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Help with BigStick antenna
- Thread starter stump165
- Start date
- Status
I have the same antenna "Shakespeare Big Stick". Works fine, check the resistance between the centre connector and ground, mine reads open. I have heard that they can short out .
Regards
Ed
prcguy
Member
I assume you mean it shows a short across the connector with an ohm meter? Its probably normal and if the match is ok when its mounted up and away from stuff then forget about the short and use it.
prcguy
prcguy
sloop
Member
The big stick antenna is all antenna, NO GROUND. The connector that it screws into should be insulated by nylon washers from the mount so nothing touches the antenna but the center wire of the coax. The ground (outer wire braid) of the coax connects to the mount/car frame for the ground. If the antenna connector is not insulated from the mount then the antenna will be shorted. Hope this helps...if not a picture of how you mounted the antenna might help others figure out what your problem is.
prcguy
Member
Does the OP have a mobile or base antenna problem? The name "Big Stick" usually refers to the 18ft tall Shakespeare base antenna.
prcguy
prcguy
This antenna has a coil and capacitor in the bottom section about a foot below the bottom section and top section junction.. weather and age have had effets on some of these componenets and changed them to where the antennas resonanace has changed. Mine was resonant at 25.9 plus minus 300khz....
Electrically you could take a 105 inch element put into the top center of a pl259 tee and add a 1/4wave stub to the side of the tee and connect the coax to the bottom of the tee. There is information about the Big stick prototypes on the net...
I pulled my donated antenna down and use a wire vertical dipole.
GOOD LUCK INTHE CONTEST !!!
Electrically you could take a 105 inch element put into the top center of a pl259 tee and add a 1/4wave stub to the side of the tee and connect the coax to the bottom of the tee. There is information about the Big stick prototypes on the net...
I pulled my donated antenna down and use a wire vertical dipole.
GOOD LUCK INTHE CONTEST !!!
sloop
Member
oops....sorry I thought he was talking about a mobile antenna.
Hello Stump165: Not a expert on this but maybe I can offer some help.
The Shakespeare 18 Foot Base antenna has a few different configurations I believe. Shakespeare sold Marine and land base antennas, even back in the 1960's. So there maybe differences out there.
Helping a friend out many years ago, his Shakespeare Antenna had a high VSWR and didn't get out like it use to. Replacing the top whip antenna didn't fix it, but changing the bottom part did fix it. What I suspect was that he running too much power into it, and some how damaged it.
By cutting it open (in a outside area with a fan blowing the fiberglass dust away from you) length wise may reveal how's its designed and allow better coax to be installed like RG142 or RG400 these are Teflon Insulated Mil-Spec Coaxes. The bottom section could be repaired with new fiberglass cloth and fiberglass resin. That's a lot of work for a older antenna, but doable. Please post pictures if you do this.
When the Shakespeare ABS 1800 came out they advertised it to handle 4 KW, they had a problem with some connection inside the lower section of the antenna, and then dropped the line I believe.
So a little power to the tower might be over doing this antenna. I think you would have to cut open the base or bottom section to see how's it wired. I haven't heard any fix all, fix on this antenna.
Suggest you call Shakespeare Antennas and see if a Engineer or Technician could help you for a repair. They still sell the 18 Ft Marine Big Stick Antenna.
See Welcome to Shakespeare Electronic Products Group | Shakespeare Electronic Products Group
Good luck, let us know if you can get it fixed. It would be good to know what they say......
Jay in the Great Mojave Desert
The Shakespeare 18 Foot Base antenna has a few different configurations I believe. Shakespeare sold Marine and land base antennas, even back in the 1960's. So there maybe differences out there.
Helping a friend out many years ago, his Shakespeare Antenna had a high VSWR and didn't get out like it use to. Replacing the top whip antenna didn't fix it, but changing the bottom part did fix it. What I suspect was that he running too much power into it, and some how damaged it.
By cutting it open (in a outside area with a fan blowing the fiberglass dust away from you) length wise may reveal how's its designed and allow better coax to be installed like RG142 or RG400 these are Teflon Insulated Mil-Spec Coaxes. The bottom section could be repaired with new fiberglass cloth and fiberglass resin. That's a lot of work for a older antenna, but doable. Please post pictures if you do this.
When the Shakespeare ABS 1800 came out they advertised it to handle 4 KW, they had a problem with some connection inside the lower section of the antenna, and then dropped the line I believe.
So a little power to the tower might be over doing this antenna. I think you would have to cut open the base or bottom section to see how's it wired. I haven't heard any fix all, fix on this antenna.
Suggest you call Shakespeare Antennas and see if a Engineer or Technician could help you for a repair. They still sell the 18 Ft Marine Big Stick Antenna.
See Welcome to Shakespeare Electronic Products Group | Shakespeare Electronic Products Group
Good luck, let us know if you can get it fixed. It would be good to know what they say......
Jay in the Great Mojave Desert
Hello All: Yeah we get that there is some kind of impedance matching going on there. But what did the Shakespeare folks say.
See: Stub Tuning my Big Stick
Jay in the Mojave
See: Stub Tuning my Big Stick
Jay in the Mojave
tripplenickel
Member
Sloop is correct. There is a small plastic type washer (discontinued) in the very bottom that will over time crack. Take it out and inspect real good. If it shows any sign of a crack, use some gorillo glue and coat it real good but keep the same shape. Let it dry overnite, take some 100 grit sandpaper on a flat surface and sand it smooth, reinstall and you good to go. Mine is over 25 yrs old and going strong, SWR below 1.3, JMHO ggood luck. Forgot to mention, DON'T OVER TIGHTEN COAX CONNECTOR @ ANTENNA BASE!!!!!!
555
Last edited:
freebird63
Member
Sounds to me like a Shakespeare pogo stick, it had a coil at the bottom. It was a great antenna, I had one that I mounted on my truck up in the hills. There should also be 3 small radials that are screwed into it.
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