| Author |
Message |
    
26_op_141
New member
Username: 26_op_141
Post Number: 8
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 09, 2005 - 11:37 am: | 
|
Hi,
Anyone out there tried using this antenna. I'm getting good reports on local and DX. Construction is A1.
I'm interested to know if anyone one has compared performance with other antenna's?
I hear Tech833 was to do a "NBS2010 Exposed" article.What happend to that?
73
Tim
26 OP 141
Orient Pirate Radio Group |
Hotwire
Intermediate Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 178
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 9:16 am: |
|
Is that the 2 piece Big Stick? If so I used one for about 10 years until a house fire destroyed it. Very durable and always performed excellent. |
Hotwire
Intermediate Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 179
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 9:19 am: |
|
Oh! As far as comparing? The Imax in my opinion is far more superior to the Shakespeare. |
Mikefromms
Intermediate Member
Username: Mikefromms
Post Number: 495
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, March 10, 2005 - 6:23 pm: |
|
I never had a chance to try the NBS-2010 but several people here really liked them. I ended up buying the Imax 2000 with GP/Kit and am very happy. Glad you are having good results with the NBS 2010. Maybe we will cross signals out there sometime in dx.
mikefromms |
26_op_141
Junior Member
Username: 26_op_141
Post Number: 14
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Friday, March 11, 2005 - 8:14 am: |
|
Hotwire; No its the 3 piece version.The 5/8 wave version. Its 3/8 over 1/4 wave.
Mikefromms; Glad you like your Imax 2000 I know the performance is good. However 2 of my friends back here in England had both of there Imax 2000 snap in high winds a few months back. The Shakespear NBS2010 is better built for sure and I hoping it will survive the storms better than the Imax. Its a shame Tech 833 never published his report the NBS2010. Apparently he did one??
Tim
26 OP 141 |
Oldpirate
Junior Member
Username: Oldpirate
Post Number: 47
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 5:17 pm: |
|
Hi Tim, I did a three way test between the A99 Imax 2000 ( belongs to next door neighbour) and Shakespear NBS2010 (three section) about eighteen months ago and there was very little between the Imax and the Shakespear. but both antenna's were 1.5 to 2 S units better on receive than the A99 all three antennas were mounted with the top of the antenna at the same height 50ft above ground at that time. tests were mainly with ground wave because with the Imax and NBS2010 there wasnt much in it. My friend John lives 50 miles to the east and on the other side of a nearly 2000ft mountain range and could not hear us on the A99 Imax was a bit difficult to understand some words but on the shakespear you could understand every word but signal strength appeared to be pretty much the same. This is not to say the Shakespear is a better antenna, maybe the lobes coming of it are more suitable for this location. We use a 100watt kenwood for these test.
One thing I can say is the Imax didnt last out the first winter as after it had been up about six months we had a storm come through with winds gusting up to 80 knots and the Imax broke at the first joint where the fiberglass meets the metal fitting. The Shakespear was 60 ft away mounted at the same height (now both had been raised to full height at 61 ft above the ground) and is still up.
The neighbour is really upset about it because with the price of the antenna and the cost of shipping it owes him around $250 usd, a lot of money to throw away.
Murray |
Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 5315
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 5:56 pm: |
|
Oldpirate,
Wind and Wind Shear and Flat Line Wind can be very unforgiving.
Look at the Picture I posted on my Imax and NEW less than a week old Rohn 50' Push up pole.
It still had 6 guy wires on it and the IMAX Survived with 80+ MPH winds but bent the New Rohn Mast in half at roof top level and layed it flat on the roof.
Very strange the Imax survived but the steel mast pipe was lost.
Less than 40' feet away was my other tower with the SE Beams at 60' and Anttron 2/6 Meter Antenna and not a single bit of damage to them.
The same wind that got me also got Turtle CEF #165's Maco but left his neighbor's Anttron 305 80' away undamaged.
Wind, Wind Shear and Flat Line winds are STRANGE!
The winds hit us at Roof Top Level and did not bother anything above or below that.
Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9OSN |
Goat373
New member
Username: Goat373
Post Number: 2
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 6:03 pm: |
|
i love my 2 pc Shakespeare... im waiting on a clear day to put it back up...took it down to try and astroplane and was very disapointed so i am putting the Shakespeare back up at about 30ft while im waiting on a clear day im talking on a one element vee beam designed and built my-self...at about 20 feet...no where near that Shakespeare but ti puts me on flatside so im happy, that and it was cheap seeing as how i built it...but i digress...Shakespeare=quality otherwise they wouldnt have that military contract.
73's Goatrider |
Road_warrior
Intermediate Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 398
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, March 22, 2005 - 10:44 pm: |
|
Hi Goat,
Those astro planes are touchy, if everything
is correctly put together, it will out-do
the 2 piece Shakespeare Big Stik.
Years ago i had up an astroplane, i made a
few little mistakes putting it together &
getting the connections just right, but,
finally got it & it did real good.
JIM/PA/CEF 375 |
Mikefromms
Advanced Member
Username: Mikefromms
Post Number: 521
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 3:10 pm: |
|
As has been pointed out in other posts, the AP will seem to outperform the Shakespeare and Imax at heights under 30 feet. I have had the AP and Imax at 9 feet off the ground. Both did a good job but the AP was better. I've had the two piece big stick low to the ground and high up. Works fine high up but not so good 9 feet off the ground. I would have liked to try to 3 piece NBS-2010 but it is history. I really am impressed with my Imax and I hope that thing will stay up long enough for the fiberglass to wear off!
Mikefromms |
Road_warrior
Intermediate Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 402
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2005 - 6:09 pm: |
|
Hi goat,
If you like the performance of your
2 piece Shakespeare, you would faint
if you went to the high performance of
a Imax-2000.
JIM/PA/CEF 375 |
Mikefromms
Advanced Member
Username: Mikefromms
Post Number: 523
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, March 24, 2005 - 6:56 pm: |
|
I have to agree. I think you might actually forget that Shakespeare if you experienced the Imax--the miracle worker. I've talked as far on this set up as I have with stations I've owned in the past with beams! I can hear exceptionally well and broadcast. That's one reason I'm thinkng about putting a high powered radio with this antenna setup.
mikefromms |
Road_warrior
Intermediate Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 445
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 04, 2005 - 12:47 pm: |
|
Yeah, when you can get a groundplane
antenna real high it will do better
than a beam at a lower height.
JIM/ PA/ CEF 375 |
Oldpirate
Junior Member
Username: Oldpirate
Post Number: 48
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, April 16, 2005 - 12:52 pm: |
|
Further to my earlier post regarding tests with the A99, Imax and the NBS2010 Shakespear when comparing the Imax to the Shakespear I mentioned that some words were hard to understand and I wonder if this could have been caused by the wind conditions as at the time of the test wind was gusting up to 55 knots and we both noticed that the Imax was bending and whipping a lot more than the Shakespear. The stiffness of the Shakespear is probably helped by the fact that it is 3 feet shorter than the Imax. |
26_op_141
Junior Member
Username: 26_op_141
Post Number: 24
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Monday, April 25, 2005 - 6:14 am: |
|
I agree with Murray. I don’t think there is much between the Imax 2000 and NBS210 in performance. All I can say however is that several friends here in the UK have had their Imax 2000's snap in high winds. Have you read or heard of one NBS2010 snapping? That’s the reason why I chose the 2010. Both are expensive antennas and I still want to be using it in another 20 years+ without having to replace it! Perhaps we should conduct these antenna tests in another 5 to 10 years and see which one is still standing? Shakespeare is one of worlds leading suppliers of quality fibreglass. They issue to NATO and the US army!! The NBS2010 was only discontinued because it was more expensive than the Imax 2000 and dealers didn’t want to pay extra for an antenna like the 2010 because they could get a better deal on the Imax. Unfortunately the 2010 was discontinued because of this fact and therefore Shakespeare pulled the whole plug on CB thing. Another great name in CB bites the dust. Like everything in life due to money…..! |
Road_warrior
Advanced Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 516
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, April 25, 2005 - 11:39 am: |
|
Theres no doubt that Shakespeare antennas
construction is very good.
I once seen an article that said, the
makers of the A-99 should take lessons on
construction from Shakespeare.
But, i've never had a A-99 or Imax 2000
break in the winds of PA., so, i still
consider them good antennas.
JIM/ PA/ CEF 375
|
175aviator
New member
Username: 175aviator
Post Number: 3
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2005 - 3:39 pm: |
|
I have both the astroplane and the imax-99, I have found that the imax-99 couses more interfierence than the astroplane. Also, The the higher you get the astroplane,the better it works. I am also pondering the shakespear 2010, as I have heard good things about it.
Jim |
Mikefromms
Advanced Member
Username: Mikefromms
Post Number: 610
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, May 05, 2005 - 6:23 pm: |
|
The 2010 is history--no longer produced. The AP should fit your needs but if you must have a fiberglass go with the Imax 2000 and g-/kit and go up high and use the best coax you can afford. If that means $150 it will be worth it.
mikefromms |
Oldpirate
Member
Username: Oldpirate
Post Number: 52
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Friday, May 06, 2005 - 2:11 am: |
|
I75 aviator, On the Imax99 have you tried earthing(grounding) the base of the antenna and the pole it is attached to. On the A99 I found this didn't completely stop TVI but did reduce it.Like Mike said either A/P , Imax2000 or Jays I10k.
Murray |
26_op_141
Junior Member
Username: 26_op_141
Post Number: 25
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 6:25 am: |
|
175 Aviator.
If you go for a NBS2010 then you wont need a ground plane kit. The ground plane is in the lower part (base bit) of this antenna.Fitting a kit from an A99 or Imax will be false economy and wont affect performance at all. I have had no problems of TVI when using the NBS2010 however I did cause a bit of telephone interference which I cured using ferrite rings on my neighbours phone line.He had a bad install and was using a lot of extension wire!! Anyway you wont go wrong with either the Imax or NBS2010. If you need to 'ground' your NBS2010 use a static arrestor close to earth. This will bleed off static build up and will help protect against lightning strikes !! |
26_op_141
Junior Member
Username: 26_op_141
Post Number: 26
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 10, 2005 - 6:29 am: |
|
If you would like more info re the ABS1600 or the NBS2010 then check out the information below. It maybe of some help:-
***
Here is the info as requested. The answers are direct from Shakespeare:-
Q. What is the differnce between the Camo Army Bigstick ABS16020 and the white NBS2010 other than colour?
A.Only difference beside color was an improvement in how we manufactured the "feedline" inside the lower section. This feedline was astep linear trasformer made of 1/16 wave length "Q" sections for matching the antenna across the bandwidth. We had some discontinuity problems on the 1600. So when we improved the design we changed the color
Q.What wave length is the antenna?
A.The antenna is a unique application of a 5/8 wave radiator. It is an off-center fed 5/8 wave coaxial sleeve antenna. We have a VHF version of it (136-174 MHz ) that is patented. We simply adapted the design to 27 MHz. The feed point of the antenna ie where the RF is acutually imparted to the antenna is at the top of the base stick so there is a 1/4 wave below and 3/8 wave above the feed point. The coaxial sleeve in the base section is why mo radials are needed and why it is not necesasary to cut the coax to a specific length.
Q.What about grounding the antenna?
A.Don't worry about "grounding the antenna"
But do use the inline static arrestor and keep it close to the ground with a good ground rod......this will keep the static buildup "charge under control and will "probably keep the lightening at bay too.
Specs
Technical Data -
ABS-1600 - Color Camo green
NBS2010 Color White
Power 4000 W PEP ICAS
Bandwidth 2.5 MHz (26-28.5 MHz)
Performance 5/8-wave
Wind rating 110 MPH
Length 21' nominal
Sections 3-UPS shippable
Mounting 2 U-bolts, supplied
ABS-1620 -
Color white
Power 1000 W PEP ICAS
Bandwidth 2.5 MHz (26-28.5 MHz)
Performance 1/2-wave
Wind rating 110 MPH
Length 18' nominal
Sections 2-UPS shippable
Electrical EQ Linear transformer matched 1/2-wave
Mounting 2 U-bolts supplied
Created by 26 OP 141
|
Oldpirate
Member
Username: Oldpirate
Post Number: 69
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Monday, July 11, 2005 - 11:01 am: |
|
Tim that was good info, it appears that comparing the 16 ft Shakespear to the 21ft NBS 2010 would be about the same difference as if you were comparing the A99 to the Imax 2k, probably 1.5 to 2 S units on tx & rx. How long was your cable run from the arrestor to the ground rod and what size cable did you use for grounding |
26_op_141
Junior Member
Username: 26_op_141
Post Number: 29
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 20, 2005 - 10:22 am: |
|
Hi Murray,
I used a run of 8' ground wire from the arrestor lug. This was attached to a solid copper earth ground rod, drove at least 8' into the ground.Not sure what the guage of wire was but it was very thick and was thicker than the recommended minimum that 'Diamond' the aresstor manufacture required. |
Oldpirate
Member
Username: Oldpirate
Post Number: 70
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, July 21, 2005 - 5:59 am: |
|
Thanks Tim, Not having to run the ground wire from the base of the antenna will save another trip on the roof, guess I can just put the arrestor in the coax line where it emeges in the basement and from there it should be a reasonably short run for the ground wire of about eight ft to the ground rod.
Once I go over 300 watts Pep with the Texas Star I am breaking in to phone lines and TV. I am also going to try grounding the amp and placing ferrite beads on all wires, will let you know how I get on |
