Tram 1411 Discone

[poppafred]

I have ordered a Tram 1411 discone for VHF/UHF use here at home but I have a question.

Has anyone ever found a set of instructions for the antenna?

The eBay photos shows it has 8 radials that angle down from the hub but two of them are longer than the rest. They also always show those two at an odd offset. You would think they would be 180 degrees apart but the photos never show that. Is there a particular reason to avoid 180 degrees?

Also, reports say that the antenna is not very good on 6m. Can you trim the whip for 6m resonance? It is supposedly good for 49 Mhz which means it is a bit long. Wouldn't shortening the whip bring it down into resonance on 52 Mhz?

In the long run, it will be fine for my local repeaters but would be nice to find a way to expand its capabilities.

 

[AI7PM]

I'm not seeing the odd length radials you speak of.

If it's like most other ham grade discounts I've used, the radials will screw into the hub, and have lock nuts on them. Some models just slip into the hub, and have set screws in the hub.

For 6m receive it'll do OK. I'd get a dedicated 6m antenna for transmit.

 

[prcguy]

The 1411 is resonant near CB/10m and 49Mhz using a base and center loaded whip plus two tunable resonant radials. This antenna would be a Discone from about 100Mhz and up but on CB and 49Mhz it will be a ground plane of sorts. Plus the whip on top will probably affect VHF/UHF reception in a bad way.

You should be able to custom tune it for 6m and or CB.

I'm not seeing the odd length radials you speak of.

If it's like most other ham grade discounts I've used, the radials will screw into the hub, and have lock nuts on them. Some models just slip into the hub, and have set screws in the hub.

For 6m receive it'll do OK. I'd get a dedicated 6m antenna for transmit.