So I decided to upgrade my base antenna from an old RS Discone to a full-size Diamond VHF/UHF dual-band antenna.
I went with the X510HDN which is the full-size 17 ft model with N connector. I have mine mounted on a 10ft section of EMC conduit. The antenna starts at about 18 ft above ground level. This puts it level with the house roof and then it's another 17 ft from there.
This antenna is very light and fairly easy to assemble. It's a fiberglass outer shell with a brass inner element. The element is attached via a set screw in two places. I used Noalox to help with long-term reliability. The outer shell uses two metal screw joints to attach the three sections. For waterproofing, I used one layer of Super 88 electrical tape and then used mastic tape around each joint. To finish, I wrapped both joints in a complete layer of Super 88 again.
One note: the center section inner element was deep inside and I had to "shake" the center section to free it loose.
The mounting brackets were top-notch and well-made. I used loctite where applicable.
There are three radials which are screwed in and then tightened with a nut. I used Noalox here as well.
After connecting the LMR400 coax, I used coax-seal on the connector to wrap it securely and to keep moisture out. We get a lot of rain up here so this is vital to keep it going over the years.
Raising the mast and antenna was quite easy as the antenna is very light. It has quite a bit of flex but the extra waterproofing around the joints helps to increase its mechanical stability.
Performance was as advertised and no tuning is required. From 143-149 Mhz, SWR is < 2.0 and at 146.0 it is 1.0 exactly. The Z at 146 is 49ohms which is just about dead on. My MFJ259B can't measure the 70cm side but it seem to work just fine.
Very happy with the antenna so far. I can bring in quite a few repeaters that I couldn't before (or just barely hear.)
5/5
(I'll post a picture later tonight.)
I went with the X510HDN which is the full-size 17 ft model with N connector. I have mine mounted on a 10ft section of EMC conduit. The antenna starts at about 18 ft above ground level. This puts it level with the house roof and then it's another 17 ft from there.
This antenna is very light and fairly easy to assemble. It's a fiberglass outer shell with a brass inner element. The element is attached via a set screw in two places. I used Noalox to help with long-term reliability. The outer shell uses two metal screw joints to attach the three sections. For waterproofing, I used one layer of Super 88 electrical tape and then used mastic tape around each joint. To finish, I wrapped both joints in a complete layer of Super 88 again.
One note: the center section inner element was deep inside and I had to "shake" the center section to free it loose.
The mounting brackets were top-notch and well-made. I used loctite where applicable.
There are three radials which are screwed in and then tightened with a nut. I used Noalox here as well.
After connecting the LMR400 coax, I used coax-seal on the connector to wrap it securely and to keep moisture out. We get a lot of rain up here so this is vital to keep it going over the years.
Raising the mast and antenna was quite easy as the antenna is very light. It has quite a bit of flex but the extra waterproofing around the joints helps to increase its mechanical stability.
Performance was as advertised and no tuning is required. From 143-149 Mhz, SWR is < 2.0 and at 146.0 it is 1.0 exactly. The Z at 146 is 49ohms which is just about dead on. My MFJ259B can't measure the 70cm side but it seem to work just fine.
Very happy with the antenna so far. I can bring in quite a few repeaters that I couldn't before (or just barely hear.)
5/5
(I'll post a picture later tonight.)
