They were all fantastic performers and contrary to some CB bloggers who appear to downrate them all the vintage monster skyhooks improved my mileage over the generic mid size ground planes. My first glasspack antenna the Shakespeare Big Stick didn't impress me, too much noise. I heard the Imax and the Solarcon have the same issues with noise over time. Too bad it's illegal to have metal CB antennas nowadays. Yet for 10 meters it's okay. Hmmmmm.
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Metal CB base antennas
- Thread starter MrColad
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They were all fantastic performers and contrary to some CB bloggers who appear to downrate them all the vintage monster skyhooks improved my mileage over the generic mid size ground planes. My first glasspack antenna the Shakespeare Big Stick didn't impress me, too much noise. I heard the Imax and the Solarcon have the same issues with noise over time. Too bad it's illegal to have metal CB antennas nowadays. Yet for 10 meters it's okay. Hmmmmm.
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Oh yes the Shakespeare! The thing with the Hy-Gains was those huge radials. I got so much distance out of that antenna and I was only using a Lafayette he90. Nothing special, not hopped up... very high antenna though!
I must say we are dwelling deep into the mind of my memory as this was in the late sixties. CB was quite something then. Plenty of businesses in the area were on CB. It was quite the rage. It was also heavily regulated by the FCC with local offices enforcing the rules. Nothing happened to us as pirates just chatting amongst ourselves as young teenage boys but we were all members of our local react branch and all covered Channel 9 in an organized fashion. I remember it as being quite fun.
I must say we are dwelling deep into the mind of my memory as this was in the late sixties. CB was quite something then. Plenty of businesses in the area were on CB. It was quite the rage. It was also heavily regulated by the FCC with local offices enforcing the rules. Nothing happened to us as pirates just chatting amongst ourselves as young teenage boys but we were all members of our local react branch and all covered Channel 9 in an organized fashion. I remember it as being quite fun.
Please elaborate. Why are metal CB antennas illegal?
True or not, I didn't make the law or set policy.
bill4long
Member
Not true. Where did you get that idea?
bill4long
Member
They're not illegal.
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True or not, I didn't make the law or set policy.
Interesting
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So whether they're illegal or not if you want to put one up I would say just go right ahead as I don't think anyone's going to care one way or the other. LOL
mmckenna
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True or not, I didn't make the law or set policy.
It's not illegal to have them. It's a consumer product safety standards. It's against 16CFR 1204 to sell them in the USA:
(d) Prohibited acts. It is unlawful to manufacture for sale, offer for sale, distribute in commerce, or import into the United States any product subject to this standard that does not conform with the standard.
The antennas have metal in them, they are just covered with an insulator that is supposed to withstand 14.5kv if it falls over and hits power lines during installation or removal. Anyone hoisting up an antenna close enough to power lines to make contact probably needs their head examined anyway.I checked Grumpys ProBoards and found out is a consumer products safety advisory and doesn't apply to yagi's (For whatever reason why they're exempt) but it's not an FCC CFR enforceable law.
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2010-title16-vol2/pdf/CFR-2010-title16-vol2-sec1204-6.pdf
Like you said, who cares.
www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2010-title16-vol2/pdf/CFR-2010-title16-vol2-sec1204-6.pdf
Like you said, who cares.
Sort of like illegal possession of a cellular band capable scanner in The United States? So we circumvent the law by buying U series scanners from foreign sellers. Now where can I legally buy a 5/8ths wave CB base antenna in America since it's illegal for them to be sold to me in CONUS? Well at least this got ironed out.
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bill4long
Member
The standards for base station CB antennas does not say the antenna cannot be made of metal. It specifies that the antenna must take measures to reduce potential for electric shock when dropped on a power line. Of course, 10 meter amateur antennas are under no such regulation, and given that 10 meter antennas are very broadbanded and can be easly tuned to the CB band, the Standard effectively is irrelevant for those who want to avoid such antennas.
I have a Sirio 827 (great antenna) that I use on 10 meters, tuned dead nuts 1:1 at 28.400. It has an SWR with no retuning in the middle of CB at 1.6:1 which is practically irrelevant. It can be tuned if desired to have 1:1 SWR on CB. The Standard was issued in 1982 when CB was still pretty popular. (I personally knew a teenager in 1981 who was killed when he dropped his antenna on a power line.) Most CB users these days are "power" users and just get amateur antennas like the one I have which are not required to conform to the Standard.
I have a Sirio 827 (great antenna) that I use on 10 meters, tuned dead nuts 1:1 at 28.400. It has an SWR with no retuning in the middle of CB at 1.6:1 which is practically irrelevant. It can be tuned if desired to have 1:1 SWR on CB. The Standard was issued in 1982 when CB was still pretty popular. (I personally knew a teenager in 1981 who was killed when he dropped his antenna on a power line.) Most CB users these days are "power" users and just get amateur antennas like the one I have which are not required to conform to the Standard.
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bill4long
Member
That's for sure. I personally knew a teenager who was killed in 1981 when he dropped his antenna on the power line behind his house.
bill4long
Member
10 meter ham antennas which can be easily tuned for CB. Perfectly legal. See prior comment.
stingray327
Member
I had that Shakesphere Big stick antenna and it was a horrible performing antenna. The best antennas I have had were the Sigma 5/8 antenna or the even better Super Penetrator 5/8 wave antenna.
I had quite the opposite in experience with the Shakespeare Big Stick. I t worked awesome for me on 11 meters as well as 10 meters....back in the day got lots of QSL cards. Worked lots of stations that my neighbor (who had a Sigma 5/8) couldn't. MY stick wad up at max height while my neighbor up at 25 feet. This was up in LA back in the heyday, but now it still is in use even after getting my ham ticket. Works good for ears so I can turn my beam around to wherever
Oh...forgot to mention I had a Browning Golden Eagle Mark 4 and later a TRC-458...liked the 458 a whole lot better....The Browning was all looks in my opinion
I owned or tried just about every CB base antenna made during the early 70s through today and the Hy-Gain Super Penetrator 500 made in the mid 70s was the best mass produced omni I've used. I now have the newer reissue version after MFJ acquired Hy-Gain and although its the same design and shape, the wall thickness of the aluminum tubing is thinner and the antenna is a little flimsy compared to the original. This antenna is sold as a 10m antenna so it can get around the high voltage insulation rules but you simply build it to the old dimensions and it tunes perfectly across the CB band.
The Avanti Sigma 5/8 was a similar design but with a tapped horizontal loop matching system over the vertical hiarpin matching on the Pentrator. Since most of the current flows in the lower portion of these antennas its said the vertical matching section on the Penetrator is contributing to the radiation where the Sigma would be not so much. The capacity hat on the Penetrator also helps shorten the antenna a little but also pulls the current up the radiating element and improving radiation.
The Avanti Sigma 5/8 was a similar design but with a tapped horizontal loop matching system over the vertical hiarpin matching on the Pentrator. Since most of the current flows in the lower portion of these antennas its said the vertical matching section on the Penetrator is contributing to the radiation where the Sigma would be not so much. The capacity hat on the Penetrator also helps shorten the antenna a little but also pulls the current up the radiating element and improving radiation.
stingray327
Member
Does anyone here remember the Astro Plane antenna? This antenna transmitted from the top of antenna which was like an X on top then had a loop around lower side of antenna.
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