about that antenna!! ;-) |
Taz
| | Posted on Friday, March 29, 2002 - 11:06 pm: |
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Yoy want me to beleive you really bad 2990, but I am a firm beleiver that the star duster is junk. |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2002 - 9:19 am: |
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Who said anything about being BAD?? LOL! I was trying to make a point that the SDer and a few other antennas CAN and WILL handle the watts thats all... ;-) Now i cant say the newer copies could handle that power! I wouldnt have a new one given to me. They look like they are made from soda straws to me! Cheap foreign aluminum parts that will more than likely bend and break in a 50 MPH gale..... |
Maxwedge2
| | Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2002 - 11:16 am: |
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I can't speak for the newer version of the Starduster, but I had a great deal of success with the original version of the same model the
M 400 that I purchased new in 1976. These antenna's were quite broad banded and maintained a good match well into 10 meters where I also operated. I never had a problem with the antenna in any form and eventually sold it to a CBer back in 1997 who is still using it today. I later bought a Solarcon A-99 but never enjoyed the same success with that antenna as the M 400. I based this on the signal reports that I was given and getting from people that are within a 50 mile radius of me here in the San Francisco Bay area. Both antennas by the way were used on the same mast at a heigth of 60 feet using the same rig so all things were relative. |
Taz
| | Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2002 - 1:31 pm: |
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You seem to not understand and are nitpicking and words I say. like i said
YOU WANT ME TO BELEIVE YOU REALLY BADLY
OR MAYBE THIS
YOU REALLY WANT ME TO BELEIVE YOU
I am sorry if I am using words you cant understand. |
Taz
| | Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2002 - 3:43 pm: |
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I made a typo thats
You seem yo not understand and are nitpicking at words I say. |
Taz
| | Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2002 - 3:45 pm: |
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Why cant I edit my own posts? |
Galileo
| | Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2002 - 4:19 pm: |
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Maxwedge,
Cool handle...Would that be a chrysler type thing?? |
Colt
| | Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2002 - 7:14 pm: |
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MY STARDUSTER WAS A BODACIOUS ANTENNA, I DON'T CARE IF AND WHOMEVER BELIEVES ME OR NOT!!!!!!!!!!!! ANYONE WHO WANTS TO TELL ME ANY DIFFERENT CAN KISS MY ASTATIC!!!
(heh,heh See, I can yell, too!)
Man! The pizza just got here! I'm 10-6!! |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Saturday, March 30, 2002 - 11:24 pm: |
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Well exscuse me TAZ!!! Im sorry im not as SMART and brilliant as you are!! Geezzz H you-know-who!!!
Why dont we all just drop the whole deal and forget this whole antenna thing because we all know that you dont like the SDer, OK?? |
Taz
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 12:07 am: |
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Im sorry 2990, im only 14 didnt mean to be smarter than you. I would Like to drop this whole thing too.
Taz |
Marconi
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 12:23 am: |
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The Starduster was originally designed for 10 meters and when 11 meters was a legal ham frequency. In those days the only rigs that worked those areas were high dollar rigs. When CB came in the antenna was a natural for 11 meters.
In order to appreciate the real qualities of a direct fed low loss radiator you really need a fine radio and the natural qualities of the Starduster fit that bill. They are also like a old Timex watch, if put together right, they keep on ticken.
Marconi |
dean grimes
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 12:26 am: |
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i ran a starduster for years and have yet to find any ground plane as good (my opinion) |
bopper
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 7:06 am: |
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When I was 14 I thought I knew everything to |
14isnoexcuse
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 10:48 am: |
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When I was 14, I didn't use it as an excuse for everything.
When dealing with the adults on the air, I was always respectful and if I disagreed with something the adults said or did, I either changed the channel or politely asked for a BREAK and then offered my opinion. Then I sat back and listened to what the adults thought of my input.
Of course, that was then, this is the 'In your face' generation. Not taking away anything from Taz though, he seems very respectful compared to some other kids on other BBS boards, that for dang sure! |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 12:01 pm: |
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Yeah id have to agree. He seems a LOT nicer than some of the teenagers around here. A lot of them are foul mouthed little pri**s that id love to smack the you-know-what out of!! |
Maxwedge2
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 12:26 pm: |
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Galileo: Yes, my user name is a Chrysler type thing. Actually, I own a Max Wedge powered 64 Plymouth Sport Fury with only 44,000 original miles on it. It was built by Chrysler for the sole intent of competing in the Super Stock classes and these cars did very well. They could be street driven but that wasn't a very practical thing to do. Most of the miles that I put on the car was with mild 440 and probably less than 1,500 were with the race motor. Never did put a radio of any kind in it, it was a factory delete option. |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 2:36 pm: |
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Hey Marconi.
Remember the "Rubeduster antenna"?? LOL!
That guy i sold it too still has it up and loves it! |
samholmes
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 2:48 pm: |
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i run a handbuilt staduster that plain and simple cranks!!! all you have to do to a starduster to make it crank is replace the top element with a 102 stainless whip and add a siqnal catcher(3 ground radials) put it up about 50 feet and you will talk more ssb skip with 12 watts than any antron!!! I know from the hands on... the sd outtalked the antron in dx hands down!!! a99 had it local for about 2 more miles and that was it.. for the money and the little bit to modify it it was well worth the money you pay for a starduster. |
Taz
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 2:56 pm: |
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Mr. Bopper and 14isnoexcuse, I dont mean to be an a** but we dropped the subject. Please dont carry on.
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Taz
| | Posted on Sunday, March 31, 2002 - 2:57 pm: |
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And thankyou for you nice compliments.
Taz |
Marconi
| | Posted on Monday, April 01, 2002 - 11:20 am: |
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Hey 2990, I do remember the RubeDuster, a really fine antenna. Some of these young fellas would do well to study the philosophy of Mr. Rube Goldberg. As you may recall, he is one of my mentors.
For those interested, you can check old Rube out at Rube Goldberg
Marconi
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RCI2990
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 11:44 am: |
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Yeah ol'Rubemeister is one of my mentors too ya know!! LOL! he has made an influence on me! ;-) |
Loopguy
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 3:06 pm: |
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Ok lets end this and all go out and find the best antenna ever made the ASTRO LOOP!!!!!! |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 02, 2002 - 11:15 pm: |
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ASTRO LOOP???? Inquiring minds do want to know!! :-) |
MC
| | Posted on Saturday, April 13, 2002 - 4:51 am: |
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Dont forget the astro beam and astro plane |
Taz
| | Posted on Saturday, April 13, 2002 - 3:08 pm: |
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Oh the BEST OMNI in my opinion is the trye avanti astro plane.
It set the standards in omni antennas. |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Saturday, April 13, 2002 - 11:32 pm: |
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Gooooood antenna!!!!!!! Wish i could find an original......... |
BIG BIRD
| | Posted on Sunday, April 14, 2002 - 12:08 am: |
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hey 2990
How do you like the Sigma? |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Sunday, April 14, 2002 - 1:10 am: |
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Not up yet but i wanna know about this Astro Loop antenna thing!!!!! Im curious!! |
Taz
| | Posted on Sunday, April 14, 2002 - 1:14 am: |
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It was a bazooka man, a big blaster. haha
Best omni. Anything better has to be a beam. |
Flash463
| | Posted on Sunday, April 14, 2002 - 2:05 am: |
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rci2990 The astro plane that you are talking about did it have the hoop around the bottom? I have one its old I tried it once but didn't know much about it. I mean old! Might have been missing some parts. Who knows. |
GTO
| | Posted on Sunday, April 14, 2002 - 1:36 pm: |
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Hey 2990 - If you want to see the astroplane email me at 67gto@cox.net and I will sent it to you.
GTO |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Sunday, April 14, 2002 - 10:27 pm: |
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I know what it looks like id just like to find one that someone wants to sell!! |
Marconi
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 8:59 am: |
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Hey Eric, if I get the doc's from GTO and I have enough parts to put one together I will sell you one of mine. I have two but some of the aluminum has been cut, I think. I can get the pipe so that is not a problem, if I can get the docs, I will let you know.
Eddie Marconi |
bullet/151 southern Indiana
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 2:07 pm: |
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the astro beam/plain,starduster,pdl 2,moonraker antennas ect.are all fine antennas.
everyone has thier favorites like cars or anything else or(flavors of kool-aide) for our junior members. "thats a joke" dont get fussy.
i favor loops personally,and have a growing interest in LPDA arrays.
ive also run about every antenna mentioned on this topic minus the sigma. and i did better with my SD and astro than i do with my A99. but i still like my 99 because its low maintance and very easy to put up and take down.
a crossed loop will also do a fine job,both firing at the same time.and can be feed for vert/horz or both.
my point is thier are alot of good choices out there,run what you like and have fun doing it!
thats what its all about. not "who/what beats who"
if it were you all would be running what i was running.hehe lol (couldnt help myself)
later bullet |
RCI2990
| | Posted on Thursday, April 18, 2002 - 1:34 pm: |
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Well someday Bullett when i find another good used raker ill have me up a 6 element beam that will rock this guys world and then some! But like anything else its put on hold until i do find another antenna.,. |
Taz
| | Posted on Thursday, April 18, 2002 - 6:12 pm: |
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Cant beat a moonraker!
Taz |
27
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 10:47 am: |
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Anybody got an opinion on the Maco M-105 or M-104? I've got a homemade horizontal beam made to M-103 specs currently. It was damaged by the wind and I was thinking of upgrading.....What do you think? |
Crafter
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 1:46 pm: |
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There good antennas for skip, not much on flatside locally if you really want one get a shooting star or a moonraker there reasonable on e-bay.. |
mikefromms
| | Posted on Friday, May 30, 2003 - 7:54 pm: |
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Hello, my name is Mike and I have been CB-ing for over 25 years and spent 1000's of dollars on equipment, including no telling how many base station groundplanes.
The three primary lessons I learned are: 1)make sure the antenna is tuned properly [take the time] 2)put that antenna up as high as you possibly can [in the highest tree on a hill] 3)and,use the best coax with well soldered ends and high quality ends. If these three needs are met, I don't care what brand antenna it is-it will "walk the dog."
Some other considerations. The quickest antenna to install and probably the one that will withstand weather better than them all is the Shakespear Big Stick or something similar to it. It is a good "middle-of-the-road-antenna." But I learned the hard way which antenna is at least one of the best performers of all time. And I owned a number of groundplanes.
I traded off a Starduster after I moved from one location to another for a Big Stick antenna I had owned previously. I traded because I reasoned it was easier to get it up high in a tree while the Starduster was more difficult. What a mistake! Now, I wouldn't admit this 15 years ago because I was religious about Big Stick and it "had to be the best"--because I believed that it was so much I couldn't (or wouldn't) see otherwise. When I stuck the Big Stick up in place of the Starduster I did an almost immediate comparison. The Big Stick was about 5 feet higher at its tallest point than the Starduster, but when I turned on my radio the signal was not half as good. It soon became evident that I had traded off the better (much better) antenna. I have regretted this for years.
Now, how can anyone say Starduster is junk? Well, maybe the new ones are cheaper made or maybe some people aren't assembling them right.
I remember a trick a guy showed me who helped me assemble and put up the Starduster when I first got it. The man took a five or six feet long LEAD PIPE and u-clamped it to the mast and the Starduster was mounted on top of the lead pipe. Maybe, just maybe, this made it a better antenna. Anyway, the man was sold on this idea and the reports I got on my signal, even at a low height of 20', were incredible.
If I were buying a new groundplane today, I'd look for the original Starduster and be sure to set it on a lead pipe. I'd like to add what someone else has already said: I still see Stardusters around the countryside that were put up back in the 1970's. They can stand strong winds. Check one out.
MikefromMs |
