Shakespeare 5206 Another bad one

StickFish · 07-03-2007, 09:08 AM

While hanging out at Depoe last weekend I came across a guy with a Koffler sport boat getting ready for tuna the next day - I noticed the pirate flag on the antenna and you know me and flags on antennas

Anyhow we get to talking about fishing and stuff, and I mention how that flag doesn't help that antenna too much and explained how the extra load makes them flex. I also explained the construction used on that antenna. Offered to check it for him and it was pretty funny while he was walking around the boat the antenna analyzer was going wacko as the antenna flexed. Cause a broken join inside the antenna, showed him the meter and how it was jumping all over the place from from one end of the scale to another. With a standard SWR meter I wouldn't have been able to calibrate it to even measure the antenna load.

If you have a 5206 I strongly recommend you replace it - said it once, have said it to Shakespeare engineers.

Also don't fly flags from your antennas

I do have to admit - Nalu has the first 5206 that actually read out OK - guess he's lucky with antennas like being a good fisherman

flapbreaker · 07-03-2007, 09:44 AM

What antenna would you recommend? Thanks.

HiTekRdNek · 07-03-2007, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flapbreaker

What antenna would you recommend? Thanks.

Right now the digital ones are spendy.
But, The Sheakspeare Galaxy 5225 XP or West Marine Mariner 8900 would be a good choice.

StickFish · 07-03-2007, 10:33 AM

In this order

Morad
Comrod
Digital Antenna V-529
Shakespeare 5225 XP
Mariner 8900 (made by Shakespeare knock off of the 5225 XP silver plated elements)
Shakespeare 5225 XT

Morad used by the USCG - spendy the mount alone is $100
Comrod - made in Europe - very nice tough antenna
Digital Antenna about $189 - very well made antenna and the one I recommend
Shakespear's and Mariners perform well, just not made the same as the others

flapbreaker · 07-03-2007, 10:37 AM

Silly question but can I use the same antenna cable to hook up a new one to my radio or are those proprietary.

StickFish · 07-03-2007, 11:01 AM

Shakespeare and Digital come with cable attached to them - so if you buy on of those you will also be replacing the antenna coax

barnettm · 07-03-2007, 12:46 PM

Hello, my name is Mike, antenna engineer from Boeing. How are you evaluating this antenna? It seems like any evaluation done close to the boat would be subject to errors from what is known as "near field" effects. If you are using a power meter I would go 50-75 yards away and then try it.

If the antenna were really going open circuit, I would think the owner would have noticed intermittant behavior while receiving.

tracker · 07-03-2007, 01:10 PM

Oh boy! Two radio guys to fix us up! and the new guy lives much closer to me!

hot wire · 07-03-2007, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnettm

Hello, my name is Mike, antenna engineer from Boeing. How are you evaluating this antenna? It seems like any evaluation done close to the boat would be subject to errors from what is known as "near field" effects. If you are using a power meter I would go 50-75 yards away and then try it.

If the antenna were really going open circuit, I would think the owner would have noticed intermittant behavior while receiving.

We would go through quite a few antennas on our small boats due to flexing and the antenna opening up. (The USCG) Most of the time when they went bad, you would get zero transmit effectiveness. A Bird watt meter would show the reflected power quite simply. A megger would show leaking like what was illustrated above in "jumping all over the place". Either way, you would get some type of symptom. The trick is to actually do radio checks and ask people that are a mile away from you. Close in radio checks really don't show the effectiveness of an antenna.

Radio checks are good.