Hy-Gain Super Penetrator 500 reissue - NOT for the novice

[FPR1981]

I have just spent the bulk of my day on the setup and tuning of a Hy-Gain Super Penetrator 500 reissue, for use on the 11-meter band. I am uploading a full commentary to YouTube as we speak.

Let me just say that this is a fairly easy setup, but one of THE most fickle antennas to tune on the 11-meter band. Much of that has to do with Hy-Gain's instructions, which are woefully inadequate and speak in absolutely ZERO detail about tuning.

In the end, at about 7 feet off the ground on a mast pipe atop one of my PA speaker stands, I walked away happy with a 1.3 to 1 SWR across the band. That was after much playing with the length of the last primary element, and eventually the radials.

Final length of the antenna to achieve that SWR was 21 feet and 7 inches, and 102 inches on the radials.

A newbie does NOT have the skill set to properly set up this antenna. The instructions would have a newbie assembling it at 19 feet in total length and 105 inches on the radials, getting a 3.5 SWR across the band and burning their radios up.

I will say, however, that with 18 feet of RG58 attached to a Uniden handheld, the owner was blowing me up with wall to wall signal within a 5 mile radius of me driving. Even at 7 feet off the ground on the stand, I could not squelch him out.

This IS a big boy antenna that truly delivers the goods. Whether it lives up to its namesake and lineage is up to the old timers to decide.

I own a Sirio 27 5/8 wave ground plane with fixed-length radials. It was a breeze to tune compared to this, mostly because Sirio provided suggested tuning lengths, where Hy-Gain didn't.

The antenna is being chimney mounted as we speak. I'll offer more opinion later on how the owner's Cobra 142 GTL sounds with it, versus my attic dipole I built him.

 

[FPR1981]

 

[prcguy]

What you do is follow the supplied instructions for most of the antenna including the radial lengths. The radial lengths for the new version are left over from the old 1970s CB version but they give you shorter measurements for the top section to put it on 10m. With the radials at the lengths in the manual simply extend the vertical section until its centered where you want it in the CB band. I don't have the measurements near me but I thought the radials came out to about 108" or so.

Mine went together quickly and tuned up with a really great match on CB within about 5 minutes. I later shortened it for 10m and played around there then lengthened it a bit to cover the upper part of CB and lower part of 10m with a useable match.

You gotta remember this antenna was designed for CB, went through some minor changes in the 70s and then got reintroduced recently and sold as a 10m antenna. They knew most users would be CBrs even though they can't advertise it for that and that's probably why the radial lengths are the old dimensions for 27MHz.

 

[FPR1981]

The supplied instructions would have you setting this antenna up at 19 total feet and 105 inches on the radial, leading to an SWR of about 3.5 across the band.

These instructions were terrible.

1.3 to 1 across the band was achieved at 21 feet and 7 inches and the radials at 102 inches.

 

[prcguy]

I just looked at five different Penetrator manuals from 1975 till present and they all say 105" for the radial length. Four of the manuals are for the early CB only version and the last is the one shipped with new antennas. Your radials should be 105" and not 102" for CB. The radials should be some percentage longer than resonance and you might have them resonant, making other adjustments very touchy.

 

[FPR1981]

They were set to 105 and we could not achieve a consistently low SWR across the band. This antenna was the most fickle antenna I've ever tuned.

The Sirio was very easy by comparison.

 

[prcguy]

I've tuned them low to the ground and don't remember any problems but that was 40yrs ago. My current one was tuned on the roof and was super easy. It could be your low height affected the tuning.

They were set to 105 and we could not achieve a consistently low SWR across the band. This antenna was the most fickle antenna I've ever tuned.

The Sirio was very easy by comparison.

 

[FPR1981]

I just looked at five different Penetrator manuals from 1975 till present and they all say 105" for the radial length. Four of the manuals are for the early CB only version and the last is the one shipped with new antennas. Your radials should be 105" and not 102" for CB. The radials should be some percentage longer than resonance and you might have them resonant, making other adjustments very touchy.

I've tuned them low to the ground and don't remember any problems but that was 40yrs ago. My current one was tuned on the roof and was super easy. It could be your low height affected the tuning.

The new version antenna is apparently known for being fickle

 

[prcguy]

Except for the thickness of the metal tubing its identical in every other way to the original, same type and size matching section, capacity hat, etc. I had my 1970 version side by side to the new one I put up. No reason why it should tune up different than the original.

The new version antenna is apparently known for being fickle

 

[FPR1981]

Except for the thickness of the metal tubing its identical in every other way to the original, same type and size matching section, capacity hat, etc. I had my 1970 version side by side to the new one I put up. No reason why it should tune up different than the original.

Jim Dent at Penetrator500antennas.com spoke to me by phone and he is adamant that it isn't the same antenna. In what way I can't tell you, but he was insistent.

We can theorize how it "could" or "should" until we're blue in the face, but the reality is that it didn't, unfortunately.

 

[prcguy]

And all I can go on is past experience assembling and tuning many of them in the 70s and 80s plus my one new version here. It would be interesting (to me) to have your antenna here in pieces and have me put it together and see how it plays. I suspect that's not going to happen but its probably the only way to get the bottom line answer here.

Jim Dent at Penetrator500antennas.com spoke to me by phone and he is adamant that it isn't the same antenna. In what way I can't tell you, but he was insistent.

We can theorize how it "could" or "should" until we're blue in the face, but the reality is that it didn't, unfortunately.

 

[FPR1981]

For shirts and giggles we took the radials out to 105 while on the roof and bam, 1.1 to 1 match on 1 and 1.2 to 1 on 40.

 

[prcguy]

Thanks for doing that, its great information for the next guy and the most important part is we might finally be in agreement!

For shirts and giggles we took the radials out to 105 while on the roof and bam, 1.1 to 1 match on 1 and 1.2 to 1 on 40.

 

[FPR1981]

Thanks for doing that, its great information for the next guy and the most important part is we might finally be in agreement!

At about 7 feet off the ground, 105 created major tuning issues. At 35 feet up, it was the icing on the cake. Go figure

 

[buddrousa]

7 foot off the ground reflected STRAY RF will play havoc @ 27Mhz

 

[FPR1981]

7 foot off the ground reflected STRAY RF will play havoc @ 27Mhz

That's where a bucket truck would handy. But I doubt my wife would be real happy with me acquiring a utility vehicle for my CB hobby, lol.

 

[buddrousa]

You can do like we did in the 70's and use a 20 foot pole

 

[prcguy]

What probably happened is the impedance was slightly lower near the ground and shortening the radials a little reduces capacitance between the vertical and radials, raising the impedance slightly. Shortening the radials might also have brought them closer to being resonant, which would create other problems.

 

[prcguy]

BTW, putting the lower part of the antenna at a half wave or full wave or any multiple of a half wave above ground will put the main lobe down closer to the horizon, since most of the radiation is off the lower part of the antenna. 35ft is a excellent height for a CB ground plane.

At about 7 feet off the ground, 105 created major tuning issues. At 35 feet up, it was the icing on the cake. Go figure

 

[FPR1981]

The Penetrator 500 reissue is a cool antenna, and it does a great job, but honestly I'm not sure in my opinion that it outperforms the Sirio GPE 27 of mine.

This install was done at a friend's house approximately 2 miles from my home, on the opposite end of town. He cannot hear other stations as well as I can. One station we were talking to was geographically closer to him. I had 7 S units on that station, and my friend reported he could not hear them well.

I was talking to another station with a 102-inch whip in play, one County to the east away, and my friend could not hear them at all. I had 3 S units on them.

The Penetrator 500 is 80 dollars more, has more "moving parts," requires more assembly efforts and takes longer to tune than the GPE 27.

I admit to being initially envious, to the point that I had considered getting a Penetrator 500 and was going to give my brother the GPE 27. I don't think I'm going to do that now.