The first only report on the New Sirio Top One

[Marconi]

Here are the first comments I've read about the New Top One and it gets a pretty good review from this Ham operator KE5UAW.

Hey GUYS!!! I just picked up one of these and Installed it 3 weeks ago. It "WORKS VERY SUPERB"! I Really Love this Antenna.... Matter of fact, I had a Sirio 827 up for about 3 years and this one is 22 feet in height with 8 ground radials on a 50 foot mast. And this new Top One Astroplane hears and transmits maybe a little better than the 827. And even my friend in his mobile is actually hearing me better in the low valleys about 20 miles away with no drop outs like the 22 foot tall 827 did..This Antenna seems to radiate closer to the curvature to the earth or radiates from the top section and has a superb radiation angle... I have it on a 50 foot telescoping mast and seems to do very well in the wind and this thing is only 12 feet tall.... I have my General Class Ticket and all through 10 meters, it is really flat on the SWR Curve even up to 29.700... Talks really GREAT on 28.355 USB with NO TUNER. And really pretty low SWRs on the regular CB band and even on lower ones below channel 1 too. Really "BROAD" Banded Antenna. A LOT better than my Sirio 827 which I had up for 3 years too. Which is pretty excellent made for a 22 foot tall Antenna. Sirio has done an A+ Job with this one for sure... I think it's much better than the original Avanti Astroplane or AV 101 or that CTE Clone for sure.... I "HIGHLY" recommend one of these over an Antron 99, any day for any reason. MUCH BETTER!!!..... I also had that CTE Clone up for about 6 months like the original Astroplane and it talks Okay but is made very Cheesy and Cheap... This new one is "WELL" constructed and has some thick wall tubing and is really built to last. Copper sells these very reasonable and I plan on leaving this one up permanently for sure.. I give this Antenna a 5 Star Rating for being so Compact, So Efficient and being so "Broad Banded" even for Amateur Radio Work.. A+1 Product for sure!!!

 

[hotrod]

hmmm..interesting thanks for posting

 

[flatsideDX]

Marconi

Thanks for that review (I'm not surprised at the results). I have always had a fondness for these style antennas. I owned an original Avanti Astroplane for many years in the late 70’s and 80’s and have many QSL cards from all over the world using only a 12 watt SSB Cobra 148GTL. It always talked well locally and I know this style of antenna will talk. Darn………… so many antennas and so little money!

 

[Fretty]

Hello Marconi...resurecting an old thread here. Is the Top one a 1/4 wave or a 5/8 wave antenna? I have seen reference to both on some literature. Also...do you feel that the top one can tune to 6 meters and radiate somewhat effectively? If it's a 1/4 wave (on 10 meter) might be possible? Thanks for sharing all of your knowledge...I have enjoyed browsing your threads...

 

[Fretty]

Marconi...to clear up any confusion...I am referring to the newest version of the Top One which was recently discontinued. Not the older version which was more like the Astroplane...

Thanks

 

[Marconi]

Fretty, all I done in the videos below is show my radio's RX signal responses for my Gain Master vs. my New Top One. Some discount any value in these comparisons due to my using SSB mode. It would be easier to figure out if I used FM, but we don't do much FM in the CB band in America. So, I find some guys I know a little about and I record what the videos are showing here. It is make of it what you will. I try to notice peaks and what the needle readings are when no one is talking...to compare how quite the antenna is.

Under most conditions I find the A/P design antennas to be very quite when we have generally good conditions, but if conditions are very noisy most antennas are more similar in their ambient noise level. Of course I have also seen exceptions too, and for those I seldom have an idea for why.




IMO, the A/P, Top One, and the New Top One is a 1/2 wave center fed antenna. I see about the same responses with both the Top Ones I own and can only guess the A/P would be the same. My Eznec models show to be similar also.

The only report of similar antenna results with the A/P antenna design I can recount is from reports by HomerBB, and he too raves about the original A/P he once owned.

Good luck in your selection, and/or your project with 6 meters.

Keep us posted.

 

[gamegetter]

fretty,

there is a thread on this forum, where we discussed the astroplane in depth and arrived at a conclusion as to what it was, but i can't remember at the moment, my memory is not the best today, I will search and see if I can find it for you

good day all

 

[gamegetter]

this may be the one fretty, enjoy the reading and the discussions here, i always do.
i just don't seem to get on as much as i used to, but still do from time to time
regards

http://www.worldwidedx.com/threads/...-top-one-per-eznec5.138144/page-7#post-365230

 

[Marconi]

Thanks for the link Gamegetter.

I had forgotten about the fact we got off into the discussion of my current disagreement with Bob's idea for the Sigma4 design, and Donald's ideas for how to prove Eznec cannot model the S4/Vector designs correctly.

What I see with the AstroPlane is very similar to what we understand about the common J-Pole...where the bottom radial area of the A/P, for the most part, cancels out the radiation between one leg of the 2 bottom radials and the mast inside of the radials leaving only the top 1/2 wave element to radiate into the far field as explained the next comment.
This leaves the other bottom leg to radiate in phase with the shortened top 1/4 wave radiator where we have a 50% top hat attached...thus we have a 1/2 wave radiator.

IMO this is also a center fed 1/2 wave and thus we can direct feed it without a matching device.

 

[Fretty]

Wow...thanks for the info guys. I have always been facinated with these antennas because they are trickier to understand. I have a line on a new top one and I think I will purchase to satisfy my curiosity. Will report on 6 meter ability. Generally 11 meter 1/4 wave ground planes do OK on 6 meter (not great) when tuned... but half wave not so much. I had an Astroplane back in the day and can vouch for their amazing abilities (back in the day) on 1o meter. Thanks again...will report back...