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5/8 wave starduster?

W

wyojeepeer

New Member
Mar 18, 2025
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1st post here, so, yeah, I'm the FNG. I'm old. I'm a cancer patient. I'm not strong, and I live in a high wind area, Wyoming@ 7000ft.
I've been out of CBing for 30 years. I'm getting back in to it 'cause it's something I can do while sitting (mostly).
So, my temporary antenna from then I think needs to be replaced. (Ratshack 1/4 with a Francis hotrod 5.5ft for a radiator) It swrs at 1: 1.1 on 36L even after thirty years! It's no longer orange, but has faded to white. It's also taller than I can deal with at around 18ft to the connector.
Just so you know, wind at 0-15 mph is considered calm here. "Breezy" is 20-30 mph, "Windy" at 30-40. Gusts range from 30 to 70+. I need something with low wind resistance. That rules out the Penetrator that I would like even though my old one in Colorado lived through over 100 mph winds. Hy-gain back in the day.

I've read over all 218 pages on this part of the forum.

Can a Starduster be built using 5/8 wave whips? If so, does it need a matching network? If a match is needed, how do I build a LIGHTWEIGHT one.

Thanks, John.
36Lsb
Blackjack 99, Voice of the Rockies 617
 

Yes Rick is correct. Starduster is just a half wave dipole with the bottom elements angled downward at 45 degrees. It is a good basic antenna that works well. An Antron 99 or Imax 2000 will give similar results and they don't have the radials which makes them easier to get up (and down).
For local talk I use an Antron 99 at 40 feet and it works just fine. I can also talk DX on it no problem, though I have another, horizontal, antenna that works better for that.
 
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BC Coyote said:
Yes Rick is correct. Starduster is just a half wave dipole with the bottom elements angled downward at 45 degrees. It is a good basic antenna that works well. An Antron 99 or Imax 2000 will give similar results and they don't have the radials which makes them easier to get up (and down).
For local talk I use an Antron 99 at 40 feet and it works just fine. I can also talk DX on it no problem, though I have another, horizontal, antenna that works better for that.
Click to expand...
Yes, I know that....
But, Can it be built?
Starduster has 1/4 wave radials, and the radiator is also a 1/4 wave. the radials are at about 20*. With the "coupling" angle of the ground plane, I'm just wondering if it's possible? Has anyone done or tried it? Marconi has his "marconi-6". I don't know how it would relate to being "expanded" to 5/8 wave. Any ideas?
 
Yes, you can build it with a 5/8 wave loaded fiberglass whip, but it's not going to be a 5/8 antenna in all reality.
It's going to work much like a quarter wave droopy drawers because the physical length is not there.
And yes, Marconi started with a simple 1/4 wave with a steel whip and 3 radials angled down at @45°, then experimented with adding more radials.
There is another thread here about building 1/4 wave ground planes, I will dig it up when I get back.

73
Jeff
 
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sp5it said:
No. It is 1/4 GP antenna. That's all.
Lightweight means fragile. Not good for windy areas.
Mike
Click to expand...
Mike,
Trading length for strength.
I want to keep the antenna in the wind "shadow" of the house.
Anything higher than the top of the roof will get the cr** beat out of it.
I can fudge that a little, but, not much. The radials have to be lower than than the shadow, and the vertical should be as small as possible.

Thanks,John.
 
Well, I didn't explain that very well.
the radials need to be lower than "the shear point" of the shadow.
And, to add insult to injury, the house has a metal roof.
And you can add to that the Doctors told me not to climb ladders.

Thanks, John.
 

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