X30A or X50A?

[emercer]

Hi all,
I am looking at getting either a Diamond X30A or an X50A.
I have read the specs and know that the X50A is a little longer thus has increased gain but was wondering if anyone has either of these and can let me know your opinions of them.
Thanks,
Ed

 

[alcahuete]

If the repeaters you use are in hills or mountains, you might not necessarily want more gain, as your signal will be flattened toward the horizon. That said, the gain differences aren't that much. For the $20, I would go with the X50A and put it up as high as you can.

 

[AK9R]

I have both. I've never explored the differences in gain between these two as I'm not at the fringe of the repeaters I want to hit. But, if you are limited for space, like in an attic, the X30 can be an advantage.

 

[SuperG900]

I have the X50A and it works like a champ. It's just about perfect for my needs - it's mounted 30' AGL and I regularly use some repeaters on a mountain top at about 4500' AGL, 18 miles away.

 

[k6cpo]

My club uses an X50 as a 70cm repeater antenna. It's mounted about three-quarters of the way up on an 80 foot freestanding tower and has served us flawlessly for the last five years.

 

[N4GIX]

What kind of coverage does your club's repeater get at ~60'?

 

[FKimble]

I have the "50" in my attic. Top is inches from my ridge beam. Works great. If you dig around on Diamonds website, they have a 3d view of each antenna's radiation pattern. The 50 is a 3 quarter wave stack. It produces a very nice looking pattern.

Frank

 

[emercer]

I bought the X50A. Just enough height in the attic for it to fit.
Very impressed with the better reception of repeaters that are within 30 miles.
There is one repeater that is about 50 miles away, I used to get an S-4 but now barely registers a signal and the voices are intelligible.
Could that be related to the difference of radiation pattern compared to my j-pole?

 

[Ubbe]

Very impressed with the better reception of repeaters that are within 30 miles.....
There is one repeater that is about 50 miles away, I used to get an S-4 but now barely registers a signal and the voices are intelligible.

What you are saying here are that up to 30 miles the new antenna performes better but at 50miles the old one had a higher signal strength?

When you have an antenna in the attic the placement are important as you will have different things that blocks the signal. Connect a radio or scanner to the antenna when you are in the attic and when that 50 mile repeater are active you move the antenna to different places in the attic until you hear that repeater clearly at the best possible signal strength and leave the antenna there. The stronger 30 mile repeaters might still be received but could just as well have gone bad to the degree where they are almost down in the noise.

I assume that your j-pole where outdoors as its hight would probably not fit in the attic and had a clearer view to the horizon without any obstacles blocking the signals. Also see to that no metal are close to the antenna. The end at the top are particular sensitive even to not totally dry wood.

/Ubbe

 

[FKimble]

What type coax are you using? and how long is the run? Also is the 50 mile repeater VHF or UHF. Is there any duct work or wiring in the attic? May try dropping the antenna some if easy to do. Also tree leaves are filling out which could reduce reception.

Frank

 

[emercer]

What you are saying here are that up to 30 miles the new antenna performes better but at 50miles the old one had a higher signal strength?

When you have an antenna in the attic the placement are important as you will have different things that blocks the signal. Connect a radio or scanner to the antenna when you are in the attic and when that 50 mile repeater are active you move the antenna to different places in the attic until you hear that repeater clearly at the best possible signal strength and leave the antenna there. The stronger 30 mile repeaters might still be received but could just as well have gone bad to the degree where they are almost down in the noise.

I assume that your j-pole where outdoors as its hight would probably not fit in the attic and had a clearer view to the horizon without any obstacles blocking the signals. Also see to that no metal are close to the antenna. The end at the top are particular sensitive even to not totally dry wood.

/Ubbe

I put the X50A in the same spot in the attic where the j-pole was. I'm happy with it.
Accessing the far repeater is not a priority.
I'm waiting to here from the town by-law office if I can mount it outside or not.
If not, I may try moving it a few feet forward and backward from it's current position to see if that makes a difference.