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New spt500 gamma


Helped put a new style spt500 up yesterday,
they changed part of the matching to flat strap that curves away from radiator eliminating one of the plastic standoffs
 
Maybe the extra distance from the radiator/radial hub & lack of lower plastic standoff help with vswr going up when it rains/snows,

the new stub also stops at the top standoff unlike the old wire type that ran further up the radiator,

flat strap usually has a little less loss than round wire, I don't know which will prove the more durable over time,

imho the new style matching looks less pretty hung out there & looks more homebrew,
but I prefer it electrically over the old style wire,

oddly the hole in the bottom section for the missing standoff is still there.
 
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Helped put a new style spt500 up yesterday,
they changed part of the matching to flat strap that curves away from radiator eliminating one of the plastic standoffs

Bob, who is they?

If you're telling us that the manufacture of a new version of the SP500 made these changes to the antenna, were these modifications noted in the parts list of the Manual?

If this is noted in the manual, could you post the new manual?

Can you get us some pictures of this new SP500?
 
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I will ask if he has any paperwork Eddie,

his spt500 came from Hy-gain dealers radioworld over here about 9 months ago,
it came with the same flat matching setup as the one in the video,

the tubes are swaged at the ends like an old clr2, tube quality feels about the same as the clr2.
 
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I see it now.

Maybe HyGain was getting a lot of matching failures with the latest version and thus they made the changes noted.

I also see the top of the matching straps no longer extends above the off-set bracket. So, how do the tops of the 2 flat straps connected across the bracket? Do they attach via a bolt that goes thru the bracket?

I remember years ago there use to be antenna makes that argued they would never make an antenna with insulator brackets...because they just don't hold up. I think the term back then...was a preference for making antennas using "plumbers delight." I guess this video is some evidence of this old idea, albeit we probably have much improved insulating materials available these days.

Thanks for telling us about this change to the New SP500.
 
I had a quick look at the flat strap + insulator while we had it on the ground Eddie,

the strap is one piece & looked to be cut from a flat sheet of aluminum, it is not just a piece of strap bent to shape,

plastic standoff is still fixed via a hole drilled in the bottom section like the old spt500,
whatever plastic they use goes grey & brittle in the sun over time, its hard not soft polypropylene or ptfe,

the spt500 is back down but i can't go take pics, we are in lockdown,
most places not involved with food health or transport have been told to close as of last night,
only going out for food when i have to.
 
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Same here Bob, we're in lock-down for at least 15 days and maybe more.

the strap is one piece & looked to be cut from a flat sheet of aluminum, it is not just a piece of strap bent to shape,

Well, I would think anything would be better than cast or extruded aluminum wire in this case...with all the vibrations that are likely going on with the sloppy fit we see in the video. I'll bet the problem likely got worse when HyGain stopped securing the radials with 2 bolts in the radial brackets.

Bob, did you check this new antenna for wobble in the insulator like we see in the video you posted?

I've seen several SP500 antennas that were broken in other videos and they were mostly wires broken at the small sharp bends made at the mounting ends for the matching wires. I've also head reports that some owners replaced their matcher with copper wire.

This new setup looks more durable to me...unless HG used the cheapest aluminum plate they could find...which is also very likely in this day and time.

How does this antenna perform when compared?
 
yes the sleeve moves like the one in the youtube vid,

the bracket is thin & flexy its better than a sigma/venom bracket because its higher grade alloy but its not a heavy duty antenna by any stretch of the imagination,

in our weather dirt rain & wind & time will wear the tube and hard plastic insulator right at the highest load point on the antenna,

even the fiberglass rod on my i-10k has worn loose over the 14 years it was up & that antenna is WAY more durable than the spt500,

the new matching is curved like a leaf spring & looks like it will absorb flexing in wind making it less likely to break off as the plastic ages, only time will tell.
 
the spt500 is back down but i can't go take pics,

Why is the antenna back down so soon?



Hey Bob how does this image below, from another thread by Van Lifeson, compare with your guys antenna at the top insulator? This gets confusing fast with your guy's install, Van Lifeson question, and the More Jello Please (MJP) video all in the mix.

My old instructions say the top insulator comes per-assembled and to remove the 3 x 1/4" bolts to proceed installing the radial brackets. I can see how this part could come out and easily get re-installed incorrectly. It looks to me like More Jello Please might have the shoulder part of his insulator resting on top of the mounting bracket instead of inside and below the top of the mounting bracket. If I'm right here, who knows what kind of issues this could cause.

f7e072e1-9858-4a87-9fa2-5f67f03121ff-jpeg.35437
 
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we only put it up temporary at the bottom of yard to see if the noise he gets from the mains electric was lower than on the house without taking the imax down & moving it,

his insulator is like the video, sits on top of the bracket sandwiched between bracket & hub with the with the long end up,
not like the picture, below the bracket with long end down,

i don't like either way,
i would put the insulator below the bracket with the long end up through the hub.
 
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