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Beam Suggestions

At 52 I’m not looking to win a super bowl lol but would like to really reach out there. If I could talk to the West Coast I’d be tickled. I ask for patience from you all. I’m learning as I go.
Thanks.
Jay
Oh don't worry Flying J, with 5 element and 100 watt radio, you won't have a problem getting to the west coast....unless maybe you are 100' below sea level or calling from Europe or Asia!
 
joe gunn here ...also no one mentioned that if its not matched ,biased or 4.7swr , it dosent matter if its 100 ft high .
 
not sure if anyone has liked palco or not: http://www.palcoelectronics.com/pe100.aspx
but they have most of the antennas listed in this thread at very good prices....dont know about shipping costs, i have a brother that lives about 2 miles from the shop and works for usps and if i order he can pick it up and handle shipping for me. My 2 cents on topic would be, the bigger the antenna(specially beams) the more maintenance. I live in a very windy area, 30+ MPH sustained winds are common with gusts up to 80 MPH so anything short of a commercial tower for an 8 element beam would not work here for long, repairs would be an ongoing thing, therefore i would have to side with the more experienced members on the 5 element yagi also. I just got back into radio recently, and the crew here has definitely helped a lot to get me up to speed on current trends in equipment. I have a modest setup, galaxy dx86v, rg-8 coax to a sirio GPE 5/8 antenna but i have talked a lot to east coast and midwest, but the elevation of my little town in nevada is at 4000 ft...helps a lot...good luck with your project, post your outcome.
 
I have a M104 that I purchased to install on my tower. I wish that I would of went with the 105. Would I be able to tell the difference between the 104 and 105? If its worth it, I can buy some aluminum tubing and add boom length and elements.
 
Except when the difference is perceptible. When that extra 1~1.5 db lifts the RX signal out of your noise floor and you can now make a copy when you previously couldn't.

Isn't that why we do radio...to communicate with other people?

So you then have a signal/noise ratio of 1 or MAYBE n1.5 dB. Still pretty poor and that is accepting the manufacturer's claims of gain, which are already suspect. I’ve seen those numbers and adding 1.5 dB by simple adding ONE more element to a four element beam is actually above what would be expected. Also please note that I did say practically imperceptible and indeed 1 or 1,5 dB is practically imperceptible. One dB is considered the minimum discernible difference.
 
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So you then have a signal/noise ratio of 1 or MAYBE n1.5 dB. Still pretty poor and that is accepting the manufacturer's claims of gain, which are already suspect. I’ve seen those numbers and adding 1.5 dB by simple adding ONE more element to a four element beam is actually above what would be expected. Also please note that I did say practically imperceptible and indeed 1 or 1,5 dB is practically imperceptible. One dB is considered the minimum discernible difference.

I agree wholeheartedly. Other than the example I gave, it is imperceptible. I also think 1.5db is a bit of a stretch for adding a single element but I do think 1db is reasonable. I am blessed to live out in the country where I do have a low noise floor and have been able to hear small differences (needle doesn't move but the audio is louder), but it certainly isn't common.
 
Recommendations for wind tough 3-4 element beam. Kansas tornado alley tough!
Height 12-14' atop garage?
Mount on tilt down tower below New Imax2000.
In town location. SSB Skip Talker!
 
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