Diamond D-777 118-136Mhz & 225-400Mhz

[clayton4115]

wow! i just rang Strickly Ham and they quoted me $175 plus $20 postage to Brisbane!

 

[SteveinOz]

I paid $99 less than a year ago. There will have been increased shipping (i.e importing) costs since then and the AUS dollar has weakened. But that's still a big increase.

 

[clayton4115]

they really know how to rip people off!

i was going to get it from the UK, but the postage is the killer. 38 Pounds so i got it from here, i was expecting $150 for it, oh well

so how is your Diamond D777? i live approx 10NM south of BNE airport, i have a ducky antenna on my scanner but cannot get Tower and ATIS or GRD, hopefully will pick these up when i get the antenna installed on the roof, what cable are you using?

 

[SteveinOz]

I've the 777 located about 25 feet above the ground and it's very good - anything will be an improvement over a rubber ducky though. Getting the antenna as high as possible is vital in catching TWR, ATIS and GND.

I've got sections of RG-213 and RG-58 joined together to get back to the house (about a 20m cable run) which is less than ideal - I intend to make this one continuous length of RG-213 soon. Good cable is just as important as a good antenna.

 

[clayton4115]

ok so your saying RG213 is the way to go? im getting an antenna guy come install it for me, so hopefully he will have good cable,

also do you have it on your TV antenna pole? i plan to attach it higher than my tv antenna pole, will i get disturbance on my tv if they are attached to the same pole?

 

[SteveinOz]

RG-213 is 50-ohm cable, it's unlikely a TV antenna installer would have it (they use 75-ohm cable) so you may need to obtain the cable before he gets there.

My D-777 is on a seperate pole, some distance from the TV antenna. Check with an antenna installer if the D-777 might cause some interference.

 

[clayton4115]

hi

i got RG6 double shielded 25 Metres lenght, will this be good coax for my external D777 antenna?

 

[SteveinOz]

I would use RG-58 before RG-59 or RG-6. RG-59 and RG-6 are 75-ohm cables intended for TV but scanners and antennas are typically designed for 50-ohm. It will work, but to get the best match and performance I'd recommend RG-213 or RG-58.

 

[clayton4115]

ok thanks

if i were to use the RG6 what would happen, would i not receive all the communications being transferred?

 

[SteveinOz]

It will still work, but you might miss out on some weak signals and this is important if you're trying to catch ground communications at an airport from 10 miles away.

 

[prcguy]

Double or even quad shield RG-6 has the same loss characteristics as single shield type.
RG-6 has considerably less loss than RG-58 at say 400MHz but why not do it right and get some low loss 50ohm cable like LMR-400? The D777 is not a cheap antenna, why would you want to skimp on the coax ?
prcguy

 

[clayton4115]

ok thanks guys, LMR 400 is the way to go, now where do i get that from?

 

[Gatorman]

I just bought one from Diamond. In fact, it got here today. Ordered it a couple of weeks ago or less. $79.95. I will give you some reports when I get it on the tower.

 

[Gatorman]

Forgot to add......manual is in Japanese. The only thing in English is "Diamond Antenna," "D777," 120-300MHz and 3.4 dBi (120 MHz), 5.5 dBi (300 MHz).
Edit/Delete Message

 

[iMONITOR]

I just bought one from Diamond. In fact, it got here today. Ordered it a couple of weeks ago or less. $79.95. I will give you some reports when I get it on the tower.

Are you located in the U.S.? Where were you able to order it from?

 

[Gatorman]

Where Did I Buy It

Direct from Diamond. I live in the US.

 

[iMONITOR]

Direct from Diamond. I live in the US.

What did they charge you for shipping?

 

[Gatorman]

Just noticed your question. About five or ten bucks for shipping as I recall. Antenna is working great. I wonder if anyone else bought one. The price is certainly right. They sell discones for more than the price of this antenna.