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Upgraded from a A99 (w/ homemade GPK) to a slightly used Workman w58 (Maco v58 clone)

M

mr_fx

Sr. Member
Oct 8, 2011
1,536
172
173
Kansas City
Upgraded from a A99 (w/ homemade GPK) to a slightly used Workman w58 (Maco v58 clone)

I got this setup a few days ago from Pony Express (A member here on the boards that is local to me) Only cost me $30.

It took a few minutes to get it all setup, had to test it in my back yard on a umbrella stand about 8 foot in the air.

Ended up with SWRs below 1.5 as low as 26MHz or so and the same as high as 28.600MHz. With a 1.0 SWR around 27.385MHz :)

but the best part is the locals could tell the difference instantly. I used to hit Mr. Killowatt King in Kansas City, MO (about 8 miles from me) at around 7-9db, now I am hitting him at 20 over!

Pony Express out in the mobile said he has NEVER seen me hit him at a 9 in his mobile. But I was doing it today.

The entire project took about 2 hours. This included tearing down the old antenna, and testing the new antenna on the umbrella stand and retuning it about 4 times. Then mounting it where the A99 used to be.

In short I would say that the Workman W58 is hard to beat since it is easy to assemble and tune and can be purchased new for around $75-100 shipped. The Maco v5/8 usually runs around 100-$135 plus shipping
 
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So I was talking with the fine people at Workman today and their tech has confirmed it... the Workman W58 IS IN FACT a Maco V58. the woman in the Tech department says when they originally shipped they even came with Maco V 5/8 manuals. About 5 years ago she rewrote the manual for workman. LOL Funny stuff right there
 
mr_fx said:
Upgraded from a A99 (w/ homemade GPK) to a slightly used Workman w58 (Maco v58 clone)

I got this setup a few days ago from Pony Express (A member here on the boards that is local to me) Only cost me $30.

It took a few minutes to get it all setup, had to test it in my back yard on a umbrella stand about 8 foot in the air.

Ended up with SWRs below 1.5 as low as 26MHz or so and the same as high as 28.600MHz. With a 1.0 SWR around 27.385MHz :)

but the best part is the locals could tell the difference instantly. I used to hit Mr. Killowatt King in Kansas City, MO (about 8 miles from me) at around 7-9db, now I am hitting him at 20 over!

Pony Express out in the mobile said he has NEVER seen me hit him at a 9 in his mobile. But I was doing it today.

The entire project took about 2 hours. This included tearing down the old antenna, and testing the new antenna on the umbrella stand and retuning it about 4 times. Then mounting it where the A99 used to be.

In short I would say that the Workman W58 is hard to beat since it is easy to assemble and tune and can be purchased new for around $75-100 shipped. The Maco v5/8 usually runs around 100-$135 plus shipping
Click to expand...

Mr_fx, good report, but do you have any idea why you were giving Mr. Killowatt King different signals 7-9, with the A99?

Was he mobile too?
 
Last edited:
Marconi said:
Mr_fx, good report, but do you have any idea why Mr. Killowatt King was giving you different signals 7-9, with the A99?

Was he mobile too?
Click to expand...

different times of the day. different conditions, different level of power, lol, who knows. I mean some times I run a couple watts, other times I run 100+ that the FT-890 wants to give me.
 
mr_fx said:
different times of the day. different conditions, different level of power, lol, who knows. I mean some times I run a couple watts, other times I run 100+ that the FT-890 wants to give me.
Click to expand...

That makes sense, I guess the local signals I see from my buddies are just a little more steady.
 
W5LZ said:
So in effect you are saying that with all the variables, the reports are meaningless.
- 'Doc
Click to expand...

That is what I am seeing, from an S-9 to S-9+20 is 120 DB of gain at 6DB per S unit.

Impressive antenna for a vertical if it can do that OR, you were talking off your COAX when the A99 was in use and have some negative gain.
 
wavrider said:
That is what I am seeing, from an S-9 to S-9+20 is 120 DB of gain at 6DB per S unit.

Impressive antenna for a vertical if it can do that OR, you were talking off your COAX when the A99 was in use and have some negative gain.
Click to expand...

Gotta love CB. Even working on 3dB a S point thats 60dB or a received signal 100,000 times stronger.

Yet when modelled, there's no more than a couple of dBi between the worst and the best verticals of similar wavelengths - i.e Imax 2000 vs Gainmaster which is why when I wanted a 10m vertical, I bought an Imax 2000 because its windy here and its ability in wind is more important than a difference in gain the other station wouldn't even notice.
 
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I have an IMAX2000 here also.

Light weight, covers 21 through 28 mhz, lossy as heck matching network to cover that much bandwidth but it does radiate,

I need to find one of those miracle antennas that has 60 to 120 DBD gain, then I would give away the Mosley PRO 67B and just use that vertical:D
 
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i wouldn't put too much stock in the accuracy of a s-meter , but more is more .
 
wavrider said:
That is what I am seeing, from an S-9 to S-9+20 is 120 DB of gain at 6DB per S unit.
Click to expand...


S9 to S9+20db is only 20db of gain. s units are supposed to equal 6db but rarely if ever do, above s9 the meter is already calibrated in db so you wouldn't multiply by 6db.

20db above s9 means the signal is 100 times stronger than it was at s9 and no antenna is going to provide that sort of gain, going from 4w to 400w is what it would take to achieve that rise if your meter was acurate, which it isn't, no cb meter is accurate, especially above s9, being a voltmeter the readings are highly compressed/logarithmic at the top end of the scale, which is why the spacings between the s unit markings get progressively smaller.

hope that helps you understand s units better.;)
 
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Why do people argue over s unit readings??? Maybe radio manufacturers need to go back to what they used to do in the early days of CB and not put them S meters on radios!!!!! I say WHOOOOOOOO CAAAAREEESSS!!!!! As long as the damn thing works i say "keep on ah keepin' on!" 10-04??????
 
mr_fx said:
Upgraded from a A99 (w/ homemade GPK) to a slightly used Workman w58 (Maco v58 clone)

I got this setup a few days ago from Pony Express (A member here on the boards that is local to me) Only cost me $30.

It took a few minutes to get it all setup, had to test it in my back yard on a umbrella stand about 8 foot in the air.

Ended up with SWRs below 1.5 as low as 26MHz or so and the same as high as 28.600MHz. With a 1.0 SWR around 27.385MHz :)

but the best part is the locals could tell the difference instantly. I used to hit Mr. Killowatt King in Kansas City, MO (about 8 miles from me) at around 7-9db, now I am hitting him at 20 over!

Pony Express out in the mobile said he has NEVER seen me hit him at a 9 in his mobile. But I was doing it today.

The entire project took about 2 hours. This included tearing down the old antenna, and testing the new antenna on the umbrella stand and retuning it about 4 times. Then mounting it where the A99 used to be.

In short I would say that the Workman W58 is hard to beat since it is easy to assemble and tune and can be purchased new for around $75-100 shipped. The Maco v5/8 usually runs around 100-$135 plus shipping
Click to expand...

did you change the coax or keep the original one?
did you install antenna at the same height?
 
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