Author Topic: Buckmaster diapole  (Read 5552 times)

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Freedom Forged

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Buckmaster diapole
« on: January 30, 2015, 09:28:25 AM »
I curious if any of you guys have used this antenna?  I'd like to hear what you think about it and how well it really works.  It says it needs no tuner???
http://hamcall.net/7bandocf.html

Thanks in advance!
David

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Re: Buckmaster diapole
« Reply #1 on: January 30, 2015, 10:03:53 AM »
FF

It gets a 4.7/5 rating on eham.
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/9192

Looking at the freq response charts it hits at or below 1.5 swr

The only dumb question is the one that did not get asked!!

DragoSapien

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Re: Buckmaster diapole
« Reply #2 on: January 30, 2015, 09:28:11 PM »
A friend of mine just bought that antenna. He wasn't very happy with it, said that didn't work on all the bands that it claimed to work on.

BTPost

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Re: Buckmaster diapole
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2015, 01:10:28 PM »
Usually, these types of Antennas, are designed with a 50 Ohm non Inductive Resister at the center Point, and then add some Wire out each side.... This makes the "Look" very correct, impedance wise, but they eat most of the RF Power, rather than radiate it..... This makes the "Equally BAD" on all Bands....  Radio Transmitters, like them, but  their efficiency is crap....
Much better to have a little loss in a tuner, than a lot of loss in the Resister.... There is no Free Lunch.... and SWR is meaningless in these antennas... Just my Opinion, YMMV.....
Bruce in alaska AL7AQ

Tevin

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Re: Buckmaster diapole
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2015, 05:45:59 PM »
I don't know much about this particular antenna, but on paper it looks so-so.

Example: On 40 meters the SWR starts off as just barely acceptable (1.65 on the four band antenna), and that's on the data portion of the band that hardly anyone uses. By time you get to 7.125 mHz (where the phone section begins) you're at 1.88 SWR and it goes up from there. You will be in the neighborhood of 2.00 SWR in any of the most used parts of the band.

I have homebrew 40 and 20 dipoles. They both run between 1.3-1.7 across the band with no antenna tuner. And I sure as heck didn't spend over $200 on them. All I did was use some 14 gauge stranded wire, a 1:1 balun, two plastic insulators, and a little coax seal. Total cost less than $50 per antenna.

My advice: If you plan on using all those bands and can't run 4-8 monoband dipoles all over the place, then it's probably a passable antenna (you will still need a tuner). If you are like me and use the same one or two bands 90% of the time, then make monoband  dipoles, tweak them until they work for your operating habits, and be done with it.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2015, 06:05:57 PM by Tevin »

spacecase0

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Re: Buckmaster diapole
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2015, 10:16:46 PM »
first thing to check with an antenna is efficiency,
second thing is to see how big it is,
third is to actually test it.
your antenna has me wondering,
but the large efficient single band antennas work better than about anything
and they don't cost much to make

Tempstar

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Re: Buckmaster diapole
« Reply #6 on: February 01, 2015, 04:43:26 AM »
Nothing will beat a tuned dipole. Anytime, without exception, you add a transformer (be it in the antenna or in the tuner) you lose power. I'm a show me knda guy, so over the years I have personally performed near-field tests of different antennas. For those that want the numbers, Chameleon was the best vertical (all tests on 20.250 mhz and 100 watts with CW carrier) at -43dbm at 100'. The best horizontal was a Buddipole at -82dbm. For comparison, a tuned dipole trimmed to 1:1.1 VSWR delivered 12dbm.
 Now, you can make contacts with a T.V. antenna if you have a great tuner and 100 watts, The key though, at least for me, is effective radiated power. Also important to me is hearing. Remember, your received signal needs to travel through all of those windings and coils and other magical mystery material as well.
Disclaimer: I test for personal information only, just because I want to know. This is not a bash of anything or a promotion of anything else. I'm sure there are better methods than I use, and I share my findings so that maybe a few others don't piss away the money that I have searching for a magical antenna that, sadly, does not exist.
"Preparedness is a lot more than just buying stuff"

XJP5

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Re: Buckmaster diapole
« Reply #7 on: February 01, 2015, 11:00:55 AM »
... Disclaimer: I test for personal information only, just because I want to know. This is not a bash of anything or a promotion of anything else. I'm sure there are better methods than I use, and I share my findings so that maybe a few others don't piss away the money that I have searching for a magical antenna that, sadly, does not exist.

Tempstar, your test results are good enough for me my friend, thank you!"

spacecase0

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Re: Buckmaster diapole
« Reply #8 on: February 01, 2015, 03:04:45 PM »
I share my findings so that maybe a few others don't piss away the money that I have searching for a magical antenna that, sadly, does not exist.
of all the antennas,
this might be the most magical one
http://www.digitalcartography.com/n0eq/discone.htm
sadly I don't have enough money to build one of my own

AD

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Re: Buckmaster diapole
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2015, 03:36:03 PM »
Bout 100 miles from my house.
The only dumb question is the one that did not get asked!!

Lamewolf

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Re: Buckmaster diapole
« Reply #10 on: February 18, 2015, 02:12:05 PM »
Usually, these types of Antennas, are designed with a 50 Ohm non Inductive Resister at the center Point, and then add some Wire out each side.... This makes the "Look" very correct, impedance wise, but they eat most of the RF Power, rather than radiate it..... This makes the "Equally BAD" on all Bands....  Radio Transmitters, like them, but  their efficiency is crap....
Much better to have a little loss in a tuner, than a lot of loss in the Resister.... There is no Free Lunch.... and SWR is meaningless in these antennas... Just my Opinion, YMMV.....

Its an Off Center Fed Dipole fed with a 4:1 current balun, no resistors used anywhere.  I built one exactly like it, works great for me !