Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m? - Towertalk Forum at eHam.net

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eHam.net Forum : Towertalk : Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?

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RE: Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?	Reply
by K7VO on January 27, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Hi, Mark, K5LXP, and everyone else, Most of the comments I have received here and by e-mail confirm your findings. I wasn't doubting you and I am well aware of the "everything works" principle. It just seemed like a lot of positive reviews but I expect the folks who wrote them couldn't do accurate measurements and may, indeed, have been using more than the Isotron as an antenna without knowing it. In any case all the answers have been really helpful: no Isotron for me. I am going to try and get my random wire up higher on the low end of the property and I will probably do something with a mobile antenna. I have an Alpha-Delta Outpost tripod and I know that with that down in the backyard and either a Hamstick or an Outbacker I can have some decent QSOs if the wire is just too short. That's been my portable setup for years and I've made a fair number of contacts at 10W on SSB that way. I'll also experiment with a Hamstick dipole as that is a cheap solution and I could get that up higher than the tripod. I may also try Steve's magnetic loop idea. Anyway, this is why I appreciate these forums and have subscribed to eHam. Sometimes I can answer questions and I can find answers when I need them. Thanks again and 73, Caity K7VO/8

RE: Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?	Reply
by K5LXP on January 27, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Hope I'm not sounding too snotty, I don't mean to. I tend to be a bit 'dry' in my repsonses, which sometimes makes me sound arrogant or short. It may be useful for you to know the hamstick dipole isn't generally any better than an Isotron. Almost any wire you would stretch out, with a tuner, will be a decent performing antenna compared to any (heavily) loaded, small antenna no matter who makes it or what form it takes. Mark K5LXP Albuquerque, NM

RE: Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?	Reply
by AA4PB on January 27, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
You can't fool mother nature. In order for an antenna to be efficient (radiate most of your signal) the loss needs to be low in comparison to the radiation resistance. The smaller the antenna the lower the radiation resistance and you have to add inductance to make it resonant. Since inductance is obtained from wire which has resistance, the loss goes up at the same time the radiation resistance goes down. The bottom line - bigger is better.

RE: Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?	Reply
by K7VO on January 27, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Bigger is better.... except when you absolutely, positively cannot put up bigger, and I cannot. Some small antennas do work very well at the cost of high Q and narrow bandwidth. My favorite example was the ASA Isoloop I had years ago. You had to retune it if you moved 5-10kHz but it received well and definitely got out. I know magnetic loops work well. A hamstick, or a dipole made from two, is certainly better than ignoring the 40m bandswitch position. 73, Caity K7VO/8

RE: Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?	Reply
by KE6VG on January 28, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
How about a 20' fishing pole with some wire running up it and a homemade coil with a tap at the bottom. It would work better than a mobile whip on 40 meters.

RE: Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?	Reply
by K7VO on January 28, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Well... I don't have a fishing pole and I certainly lack the time to hand wind coils. I have a demanding job and other interests. The reason I don't homebrew anything at the moment is simply a lack of time. Sorry, I want an off-the-shelf solution. What extra (not on the air) time I am going to put into ham radio projects is going to be used to mod my Kenwood TS-670 for 12m and to fix the mode switch on my Mizuho SB-2X. Thanks anyway. 72/73, Caity K7VO/8

RE: Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?	Reply
by N7LMY on January 30, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
I tried a 40m Isotron for a few days. Had it at 35 feet and it worked OK. I bagged it quickly because I like to switch bands often depending on time of day and conditions. Wife thought it was funny looking over our house. A simple vertical or wire antenna would draw less attention in a neighborhood. If a person has a little room, an EDZ(ladder fed doublet) works well. Mine has legs of 35 feet and with a tuner, it tunes on 12-160 meters with more gain on high bands and it was much less to make than the cost of Isotron. I have many DX contacts since I put it up but can't say it is any better than some other antenna. It is doing so well for me I can't see taking it down at this time. 73 Tom

RE: Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?	Reply
by K0RFD on February 8, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
My dummy load works pretty well even on the low bands. The Isotron probably will too. Both pieces of hardware share similar traits.

RE: Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?	Reply
by N4PSE on February 9, 2005	Mail this to a friend!
Why not try one of the 100W autotuners tied to a random wire? Or use the 40M wire you have up now. They have gotten very inexpensive and tied to a couple of counterpoise wires on the floor or or laying on the ground should work out well. Multibands, good match and almost invisable if you use small gauge wire. 40'+ of wire should get you on 160- not much for DX but lots of US qsos. I've done it in CCR restricted areas and it worked out very well. Have fun! Jim N4PSE

RE: Bilal Isotron performance on 40, 80, 160m?	Reply
by WX7G on April 9, 2009	Mail this to a friend!
It's time to drag out the Isotron pinata. The Isotron works as an antenna-current excitation device. A loading coil and top hat if that makes it easier to visualize. A top loaded vertical, an end loaded horizontal wire, an asymmetrical dipole - vertical or horizontal. Anyway you look at it the Isotron is just a small part of a larger antenna. This is not to say it does not or cannot work well; it can, especially if the installer is aware of what it happening and routes the coax and/or "GND" wire in an antenna-like manner.

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