On Thu, 07 Apr 2005 13:07:20 -0700, Frank Gilliland
wrote:

On Thu, 07 Apr 2005 09:05:25 -0400, Dave Hall
wrote in :

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 14:26:18 -0700, Frank Gilliland
wrote:

On Tue, 05 Apr 2005 14:41:07 -0400, Vinnie S.
wrote in :

snip
Should I return it?


Probably. If you want a decent antenna that you can use for both CB
-and- ham you should check out that link for the $4 cheapie (that I
provided in a post without insult). It will probably cost -you- about
$20 more because it requires a tuner which you probably don't have.
The idea is to just throw a couple wires in the trees and load them up
with the tuner -- that's it. It works better than any Imax or Antron,
it can be used for whatever power and spectrum is handled by the tuner
(usually 2-30 MHz), you can change the antenna at any time, you don't
have to worry about SWR, it's cheap, and it's so easy even a Geico
customer can do it.

A tuner-fed non-resonent length dipole is not the best solution for
CB.


Neither is an Imax.

True. But the dipole solution will not be any better.


It is woefully inefficient


Compared to what.... a 7-el beam?

Any vertical antenna with gain.


and would be the wrong polarity for the
majority of CB work.


Doesn't matter. It gets the best of both worlds. That is, unless you
are so anal that you think any dipole must be both horizontal and
perfectly straight.

Polarity losses are negligible for DX work, but local talk is not so
forgiving.


They worked well on the ham bands because most
H.F contacts are DX in nature and you're relying on atmospheric
propagation to do most of the work. Try to work another ham 30 miles
away on the H.F bands and it is surprising how difficult it can be
with those wire antennas.


Maybe you had difficulty, but there are a very large number of hams
-and- CBers who don't share your ineptitude.

A dipole is a dipole. It has 0 db of gain, and that assumes a resonant
dipole . If the dipole is non-resonant and requires a tuner to force
an impedance match, it will have further losses. It won't stand a
chance against a commercially produced (or home made if you are
so-inclined) 5/8th wave vertical (with proper radials, not an Imax).


I've done this type of
antenna myself and never had any problems with local contacts -- in
fact, it worked a lot better than the 9' whip on the truck.

I find that very hard to believe, assuming identical height and
conditions, as my own experiences prove otherwise.


I ran a home brewed wire dipole on CB years ago, and used it in
addition to my main 5/8th wave antenna. While the dipole worked well
when the skip was running, locally, the signal from the dipole was a
few "S" units less than the ground plane. With 4 watts of power, you
don't get much range on a horizontal wire dipole strung in a tree.


Well there's your problem, Dave -- I didn't say anything about
horizontal. On the contrary, it's better if it isn't.

Yea, if you're talking local. For DX, horizontal is usually better for
a number of reasons, most notably a lower noise floor and better take
off angle.


Like I said
before, just throw some wire up into the trees (or whatever tall
object happens to be available). Didn't you read the link I posted?

Of course. But a dipole is a basic antenna. It has no gain. A properly
made purpose built CB antenna will out perform it.

Let's look at this from a practical standpoint. If a non-resonant,
tuner fed dipole worked so well, then why aren't all CB'ers using one?
Why would people want huge 5/8th wave antennas then? Better tell Jay
to forget about selling his Interceptor, since a simple non-resonant
dipole will work just as well and for far less money.

A non-resonant dipole has ONE big advantage. It's a compromise antenna
that will work on all the HF bands. That's great if you don't have the
room to put up single band antennas for each band. But like any
compromise, it will not work as well as a dedicated antenna for each
band. Such a compromise is usually acceptable for a ham who has 1500
watts on tap. But for a 4 watt CB'er, who needs to squeeze every watt
of ERP he can for best local range, he needs a high gain efficient
antenna.



For ham band use, I agree with you, just not for CB.


What's the name of that tech school, Dave?

What's your call sign Frank?


Frank, your experience with both ham and CB radio is sorely lacking.
You read a few books and web sites and think you have all the answers.
OTOH, I've walked the walk for the last 30+ years and have played with
more antennas and equipment than I can remember. I have also been in
contact with people in the know when it comes to antennas. What I
know, I know through experience, and that's worth 10X what you read in
any book.

Dave
"Sandbagger"