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Eggbeater

Sonwatcher

Sonwatcher

Active Member
Apr 6, 2005
3,413
25
48
Colorado
My ASP-350 has an eggbeater at the top.The antenna is an aluminum groundplane.

I was reading this about the eggbeater-

"It produces smooth omnidirectional horizontal polarity at the horizon.Above the horizon the pattern transforms to right hand circular off the top "



Could someome explain what effect this has with the vertical antenna it is attached to ?



Below is a simplified drawing of my antenna. The radials are 102" that are horizontal, not slanted down.





antenna.jpg



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</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p067.ezboard.com/bworldwidecbradioclub.showUserPublicProfile?gid=sonwatcher>Sonwatcher</A> at: 3/12/05 5:33 am
 

Sonwatcher,

The 'egg beater' at the top of your antenna is a static 'ball', it helps disipate static build up on the antenna. What you read about it is typically called 'horse hocky', or 'male bovine excrement'. It's normally found spread on gardens. Oh, and don't track it into the house or you'll get in trouble...

- 'Doc



PS - It is the best 'techno-babble' I've heard in a while though.


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<img src=http://www.wwdx.org/smilies/lolcrazy.gif ALT=":lolcrazy"> Thanks fellas ! But I do have to say that it is the best working antenna I have ever owned and have no desire for another. I guess that's what you call being satisfied.<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)">


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Thanks CCM. I was hoping for a little more info on it. Thanks again for your input. I like to learn how things work and that gives me something to learn further about.<img src=http://www.wwdx.org/smilies/posticon25.gif ALT=":25">


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897, this is a quote from the site of the maker of my base omnidirectional antenna.



"The top of the antenna is terminated with a solid aluminum static dissipating tip which also holds the four static dissipating hat wires. These devices help the antenna dissipate static out of the air quieting the receiver and reducing the chance of a lightning strike. "



The configuration is not an "eggbeater" like yours but in a "T" shape. Jay's I-10K employs the same type of terminator on the top of his antenna as well. I had a antenna made by "Rat Shack" many moons ago that was like what you describe on yours.



Hope this helps<img src=http://www.wwdx.org/smilies/yelclap.gif ALT=":yelclap">






Wayne C.

CDX-787,AK-2787

mobile/base

Magna Force 900/Magna Force 1000

HR2510/Kenwood TS-430S

MR. COILY 32 inch mast Single Coil/Wolf Radio.64 wave ground plane

D104M6B/D104w/Heil HC-5 element

Every man is a damn fool for at least 5 minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.



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Ok, now what effect does this have on RX and TX ? This antenna rceives excellent. In fact CDX-116 always kids me when he hears someone that I can't .I can sit hear and talk barefoot around 100 miles east and south and west pretty easily. I know my location is good but I,m wondering if this antenna design is contributing some way.

Thanks !


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Thanks guys !<img src=http://www.wwdx.org/smilies/posticon36.gif ALT=":36"> Now I have a little more education on my antenna. I wondered for a long time the purpose of the top as I have only ever seen 1 other antenna up in my area like it. I have seen many with the "T" on top but not the eggbeater style.



<img src=http://www.wwdx.org/smilies/posticon58.gif ALT=":p58">


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Another bit of useless information that may come in handy...

A 'static' ball is basically the same thing as a 'corona' ball. Only diffrence in if it's main purpose is to be used on transmit of receive, still does the exact same thing. 'Static', sparks, or corona all are emitted more readily from a pointy thingy rather than from a larger rounder thingy. Little bit harder to demonstrate but the same thing is true in 'reverse', or when receiving.

Something other than the usual straigth length of metal or tubing at the top of an antenna means that that potion of the antenna exhibits higher interaction with the 'orther half' of the antenna, or the groundplane, or dirt. That interaction is usually in the form of capacity, the thingy at the top of the antenna is one plate of a capacitor, the other part of the antenna, the groundplane, or dirt is the other half, the other plate of the capacitor. Usually called a 'capacity hat'. What a capacity hat does is allows the vertical portion of the antenna to be a little shorter than if the capacitance had to come from a straight piece of metal/tubing/wire. A static/corona ball does act as a very, very small capacity hat, who'z capacitance isn't usually enough to mean the antenna can be, or is actually shorter than it should be.

So, what you want to call the thingy is usually dependant on what it's main purpose is. The thingy still does what it will normally do, except when some miraculous action is claimed...
- 'Doc
 
[quote="concretemannjI hear people refer to Ball's on the top of antennas as static balss but they are not for static, they are Corona Ball's they are there to stop a "corona" from forming off a sharp edge at the end of antenna. Any other device on top is usually for capacitance. If someone could supply some valid theory of how they would stop static would be interesting.
[/quote]

A static ball and a corona ball are the same thing. The term corona is usually associated with high TX power.A static ball will allow the static charge on an ungrounded antenna to bleed off slower than a point which may result in an arc when and where you don't want it.Static balls are usually used in pairs close together with one grounded and the other connected to an ungrounded object (ie. commercial AM broadcast tower).As the cold dry wind blows it generates large amounts of static on the tower and it can eventually arc across the gap between the balls if it can't bleed off fast enough.On a DC isolated antenna they normally bleed off the static into the air.I was actually knocked to my knees once when when I grabbed an AM broadcast tower I was working on. :shock: The TX was off but the static balls were too far apart and someone before me had disconnected the static drain choke. :x
 
I may be wrong about this, and I did not see it stated by anyone, but the static ball has NO effect on an antenna's radiation characteristics. It's there to help control noise generated by the antenna/wind interaction. It may "hear" better since noise is kept down but otherwise nothing happens.

73
 
bandaid',
Actually, you're right, sort of anyway. The tiny static ball on top of a vertical antenna doesn't affect how well the thing hears/talks to any practical degree. The larger the static ball the more affect it ~can~ have. And within reason, no matter how large it is it shouldn't make a huge affect. (That assumes no large amounts of power are run.)
- 'Doc
 

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