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Post by Countryboy on Mar 14, 2013 8:41:20 GMT -5
What's more important, wave or db gain when buying an antenna. A maco v58 is a 5/8 wave but only has 5db gain. A starduster in only 1/2 wave but has 7db gain. So which is the better antenna? So which is better db gain or wave?
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**GRUMPY**
Administrator/The Boss
Classic Radio Operator Olde Timer 8220 [/color][/center]
"The King of Ping"
Posts: 4,342
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Post by **GRUMPY** on Mar 14, 2013 9:33:29 GMT -5
What's more important, wave or db gain when buying an antenna. A maco v58 is a 5/8 wave but only has 5db gain. A starduster in only 1/2 wave but has 7db gain. So which is the better antenna? So which is better db gain or wave? Location and height of where you are going o place the antenna would be the big factor. If you are not going to have the antenna very high I would go with the StarDuster, if you are able to get the antenna up high enough I would go with he V5/8. The StarDuster is really a 1/4 wave antenna, but they work well!
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Post by Marc on Mar 14, 2013 9:46:33 GMT -5
Well all in all I would say physical size does matter. Especially on receive. the more capture area the better. A good example would be Night Rangers curtain, the more physical area the more signal it sees then add gain to that. That is just my opinion others may have a different view.
Marc
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Post by "Doc"Hammer on Mar 14, 2013 10:30:51 GMT -5
Although it's sometimes advertised as a half wave, in reality the Starduster is actually a quarter wave! Claims of anything close to 7 db. worth of gain off a Starduster are EXTREME wishful thinking. It just ain't happening. I'm not saying they are a bad antenna, but claims of that type of gain are made just to sell you an antenna. A w58, or an Imax would be a far better choice.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,247
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Post by Sandbagger on Mar 14, 2013 21:27:01 GMT -5
What's more important, wave or db gain when buying an antenna. A maco v58 is a 5/8 wave but only has 5db gain. A starduster in only 1/2 wave but has 7db gain. So which is the better antenna? So which is better db gain or wave? Be careful of inflated gain claims. A 5/8th wave antenna is really only about 3dbi gain, and a 1/2 wave is only about 2.14dbi. There really isn't all that much difference in real gain numbers between the various omnidirectional antennas out there. What will be different is the angle of radiation, and the size, shape, and number of radiation lobes. This combined with the terrain you live around, plus the height in which to mount the antenna will determine which type of antenna works best for you. There have been people throughout the years who have tried different types of antennas looking for that "holy grail". But what works best for one may not be the same for someone else. But generally speaking, a 5/8th wave ground plane (with radials) will give an overall good performance.
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Post by cbrown on Mar 15, 2013 8:47:53 GMT -5
Location and height of where you are going o place the antenna would be the big factor. If you are not going to have the antenna very high I would go with the StarDuster, if you are able to get the antenna up high enough I would go with he V5/8. The StarDuster is really a 1/4 wave antenna, but they work well! Exactly what Grumpy said.
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Post by Countryboy on Mar 17, 2013 10:39:02 GMT -5
Well, I hope to get it up about 30 ft. but I live high on a ridge, just about the highest place around me. I use 2 0 ft. piece of well casing reduced to a 10 ft. piece of 1.5 inch pipe. Best I can do. Just can't afford a tower.
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Post by "Doc"Hammer on Mar 17, 2013 11:21:34 GMT -5
Nothing wrong with that idea at all...My groundplane is mounted on a 10 foot by 1.5 inch piece of galvanized pipe slid into a 21 foot piece of 2" ID galvanized water pipe and pinned with a 3/8 bolt where they join...I have it guyed at the 20 foot mark on the mast and clamped at the bottom to a short piece of 1" pipe driven in the ground a couple of feet...Has held up well through several bouts of high winds and many storms this last winter with minimal attention...not to mention easy to work on should I have to drop it down for some reason...the whole rig: pipe, guy wire, ubolts etc..cost me less than 25 bucks at the scrapyard..(except for the antenna) ;D
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Post by cbrown on Mar 18, 2013 8:34:21 GMT -5
Well, I hope to get it up about 30 ft. but I live high on a ridge, just about the highest place around me. I use 2 0 ft. piece of well casing reduced to a 10 ft. piece of 1.5 inch pipe. Best I can do. Just can't afford a tower. If you are high on a ridge, that setup should work very well.
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Post by gator7 on Mar 31, 2013 9:01:34 GMT -5
You also want to consider the radiation pattern compared to your location. In some areas a high angle is important. Others the low angle is better. Hills to get over? Valleys to drop the signal into. Here in Florida, that's not a big deal. Up north, it is.
73
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Post by bootymonster on Apr 15, 2013 17:52:11 GMT -5
What's more important, wave or db gain when buying an antenna. A maco v58 is a 5/8 wave but only has 5db gain. A starduster in only 1/2 wave but has 7db gain. So which is the better antenna? So which is better db gain or wave? Be careful of inflated gain claims. A 5/8th wave antenna is really only about 3dbi gain, and a 1/2 wave is only about 2.14dbi. There really isn't all that much difference in real gain numbers between the various omnidirectional antennas out there. What will be different is the angle of radiation, and the size, shape, and number of radiation lobes. This combined with the terrain you live around, plus the height in which to mount the antenna will determine which type of antenna works best for you. There have been people throughout the years who have tried different types of antennas looking for that "holy grail". But what works best for one may not be the same for someone else. But generally speaking, a 5/8th wave ground plane (with radials) will give an overall good performance. excellent reply ! i'll just add that if someone lives in a area that doesn't get heavy winds or ice that a sirio vector 4000 is also a excellent antenna . my home made version did better than my previous 5/8's and my home made starduster .
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Post by Countryboy on Oct 2, 2017 21:55:37 GMT -5
I guess I should also ask about talking skip and which is better. I am high on a ridge and am putting it on a 25 ft pushup pole. Hope that helps. So I now ask again, which is better.
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Post by JesseJamesDallas on Oct 21, 2017 20:03:41 GMT -5
I guess I should also ask about talking skip and which is better. I am high on a ridge and am putting it on a 25 ft pushup pole. Hope that helps. So I now ask again, which is better. So...It's been 4 years since you last asked this question...and you still haven't made up your mind??? At this point...what difference does it make?
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