New (old) Imax 2000 ready for the roof.

[PA5COR]

In the last force 10 gale in spring my now 18 years old Imax 2000 hit the dust, rather the top section broke and fell off.

I still had 2 spares of which i now put one together, painted it white ( extra coat for protection of the fiberglass) new coax on it ( Sort of LMR 400 here it is aircom plus, used for uhf normally, but i had a roll left over.

The old one and new one will be used on 15 , 12 , and 10, though 17 meters will work as well, need a tuner there since the swr there is 1:3, the rest of the bands is used without the need of a tuner.

I don't use 11 meter though.
So a cheap and cheerfull 4 band vertical that works, WAC on 10 meter with it, as on 12 and 15 10 years back when the conditions were good.

The old one saw windspeeds up to 120+ Km/H where the most part of the antenna was more horizontal as vertical......

The fiberglass loses it's bonding through the U.V., leading to de lamination, and the top will break, the extra coat of very strong white paint on the new one.

So in the next week i will carry my old carcass up the slanted roof, remove the remnants of the old one including old coax and mount the new one, if that survives another 18 years i'll probably be gone...

[KG4CGC]

Post results when they become available.

[PA5COR]

Waiting for a good dry day, still some rain showers here, looks better at the end of the week, back to 20+ C and sunny.
Getting on rooftiles when wet is not safe.....
Tested the antenna on a pole in the backyard working from 17 meter ( tuner 1:3) and without tuner 15, 12, 11, 10.
Worked spain on 15 meter while it was 2 meter off the ground, on the roof it will be free standing 11 meter from the ground.

[N8YX]

I've had one as my 10-17M antenna for a number of years. Installed with the base about 30ft up. Works well.

[PA5COR]

It's up, since yesterday, had a dry day 18 C, so hauled my almost 68 year old ass and antenna and coax up, removed the old crap including coax, and put the refurbished one up, now i have only one spare Imax 2000 left ;)
Works fine, very low loss coax on it, SWR on 10 around 1: 1.2, 11 meter 1:1.4, 12 meter 1:1.6, 15 meter 1; 1.8, 17 meter 1:2.8, 20 meter 1:4 last 2 bands workable with tuner.

On 20 meter reception isn't too far off the OCF from fritzel, sometimes a tad better, sometimes a tad less.
The OCF also works on 17 though 1:1, so the goal was to get 15/12/10 working well which i got.
No radials used, just some ferrite clamps around the coax at the feed point, the mast of 7 feet and steel cables around the concrete chimney work as "counterpoise" it seems.
Feedpoint is 11 meter of the ground, or about 35 feet.

Very white with the coat of paint on it though... shiny as well, flopping around happily.

[PA5COR]

Fun...
Sporadic E opening, on 10, Sardinia, and Spain, 5 9+ signals on the vertical given and received with my 200 watts from the FT 2000 D.
Have to go out now, pity with that opening...

[PA5COR]

Next project, getting the Diamond X 510 on the roof, need to find a few clamps for a small mast of 7 feet.
The Diamond discone works, but has no gain...
With the X 510N on the roof my range will be double of the discone, or 50 to 70 miles, reaching 1/2 the country's repeaters, and if there are conditions it works fine with 50 watts SSB as well.

[kb2vxa]

Those are rather impressive antennas, especially the Diamond. I know you'll have good luck with them, a fact is better than a wish. I have used marine epoxy paint made for fiberglass boat hulls and it lasted indefinitely.

[PA5COR]

Same polyester paint was used on the Imax 2000, and the polyester mast for the Diamond X 510 N, 2 army sections on 1. 1/2 inch polyester sticks used to hold up camo, 2 sticks is 2.40 meter above the roof, meaning 11.60 meters the X 510 will have the radials, so top section at 16.80 meters above ground. ( just over 55 feet)
Have two bottom sections of the Imax spare, and a complete one, and a spare top section as well.
Just tested the Ecoflex 15 coax i had laying around, all of 16 meters which was used on the 6 meter beam.
Waiting for a dry moment to test the X 510 N on the ground before i haul it up.
Wil be in the weekend, rain expected the next days.
Loss of the coax is 0.5 DB on 2 and 0.8 DB on 70.
https://www.universal-radio.com/cata.../4130spec.html
Cost now 7 euro's a meter, when i bought it 14 years back it was 3.50 Euro a meter...
Tested it for losses, still as new.
Still have 2 lengths spare each 23 meters, (79 feet) former 2/70 beams.
So using up old supply, hope it will provide x years fun.

Sorting to my old antenna stuff i found enough stuff to make two cross clamps to mount the x510 N mast to the 2 stainless steel bars around the chimney. 50x 50 mm L sections of 316 SS with stainless steel threads clamped around the concrete chimney that held up the mast with the 6/2/70 beams.
Just some drilling new holes and some measuring to do.
Keeps me off the street

[PA5COR]

Good day to put it on the roof, sunny, 21 C and next week 30+... so will be putting the X 510N on the roof today with new mast and coax.