Shockwave Antenna

[Galaxy 959]

http://www.shockwaveantenna.com/
Does anyone have one of these antennas? I hear they are cream of the crop. If so whats your opinion of them?

 

[543_Dallas]

I have one. It is very well made and will handle a lot of power. It comes with all the sections marked so minimal tuning is required. As far as performance I don't think most people will notice an improvement vs a penetrator 500 or maco 5/8. It replaced my maco v5000 and I'm glad I bought it. A few people say they hear me better but that tends to happen when you put up a new antenna.

 

[Galaxy 959]

I have one. It is very well made and will handle a lot of power. It comes with all the sections marked so minimal tuning is required. As far as performance I don't think most people will notice an improvement vs a penetrator 500 or maco 5/8. It replaced my maco v5000 and I'm glad I bought it. A few people say they hear me better but that tends to happen when you put up a new antenna.

Would it be worth me putting one up over my antron 99 if I'm just running a barefoot radio?

 

[543_Dallas]

You have to decide if the price is worth it. It is a very high quality antenna but has a large price tag. It will work a lot better than an a99 but so will a penetrator or 5/8 maco.

These aluminum antennas aren't plug and play like an a99. You have to assemble and tune them correctly then seal off coax connections to keep moisture out. I know people that have went back to an a99 from a maco because they couldn't get it tuned or had swr issues when it was raining.

When I switched from an imax to a maco v5000 I noticed a big difference in RX and TX. When I switched to the shockwave there may have been some small improvement but the best part is I don't have to worry about the antenna failing if I put some watts through it.

 

[222DBFL]

They are built like a tank 543. Seen a couple photos of them and man, they are HD that's for sure. The ones I have seen pbotos of with an analyzer at the feedpoint showed tuned where they were marked for 11m at around 27.205 or so I think it was. Showed very good R and X values as well as good vswr. This was just 10ft off the ground as well from what I read and saw in the photos. If I were in the market for a new antenna (vertical), that would be one at the top of the list. It is very well constructed, and rated for very high winds. Sweet antennas!! But they aren't cheap. But then again good aluminum and time to build them like they are built takes time and that equals money. The antennas are worth the money if you plan on running power or have bad weather areas with high winds and such. Anyway, just my 1 penny worth. Have a good day.

 

[binrat]

I would do the P-500 and be happy once tuned and sealed.

 

[Heavy Metal]

Wow, nice any more of specs of this as far as band width under 1.5:1 and under 2.0:1, curious. And I take it is 5/8th or .64?

Also think the 25K is better barging though never come close to that ever or the 10K lol.

 

[805]

I haven't seen a ground plane worth nearly $400 in my life and I doubt that's going to change anytime soon. The price is ridiculous. Get you a good set of beams with that kind of money.

 

[undertaker]

My sirio Tornado is great swr 1.1 to 1.2.. and not all that expensive!

 

[Mustang 131]

Great antenna. The equal to the I-10k, but much heavier.
It passes the fuse in the sky test.

 

[543_Dallas]

I haven't seen a ground plane worth nearly $400 in my life and I doubt that's going to change anytime soon. The price is ridiculous. Get you a good set of beams with that kind of money.

A person in the market for an antenna like this has usually spent some money on a real amplifier and won't trust a cheaply built antenna to not arc out and destroy his investment. At this point in the game $400 Is a drop in the bucket.

 

[wavrider]

$400 is crazy for a 11 meter ground plane.

It does not matter how much $$$ is invested in equipment.

There are multi thousand dollar HF rigs talking off a wire every night of the week.

IF your QTH is high wind,,snow and ice location and there is a need for physical strength of an antenna to withstand the climate then yes a strong built antenna is needed.

Still $400 is a lot of money ,,you can go buy sch 40 alum conduit and build your own for a 1/4 of that price and it would be even stronger.

I have heard nothing but good reviews about this antenna,,then again anyone who spends this type of money would not say anything bad about it.

 

[sp5it]

10kW in so239 connector is a big joke.
I also see steel connected directly to aluminium... no comment.
Mike

 

[w9cll]

There are multi thousand dollar HF rigs talking off a wire every night of the week.

Amen

 

[543_Dallas]

10kW in so239 connector is a big joke.
I also see steel connected directly to aluminium... no comment.
Mike

There are stainless steel parts to aluminum on mine. Is there an issue with using stainless? I put it up 3 years ago so it's not been that long. If you see something that could be better why not share?

I agree 10kw through an so239 is crazy. They have been burned down with much less.

$400 is crazy for a 11 meter ground plane.

It does not matter how much $$$ is invested in equipment.

There are multi thousand dollar HF rigs talking off a wire every night of the week.

IF your QTH is high wind,,snow and ice location and there is a need for physical strength of an antenna to withstand the climate then yes a strong built antenna is needed.

Still $400 is a lot of money ,,you can go buy sch 40 alum conduit and build your own for a 1/4 of that price and it would be even stronger.

I have heard nothing but good reviews about this antenna,,then again anyone who spends this type of money would not say anything bad about it.

If I buy a junker I'll admit it. There's no reason for me to mislead someone else with false review. A friend had an insulator failure on a maco v5000 with less power than I use at times. I wanted to upgrade and can afford to do so.

I also wasn't happy about the light gauge materials or overall construction of the maco. We get some nasty storms at times and I have an appreciation for quality components. The vacuum variables in the tuners for my cheap wire antennas cost more than this cb antenna. The guys talking on linked repeaters with baofeng talkies probably think we're all crazy.

The first thing that comes to mind about the conduit is that its designed to bend easily. Maybe the same material but tempered differently. I'd really dig into that before just using whatever's cheap. Heavier and softer material won't be as durable.