Sirio Preformer 5000 Magnet Mount Antenna

[M0GVZ]

Sadly with the DX cycle I'm thinking I just dont have enough power to make many contacts, as I am feeding a 4 watt carrier/10 watt modulation into a 4 pill amp with 2SC2879's inside. It needs a driver and I don't have one.

4155 miles with 21W SSB on an antenna with 3dBd gain so you'd still make the trip from mobile. I'm competing with stations running 1.5kW and multi-element beams on large towers but still get through. Unfortunately didn't get a confirmation as I got stamped over but still made the trip.

E

I've done 9000 miles mobile on 10m with 100W and the signal report I got I'd still have made the trip on 50W.

 

[Turbo T]

I guess I need to sell the radio and get one with SSB. Mine only does Gotta find one first that'll fit in a small truck.

 

[fourstringburn]

Sadly with the DX cycle I'm thinking I just dont have enough power to make many contacts, as I am feeding a 4 watt carrier/10 watt modulation into a 4 pill amp with 2SC2879's inside. It needs a driver and I don't have one. Also someone said this antenna works down to 12 meters....not so. I have checked mine and at best it has a flat SWR at 26.500 MHz, and at 28 MHz it's at 2.0:1. When I checked on 12 I think it was closer to 3.0:1....of course you could use an antenna tuner to make up for the last little bit, but not out of the box is it going to work.

It doesn't take a lot of power to make contacts, It takes good band conditions first, followed by your location, antenna system, and then power can be as little as 5 watts if everything else is ideal.

Glad to see you confirmed what I suspected and noted in my previous post that this antenna would not tune down to 12 meters as is.

An antenna tuner in this case will do a great job tuning the coax so to speak, but the antenna will stay the same. Antenna tuners by their name is a misnomer since you never really change the tuning on the antenna, all they do is match the radio to the mismatched antenna so you can operate your radio safely.

So an antenna with a 3:1 SWR will still have 25 % reflected power even with a tuner.

I know most people know that but I thought I would post it for those who don't.

 

[Turbo T]

It doesn't take a lot of power to make contacts, It takes good band conditions first, followed by your location, antenna system, and then power can be as little as 5 watts if everything else is ideal.

Glad to see you confirmed what I suspected and noted in my previous post that this antenna would not tune down to 12 meters as is.

An antenna tuner in this case will do a great job tuning the coax so to speak, but the antenna will stay the same. Antenna tuners by their name is a misnomer since you never really change the tuning on the antenna, all they do is match the radio to the mismatched antenna so you can operate your radio safely.

So an antenna with a 3:1 SWR will still have 25 % reflected power even with a tuner.

I know most people know that but I thought I would post it for those who don't.

Correct, it doesn't take much power, though the band has to be really open. I've worked people 1000 miles away on a 4 watt CB with a Wilson 1000 on top of the roof of my pickup.

 

[camaro1]

i use my sirio 5000 on 40m,20m,17m,15m,12m,10m every weekend when on the road and no problem making contacts on all these bands with 100w alinco dx70 into a small ldg/alinco auto tuner

I know it cant be very efficient on all these bands but it plain out works!! I flip to any of these bands , push the tune button on the radio and start talking and making contacts!, the LDG/alinco tuner brings them all down below 1.5:1 swr

also just because the swr is high and the tuner does its job and makes the radio happy,, your high reflected power is not a 100% loss,, when it gets back to the tuner it is re-reflected back up the coax tward the antenna minus the coax losses, and with only 14' or less of coax maybe the losses are not that bad because im truly amazed at the contacts I have made 40m-10m mobile with the sirio antenna

 

[M0GVZ]

i use my sirio 5000 on 40m,20m,17m,15m,12m,10m every weekend when on the road and no problem making contacts on all these bands with 100w alinco dx70 into a small ldg/alinco auto tuner

I know it cant be very efficient on all these bands but it plain out works!!

The whip on my Little Tarheel II is the same length as the Sirio 5000 and I make plenty of contacts on those bands so I'm quite sure it works. Interesting to see someone using the Sirio 5000 like that, I have to admit its a first.

 

[222DBFL]

They are the best mag mount combo I beleive. Unless you go quad mag and mount a 102" whip with a riser bottom section. For what they are and the cost they do perfom well. I have made many contacts on just 11m with mine but I have made a lot. I do maitain mine a lot due to the humidity here and the dew almost every morning. Funny how moisture can find its way in. I have 5 magnets under my top magnet and all are HD good magnets. It forms a pretty hard to remove bond, but yet the moisture gets in. If I see there is a bunch of dew on the work van I just climb up top and dry it. Keeps everything happy! It is cool that camaro1 has made contacts on so many other bands. Efficienct or not, the darn antennas work well. Bottom line.

 

[Tallman]

Also someone said this antenna works down to 12 meters....not so. I have checked mine and at best it has a flat SWR at 26.500 MHz, and at 28 MHz it's at 2.0:1. When I checked on 12 I think it was closer to 3.0:1....of course you could use an antenna tuner to make up for the last little bit, but not out of the box is it going to work.

I guess I forgot to mention all of my radios have the internal automatic tuners. I need automated features like that, I get distracted by traffic. My mobile radios system for me is a base station I drive from operator point to point. I don't use the telephone or the radio while I drive. I do listen to channel19 while driving but I don't transmit.

 

[Tallman]

Efficienct or not, the darn antennas work well. Bottom line.

WORD!

 

[fourstringburn]

i use my sirio 5000 on 40m,20m,17m,15m,12m,10m every weekend when on the road and no problem making contacts on all these bands with 100w alinco dx70 into a small ldg/alinco auto tuner

That falls under the catagory of "Tuning a rain gutter" .

You could do that with any antenna no more better than the one you are using.

 

[fourstringburn]

I would seriously doubt your ERP is more than 5% meaning 95% loss on 40 meters with that setup. Sure it can make a contact like many QRP stations but it isn't a good reflection (pun) this antenna is superior to most others when used for bands way outside it's intended range.

Even though your relected power is eventually sent up the coax, it still never increases your ERP. I get the impression you think it does.

A good analogy is to think of it like a garden hose with the spigot on and your thumb on the end of the hose. This would create the resistance back flowing of the water just like a mismatch antenna by letting only so much water out, then when you turn the water off, just like unkeying your radio, the remaining backflow of water will drain with not much power or force behind it.

Water flowing through a waterline is the best way to understand basic electronics. Think of current, the flow of electrons, just like water in a hose. Don't forget tubes are still called Valves mainly in England which switch on or off the flow of water, or electrons.

 

[camaro1]

I know it cant be very efficient but its simple and works and makes contacts, just a simple mobile station that's all,, just got Lithuania on 17m on my lunch break,

that's what makes my mobile fun! making contacts on a simple antenna, no exotic huge ham antenna or having to swap anything around for different bands.

 

[fourstringburn]

This does seem to be an excellent designed antenna. I'm not knocking it at all, I was just putting things into perspective about using an antenna far beyond it's designed range.

Because of all the rave revues I'm going to order the center load mirror mount version of this antenna for my self. I currently use the Hustler RM series which works fine but has a problem with water ingress especially after the antenna has been iced over.

I will post my comments after using it for a while.

 

[fourstringburn]

I just ordered the Sirio 5000 performer 3/8 series. It is a long antenna at 82 inches with a 8 inch shaft and 71 inch whip.

It should work good since it is over 2/3s the length short of being a 1/4 wave antenna for 11 meters.

I'm going to expierment with both a 24 and 36 inch shaft. This should decrease the overall length while making the antenna more inline of a center load antenna.

I will post the results with antenna analyzer readings.

 

[firerunner]

I got the 5000 sirio installed it on the wilson 5000 thru mount on the roof of my truck, without adjusting just the way it came my swr on 27.385 is 1.04. The best i could get the wilson was 1.5 so i'm happy.