How about a series ... kinda like the ... " idiots guide to getting ham independant." Basically the starter packet for complete newbies , to simple equipment, set up, price targets, best recommendations. Thanks.
As a noob myself. I'd enjoy a series of this kind. There are questions & answers that might make me feel dumb asking. So, a ground up build & instruction on antenna etc. Would be highly instructive. 👍
I'm just laughing at this video title because when I hear it all I can think of is up your shortwave radio, buddy! With a magic middle finger salute! Lol!
I had their older HF discone up on the roof for the last 5 years. Nice to see they have sprung for some locking nuts on this model, the old one didn't have them and the lower radials unscrewed themselves pretty sharpish. I'm in the market for a new one now anyway since the HF hat on it was blown loose in the recent batch of storms. Not sure I'll go for a discone again though since their wind loading isn't the best
People who don’t have space for a wire antenna most likely live in a densely populated area. This means a lot of man made electrical noise from power supplies, computers and household appliances. This drives the noice level up to S9 and often above making it unable to hear anything! You might want to demonstrate and test some Magnetic loop antenna’s on the channel. These are less sensitive for noise and you can turn them o optimize reception.
Great antenna 👍 I was listening to a very strong UK amateur today G3POT or G3VOT - I didn’t quite get his call sign talking to a George a farmer on the 60m band. He was blasting through to Northern Finland here. Shame I’m struggling to get my licence due to the language barrier….. I’m trying!
That would be fun and doable. I am in NY and the UK been open . 10 meters been great all across the UK for me. got Scotland and London and bunch more in the log on FT8 10 meters lately . Love that IC 705 . I had one to use for a wile. I hear them all the time HF . every day i set up I can find a 705 on the air. many outher radio's as well. like the FTDX-10 /G90 and many others . all sound great 73's
My problem with this is that the basic Discone radials shall be 1/4 Wave of the lowest frequency and I am surprised the downward radials don't have loading coils to make up for the size. Also, the radiation elements shall have a radial directly below the element (Remember, the radials are an approximation of a physical cone, so the more radials, the better).
Thanks for the Excellent Review, looks like the Antenna is Back in Stock, appreciate your detail analysis on this product, i have one on the way, it has convinced me.
Thanks for another informative video on the discone antenna, Lewis! The tuner is very interesting - may have to look into that one. Really enjoy your channel for all the interesting narrative content and the excellent photos and videography. Looking forward to more!
Forgive the obtuse nature of this comment, (relative noob to the whole scene.) but i was surprised at just how small & portable this is. It looked bigger in the, thumbnail. 🤨 Informative post, as usual. Gratitude Lewis. 👍
Thank you for this. Might look into one for my scanner I use once a month or so. Thinking put it in my attic. I can wire it to my handheld scanner and use my Bluetooth mini jack adaptor and an ear bud. Then I can have one less excuse to try and listen to shortwave someday
Yes, I have the ATM-100 tuner which I use it with my FT-818ND. I can use it with a micro 50 watt amp as a portable. The Moonraker multiband discone reminds me of a Maldol multiband HF antenna, without the downward elements of the discone, and an MFJ antenna for multiple bands with a connector using ham stick type elements. 73 de W2CH Ray, New Hampshire. 😊
If you’re in a big city, it’s going to be tough no matter what, because noise is going to be your biggest issue. A multi band antenna is going to make that even worse. I would recommend something that’s tunable or using a tuner.
I use websdr for most of my hf monitoring but I also use a physical radio as well for am reception. I use mostly the whip antenna but I sometimes use a long wire connected to the tip via a pop can tab I affixed to the wire using just electrical tape and it seems to work fairly well for the design that I chose. I even use to do with tv antennas minus the pop can tab back in the analog days just so I could watch the brewers games out of Milwaukee Wisconsin via TMJ4 while living in South Beloit. On how I miss doing that. Digital tv is nowhere as easy to do that like analog. Lol.
We made one, they work OK but we were trying to get gain, a simple base/mid loaded dipole mobile whip gave us omnidirectional gain desired for the ham bands we needed both fixed and mobile. You can't get near these things once put together; must be like petting a Porcupine and Discones are Not Good in rain or Ice!
2:17 is the catch. Plus it's flimsy construction and you can only have 4 out of the 5 bands active at anyone time makes this a portable or loft antenna at best. Would be no good up on the roof, unless you've got good access and can take it down in high winds.
I feel labeling this a discone is marketing gone wrong. A true discone does not rely on loading coils at different frequencies. This is more akin to a nest of dipoles or fan dipole ( quarter waves this case.) A true discone would be flat across 10s of megahertz. One could make a true hf discone but the top hat would be 8.5m wide at a start freq of 7mhz.. have a hight of 10m and have radials of 11m. From arrl handbook calculator
I am not convinced that this antenna can be called a discone. Without looking it up I seem to remember the the slope elements should be a quarter wave on the lowest frequency and the horizontal top a tenth of the length of slope elements. This setup should do a frequency coverage of 10:1 these dimensions are from the dark reaches of my brain so could be wrong but the general idea is correct. Manufactures started to diverge from a classic discone when they started sticking whips on top. A true discone can be used for tx but remember your harmonics will be transmitted well too.
😃I have been using the Sirio SD 1300 U, RX disco antenna for years: 25-1300 MHz, also used in HF amateur radio bands 40/80 meters as well as in VHF - UHF, then I purchased the Diamond D303, a disappointment or perhaps my expectations they were too high on HF. Ciao
4:10 You mention fine-tuning the SWR with the grub screws. Is there any more information on this process? I have the "desktop" version of the Moonraker discone and would love to be less disappointed in it! 😅
@@RingwayManchester Ah, understood! I had it in my mind that there was some magic to adjusting how the rods connect to the base that would affect the overall tune. Thank you for the great content!
That was great. I haven't herd that antenna on the air yet. would be great for parks on the air . looks like ham sticks put into a hub. I do hear them from time to time. they do DX at times . I am in NY and from UK I usually get long wire or DX commander antenna's coming into NY sometimes S9 at times. best bad for me is 10/12/15 meters NY to UK am gray line skip. and winter months . nice tuner. I have the 7300 with tuner bult in. Moonraker has many nice antenna's . I got one for my scanner. the Uniden BC 125AT . the 125 rubber duck for that scanner . works super . I have herd and talked some CB from NY to England on SSB . early morning for me. 73's
Something I've wondered is, if someone were to get into ham, is there anything that says you can't make a fake number station? I think it'd be cool to make up codes and see if anyone can pick them up and decipher them!
Looks like a decent antenna. But the failure to label the holes or even include a diagram is a perfect example of everything wrong with ham radio today.
Lots of manufacturers today will include a link to the "on line" manual. There is some logic to it. 1. It cuts their cost on printing. 2. It cuts on weight for shipping. Bad thing is if one does not have access to a computer or decent internet speeds the antenna is useless. Personally I have found decent .pdf scans of different manuals on line and for free.
A small, say 1M Diameter magnetic loop will be far superior, there is however a downside The magnetic will need to be re-tuned when you change Frequency/Band, so no rapid changes. The magnetic loop is great if you plan to stay on/near 1 Frequency. I have a 1M Mag Loop in my loft, it lives on 17M, I have 175 Countries with 5W, QRP
@@4X4-RADIO I was thinking of the Wellbrook Loop which is wide band. I know they are no longer available but I have one yet to be installed - my excuse being I have only recently returned from Australia and dug my gear out of storage.
Hey Lewis. Always love the antenna vids, but I wanted to ask where you find yourself buying them? I have to buy them online, we only have a few local shops with CB rig parts and odds, nothing like this.
How about a series ... kinda like the ... " idiots guide to getting ham independant." Basically the starter packet for complete newbies , to simple equipment, set up, price targets, best recommendations. Thanks.
As a noob myself. I'd enjoy a series of this kind. There are questions & answers that might make me feel dumb asking.
So, a ground up build & instruction on antenna etc. Would be highly instructive. 👍
@@Teknofobe Agreed. Upvote that idea.
im studying for my license and will need this soon so yeah i support this
Hear, hear.
.@@teacupanimates
I'm just laughing at this video title because when I hear it all I can think of is up your shortwave radio, buddy! With a magic middle finger salute! Lol!
I had their older HF discone up on the roof for the last 5 years. Nice to see they have sprung for some locking nuts on this model, the old one didn't have them and the lower radials unscrewed themselves pretty sharpish. I'm in the market for a new one now anyway since the HF hat on it was blown loose in the recent batch of storms. Not sure I'll go for a discone again though since their wind loading isn't the best
People who don’t have space for a wire antenna most likely live in a densely populated area. This means a lot of man made electrical noise from power supplies, computers and household appliances. This drives the noice level up to S9 and often above making it unable to hear anything! You might want to demonstrate and test some Magnetic loop antenna’s on the channel. These are less sensitive for noise and you can turn them o optimize reception.
Thank you for the good instructional video.
Wish they made a scanner antenna like that. Looks really professional...
Great antenna 👍 I was listening to a very strong UK amateur today G3POT or G3VOT - I didn’t quite get his call sign talking to a George a farmer on the 60m band. He was blasting through to Northern Finland here.
Shame I’m struggling to get my licence due to the language barrier….. I’m trying!
Nice work on this video, Lewis.
This antenna looks like it would be a good choice to put in my RV for mobile/portable use.
Thanks!
Ok we need to have an HF chat across the pond on that antenna! All the best my friend!
That would be fun and doable. I am in NY and the UK been open . 10 meters been great all across the UK for me. got Scotland and London and bunch more in the log on FT8 10 meters lately . Love that IC 705 . I had one to use for a wile. I hear them all the time HF . every day i set up I can find a 705 on the air. many outher radio's as well. like the FTDX-10 /G90 and many others . all sound great 73's
Well, this is portable so Lewis could decamp to the coast to give it a go on 5W with the 705!
Definitely mate!
@@paulsengupta971 the 705 does 10 watt with external battery. will be fun to try.
My problem with this is that the basic Discone radials shall be 1/4 Wave of the lowest frequency and I am surprised the downward radials don't have loading coils to make up for the size. Also, the radiation elements shall have a radial directly below the element (Remember, the radials are an approximation of a physical cone, so the more radials, the better).
Thanks for the Excellent Review, looks like the Antenna is Back in Stock, appreciate your detail analysis on this product, i have one on the way, it has convinced me.
It was through your original Moonraker discone video that I discovered your channel!
I have that antenna, its actually another antenna split in half, MFJ-2389
That thing is like $400 so basically this one is half price. 😂
Thanks for another informative video on the discone antenna, Lewis! The tuner is very interesting - may have to look into that one. Really enjoy your channel for all the interesting narrative content and the excellent photos and videography. Looking forward to more!
Forgive the obtuse nature of this comment, (relative noob to the whole scene.)
but i was surprised at just how small & portable this is. It looked bigger in the, thumbnail. 🤨
Informative post, as usual. Gratitude Lewis. 👍
Good stuff.
Thank you for this. Might look into one for my scanner I use once a month or so.
Thinking put it in my attic. I can wire it to my handheld scanner and use my Bluetooth mini jack adaptor and an ear bud.
Then I can have one less excuse to try and listen to shortwave someday
Yes, I have the ATM-100 tuner which I
use it with my FT-818ND. I can use it
with a micro 50 watt amp as a portable.
The Moonraker multiband discone
reminds me of a Maldol multiband
HF antenna, without the downward
elements of the discone, and an
MFJ antenna for multiple bands
with a connector using ham stick
type elements.
73 de W2CH Ray, New Hampshire. 😊
Great to hear from you Ray as always
@@RingwayManchester Thanks 😊 Cheers.
Nice twig tho lots of potentials to go wrong.. for sure in the lopht imho and past experience with similar set up
Great channel
If you’re in a big city, it’s going to be tough no matter what, because noise is going to be your biggest issue. A multi band antenna is going to make that even worse. I would recommend something that’s tunable or using a tuner.
I use websdr for most of my hf monitoring but I also use a physical radio as well for am reception. I use mostly the whip antenna but I sometimes use a long wire connected to the tip via a pop can tab I affixed to the wire using just electrical tape and it seems to work fairly well for the design that I chose. I even use to do with tv antennas minus the pop can tab back in the analog days just so I could watch the brewers games out of Milwaukee Wisconsin via TMJ4 while living in South Beloit. On how I miss doing that. Digital tv is nowhere as easy to do that like analog. Lol.
It might start off a bit of a death wobble if i screwed it to the helmet box on the back of my Honda 50.
Thanks RM. Nice Video. Take Care and radio On****
1:12 a gain of 2.1dBi is not over a standard discone! dBi is dB over Isotopic radiator!
We made one, they work OK but we were trying to get gain, a simple base/mid loaded dipole mobile whip gave us omnidirectional gain desired for the ham bands we needed both fixed and mobile. You can't get near these things once put together; must be like petting a Porcupine and Discones are Not Good in rain or Ice!
2:17 is the catch. Plus it's flimsy construction and you can only have 4 out of the 5 bands active at anyone time makes this a portable or loft antenna at best. Would be no good up on the roof, unless you've got good access and can take it down in high winds.
I feel labeling this a discone is marketing gone wrong. A true discone does not rely on loading coils at different frequencies. This is more akin to a nest of dipoles or fan dipole ( quarter waves this case.) A true discone would be flat across 10s of megahertz. One could make a true hf discone but the top hat would be 8.5m wide at a start freq of 7mhz.. have a hight of 10m and have radials of 11m. From arrl handbook calculator
I am not convinced that this antenna can be called a discone. Without looking it up I seem to remember the the slope elements should be a quarter wave on the lowest frequency and the horizontal top a tenth of the length of slope elements. This setup should do a frequency coverage of 10:1 these dimensions are from the dark reaches of my brain so could be wrong but the general idea is correct. Manufactures started to diverge from a classic discone when they started sticking whips on top. A true discone can be used for tx but remember your harmonics will be transmitted well too.
would recommend a W6LVP loop antenna - made in the US....awesome antenna
😃I have been using the Sirio SD 1300 U, RX disco antenna for years: 25-1300 MHz, also used in HF amateur radio bands 40/80 meters as well as in VHF - UHF, then I purchased the Diamond D303, a disappointment or perhaps my expectations they were too high on HF. Ciao
4:10 You mention fine-tuning the SWR with the grub screws. Is there any more information on this process?
I have the "desktop" version of the Moonraker discone and would love to be less disappointed in it! 😅
😂😂😂
So you see the black sections on the antenna? The silver rods that come out can be slid in and out :)
The desktop version isn’t like that
@@RingwayManchester Ah, understood! I had it in my mind that there was some magic to adjusting how the rods connect to the base that would affect the overall tune.
Thank you for the great content!
Nice, I never knew of any discone that had any gain.👍
Totally off topic but I’m listening to HM01 on 11635.000 rn so it’s started back up again!
Idk who else to tell about this haha
That was great. I haven't herd that antenna on the air yet. would be great for parks on the air . looks like ham sticks put into a hub. I do hear them from time to time. they do DX at times . I am in NY and from UK I usually get long wire or DX commander antenna's coming into NY sometimes S9 at times. best bad for me is 10/12/15 meters NY to UK am gray line skip. and winter months . nice tuner. I have the 7300 with tuner bult in. Moonraker has many nice antenna's . I got one for my scanner. the Uniden BC 125AT . the 125 rubber duck for that scanner . works super . I have herd and talked some CB from NY to England on SSB . early morning for me. 73's
Whenever I've used my hamsticks I've been astonished at how well they work on top of the car.
Thanks Lewis
Dont know how its called a discone tho the lower freq "grounds" radials would have to be very long [I think its in loaded dipole mode]?
1st to comment 😅 will check out vid later m8 am out at mo x😊
A long-shot. Anyone on here able to program my WhistlerTRX-1? Stretford area. Struggling. 🤔 Great video.
Great topic lewis
I was wondering do you have to screw in all the radials for it to work or can you just use 2 or 3 antenna radials on specific bands
Something I've wondered is, if someone were to get into ham, is there anything that says you can't make a fake number station? I think it'd be cool to make up codes and see if anyone can pick them up and decipher them!
It’s against the law technically but it would be an interesting exercise 😂
Damn.
Thank you for this video
Great video. Pretty sure I'm a channel member as well though :)
What do you mean :)
The credits to members/subscribers :)@@RingwayManchester
Thanks so much! My bad! I’ll sort that :)
Is all cool.
@@RingwayManchester
Updating my end screen tomorrow :) then normal service will be resumed
Looks like a decent antenna. But the failure to label the holes or even include a diagram is a perfect example of everything wrong with ham radio today.
Lots of manufacturers today will include a link to the "on line" manual. There is some logic to it. 1. It cuts their cost on printing. 2. It cuts on weight for shipping.
Bad thing is if one does not have access to a computer or decent internet speeds the antenna is useless. Personally I have found decent .pdf scans of different manuals on line and for free.
@@Subgunman This could be solved with a 4x5 inch diagram that would cost way less than once cent to include.
220cm diameter will always be 110cm radius 😂
Or, π in old money. 😂
Hi good video how much is that antenna you showing in your video my place is only small so I can't have anything to big
PL239*':]' I remember them from the 80s':]
Any chance of a comparison between this antenna and a magnetic loop?
A small, say 1M Diameter magnetic loop will be far superior, there is however a downside
The magnetic will need to be re-tuned when you change Frequency/Band, so no rapid changes.
The magnetic loop is great if you plan to stay on/near 1 Frequency.
I have a 1M Mag Loop in my loft, it lives on 17M, I have 175 Countries with 5W, QRP
@@4X4-RADIO I was thinking of the Wellbrook Loop which is wide band. I know they are no longer available but I have one yet to be installed - my excuse being I have only recently returned from Australia and dug my gear out of storage.
@@barrieshepherd7694
O.K Wellbrook loops are very good
But as you know Receive only.
Thanks!
Thank you so much
Does thst auto tuner work for receive only?
Can i Use a wire dipole 2x 5m ?
newb question I suppose but would this be any good as the antenna on a D-808 radio? Would I need to buy anything else to plug it into the radio?
Hey Lewis. Always love the antenna vids, but I wanted to ask where you find yourself buying them? I have to buy them online, we only have a few local shops with CB rig parts and odds, nothing like this.
moonrakeronline seems pretty good, I’ll keep them in mind.
Hey I got this from moonraker cheers
👍👍👍
Interesting
Dont buy the gain figures
You're better off with a circular fan dipole made from hamsticks
Shows out of stock...
That’s a compliment to my video I guess. 😃Contact them, I’m sure they’ll get more
That's not a discone at all