Merlin Base Up Close and Personal

[Marconi]

Maybe it's using JB Weld or something else strong?

Well Moleculo, I wouldn't depend on JB Weld either with all the twisting around and bending going on with the long top loaded radiator in the wind.

I looked again and the mast can't drop down onto the bolt because the tap point is located right at the top of the insulator and that would stop the radiator from dropping down.

My main concern still would be what is going on inside the insulator. That tubular insulation material can't possibly be very strong. If it was surrounded on the outside by a heavy metal outer aluminum tube like the image below, and it was directly attached to top of the hub or the hub could be fitted over the outside of the base mast bracket:

There are several options I could see that could be designed to add better support of the radiator in the insulator if there is not support inside.

 

[Marconi]

Put it up 40 ft from the feedpoint to the ground.
It looks like your roof is 16 ft at the peak - a guess. So you may need to add another 15-20 ft of masting. Plus the 10 ft mast that you are now using - of course. Nothing says 'talking' like height. This antenna should work out great; how many feet of 9913 did you get? Take it to the limit of your coax/length!

Rob and Cajun, here is an image that is similar to my home made Starduster style with a 1/4 wave radiator. I talk to buds out 50 miles and maybe more at only 20' high. Cajun the response that you mention in your post does not sound right and I don't think for a minute that grounding has a thing to do with it. You need to check the coax and for sure if it is new and never been used. OHM check the coax and then check the line for thru put using a good dummy load and an inline meter.

 

[Cajun Invader]

Unless there is a solid and very strong insulator inside the tubing above and below the hub, hidden from view, that runs up inside the radiator and down inside the bottom mast bracket tube, this hollowed out weak insulator will not support that constantly moving in the wind radiator very long.

I could be all wrong of course, but Cajun you might be able to confirm this if you can take the insulator loose from the hub and get us some pictures of that.

Marconi, there is an nice insulator inside the bracket tube.

Someone asked earlier what this antenna weighed. It's 5.4 lbs.

 

[Marconi]

Well Cajun, I'm just speculating on all of this, and I don't think you understood my words below, describing another supporting insulator inside the rust colored one we can see supporting the radiator.

Originally Posted by Marconi
Unless there is a solid and very strong insulator inside the tubing above and below the hub, hidden from view, that runs up inside the radiator and down inside the bottom mast bracket tube, this hollowed out weak insulator will not support this very long radiator that is constantly moving in the wind.

That little white plug thing you see inside of the first image could be just a plug that keeps the radiator from touching the bolt below---and grounding out the antenna. If you believe the insulator, inside and out, is strong enough then that’s good enough for me. I was just trying to understand the construction and you gave us some nice pictures. I did not intend to try and re-engineer this antenna on the Internet. It is not fair to 55 for us to just keep adding more confusion to the antenna.

Is the sound of your TX still being reported to you as sounding weak?

 

[Red Ranger]

Are these Merlin's made in USA?

 

[mackmobile43]

Are these Merlin's made in USA?

Yes, by Cuban immigrants.

 

[DIRTYWHITEBOY]

what a pos,the builder is no machinist ill tell you that:thumbdown:

 

[Cajun Invader]

Well Cajun, I'm just speculating on all of this, and I don't think you understood my words below, describing another supporting insulator inside the rust colored one we can see supporting the radiator.

Hopefully the pics helped you out.

If you believe the insulator, inside and out, is strong enough then that’s good enough for me. I was just trying to understand the construction and you gave us some nice pictures. I did not intend to try and re-engineer this antenna on the Internet. It is not fair to 55 for us to just keep adding more confusion to the antenna.

Only time will tell if the insulator is strong enough. I have no experience with them. I try to provide accurate and detailed photos as best I can. For me, this is not about being fair or unfair to anyone, it's about understanding my antenna. It's about learning and sharing information with each other so we/I can better understand our hobby.

Is the sound of your TX still being reported to you as sounding weak?

I went out in my mobile by the locals location that gave me an on air repor to hear for myself. It sounds no different than any other barefoot radio would sound at that distance.

I should not have mentioned the locals report for many reasons. However this does go to show that relying on an on air report from one transmission is an unreliable source of information.

The antenna is back down and I am going to silicone around the top hat section, the adjustable mast that goes into the base and apply liquid electrical tape to the SO239.

If anyone has, needs or wants any more information on this antenna such as photos or measurements the antenna will be down for one more week as I await the arrival of more coax. I am extending the length to give rise for another 20'.

I would also like to note that while checking the SWR it was a very windy day here. The SWR meter actually showed a fluctuation as the antenna swayed slightly in the wind. Nothing major but you could watch the needle sway slightly in correlation to the antenna.

 

[Marconi]

Cajun, I sent you a PM, personal message.

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

cajun i hope when you get the antenna back up it is working good for you . what is the terain like around you ? flat/hilly ? hill top/valley ? tall/short buildings ? any metal building/metal roof nearby ? if that mobile was moving there could have been something between yall at the time . as you say many things could account for that report .

 

[Cat Driver]

Nothing major but you could watch the needle sway slightly in correlation to the antenna.


Sounds like something is on the verge of not making a very good connection...??


Ron

 

[Cajun Invader]

The terrain where I live is flat. South Louisiana close to the Gulf of Mexico.

Elevation is 41' above sea level. I'm in a subdivision with no metal roofs or tall buildings.

 

[CDX-007]

Why is it so hard to see this is a Starduster with a loading coil on top to make up for the shortened length?

There will be a little loss in the coil, and especially in the antenna's vertical performance since a little vertical capture area is used by the coil and the horizontal top hat.

I would be surprised if I didn't see about a 1/2 S-unit loss in comparison to a Starduster, and about 1-2 S-units of loss, TX & RX, compared to an I-10K at 35-50 miles.

A center-fed dipole, which this and the Starduster approximate due to the 45* or lower radial angle, enjoy their current maxim at the center, or feed point where the coax splits and the unbalanced center conductor and shield diverge and separate, and not at the top or 'ends' of the dipole.

Some shortened Amateur dipoles have a coil near their ends to help with the tuning, but are known to be lossy in comparison to a full-size dipole.

Nice looker for a semi-1/2 wave, mostly vertical dipole, too bad about the hype. Please report honestly, unless you can get a refund by keeping quiet...

Seal those cracks from the rain with JB Weld, Silicone rubber, etc.

73zzzzz

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

well cajun has tha antenna . he hasnt come here making outlandish claims like others have here and on other forums . he just wanted to share some detailed pic that others havent and encountered a issue along the way . i really dont have a problem with the antenna , it is what it is and if others want to pay what 55 is asking for it , its none of my business . the thing that buggs me is folks making crazy claims with nothing other than he said she said answers when you ask questions about it .

thanks for sharing the pics cajun and i apologize for my earlier post on this thread . i thought it was gonna turn into another sales pitch .

have you made any progress with getting it setup to your liking ?

 

[Cajun Invader]

The antenna is now back up in the air. From ground to base is 33' 4".

The coax and jumpers have been replaced with new BR-400.

Radio is an RCI 2995dx. The radio was just tuned and aligned by a qualified technician.
Radio showing following wattage on Bird 43P into Bird 8890 Dummy Load.
Low-4 watts swinging to 120
High-48 watts swinging to 210
Limiter intact.

Amplifier is a Dentron Clipperton L. Radio and Amplifier bench tested and performed excellent. Following numbers as shown by a Bird 43P into a Bird 8890 Dummy Load.

400 swinging to 1600.

On my meter, Palstar WM150 going into antenna I am showing the following.

Radio:
Low 4 watts swinging 110

High 50 watts swinging 190.

Amplifier:
400 swinging to 1250.

DX Contacts:
First contact was on channel 6. Skip conditions were excellent. Witchita, Ks. 598 miles.

Second contact was Greenville, NC. 927 miles.

3rd and 4th contacts were very interesting.

3rd contact was Houston, Tx. 202 miles.

4th contact was Biloxi, Ms. 184 miles.

Controlled Local Contacts.


These are contacts made by myself from my base to my mobile.

New Iberia, La. 18 miles. Signal reading +10.

Rayne, La. 15 miles. Signal reading 9.

Mouton Cove, La. 25 miles. Signal reading 6.

Plaquimine, La. 46 miles. Signal reading 2. (Mobile was not able to make contact back to base.)

I have tried my best to provide as much information as possible and to create a controlled testing environment. I am not claiming to be an authority on antenna testing. I am just a guy who bought an antenna and figured I would share as much information as I could.

With that said and done I will give my honest opinion on the purchase that I made.

Am I happy with my purchase? Yes and No.

I am happy that it works and I am able to use it.

I am not happy with the quality of craftsmanship. I would think something as simple as a deburring tool could have been used. Also I was dissapointed in the way a grinder was used to remove some of the roll pins.

If I had to do it all over again would I purchase a Merlin? No. I feel it is overpriced for what it offers and the quality of craftsmanship does not reflect the cost.

For the money I spent I should have spent a little more and went with the Intercepter 10K.

For the same price of the Merlin I could have purchased a Maco V5000 and all new coax. Although I have never used one, I honestly feel that would have been the better choice for the money. The Maco is a proven design with many positive reviews.