Gain Master or Antron 99

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macker 1961
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Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by macker 1961 »

Hi all
was just sitting at the laptop to order a new antenna and the choice is vast but decided on one of the two mentioned above.
Would like to ask the forum for advice on either or is there a better alternative .
I am running a K-PO DX5000
Any and all help would be appreciated
Paul
InTheClouds
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by InTheClouds »

DX or local ?

Gainmaster 5/8 :

Will totally destroy an Antron on really long F2 DX given good height.
For E layer skip you will barely notice the difference. The Antron may even win out.
Locally given 1/2 wavelength or more height, Gainmaster any day.

The Gainmaster 5/8 is the superior antenna but you might not realize the benefits unless you have decent height.
Gainmaster is probably less strong in the wind by some margin. Some report slightly noisier RX using Solarcon antennas.
Both perfectly decent antennas for general use. Antron probably wins with regards the longevity in windy conditions.

If budget is an issue or may sway you I would probably just buy the Sirio GPS 27 1/2 wave and sack the Antron off
it will perform exactly as an Antron will and is 1/2 the price.
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andrew013
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by andrew013 »

just get a 2ND hand A 99 there fairly cheap , if you dont like it you wont lose out on value jobs a good un
on air,tyne&wear,northumberland,durham,holy island,eu120+eu124 and anywhere from gateshead/north wales
scrap uk 40 give cbers L/M/Hcalling on 27.355/555 usb qsy 27.015 lsb/410 usb cb radio is for life not just for profits
i do cb radio not 11mtres,countrys worked 2015 with imax 2000 72
108EH002
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by 108EH002 »

Gain Master (just a vertical dipole) as I have used both,but if its high enough it is a pretty good antenna compared to an A-99.

The build quality of the Gainmaster could be better,especially the fibreglass and isn't the best for £140 imo.

Jubilee clips are still used and it is sold as the latest advancement in Homebase CB antenna technology.

You would be better buying a decent second hand 5/8th wave (look on gumtree/used radio equipment) rather than spending nearly £90 on a new A-99,a cheap 5/8th silver rod should even beat an A-99.

I would expect to pay about £40- £70 for something £100 -£140 new.

Sirio 827 is a good antenna aswell for the money,far thicker aluminium compared to cheaper silver rod types,but they are heavier and have bigger ground planes.
Plenty are talking worldwide on 27.555 usb,
Some are too far up their own @rse to admit it,
Many happen to know otherwise dx-ing test free,
Showing a complete lack of respect for the law.

27.555 Usb
macker 1961
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by macker 1961 »

Its going on top of a 20' pole and its mainly for dx work.
i have a 1/4 wave signal catcher at the moment .
thanks for the replies
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NightProwler
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by NightProwler »

Gainmaster :thumbup:
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
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ch25
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by ch25 »

For local conversations, 30-50 miles does not really matter what vertical you have. Mount height is important.
For DX I wouldn't bother putting vertical antenna.
Chris
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macker 1961
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by macker 1961 »

Thanks Lemmy
limited space where i live so a vertical antenna is the best option for me at the moment
Took your advice intheclouds and ordered a gps 27 1/2 wave
26AT013 will try and source a second hand one and get another pole and try them both
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Ur5by9
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by Ur5by9 »

Sirio 827

gainmaster turns into a horizontal dipole at the slightest of breeze -
The Collector
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by The Collector »

If a fibre-glass aerial is your remit, then also think about the Imax. I've swapped my Antron/old A99 for one last year and signals improved 2 S-points on RX. Not sure about TX as I don't bother speaking to anyone! It's not that I can hear many people from where I'm located anyway, but 2 S-points is a good improvement when mounted at the same point as the A99.
I've replaced the top section of my Imax with a single-piece tank-whip too.
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by InTheClouds »

macker 1961 wrote: 10 Apr 2020, 21:48 Thanks Lemmy
limited space where i live so a vertical antenna is the best option for me at the moment
Took your advice intheclouds and ordered a gps 27 1/2 wave
26AT013 will try and source a second hand one and get another pole and try them both
Good choice I reckon, with new antenna you know it is clean and well fitting at all its joints/connector.
They have a nice fat copper coil, tried and trusted and it will be absolutely perfect for some summer Euroskip
on top of a 20ft pole.

The sad thing about cb is the local noise floor's. If you are in an urban area a flicker up to S-4 to S-7 of crackling
is not uncommon on SSB. It really spoils our fun, if the RF noise floor was an S0 you would be hearing stations from 2-3 times
the distance you normally can for non skip contacts. And that would everyone "ON-AIR" would have more people to talk to as well
and at times like these I am sure we can all agree that would be a very welcome thing.
macker 1961
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by macker 1961 »

the noise i am getting at the moment is s5-s7 with the 1/4 wave signal catcher. hearing a few stations but not very well but will be patient until the new 1/2 wave arrives this coming week ,got loads of time in hand due to being on furlough ,.
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ROTEL240
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by ROTEL240 »

Ur5by9 wrote: 11 Apr 2020, 00:47 Sirio 827

gainmaster turns into a horizontal dipole at the slightest of breeze -
The SGM do take some stick in strong winds but if mounted with plenty of flex in the pole so it can some of the strain they tend to be ok, mines been up five years and still standing proud. If you want a solid tank built antenna then the Sirio 827 is the one, my mate had one on his chimney for nearly 20 years and when he took it down a few months ago and threw on the garden it was still in one piece. 👍👍
Middo888
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Re: Gain Master or Antron 99

Post by Middo888 »

Read this... the forget the Antron.. http://www.radiomanual.info/schemi/ACC_ ... review.pdf
Build yourself a homebrew 5/8 Gainmaster mounted on aq 9 metre squid pole.. awesome for DX
Very easy build and hard to beat for performance!


43EE888
Greg
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