Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater-Builder antennas and other products

[Don Jennings KI0EO]

My experience,  My first VHF repeater on a really big tower and I installed one of those "high gain dual band base/repeater antennas." Well static desense finally set in after a couple months, so I decided to purchase a commercial grade DB products antenna for my ham repeater. I think the ham antenna was spec'd at 7 db gain and the commercial antenna was an honest 3db gain DB 222 I think. Well, I had to finally take down the ham antenna before the new one arrived, fiberglass was full of water, and so I mounted a quarter wave mag mount on top of the building at the base of the tower while I waited for the new antenna to arrive in a few weeks. Well the quarter wave antenna preformed almost as well as the dual band up 175 ft higher. When the new antenna arrived WOW, what an increase in performance.  One of the local ham guys (works at a Moto shop) had always preached to me about commercial grade antennas and was he right. Never again, I sigh every time I go work on some of the area ham repeaters from the local ham clubs and see the antenna system. The argument usually always gets down to, well it has higher gain. A quick question of how do you check for desense and that is where I usually stop talking, at that point it is useless. So ham antennas for repeaters, been there did that, not doing it again. Don   KI0EO NØATH wrote: Anytime I ever questioned this I was always told " The Antenna gain is always set by the advertising department." I think that must be fairly close to correct. Dave / ----- Original Message ----- From: "Russ" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 5:54 PM Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater-Builder antennas and other products It is all in the rating. The big guys use DBD (the way to go) Many Ham grade antennas use DBi or the new fake or made up DBC Stick with DBD you will never go wrong! If you note QST will not print an antenna gain unless it is in DBD. 73 Russ, ----- Original Message ----- From: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 5:44 PM Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater-Builder antennas and other products One thing I've never been able to explain to people is: Why do the big Celwave, Sinclair, etc. "StationMaster" type antennas have only 5.2 dB gain? Actually, the 2-meter range ones are listed as typically having only 4.8 dB gain, after putting the longer, lower-frequency elements in the 22' long or so radome. The typical 5/8 wave mobile antennas have "3 dB gain", some of the "ham-grade" antennas claim 7-8 (and even 10 dB gain). I occasionally get asked, why do you use one of those expensive, low-gain Sinclair, Celwave, etc. antennas instead of Hustlers, Diamonds, etc that have so much more gain? Even the big Scala OG-4 2-Meter antennas are 4 dB gain, if I remember correctly. I've always been at a loss to explain, but having tried some of these amateur antennas, I see quite a performance difference (for the better, of course) when I go back to using the "real" commercial-grade antennas. I'm sure there must be something simple that I'm overlooking. LJ -----Original Message----- From: Scott Zimmerman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: May 13, 2005 1:45 PM To: Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater-Builder antennas and other products Nope, Just me after a long week getting ready for Dayton. Try it again please....... http://www.repeater-builder.com/products/antennas.html Scott Scott Zimmerman Amateur Radio Call N3XCC 612 Barnett Rd Boswell, PA 15531 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dave VanHorn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com>; <Repeater-Builder@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Friday, May 13, 2005 3:24 PM Subject: Re: [Repeater-Builder] Repeater-Builder antennas and other products At 01:39 PM 5/13/2005, KD5SFA wrote: http://www.repeater-builder.com/products/antennas.html Ah! The SECRET antennas link.! Maybe that's why sales are down? :) Yahoo! Groups Links -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.308 / Virus Database: 266.11.8 - Release Date: 5/10/2005 Yahoo! Groups Links Yahoo! Groups Links Yahoo! Groups Links Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Repeater-Builder/   To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.