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New Super Penetrator 500

basstracker1970

Active Member
Nov 6, 2012
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I just ordered the new spt-500 and was looking over the instructions and noticed that they say to make it 19' long. I thought I read somewhere for 11 meter 22' was where you needed it. can someone come in here and clear this up for me I want to get it together the right way. It also says to make the ground plane radials 105" long. Is that correct for 11 meter use? Thanks for any help here.....
 

The 19 foot length is just a starting point, if you follow the directions you will lengthen or shorten the overall length when you tune the antenna using standard SWR tuning methods. The overall length of the antenna is dependent on several things, not the least of which is the matching network. In this case as said matching network is not adjustable in and of itself it determines the overall length of the antenna for any given frequency.

When it comes to the radials, this isn't a resonant antenna such as a quarter wavelength antenna, so resonant lengths on the radials don't matter quite as much. As long as they are close, the antennas matching network will tune the overall antenna as a whole, and this includes the radials. That being said, they are already close if not a resonant length.

I'm curious, do they still advertise these as "not for 11 meter use"? :LOL:


The DB
 
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I just ordered the new spt-500 and was looking over the instructions and noticed that they say to make it 19' long. I thought I read somewhere for 11 meter 22' was where you needed it. can someone come in here and clear this up for me I want to get it together the right way. It also says to make the ground plane radials 105" long. Is that correct for 11 meter use? Thanks for any help here.....

on the radials yes 105 is correct. correct lenth is around 22-22 1/2 feet in lenth from end 2 end. 23 feet is the max for that antenna. be SURE to use exact overlapping of each verticle
section this is cruital for correct tuning
 
I think the instructions says 3 inches lap and adjust the last one to proper length.

that is correct, I just assembled one last week.

the instructions actually state 19 feet and 22 feet overall on the same instruction sheet:blink:, (HYGAIN is covering their azzes about metal antennas and CB users). the old P-500 were about 22' 9"

start with 22 . if it resonates too low, then it is too long, and vice versa. but, 22 feet will get you in the ballpark.

I used 22 feet and it was resonant @ 27.205MHz with the feedpoint @ 35 ft.

then I shortened it by 12 inches and it resonated @ 28.425, right where I wanted it to operate.

yes, the 105 inches is correct for the radials @ 27 MHz,... and don't forget to use NOLOX when you put it togeather
 
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The 19 foot length is just a starting point, if you follow the directions you will lengthen or shorten the overall length when you tune the antenna using standard SWR tuning methods. The overall length of the antenna is dependent on several things, not the least of which is the matching network. In this case as said matching network is not adjustable in and of itself it determines the overall length of the antenna for any given frequency.

When it comes to the radials, this isn't a resonant antenna such as a quarter wavelength antenna, so resonant lengths on the radials don't matter quite as much. As long as they are close, the antennas matching network will tune the overall antenna as a whole, and this includes the radials. That being said, they are already close if not a resonant length.

I'm curious, do they still advertise these as "not for 11 meter use"? :LOL:


The DB

DB, I have and older new manual that has the 19' feet in it, but I can't find my copy of a New SPT 500 manual. A friend sent me a copy of an updated manual, where DXengineering changed the 19' shown in the manual to 22' feet, just like Hotrod suggested earlier in this thread.

I figure 19', even as a starting point would likely be way too short for 10 meters...even if DXE intended to advertise it as a 10 meter antenna in their public notices. I don't think that beta matcher used is very broad banded either, but I'm not sure how far it will really go in tuning. I think somebody at DXE just made a mistake. I hope I can find that new manual around here somewhere, and if I do I'll post it to a new thread.

I think I've already posted this manual on WWDX, but as I recall it was probably buried in some thread that does not relate to the SPT 500 specifically. I did a search, and I got a few hits, but I didn't read them all...just too much reading.
 
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HUH????? Dx Engineering didn't change anything:confused:

HY-GAIN (a.k.a. MFJ) states both dimensions, just like I said earlier.

http://www.hy-gain.com/pdffiles/SPT-500.pdf

HY-GAIN calls it a 10/12 meter antenna

Well Road Squawker, you did see the New SPT500 with a manual the shows 19' overall length. I have the same manual. I may have misunderstood what Eastside described in his manual, because he could have easily seen the 22' feet number in the Specs Area of the manual and there still be 19' feet noted in the image of the antenna. So you might be right there has been no change, but I still think somebody made and error noting the overall was only 19' tall.

Here is a link to the thread on WWDX: http://www.worldwidedx.com/cb-antennas/108500-bbt-delivered-hy-gain-penetrator-500-today-23.html

Here are some items I copied from the thread above that gets to the real issue...so you guys don't have to read it all unless you wish.

I just read the description on the dx engineering site and they state 22 feet 9 1/2 inches. Is that right?

My instruction manual sez' the P500 is 22ft?

Page 4 in my manual shows 22ft from feed to top hat.

No I have not put my P500 up yet......need help putting up my tower.

Good to know ES. I guess they fixed the error then.

Before you put your New SP500 up could you confirm for me the length and diameter for the base section overall, and the top hat radials? I've heard a guesstimate that it is 72", but that did not give us the diameter or the tapper.

As best I can tell there are 5 tapper joints, four on he radiator and 1 on each radial. Could you measure the outside diameters and lengths for those too? I could make an educated guess, but this would help me get the model to specs. This detail information is not shown on the diagram or in the parts list, unless it was added to your newer manual.

You do have one of the new styled Super Penetrators, and not a refurbished, right?

Thanks, and keep us posted.

See the * I added to the top of this page in the manual where it plainly notes the antenna height is 22' feet. The 19' foot error is on the page 4, which shows the overall length is only 19' feet, just like Eastside has suggested.

View attachment Two pages from my SPT500 manual.pdf
 
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Well Road Squawker, you certainly could have seen a New SPT500 with a manual the shows 19' overall length. I have the same manual, but I and others have had the conversation before, and EastSide another member on this forum says that a change was made. I don't know who made the change, so I just assumed it might have been DXEngineering since they now apparently own the HyGain rights now and they also sell the item.

Here is a link to the thread on WWDX: http://www.worldwidedx.com/cb-antennas/108500-bbt-delivered-hy-gain-penetrator-500-today-23.html

Here are some items I copied from the thread above that gets to the real issue...so you guys don't have to read it all unless you wish.










See the * I added to the top of this page in the manual where it plainly notes the antenna height is 22' feet. The 19' foot error is on the page 4, which shows the overall length is only 19' feet, just like Eastside has suggested.

View attachment 10724

YOU DON'T READ VERY WELL, DO YOU?

you REPEAT what I just said ,.... and act like you invented it.

HY-GAIN is owned by MFJ, NOT DX Eng
 
YOU DON'T READ VERY WELL, DO YOU?

you REPEAT what I just said ,.... and act like you invented it.

HY-GAIN is owned by MFJ, NOT DX Eng


Yep Road Squawker, at 75 years I don't see too well either.

All I know about the SPT500 is that DXE was promoting the antenna, and I think they were the first ones selling it too. I was just acknowledging the fact that you were right earlier, I didn't mean to piss you off that bad. Take a break and cool off a bit, this discussion is not that important to get all excited about.

I don't mind finding out that I was wrong about something, the truth is more important to me than a silly argument in vain.

Sorry I got you so upset and caused you to start yelling at your computer monitor.
 
that is correct, I just assembled one last week.

the instructions actually state 19 feet and 22 feet overall on the same instruction sheet:blink:, (HYGAIN is covering their azzes about metal antennas and CB users). the old P-500 were about 22' 9"

start with 22 . if it resonates too low, then it is too long, and vice versa. but, 22 feet will get you in the ballpark.

I used 22 feet and it was resonant @ 27.205MHz with the feedpoint @ 35 ft.

then I shortened it by 12 inches and it resonated @ 28.425, right where I wanted it to operate.

yes, the 105 inches is correct for the radials @ 27 MHz,... and don't forget to use NOLOX when you put it togeather

he is correct. thats why it has 19 feet .then later has 22 feet. i suspect the 19 feet is a 10
meters setting but im not sure.start with 22 feet you should be close. if ya start at 19 feet
its gonna be way too short
 
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Yep Road Squawker, at 75 years I don't see too well either.

All I know about the SPT500 is that DXE was promoting the antenna, and I think they were the first ones selling it too. I was just acknowledging the fact that you were right earlier, I didn't mean to piss you off that bad. Take a break and cool off a bit, this discussion is not that important to get all excited about.

I don't mind finding out that I was wrong about something, the truth is more important to me than a silly argument in vain.

Sorry I got you so upset and caused you to start yelling at your computer monitor.

nice try Gomer,... I,m not pissed at all, but, YOU do this ALL the time, you are a "namedropper" on this and other forums.

the SPT 500 was released @ Dayton a couple years ago,... by HY-GAIN, not DX ENG

... and the 19 feet figure is NOT a mistake, MFJ markets it as a 10/12 meter antenna.
go figure what a 1/2 wl on 12 meters is..................and don't take out your anger on your calculator.
 

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