Alongside Solarcon’s IMAX 2000 vertical antenna when it comes to high performance on 27 MHz is the omni-directional Spectrum 1600 by CTE. The Spectrum 1600 is a high quality 5/8 base station Lambda aerial which achieves a gain of 7.2 dBi from 26-32 MHz compared to the IMAX’s 8.2 dBi with its additional ground plain kit fully mounted.

The CTE Spectrum 16000, though, is a lot cheaper and has many of the same features and/or capabilities…!

For starters, the Spectrum 1600 is wideband and is ideal for DX'ing. It is 6.2m (22 ½ feet) in length, tunes to an SWR of 1, 1:1 and has an impedance of 50 Ohms — but unlike the IMAX 2000 has no less than 20 radials.

Similar to the IMAX, the Spectrum 1600 is made of high quality materials, thus allowing it to withstand substantial environmental strain. It comes with a steel bracket reinforced with stiffening ribs, rubber packings and a hole for condensate drainage which protect the coil from water. It’s also made of weatherproof anticorodal aluminium.

Additionally, the clamping of the telescopic aluminium elements which are locked by two steel self-drilling screws, has, in my opinion, been made with significant care.

Another relevant feature of this antenna is its protection against static charges and atmospheric discharges which in turn provides more comfortable listening. The base coil is essentially in circuit towards earth. To prevent the bunching of electrostatic charges on the antenna, the calibration stub on the antenna top with its typical spring offers a very high impedance to atmospheric discharges and avoids that the antenna itself becomes the favoured way for the lighting discharge.

On this note, I’ve also read that it is advisable to connect the antenna’s support pole to the earth system to enhance the protection effectiveness.

So if you’re looking for a high quality base station vertical antenna at a good price then it’s hard to go past the CTE Spectrum 16000. What’s more, you can actually buy them in Australia instead of having to pay a fortune for freight expenses from the United States.

A.T.R.C. in Sydney currently sells this excellent antenna for AUD$289.00. My advice, however, is to contact OC Contest sponsors Syncro on the Sunshine Coast as Jos Hahn currently has a special offer on the antenna — selling it for just AUD$200.

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73 de Admin