A 17ft whip on a ground mount is an excellent setup for where you don't have a lot of horizontal room available. I have been using the same setup all summer for portable, and it has been the easiest portable antenna setup I've ever used.
I have a very similar telescopic antenna set up, one is a M10 at 18.6 feet and the other one for 10,11 and 12 meters is a M10 at 2.5 meters with SWR’s @ 1.0 right outta the box. I use four ground radials cut at 15 feet using two 22ga awg zipwire and the other two made from 18ga awg zipwire that I just pulled apart to make two wires. I have been making contacts to ZL and VK land on just one watt on my G90, over 5,026 miles at 5/7 to 5/9++. When band conditions are good, I have my GAIN @ 30% and when they are not, I have my GAIN @ 78%. I also discovered during testing that my G90 likes the voltage @ 13.2 volts because the G90 requires 2.63 amps whether you operate @ 1 watt or 20 watts. Also when band conditions are bad, my G90 loves to run at 4 watts. I hope these tips are helpful to you. I’m still waiting for the Xeigu G120x, which will be the 120 watt version of the G90, same analyzer & tuner with the same compactness for POTA/SOTA use instead of lugging around a rig that’s as big as a kitchen sink up a mountain or carry in a backpack onto a aircraft. POTA has been around for years now but manufacturers like Icom and Yaesu still can’t get their act together to make a “All Modes” compact rig with 2m, 220, and 6m-160 with some serious wattage for this sport. 😢
I regularly use that antenna with the Slidewinder coil. It's a bit of a compromise on 40m, especially if I only use four 5m radials like your setup but it works fine for a lightweight SOTA setup. You have to watch the wind loading because as M1ECC (the manufacturer of the Slidewinder coil) is always extremely quick to highlight, the coil isn't designed for that much wind loading & there's a chance you could break the coil. I only extend the whip to around 3 meters or so when I'm using it with the Slidewinder. Love the QO-100 videos by the way. That amplifier of yours looks like a complete beast!
Mfj-63 loading coil work's well with these 17 foot telescopic whip's it'll give you 80,60,40 and 30 meters I use this loading coil all the time out and about and have had some great results on the lower bands.
This is effectively the MFJ Big Stick product. I pushed Martin K5FLU to make a single whip version of the dipole Big Ear. I bought the very first one. It’s in a $16 padded camera tripod bag bought on Amazon.
I am really inspired by your great videos. Very professional and addresing so many of my topics of interest. Please make the test you mentioned in the car. I keep hearing that if you mount such an antenna above ground, results improve even more. If I had a garden I would make a test jig to allow the antenna to be raised in 1m intervals above the ground, including the radials. Glad to discover that you are a fan of Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore !
Yep these are very useful. I found that a vee dipole (in free space) comes out at 50ohm input! (I guess your wide band match on 20m is partly down to ground loss. I think the input, with a perfect ground, would be about 32 Ohm)
Great video. I have one of these and it's great on 20m, even backyard QRP. Just a couple of warnings, though. M1ECC antennas advise against using it with the slidewinder as the windloading tends to break them. Also I have read that if you do risk it the combo is only good down to 60m rather than 80
I have the mfj version of this whip. Seems strong and should load well. More radials will tighten up the swr curve and add some efficiency. Loading coils for the lower bands may need a shunt inductor to match to the coax.
If you order from the link in aliexpress beware, the thread is not 3/8. Even some of the 3/8 threaded stuff on aliexpress are not 3/8 24wpi but 3/8 16/wpi. I am not saying the aliexpress versions are bad, I don't know. What I am saying is that you may have compatibility issues as the standard thread for ham tends to be 3/8 24 wpi
It was really good to see one of these whips used in this way and there seems to be a good selection of brackets and hardware to configure one or two of these units in a lot of different ways. I followed your links and saw that they also do a 2.5mtr version which would be lighter and good for 4m and above. Please do some mobile/POTA/SOTA videos using this antenna. Best 73.
It works really well for SOTA. It performs great on the upper bands. It's a bit of a compromise on the lower bands but as a light, easy to carry & quick to set up portable antenna, I think it's great. In recent months it has become my most used antenna.
@@AmateurRadioUK It would be interesting to do a direct comparison between this antenna and the much shorter Superantenna with it's adjustable loading coil. I wonder which one has greater efficiency ?
I ordered it a while ago from Moonraker to here in New Hampshire, US, after I saw it used my M0....on you tube using it on his car. It works nicely when correctly adjusted. 73 de W2CH Ray, in New Hampshire, US.
Now you have me wondering how those 17 foot whips would perform in other configurations, such as inverted V (would need a 20 ft. mast to keep the lower ends 3 feet above the ground depending on V angle) or using 3, 1 for the vertical, 2 for a pair of perpendicular horizontals below the vertical, or various "L" configurations using 2 of these whips? These seem to lend themselves to many different onfigs, limited only by one's imagination, and of course, of propagationquality (or lack thereof...) Great video, keep up the good work, mate! 73 from Northern California
Love these whips. You can adjust your swr a bit with the radials as well as the whip. I also add a piece of wire to mine with a crocodile clip and the other end to a 7m cheap fishing pole for 40m. It works great! I also marked my whip for all the bands with a sharpie for faster tuning in the field. 10m steel tapes make great radials for portable use.
The Moonraker online shop says this antenna works from 70MHz down to 14.3MHz. Does this mean it is too short for the bottom of end of the 20m band ? It seems like a strange choice.
Exactly. Glad someone else said this. I’ve been using the $70 MFJ-1979 for 8 or 9 years on a mount just like this. I can’t believe what they charge for the MPAS.
Thanks for the review, but looking at these on eBay for a while now, as prefer higher band's..( practical for 1/4 ). How's the G90 ,any good? Built in ATU?
Well I do hope this one is much better than the 2 AliExpress models I bought that came with 10mm to 3/8" adaptors. Terrible machining and they hardly work at all mechanically. The 10mm male is ok so I'm going to try and make a couple of adaptors myself. Looking forward to that new SDR to replace the Q900 SDR
Question. I know for TX you need the correct length but for RX only will it work on multiple Frequencies with out changing the length of it? great videos. Thanks for taking the time.
You are right. Receivers are far less sensitive to antenna length that transmitters. Just pull this out to a convenient length and it should do fine. You might also adjust to the length that'll be a quarter-wave length at your favorite frequency.
I am really thinking about getting a license these days. But i am not a very "5 by 9, vy 73" talkative person. I am however fascinated by all the new digital modes that have become available. So far i plan to experiment with whacko modulations on a 50 Ohms dummy load and an SDR and oscilloscope coupled with to the hf amp with with prayers and and the luck of stupid people and small children 😛 But some day i will have to set the jiggling waves free to see the effects of what i done. I am looking for a rather compact antenna, since no garden and no good rooftop situation in the city. Everyone seems to hate radiowaves these days... at least that is what people are posting online while using their mobile phones to post just that. Long story short: Is there any kind of easy to conceil QRP compatible solution for shortwave?
You could try a small resonant loop antenna like those made by 2e0ero or a Diamond single band mobile whip antenna with base loading coil poked out of a window.
Thanks for the informative video. Can any viewers share info on finding an M10 female to 3/8 -24 male adapter ? Having difficulty finding one. One advertised on Amazon was the opposite, 3/8-24 female to an M10 male. I was so sad and returned it.
The whip i had obtained through ebay ect.. had a 10m thread.. its not quite 3/8 but close.. a simple thread converter was necessary to make all work properly.. a 3/8 24 bolt and a 10m nut welded to the top of the bolt worked well. 73 de vo1kjm/ve9 maarc radio club
That thing is a monstrosity, but very cool. Easy on the wallet as well. I might have to order one as I really can't put anything permanent up where I am.
What's the longest Dx conversation you have had? I had a 1/4 CB Handset and we were travelling to Ramsgate, and we were chatting between cars. and somebody from Sweden joined in. We thought it was a joke, but he definitely said Sweden, then 2 mins later, the signal or skip died
I have one of these and I would say don't waste your money buying this. You would be better off getting a 6m flag pole and a length of wire. The antenna does work, but the build quality is very poor. When I received mine the plastic end cap came straight off and I had to epoxy it it back in place. After a few weeks the whip became 2 whips when the the bottom 3 sections parted company with the upper sections. However, a thumbscrew hose clamp made it usable. Also, don't bother with the Ampro ground mount. Get a CB mirror mount and an earth rod from Screwfix.
Was it this actual antenna from Moonraker? Or a Chinese copy? Moonraker should cover any defects under warranty. You’re right though, wire will work just as well, if you have a flag pole. But then you need a way of securing it upright etc. be interested to know if yours was the same antenna as mine.
Great video and my favorite type of ant, yes a loading coil would give you 40m a great band, also more radials, there don't have to be 5m long. When iam bicycle mobile my 5m radials are cut in half to make a bunch of smaller easy to manage lengths and still work just as good as 1/4 wave radials. I find ferrite clamps on the coax near the feed point stops stray rf coming back and can reduce noise pick up. I've subscribed and look for to checking out your videos. 73 zl3xdj
I spend so much time trying to figure out Louisiana Quintessential Mexico that I miss part of the callsign. Alpha Six Color Me Stupid. ten-four good buddy.
A 17ft whip on a ground mount is an excellent setup for where you don't have a lot of horizontal room available. I have been using the same setup all summer for portable, and it has been the easiest portable antenna setup I've ever used.
Nice setup and good contacts ! Thanks for the clear/consice details, it really makes the video enjoyable to watch.
Thank you so much, I try my best to make my videos mumble free :)
I have a very similar telescopic antenna set up, one is a M10 at 18.6 feet and the other one for 10,11 and 12 meters is a M10 at 2.5 meters with SWR’s @ 1.0 right outta the box. I use four ground radials cut at 15 feet using two 22ga awg zipwire and the other two made from 18ga awg zipwire that I just pulled apart to make two wires.
I have been making contacts to ZL and VK land on just one watt on my G90, over 5,026 miles at 5/7 to 5/9++. When band conditions are good, I have my GAIN @ 30% and when they are not, I have my GAIN @ 78%. I also discovered during testing that my G90 likes the voltage @ 13.2 volts because the G90 requires 2.63 amps whether you operate @ 1 watt or 20 watts.
Also when band conditions are bad, my G90 loves to run at 4 watts. I hope these tips are helpful to you.
I’m still waiting for the Xeigu G120x, which will be the 120 watt version of the G90, same analyzer & tuner with the same compactness for POTA/SOTA use instead of lugging around a rig that’s as big as a kitchen sink up a mountain or carry in a backpack onto a aircraft.
POTA has been around for years now but manufacturers like Icom and Yaesu still can’t get their act together to make a “All Modes” compact rig with 2m, 220, and 6m-160 with some serious wattage for this sport. 😢
I regularly use that antenna with the Slidewinder coil. It's a bit of a compromise on 40m, especially if I only use four 5m radials like your setup but it works fine for a lightweight SOTA setup.
You have to watch the wind loading because as M1ECC (the manufacturer of the Slidewinder coil) is always extremely quick to highlight, the coil isn't designed for that much wind loading & there's a chance you could break the coil. I only extend the whip to around 3 meters or so when I'm using it with the Slidewinder.
Love the QO-100 videos by the way. That amplifier of yours looks like a complete beast!
Mfj-63 loading coil work's well with these 17 foot telescopic whip's it'll give you 80,60,40 and 30 meters I use this loading coil all the time out and about and have had some great results on the lower bands.
This is effectively the MFJ Big Stick product. I pushed Martin K5FLU to make a single whip version of the dipole Big Ear. I bought the very first one. It’s in a $16 padded camera tripod bag bought on Amazon.
I am really inspired by your great videos. Very professional and addresing so many of my topics of interest. Please make the test you mentioned in the car. I keep hearing that if you mount such an antenna above ground, results improve even more. If I had a garden I would make a test jig to allow the antenna to be raised in 1m intervals above the ground, including the radials. Glad to discover that you are a fan of Peter Cooke and Dudley Moore !
Yep these are very useful. I found that a vee dipole (in free space) comes out at 50ohm input! (I guess your wide band match on 20m is partly down to ground loss. I think the input, with a perfect ground, would be about 32 Ohm)
Great video. I have one of these and it's great on 20m, even backyard QRP. Just a couple of warnings, though. M1ECC antennas advise against using it with the slidewinder as the windloading tends to break them. Also I have read that if you do risk it the combo is only good down to 60m rather than 80
Correct information the Slidewinder DX Coil was designed to take antennas no longer than 3m in length.
I have the mfj version of this whip. Seems strong and should load well. More radials will tighten up the swr curve and add some efficiency. Loading coils for the lower bands may need a shunt inductor to match to the coax.
If you order from the link in aliexpress beware, the thread is not 3/8. Even some of the 3/8 threaded stuff on aliexpress are not 3/8 24wpi but 3/8 16/wpi. I am not saying the aliexpress versions are bad, I don't know. What I am saying is that you may have compatibility issues as the standard thread for ham tends to be 3/8 24 wpi
I had that problem with an eBay version.
Thanks for the warning !!! I recently got PL259s and SO239s that don't fit together due to incompatible threads !
It was really good to see one of these whips used in this way and there seems to be a good selection of brackets and hardware to configure one or two of these units in a lot of different ways. I followed your links and saw that they also do a 2.5mtr version which would be lighter and good for 4m and above.
Please do some mobile/POTA/SOTA videos using this antenna. Best 73.
It works really well for SOTA. It performs great on the upper bands. It's a bit of a compromise on the lower bands but as a light, easy to carry & quick to set up portable antenna, I think it's great. In recent months it has become my most used antenna.
@@AmateurRadioUK It would be interesting to do a direct comparison between this antenna and the much shorter Superantenna with it's adjustable loading coil. I wonder which one has greater efficiency ?
I ordered it a while ago from Moonraker to
here in New Hampshire, US, after I saw it
used my M0....on you tube using it on his
car. It works nicely when correctly adjusted.
73 de W2CH Ray, in New Hampshire, US.
Now you have me wondering how those 17 foot whips would perform in other configurations, such as inverted V (would need a 20 ft. mast to keep the lower ends 3 feet above the ground depending on V angle) or using 3, 1 for the vertical, 2 for a pair of perpendicular horizontals below the vertical, or various "L" configurations using 2 of these whips? These seem to lend themselves to many different onfigs, limited only by one's imagination, and of course, of propagationquality (or lack thereof...) Great video, keep up the good work, mate!
73 from Northern California
Love these whips. You can adjust your swr a bit with the radials as well as the whip. I also add a piece of wire to mine with a crocodile clip and the other end to a 7m cheap fishing pole for 40m. It works great! I also marked my whip for all the bands with a sharpie for faster tuning in the field. 10m steel tapes make great radials for portable use.
I have 2 of these from aliexpress, they work pretty well.
Any chance of getting WSPR and/or FT8 tests of propagation for future antenna reviews?
Thanks for sharing this video. And yes please make more from this transceiver.
I have one of these with my MP1DX
super antenna. Allows you to use this for 40 or 80m also. Works really well.
The Moonraker online shop says this antenna works from 70MHz down to 14.3MHz. Does this mean it is too short for the bottom of end of the 20m band ? It seems like a strange choice.
Just be sure of which thread you want, there are some M10 threads out there, which was good for me as my lighting tripod has M10 too
That's Geoff up on Hoy , one of the best signals on the bands
That's Jeff on Hoy, big signals from his station.
Everyone considering buying a CHA MPAS ought to watch this video first, then buy you a beer for all the money you (hopefully) saved them.
Exactly. Glad someone else said this. I’ve been using the $70 MFJ-1979 for 8 or 9 years on a mount just like this. I can’t believe what they charge for the MPAS.
Thanks for the review, but looking at these on eBay for a while now, as prefer higher band's..( practical for 1/4 ). How's the G90 ,any good? Built in ATU?
Well I do hope this one is much better than the 2 AliExpress models I bought that came with 10mm to 3/8" adaptors. Terrible machining and they hardly work at all mechanically. The 10mm male is ok so I'm going to try and make a couple of adaptors myself. Looking forward to that new SDR to replace the Q900 SDR
Question. I know for TX you need the correct length but for RX only will it work on multiple Frequencies with out changing the length of it? great videos. Thanks for taking the time.
You are right. Receivers are far less sensitive to antenna length that transmitters. Just pull this out to a convenient length and it should do fine. You might also adjust to the length that'll be a quarter-wave length at your favorite frequency.
This simple setup, works well, I use the MFJ Version, n it makes great contacts, cheers , Really Enjoy all of yr videos, 73
I am really thinking about getting a license these days. But i am not a very "5 by 9, vy 73" talkative person. I am however fascinated by all the new digital modes that have become available.
So far i plan to experiment with whacko modulations on a 50 Ohms dummy load and an SDR and oscilloscope coupled with to the hf amp with with prayers and and the luck of stupid people and small children 😛
But some day i will have to set the jiggling waves free to see the effects of what i done.
I am looking for a rather compact antenna, since no garden and no good rooftop situation in the city.
Everyone seems to hate radiowaves these days... at least that is what people are posting online while using their mobile phones to post just that.
Long story short: Is there any kind of easy to conceil QRP compatible solution for shortwave?
You could try a small resonant loop antenna like those made by 2e0ero or a Diamond single band mobile whip antenna with base loading coil poked out of a window.
I have ordered one, sounds good fun.
Thanks for the informative video. Can any viewers share info on finding an M10 female to 3/8 -24 male adapter ? Having difficulty finding one. One advertised on Amazon was the opposite, 3/8-24 female to an M10 male. I was so sad and returned it.
sandpiper communications make coils with 3/8 24t for warious bands they mite be able to make a custom coil to match your telescopic antenna!
Excellent I have MRQ213 works good with or with out coil nice video
Where can one find one of the plastic connectors (7:50 mark) for making a dipole? Is there a source in the US?
The whip i had obtained through ebay ect.. had a 10m thread.. its not quite 3/8 but close.. a simple thread converter was necessary to make all work properly.. a 3/8 24 bolt and a 10m nut welded to the top of the bolt worked well. 73 de vo1kjm/ve9 maarc radio club
very nice. is the grass greener on the other side?
Very! 😁
6:39 Do you think it could work on a miracle whip?
That thing is a monstrosity, but very cool. Easy on the wallet as well. I might have to order one as I really can't put anything permanent up where I am.
ts a great lighting rod.
LOL
What's the longest Dx conversation you have had?
I had a 1/4 CB Handset and we were travelling to Ramsgate, and we were chatting between cars. and somebody from Sweden joined in.
We thought it was a joke, but he definitely said Sweden, then 2 mins later, the signal or skip died
I have one of these and I would say don't waste your money buying this. You would be better off getting a 6m flag pole and a length of wire.
The antenna does work, but the build quality is very poor. When I received mine the plastic end cap came straight off and I had to epoxy it it back in place. After a few weeks the whip became 2 whips when the the bottom 3 sections parted company with the upper sections. However, a thumbscrew hose clamp made it usable. Also, don't bother with the Ampro ground mount. Get a CB mirror mount and an earth rod from Screwfix.
Was it this actual antenna from Moonraker? Or a Chinese copy? Moonraker should cover any defects under warranty. You’re right though, wire will work just as well, if you have a flag pole. But then you need a way of securing it upright etc. be interested to know if yours was the same antenna as mine.
Nice one buddy I use one of these great but if kit ;)
Great video and my favorite type of ant, yes a loading coil would give you 40m a great band, also more radials, there don't have to be 5m long.
When iam bicycle mobile my 5m radials are cut in half to make a bunch of smaller easy to manage lengths and still work just as good as 1/4 wave radials.
I find ferrite clamps on the coax near the feed point stops stray rf coming back and can reduce noise pick up.
I've subscribed and look for to checking out your videos.
73 zl3xdj
i would love to see this used on 10, 11 and 12 meters. thank you.
They work great. You may have to adjust radials for best swr.
will that antenna fit on my pocket HF radio ? lol
YOU STILL HAVE THAT G90 FOR SALE? I SENT YOU AN EMAIL AS ON QRZ
They do 145mhz also
Would love to see 40 meter 17 meter with this
Any reports of TVI, sorry for being negative.
Bugs me when people use made up phonetics. Mike not mexico...... ITU specs were in your test materials.
I know right, end of the world stuff ain’t it!
I spend so much time trying to figure out Louisiana Quintessential Mexico that I miss part of the callsign. Alpha Six Color Me Stupid. ten-four good buddy.
how many meters?