The Diamond X30 quotes a gain of 3db on 2m and 5.5db on 70cm.
The Diamond X50 quotes a gain of 4.5db on 2m and 7.2db on 70cm.
The Diamond X50 is approx £15 more expensive than the X30.
Question:
Is the Diamond X50 worth an extra £15 over the X30, with the approx 1.5db extra on 2m and 70cm?
I'm hoping to mount an antenna on the side of the house (approx 35feet up).
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/5916
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1054
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/7753
I'd go with the X50 every time. Gain on an aerial is important and you're getting more gain for not much more cost.
ReplyDeleteA simple mathematical formula is to look at your situation, elevation, height above ground level, height above average terrain and then measure how far you wish to transmit.
ReplyDeleteThen figure the loss in the coax at X mhz vs how many feet of coax you are going to use for your install.
If your only goal in life is to talk 10 or 20 miles to your local repeater and there is nothing between you and it, then you don't need much of an antenna.
If at some point you would like to work DX or talk to someone that is mobile or portable - then you might want to consider the full Monte and get the X 500 antenna and some really good coax such as LMR 400 or Belden 9913 F-7.
What good is it to have a good antenna and then throw away a couple of DB in the line between the antenna and the radio?