The Arrow is an "open-sleeve" J-pole design. The other poles aren't
actively fed, but make up a critical part of the antenna design.

What are the pros and cons of an Arrow J-pole versus a Diamond X50A pole?

The Diamond X50A has a somewhat higher gain than the Arrow on 2 meters
(about 2 dB higher, if I'm reading the stats correctly) and a
significantly higher gain than the Arrow on 70 cm (about 5 dB higher).

The Arrow is about 6" shorter than the Diamond (might fit into an
attic space where the Diamond will not), has been tested at power
levels of up to a kilowatt (the Diamond is rated for 200 watts), and
costs only 40% as much as the Diamond.

The Diamond has decoupling radials, and I infer that it's less likely
to have a feedline-RF situation than the Arrow - its actual pattern
may be more consistently like its theoretically-calculated pattern.

The Diamond looks more like a traditional antenna... the Arrow is more
likely to get "What the bleep is that thing?" questions, if mounted
outdoors.

The Arrow may be easier to field-repair, since it's mostly just
aluminum angle and rod stock.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

Dave Platt wrote:
The Arrow is an "open-sleeve" J-pole design. The other poles aren't
actively fed, but make up a critical part of the antenna design.
What are the pros and cons of an Arrow J-pole versus a Diamond X50A pole?

The Diamond X50A has a somewhat higher gain than the Arrow on 2 meters
(about 2 dB higher, if I'm reading the stats correctly) and a
significantly higher gain than the Arrow on 70 cm (about 5 dB higher).

The Arrow is about 6" shorter than the Diamond (might fit into an
attic space where the Diamond will not), has been tested at power
levels of up to a kilowatt (the Diamond is rated for 200 watts), and
costs only 40% as much as the Diamond. . .

Wow, 5 dB extra gain for an extra quarter wavelength, and 2 dB for an
extra 7/100 wavelength of size. That's quite a trick!

Do you maybe mean to say that the Diamond has a somewhat higher
*claimed* gain than the Arrow? If we're looking for high claimed gains
(and claimed power handling capability for that matter), some of the CB
whips should take the prize.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

In article ,
Roy Lewallen wrote:

Wow, 5 dB extra gain for an extra quarter wavelength, and 2 dB for an
extra 7/100 wavelength of size. That's quite a trick!

Do you maybe mean to say that the Diamond has a somewhat higher
*claimed* gain than the Arrow? If we're looking for high claimed gains
(and claimed power handling capability for that matter), some of the CB
whips should take the prize.

You're quite correct. I'm going by "claimed" gain figures, and those
that Diamond cites do sound a trifle high to be believable.

--
Dave Platt AE6EO
Friends of Jade Warrior home page: http://www.radagast.org/jade-warrior
I do _not_ wish to receive unsolicited commercial email, and I will
boycott any company which has the gall to send me such ads!

On 23-Jul-2009, Roy Lewallen wrote:

The Diamond X50A has a somewhat higher gain than the Arrow on 2 meters
(about 2 dB higher, if I'm reading the stats correctly) and a
significantly higher gain than the Arrow on 70 cm (about 5 dB higher).

The Arrow is about 6" shorter than the Diamond (might fit into an
attic space where the Diamond will not), has been tested at power
levels of up to a kilowatt (the Diamond is rated for 200 watts), and
costs only 40% as much as the Diamond. . .

Wow, 5 dB extra gain for an extra quarter wavelength, and 2 dB for an
extra 7/100 wavelength of size. That's quite a trick!

Do you maybe mean to say that the Diamond has a somewhat higher
*claimed* gain than the Arrow? If we're looking for high claimed gains
(and claimed power handling capability for that matter), some of the CB
whips should take the prize.

I don't know what the actual gain is, but Diamond has been in business a long time, and I've never
seen any reports of them misreporting gains.

Does the Arrow have any gain? I thought it was close to 0.0. If it does, how do you know it's
correct?

The overall rating for the X50A on eHam.net is 4.7/5. The average rating for the Arrow J-pole is
4.8/5. It sounds like both products are highly regarded.

wrote:
. . .
The overall rating for the X50A on eHam.net is 4.7/5. The average rating for the Arrow J-pole is
4.8/5. It sounds like both products are highly regarded.

So the Arrow is rated 0.09 dB higher than the Diamond. That's probably
realistic.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

"Roy Lewallen" wrote in message
...
wrote:
. . .
The overall rating for the X50A on eHam.net is 4.7/5. The average
rating for the Arrow J-pole is
4.8/5. It sounds like both products are highly regarded.

So the Arrow is rated 0.09 dB higher than the Diamond. That's probably
realistic.

Roy Lewallen, W7EL

Rather than punching a hole in the roof to accommodate your attic co-linear,
how about the ELK 2m/440 log periodic or Cushcraft A270-6s. A small Yagi is
not so directional that you can't use it for the local stuff while pointing
it yonder for a few weak ones.

On 24-Jul-2009, "JB" wrote:

Rather than punching a hole in the roof to accommodate your attic co-linear,
how about the ELK 2m/440 log periodic or Cushcraft A270-6s. A small Yagi is
not so directional that you can't use it for the local stuff while pointing
it yonder for a few weak ones.

I want to be able to hit a dozen or so repeaters in different directions, so I don't want a
directional antenna.

I believe I have enough height in the attic for the X50A. If I measure and come up short, I will
get the X30A instead.