I am looking for a FM broadcast antenna that can do 200w for under $150. I use to have the 5/8 wave comet I could never get that thing tuned right what a piece of junk so which antenna do you recommond
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the price range is tight. run less power and build a copper j-pole. the gain from the j-pole will make up for the drop in rf power. the balun on the jpole is what keeps you from running 200w.
I can understand your wish to purchase an antenna... to simplify getting a signal into the ether. It's nice to, as the time-worn info-mercial promises, just "set it and forget it"... put it together and be done with it.
I think the usual route of a coax-fed narrow-banded vertical antenna isn't the best way to do things. The drawback to this approach is the loss inherent in coax at these freqs. The second drawback is, as mentioned, the narrow-banded operation... typically 2 MHZ, before the swr becomes unacceptable. Third is the fact that these type antennas are not very efficient radiators.
A vertical dipole fed with 300 ohm balanced foam line and a homemade hairpin balanced tuner can go anywhere in the band with this setup and have max efficiency. The tuner will load perfectly into nearly any balanced antenna. The swr on the flatline will vary up and down the band, but it doesn't matter what it is because the line loss isn't significant with this system, even with a high swr. The tuner presents the transmitter with nearly a 1:1 match at any freq.
You would be surprised at the increase in range over the usual coax fed systems.
Just something to think about, unless you really wish to stay with the "plug and play" way of doing things.
"To each his own", and good luck with your decision my friend, with whatever way you go with this.
Line loss is measured in how well a signal gets to the antenna, and is entirely dependent on the quality of the feed, including how many 'jumps' it has to make (including traversing such lossy things such as tuners).
Antenna efficiency is how well the antenna radiates, and is dependent mostly on how well it is tuned. Verticals can be highly efficent (i.e., have a low SWR) if they have a good ground.
Putting a tuner into the system may make your transmitter happier (and possibly allow it to have greater output if it has SWR protection), but it's not going to make your antenna more efficient.
Yes, the quality of the feed... 300ohm foam twinline is very low loss at these freqs.
Yes, tuners can be lossy if not designed well for the freq of interest. That's why I would recommend a "hairpin" (no coils) instead of a conventional tuner made of coils. This type of tuner is very low loss.
A ground plane vertical works well IF it has a good ground under it. Three or four rod radials do not make a good rf ground for any vertical. Low swr at the antenna has little bearing on its efficiency in the case of a vertical antenna.
Using the balanced feed w/ tuner makes for a very low loss, as well as a very flexible combination. The entire band can be covered simply by adjusting the alligator feedline clips on the tuner and re-adjusting the dual-section tuning capacitor. This tuner would allow the operator to utilize the entire band of the frequency of interest.
Sure... glad to see someone with curiosity, and willingness to learn and try something different!
Here's your tip:
Find a ham that subscribes to QST magazine, or find it at your local library. Get the April 2009 issue. In the magazine, turn to page 34. Carefully read the article entitled; "Hairpin Tuners for Matching Balanced Antenna Systems". Pay attention to the picture titled "Figure 3".
p.s... The "hairpin" dimension of interest is approximately 10.5 inch length by 2.25 inch in width. I would estimate a dual-section capacitor of roughly 25 pf per section.
I have the $70 1/4 wave from eBay and a 15watt transmitter, also from eBay. The antenna is on a chimney strap about 90' off the ground. I get a great sounding stereo signal out to about 5 miles. My fringe area is 10 miles. I don't really want to have a much larger footprint in order to stay under the radar. My goal is presentation, not record distance. My other recommendation for an antenna would be the Ramsey TM100 Dipole. I was able to make an exact clone, using the same copper-clad ladder line and balun. It is one of the most efficient antennas I've owned. It doubled the range of my low power FM25B that I use just for music around the house. I get a good two blocks with it at 100mw. Some people swear by the "J" pole, and one of the 5/8 wave guarantees twice the gain. All I know is that what I have works great for me.
I only use the dipole with my Ramsey. At 1/4 watt there's not enough energy to use an SWR meter. Also, the one I used to set up the 1/4 wave was a friends. I only use the Ramsey if, for some reason, my main transmitter is down and I want to listen to music around the house. So- sorry I don't have the answer. However, if it'll help, Ramsey posts the entire manual, including construction instructions, etc. at it's website. That's how I got the directions to build my antenna.
