PDA

View Full Version : decisions



rudedog
02-06-2017, 05:27 PM
on a base antenna cant make up my mind on either a BMT shockwave or a Merlin
hear many great reviews

222DBFL
02-07-2017, 04:40 AM
The BMT Shockwave has gotten nothing but great reviews and appears to work very well. Built like a tank as well. Not sure about the Merlin. But I have seen a few pics of installs and lots of talk about the USA made Shockwave antenna. Both if they are the same tip height should work about equally the same. If there is any difference, it won't be much as far as Gain is concerned, so go with the one you like the best. If it were me I would go with the Shockwave antenna. It's just a big beast. I run a Sirio vector 4000, but would run a Shockwave antenna if I had the opportunity to!! JMHO's.

BOOTY MONSTER
02-08-2017, 10:56 PM
gain isn't so much if a factor in their differences as their angle of signal radiation is .... i'd go for the lower angle .

JAF0
02-11-2017, 06:39 AM
on a base antenna cant make up my mind on either a BMT shockwave or a Merlin
hear many great reviews

A 5/8 wave base antenna has more gain than a 1/2 wave, as well as a lower TOA, and a straight 1/4 wave typically has more efficiency than a shortened center or top coil type.

The Merlin is a center-fed 1/2 wave with the top 1/4 wave shortened by using both a coil and a capacity hat.

The full 5/8 Shockwave should deliver a solid s-unit more performance over the merlin 55 in most real-world applications.

CBRN38
05-30-2017, 11:03 PM
holy fuck, did he just repeat what i tried teaching him years ago?


gain isn't so much if a factor in their differences as their angle of signal radiation is .... i'd go for the lower angle .

CBRN38
05-30-2017, 11:05 PM
negative ghost rider. you been listening to booty to long. radiation angle will always out perform gain. real world test have proven this to be true. the 5/8 may talk to the moon better then it will 50 miles down the road.


A 5/8 wave base antenna has more gain than a 1/2 wave, as well as a lower TOA, and a straight 1/4 wave typically has more efficiency than a shortened center or top coil type.

The Merlin is a center-fed 1/2 wave with the top 1/4 wave shortened by using both a coil and a capacity hat.

The full 5/8 Shockwave should deliver a solid s-unit more performance over the merlin 55 in most real-world applications.

JAF0
06-11-2017, 07:10 PM
negative ghost rider. you been listening to booty to long. radiation angle will always out perform gain. real world test have proven this to be true. the 5/8 may talk to the moon better then it will 50 miles down the road.

Ghost Rider? Huh? WhoTF is Ghost Rider? Did you accidentally quote me instead of this "Ghost Rider" personna?

Anyway, a 5/8 has both a low and a high angle of radiation which collide at certain distances either reinforcing one another for much superior gain (over almost any 1/2 wave, excepting perhaps the NV4K which is an efficiently-fed, elevated 1/2 wave produced by off-center feeding a full-wave vertical at the .64 point thus causing a dB or two of gain over any Starduster-type simple 1/2 wave) or cancelling one another causing rings of fading at select, differing distances depending on the D & E-layer reflectivity and elevation.

You have to decide which type of RF radiation best suits your needs, but a 5/8 wins more often than not.

BOOTY MONSTER
06-12-2017, 07:30 AM
a 3/4 vector/sirio 4000 will have a lower TOA than a 1/4 wave merlin/starduster or other 1/2 wave or 5/8 .54 WL antenna . the lower TOA will have less bounce benefiting longer skip contacts .... no magic dust or snake oil needed . all will work , each will work better than the others in particularly favorable installs , the majority of the time the bigger/higher antenna works better .

CBRN38
06-20-2017, 02:20 PM
no one wants to play frisbee golf

halfwatt959
06-22-2017, 10:02 AM
All my stuff was wiped out by a tornado on 1-21-17. Went back with a gizmotchy 241 for my 2m stuff and bought the maco comet 6 for the beam and another v5000 for ground plane use. Only have the 2m up now still collecting tower sticks for the other ants. Hope I made a good choice will see when up.73s

JAF0
08-10-2017, 05:05 PM
no one wants to play frisbee golf

Naw, I prefer freestyle. Golf is for those who can't run & jump fast & high enough to make an epic catch upside down and between your legs while inverted and still land on your head laughing.

I've done it a thousand times and I'm still prefyt... peftr... perfectly normal