| Author |
Message |
    
Ted Pinsker
| | Posted on Sunday, November 11, 2001 - 6:00 pm: | 
|
The information that comes with the A-99 says it will tune 80 - 10 meters with a tunner. If this is true then why wouldn't the 176 or ABS - 1600 tune 80 - 10 meters? |
Vernonott
| | Posted on Sunday, November 11, 2001 - 7:59 pm: |
|
As far as I know the A99 is the only one with tuning rings. |
889
| | Posted on Monday, November 12, 2001 - 10:02 pm: |
|
hmmmmmm i dont think even eith the tuning rings all the way up or down would really give you much more bandwidth than what the antenna says its capable of... and i dont think there is a way to use a damn antron on 80 meters..... how bout it ham-cber? what do you think? |
Marconi
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 13, 2001 - 6:16 am: |
|
I agree with 889 about working the A-99 on 80 meters. My booklet says it will tune 10 thru 40 meters using a Tuner and with no cutting required.
I know, when tuned for 11 meters, the A-99 doesn't hear hardly a thing on 80 meters unless the station is very close. I have a old Starduster that will work 20 meters without a tuner at about 50% of power out and a reasonable SWR. RX is much better than with the A-99. But it won't work 80 meters, that is for sure.
According to some old notes, the operational bandwidth for my old A-99 at about 23' while remaining below a 2.0:1 SWR seems to be about 3000 kHz (25.550-28.500) when tuned at 26.900. There is a notation in these notes that the 26.900 occured when the tuning rings were all the way down.
I think 889 was somewhat dubious in his (hmmmmm) first conclusion, that the tuning rings will get the bandwidth Solarcon says "...it is capable of." It is true that I make a fine distinction here, but the tuning rings do not impart the typical bandwidth of this antenna we commonly refer to. Tuning range and operational bandwidth are not the same thing. Without cutting or adding to the top section, I do not think the A99 tuning range, simply using the rings, is as much as Ted may have suggested. The next time I have my A-99 up I will check out the tuning range with the tuning rings again.
Marconi |
Ted
| | Posted on Sunday, December 02, 2001 - 10:49 am: |
|
I made a typo. I should have said 40 - 10 meters on the A99. I still don't see why the Shakespeare
ABS-1600 at 21' with a tunner wouldn't tune 80 - 10 meters? |
Hamcber
| | Posted on Sunday, December 02, 2001 - 4:44 pm: |
|
Here's the deal: I can make a coat hanger tune up on 80 meters if I want. That doesn't mean it will WORK on 80 meters. You are confusing loading up and working.
Just because you find a way to make your radio happy with a load does not mean that the load will resonate efficiently and allow your signal to leave it in an efficient manner to be scattered into the ether (so to speak).
---Using that logic, my dummy load is the best antenna there is.--- You may quote me.
Now keep in mind that Anttron (not to be confused with 'Antron') also makes a stick that LOOKS exactly like the A-99 but it isn't. It is a fiberglass element with different lengths of wire in it and designed to run in a ungrounded (dc wise) configuration with a tuner at the base. It is the Anttron 8010-B which they claim works from 80-10 meters with a tuner. Is that what you are thinking of? |
Marconi
| | Posted on Sunday, December 02, 2001 - 9:08 pm: |
|
Hamcber, Ted can speak for himself, but I believe he was talking about the Solarcon-A99. They make the claim he mentions, “…the A99 will operate 10 through 40 meters with a tuner, requiring no cutting.”
I have seen one of the 8010-B's that you mention. I thought it was an A99 but it had a small ground plane at the top of first section. I stopped by and talked to the fella. He told me it was not an A99. He said he was a Ham operator and that it works fine for him using his tuner. I do not recall him saying anything about it being a multi-band type antenna, but we really did not get into discussion about the bands of operation.
Are you saying that the wire inside this antenna is different in length than the A99, or are you saying it has different length wires for the different bands between 40-10?
Marconi |
Ted
| | Posted on Monday, December 17, 2001 - 9:54 am: |
|
I was talking about the A-99. I understand what Hamcber is talking about with the coat hanger. Does anyone have a ABS-1600 or a BIG STICK and a rig with a tunner? Also, I have seen the add for the 8010-B. |
Marconi
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 6:45 am: |
|
Ted, looks like old Hamcber is gone. He got mad the other day when someone disagreed with something he said. You know how the younger generation is when they get all hot under the collar.
There is nothing magical about the A99 and a tuner. Within reason, nearly any conductor can be tuned using a transmatcher.
I am not sure but I believe that if the Big Stick you mention is a two piece antenna, it is really just a simple dipole that is fed at or near the center of the antenna. There is a line inside the base that is acutally just a piece of coax feeding at the top that makes it center fed. I would guess that the bottom section is either made of fiberglass over aluminum or copper mesh similar to coax shield imbedded in fiberglass. This would of course serve as the other side of the dipole.
The other antennas you mention should all be end fed via a matching coil inside the supporting base part of the first section.
Hey, I asked Hamcber about his statement regarding the 8010-B antenna, what do you think he meant?
Marconi |
Taz
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 7:19 pm: |
|
Yes, sadly I think I ran him off. I thought the guy was pulling peoples leg alot of times. |
Marconi
| | Posted on Tuesday, December 18, 2001 - 11:11 pm: |
|
Taz, I don't think you ran him off. A better word here may be, "pissed him off." But, if he can't handle the debate to his remarks, then he should go.
Other than the question I asked of him, noted in the post above, I was never able to raise a real issue with what he said. I did, however, have to make some assumptions about what he said at times.
My approach to him was to try and get him to come down to earth, so to speak, with his remarks on a subject. As you may have noticed, I was not always successful. I think he may have felt at times I was trying to lay him a trap. I recall, at some point, hearing him suggest the same thing with another poster on this forum.
It is alright to pull someone's leg once in a while, just don't pull their finger.
Marconi |
Marconi
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 19, 2001 - 9:45 am: |
|
Hey Guys, I posted the following in this thread:
According to some old notes, the operational bandwidth for my old A-99 at about 23' while remaining below a 2.0:1 SWR seems to be about 3000 kHz (25.550-28.500) when tuned at 26.900. There is a notation in these notes that the 26.900 occured when the tuning rings were all the way down.
I found an additional note elsewhere in my notes that indicate that center frequency, true resonance, was at 27.405 when the rings for my A99 were all the way to the bottom. This creates a question in my thinking and experience. I will get the A99 out and up and do some more rechecking. I will let you know the results soon.
I also note a comment under a bandwidth check I ran on the A99 with the rings all the way down that suggest the antenna does not appear as stable in the bandwidth curve made. I will also check this as well. That could be important information to understand if one wanted to work this one out of band a bit.
Sorry for the misque!
Marconi |
Taz
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 19, 2001 - 9:22 am: |
|
well said |
Ted
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 8:09 pm: |
|
The 8010-B is advertised as a multiband antenna. The picture of does not show any loading coils. It is 18' in lenght. Both Shakespeare I have questioned are the same length. I am trying to figure out why they cann't be used the same. The 8010-B says you need a tunner, that's why I bring a tunner into my question.
P.S. Years ago Shakespeare called the 176 the big stick. |
|
