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5/8 wave starduster?

wyojeepeer said:
Back to the original question: can a 5/8 wave Starduster be built (and is there any advantage,)
Click to expand...
No. There is no such thing as a 5/8 wave Starduster. it is a half wave antenna, nothing will ever make it anything different.

You could build a 5/8 omni antenna from scratch. You would be replicating the super-penetrator antenna. You'd need 22 feet of aluminum pipe for the vertical, with a suitable coil / match section at the bottom, and four 8 foot sections for the 90 degree radials. You can't put the radials on a 5/8 at 45 degrees like the starduster because it would make the radiation takeoff angle of the antenna way too high. As sp5it said above, a lot of work for not much gain.

Just buy an A-99, stick it on a 30 foot pole, and be done with it!
 
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wyojeepeer said:
Anyway,
Back to the original question: can a 5/8 wave Starduster be built (and is there any advantage,)
Click to expand...
Can it be built? Yes. Is there any advantage? No.

The reason the Starduster's radials are at the angle they're at is that's how it gets close to 50 ohms with a 1/4 wave radiator.

The 5/8 wave antenna is considered a "non resonant" antenna and requires a matching section or coil that the standard 1/4 wave does not. That's why you've never seen one in the Starduster configuration.

Now, if you were to delve into antenna theory and how to build a matching network for an antenna with a 5/8 wave radiator and radials that point down like the Starduster you could do it. But then it would be a question of does it perform as good as, better than, or worse than a 1/4 wave Starduster. I suspect you would find the answer to be no better or worse or someone would have already started cranking these out. Considering the snakeoil that regularly gets pushed on the CB'ing public it would be a no brainer for someone looking to turn a quick buck.
 
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BC Coyote said:
No. There is no such thing as a 5/8 wave Starduster. it is a half wave antenna, nothing will ever make it anything different.

You could build a 5/8 omni antenna from scratch. You would be replicating the super-penetrator antenna. You'd need 22 feet of aluminum pipe for the vertical, with a suitable coil / match section at the bottom, and four 8 foot sections for the 90 degree radials. You can't put the radials on a 5/8 at 45 degrees like the starduster because it would make the radiation takeoff angle of the antenna way too high. As sp5it said above, a lot of work for not much gain.

Just buy an A-99, stick it on a 30 foot pole, and be done with it!
Click to expand...
Just read your last line...
I'm old, weak, and can't climb a ladder.
30ft is higher than I can reach or wrestle and takes it out of the wind shadow.
An A-99, from what I've read ( on this site) gets a lot of wind static. It is windy here, I would guess, about 200 days year, and breezy another 100. Calm (15mph or less) ain't got much of a chance......

I thank you, and mike, for your replys on the non-feasibilty of this.
Again, thanks.
John.
 
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wyojeepeer said:
Can a Starduster be built using 5/8 wave whips?
Click to expand...
Ok, to recap
Yes you can.
wyojeepeer said:
If so, does it need a matching network?
Click to expand...
No, you can get it to show good SWR because the whip is made to work in a mobile environment and will " Tune" like a loaded quarter wave.

( This doesn't necessarily mean it will be a great antenna, you can get lots of things to show good SWR and not be an effective radiator)

Suggestions
All of the above replies are valid.




I understand that the OP has difficulty getting to/working on/replacing the antenna but even building the "5/8 starduster" will require some one to remove the existing setup.
I understand that because I have serious back problems that have limited my ability to work on/remove/replace antennas .
You need something that is fairly easy to get up that's not going to require going up and down to tune.......

I would

Replace the 5.5 foot Francis fiberglass with a longer antenna such as a full length 1/4 wave whip to get a slight advantage over the loaded whip and run it.


Then
wyojeepeer said:
It's also taller than I can deal with at around 18ft to the connector.
Click to expand...
Is there any family members/friends/locals that you can recruit to help?


wyojeepeer said:
I don't know how it would relate to being "expanded" to 5/8 wave. Any ideas?
Click to expand...
It's not
It is a loaded quarter wave antenna, dispite manufacturer's claims that a loaded mobile antenna is a 5/8 , or full wave , or wave and a half, or even my most beloved 96" Francis triple quarter wave is simply a quarter wave antenna.

We are trying hard to find a good solution and offer some advice.

73
Jeff
 
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AudioShockwav said:
Ok, to recap
Yes you can.

No, you can get it to show good SWR because the whip is made to work in a mobile environment and will " Tune" like a loaded quarter wave.

( This doesn't necessarily mean it will be a great antenna, you can get lots of things to show good SWR and not be an effective radiator)

Suggestions
All of the above replies are valid.




I understand that the OP has difficulty getting to/working on/replacing the antenna but even building the "5/8 starduster" will require some one to remove the existing setup.
I understand that because I have serious back problems that have limited my ability to work on/remove/replace antennas .
You need something that is fairly easy to get up that's not going to require going up and down to tune.......

I would

Replace the 5.5 foot Francis fiberglass with a longer antenna such as a full length 1/4 wave whip to get a slight advantage over the loaded whip and run it.


Then

Is there any family members/friends/locals that you can recruit to help?



It's not
It is a loaded quarter wave antenna, dispite manufacturer's claims that a loaded mobile antenna is a 5/8 , or full wave , or wave and a half, or even my most beloved 96" Francis triple quarter wave is simply a quarter wave antenna.

We are trying hard to find a good solution and offer some advice.

73
Jeff
Click to expand...
Hey,
the original question has been answered. (waste of time unless I'm bored)

I'm still gonna put one up, at about 10ft, just to see what it does.

I'll get the old antenna down when it warms up (snowed yesterday), and I can get some help. That will be younger people, when not at work. Older people ain't around anymore.
Living at 7000ft in the wind is challenging. We still have at least one more month before spring. The last I checked, the mast is still frozen to the ground.

I also have many other choices for an antenna, such as a Ratshack 21-869 (the original a-99), sigma venom 5/8, sirio gps 1/2, and a sirio m-400 plus other stuff I'm just playing with. Oh, yeah, throw in a pat12, just for giggles.

I don't NEED the 5/8 starduster to work.
I was just curious.
The people on this site know way more about antennas than I ever will, so I thought I'd ask.

Thanks for your thoughts and everyone's help.
C'ya.
John.
Blackjack 99
 
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