preps
Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 11

Thread: decisions

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    fredricksburg,va
    Posts
    12
    Thanks
    2
    Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0

    decisions

    on a base antenna cant make up my mind on either a BMT shockwave or a Merlin
    hear many great reviews

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Port Orange. FL
    Posts
    1,135
    Thanks
    299
    Thanked 406 Times in 269 Posts
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    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.

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to 222DBFL For This Useful Post:

    BOOTY MONSTER (02-08-2017)

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    RICHMOND VA.
    Posts
    715
    Thanks
    402
    Thanked 251 Times in 167 Posts
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    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 .

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to BOOTY MONSTER For This Useful Post:

    222DBFL (02-09-2017)

  6. #4
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Westland, Ca
    Posts
    37
    Thanks
    15
    Thanked 8 Times in 6 Posts
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by rudedog View Post
    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.

  7. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    spotsy
    Posts
    92
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 64 Times in 40 Posts
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    holy fuck, did he just repeat what i tried teaching him years ago?

    Quote Originally Posted by BOOTY MONSTER View Post
    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 .

  8. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to CBRN38 For This Useful Post:

    A365 (07-11-2017), rudedog (06-20-2017)

  9. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    spotsy
    Posts
    92
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 64 Times in 40 Posts
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    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.

    Quote Originally Posted by JAF0 View Post
    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.

  10. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2016
    Location
    Westland, Ca
    Posts
    37
    Thanks
    15
    Thanked 8 Times in 6 Posts
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by CBRN38 View Post
    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.

  11. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    RICHMOND VA.
    Posts
    715
    Thanks
    402
    Thanked 251 Times in 167 Posts
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    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 .

  12. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    spotsy
    Posts
    92
    Thanks
    4
    Thanked 64 Times in 40 Posts
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    no one wants to play frisbee golf

  13. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Location
    petal ms
    Posts
    99
    Thanks
    5
    Thanked 112 Times in 40 Posts
    Downloads
    2
    Uploads
    0
    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
    QUACKA QUACKA FOR A MUD DUCK CHECK QUACK QUACK

Visitors found this page by searching for

None

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •