What Antenna should I use?

[RC4]

Hello! So my wife and I just got a house on top of a pretty big hill here in Oregon.There is a 70 foot fur tree in our backyard that my wife is allowing me to put an antenna in lol. I’ll be running a Dx 2517 mostly 11meter for local and DX. My antenna Options are A99, Imax, 827, star duster or maco v5/8. What one should I go with? Thank you!!

 

[KMG54]

I have has very good luck with the Sirio 5/8 ground plane here.Flat 1.3:1 across the band once it is tuned.

 

[RC4]

I have has very good luck with the Sirio 5/8 ground plane here.Flat 1.3:1 across the band once it is tuned.

Sorry, you mean the 827? Or a different Sirio?

 

[kg4ehv]

I'd love to have my old AS M-400 Starduster again.

 

[KMG54]

This one. https://www.amazon.com/Sirio-Antenn...mzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc Just spent the afternoon talking to a operator in Trinidad.

 

[K6GBW]

While it's certainly possible to tie an antenna up in a tree, it can be a pretty big hassle. You could just mount it on the roof. Many people get a bit overly obssessed with having the antenna super high. I have an A99 that I use for 17-10 meters that is only a few feet above my roof. I talk all up and down the west coast with it and it was easy to put up and maintain. As for the antennas, I'd go for the Maco.

 

[RC4]

While it's certainly possible to tie an antenna up in a tree, it can be a pretty big hassle. You could just mount it on the roof. Many people get a bit overly obssessed with having the antenna super high. I have an A99 that I use for 17-10 meters that is only a few feet above my roof. I talk all up and down the west coast with it and it was easy to put up and maintain. As for the antennas, I'd go for the Maco.

Wife doesn’t want anything on the house lol

 

[K6GBW]

I can understand that. I'm fortunate, my wife leaves me alone as long as I don't mess with her TV. I messed with her TV once when I transmitted on 80 meters and the fit throwing was epic!

Something you might consider that could be a lot easier to work with is a vertical dipole. Simpley make a dipole for 11 meters and pull it up in the tree. The coax can be pulled off to the side just a touch and it will work fine. A dipole, being wire, can get blown around in a moving tree and it won't hurt a thing. I think the hardest part about putting a vertical antenna up in a tree is when the tree moves around it's likely to come loose or get damaged. The wire dipole would prevent that and be easy to manage. If you can get the dipole at about 32 feet it will work really well at that is a quarter wave height for 11 meters.

 

[R8000]

"my wife is allowing me to put an antenna in"
That's good because if she said no, then I would not allow any more purse or shoe purchases. It's a two way street

 

[RC4]

"my wife is allowing me to put an antenna in"
That's good because if she said no, then I would not allow any more purse or shoe purchases. It's a two way street

Happy wife happy life

I had a99 on a 40 foot mast on our old place years ago and during a storm it fell on her 4 runner. Oops 😬

 

[K6GBW]

See..wire antennas are SAFER!

 

[smittie]

See..wire antennas are SAFER!

So, given that he is already using a tree, could one not string a wire on isolators, 36 feet long (or whatever length is appropriate), up the trunk of the tree?

 

[smittie]

Multiband tree antenna comprised of several current probes:

Technology for Innovative Entrepreneurs & Businesses | TechLink

techlinkcenter.org

 

[K6GBW]

You could, but that would be a Marconi antenna and you'd have to use radials. It would become a PITA. A regular old 1/2 wave dipole for 11 meters is only about 16 1/2 feet long. Just string it up from one end with the coax attached in the middle and direct the coax horitontally away from the wire for a few feet and you're good to go. Much easier to deal with and puts out about 98 percent of the power put into it.

 

[RC4]

You could, but that would be a Marconi antenna and you'd have to use radials. It would become a PITA. A regular old 1/2 wave dipole for 11 meters is only about 16 1/2 feet long. Just string it up from one end with the coax attached in the middle and direct the coax horitontally away from the wire for a few feet and you're good to go. Much easier to deal with and puts out about 98 percent of the power put into it.

Thank you all for the input but you’re kind of confusing me now. I just want to buy an antenna out of the 5 I listed and put it up

 

[merlin]

In all of my CB realm, the best omni I ever had up was the AS supermagnum. (M-117)
Probably compares to the Sirio but far better quality.
Atop a 20 foot pole on the roof. Less than 2:1 match across the band, fed with good RG-U coax.
The best beam was HiGain's long boom (long John) 5 element atop a 50 foot tower in the back yard.
Between these, I talked to most states and 20 countries globally.
Going mobile on the roof of my pic-up I went from AS-M125 to K-40 and then
Wilson 1000M. Each improved over the other. The radio was a Barrett 550.
Talked daily to a buddy from Portland to Las Vegas and on the bottom of the Oakland bay bridge, talked to Sydney Au.
Only flaw with the supermag was the coil could only handle 100 watt max.
I fried it pumping 2 KW to it, so rewound the coil with #4 copper wire.

 

[prcguy]

In all of my CB realm, the best omni I ever had up was the AS supermagnum. (M-117)
Probably compares to the Sirio but far better quality.
Atop a 20 foot pole on the roof. Less than 2:1 match across the band, fed with good RG-U coax.
The best beam was HiGain's long boom (long John) 5 element atop a 50 foot tower in the back yard.
Between these, I talked to most states and 20 countries globally.
Going mobile on the roof of my pic-up I went from AS-M125 to K-40 and then
Wilson 1000M. Each improved over the other. The radio was a Barrett 550.
Talked daily to a buddy from Portland to Las Vegas and on the bottom of the Oakland bay bridge, talked to Sydney Au.
Only flaw with the supermag was the coil could only handle 100 watt max.
I fried it pumping 2 KW to it, so rewound the coil with #4 copper wire.

The M-117 was a half wave end fed and a Hy-Gain Penetrator works noticeably better. I had both and most of the popular base antennas of the late 60s through late 70s. I don’t remember any omni outperforming the Penetrator.

 

[vagrant]

I had an Imax on 40’ of mast I ran up against a 75’ California Redwood. I found a path between the branches. I worked the world on 10m and plenty of 15m action to Japan. Unfortunately, water ingress into the antenna ended that. It may still work today, but almost 10 years in the hot sun before it went next to the tree cooked the fiberglass a bit.

 

[merlin]

The M-117 was a half wave end fed and a Hy-Gain Penetrator works noticeably better. I had both and most of the popular base antennas of the late 60s through late 70s. I don’t remember any omni outperforming the Penetrator.

Well, my M-117 was 21+ foot base loaded with 4radials and those round corona loops at the tip.
That makes 5/8 wave. would it out perform a penetrator ? I don't know but it will match it
I would out perform the starduster, maybe not much, but talking results.
I did have buddies with super penetrator so I certainly can't knock it.

 

[prcguy]

Well, my M-117 was 21+ foot base loaded with 4radials and those round corona loops at the tip.
That makes 5/8 wave. would it out perform a penetrator ? I don't know but it will match it
I would out perform the starduster, maybe not much, but talking results.
I did have buddies with super penetrator so I certainly can't knock it.

Well, all the advertising for the A/S M117 Super Magnum CB antenna say it’s 1/2 wavelength. I had one and it doesn’t hold a candle to the original Hy-Gain Penetrator 500. That’s why I still use a Penetrator to this day.

Antenna Specialists M-117 The Magnum