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Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

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n8fnr
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2019 11:38 am

Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

Post by n8fnr » Tue Nov 02, 2021 11:44 pm

Recently I got a Stellar 4 element FM yagi from Newark which is one of the few beams still made. Found instructions on how to add a 5th element for a bit more gain but with some F/B loss and did that mod. The antenna is only about 15 feet above the ground for now. Also bought a heavily modded Sony XDR-F1HD FM/HDRadio tuner from the XDRGuy and have the Sony feeding my Denon AVR-X2100W. So far I am loving this setup. I get WEMU, WHFR, WGTE and WKAR easily in Royal Oak. For antenna rotation I am using the Armstrong method. The XDR-F1HD is a true wonder as it has almost no hiss. I can listen to weak stations in full stereo that would be inaudible on the Denon. Now I really look forward to tropo season next year.

https://www.newark.com/stellar-labs/30- ... %20antenna#
http://ham-radio.com/k6sti/stellar.htm
https://www.xdrguy.com/welcome---about---contact.html



Kennelly Heaviside
Posts: 145
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2021 12:06 am

Re: Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

Post by Kennelly Heaviside » Wed Nov 03, 2021 12:13 am

WARD 750 Petoskey uses the stock Stellar 30-2460 4 element FM antenna to pull in WLDR 101.9 off air to simulcast. It's a good 50-55 miles away, and I have noticed no fading.

Just found a rotator control box I had put away. The CM/Archer Rotator motor has a flat bottom and I might try it on the deck for that Stellar FM when I find that part. I have used another motor sitting on a board in the attic to turn a 4 Bay UHF Bowtie for years, and it has come in handy since HDTV was implemented. I wonder if I'll have to replace the capacitor though. I wonder if you could just hook an external capacitor on it instead of taking it apart.


Kennelly Heaviside. The best Technical Consultant no money can buy.

Kennelly Heaviside
Posts: 145
Joined: Fri Jun 11, 2021 12:06 am

Re: Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

Post by Kennelly Heaviside » Wed Nov 03, 2021 12:55 am

n8fnr wrote:
Tue Nov 02, 2021 11:44 pm
Recently I got a Stellar 4 element FM yagi from Newark which is one of the few beams still made. Found instructions on how to add a 5th element for a bit more gain but with some F/B loss and did that mod. The antenna is only about 15 feet above the ground for now. Also bought a heavily modded Sony XDR-F1HD FM/HDRadio tuner from the XDRGuy and have the Sony feeding my Denon AVR-X2100W. So far I am loving this setup. I get WEMU, WHFR, WGTE and WKAR easily in Royal Oak. For antenna rotation I am using the Armstrong method. The XDR-F1HD is a true wonder as it has almost no hiss. I can listen to weak stations in full stereo that would be inaudible on the Denon. Now I really look forward to tropo season next year.
Could you describe how you added the fifth element? Did you follow the k6sti directions? I found it very unclear, and you couldn't really see it in the pictures either.

If you notice the graph, the Front to Side Ratio is actually higher at the high end of the band, though lower at the low end of the band.


Kennelly Heaviside. The best Technical Consultant no money can buy.

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Turkeytop
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Re: Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

Post by Turkeytop » Wed Nov 03, 2021 3:33 pm

Back in the 1970s I lived in a part of Ontario where there was no local FM. The only reception possible was DX from 100 miles or more away.

I put up a 6 element Yagi, but I only had a twenty ft. piece of pipe to mount it on. Most days I was able to get something from somewhere but nothing was consistent or reliable.

I would sometimes get Southern Ontario stations from Hamilton, Kitchener or London. I didn't have a rotor, but if I went outside and turned it by hand toward the west, I could often pick up Michigan stations from across L Huron. Alpena, Bay City etc.


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

n8fnr
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2019 11:38 am

Re: Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

Post by n8fnr » Wed Nov 03, 2021 5:23 pm

Kennelly Heaviside wrote:
Wed Nov 03, 2021 12:55 am
n8fnr wrote:
Tue Nov 02, 2021 11:44 pm
Recently I got a Stellar 4 element FM yagi from Newark which is one of the few beams still made. Found instructions on how to add a 5th element for a bit more gain but with some F/B loss and did that mod. The antenna is only about 15 feet above the ground for now. Also bought a heavily modded Sony XDR-F1HD FM/HDRadio tuner from the XDRGuy and have the Sony feeding my Denon AVR-X2100W. So far I am loving this setup. I get WEMU, WHFR, WGTE and WKAR easily in Royal Oak. For antenna rotation I am using the Armstrong method. The XDR-F1HD is a true wonder as it has almost no hiss. I can listen to weak stations in full stereo that would be inaudible on the Denon. Now I really look forward to tropo season next year.
Could you describe how you added the fifth element? Did you follow the k6sti directions? I found it very unclear, and you couldn't really see it in the pictures either.

If you notice the graph, the Front to Side Ratio is actually higher at the high end of the band, though lower at the low end of the band.
I followed the instructions from K6STI but you really have to wing it. I have an old crossed dipole and was able to cut a 49¾ inch piece from it. Then I cut another piece from the old antenna to attach the new element to the yagi. It is about 40 inches long. The extender piece was loose so I jammed some 1/2 x 1/2 inch aluminum stock in there, drilled a hole and put a bolt in there to hold it. Was also able to salvage a bracket from the old antenna to attach the new element to the extension piece.

I mainly listen to 88-92 so the best F/B that I can utilize is about 7-11 dBd.



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WOHO
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Location: 2965 Pickle Rd.

Re: Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

Post by WOHO » Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:29 am

Why couldn't Sony release a quality radio (with mods) like the XDR-F1HD for general distribution? And then tweak the AM section with Noise Blankers and CQUAM stereo and, provided the radio didn't melt down from heat, they could be selling these to people who actually care about radio, so why not make them for 5-10 years?



n8fnr
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Re: Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

Post by n8fnr » Tue Jan 11, 2022 1:42 pm

WOHO wrote:
Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:29 am
Why couldn't Sony release a quality radio (with mods) like the XDR-F1HD for general distribution? And then tweak the AM section with Noise Blankers and CQUAM stereo and, provided the radio didn't melt down from heat, they could be selling these to people who actually care about radio, so why not make them for 5-10 years?
Speaking of overheating the XDR-F1HD I bought from the XDRguy has two added cooling fans. It runs very cool unlike a stock model.
https://www.xdrguy.com/modification-and ... vices.html



Marcus
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Location: Sarnia, Ontario

Re: Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

Post by Marcus » Tue Jan 18, 2022 1:02 pm




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WOHO
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Location: 2965 Pickle Rd.

Re: Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

Post by WOHO » Wed Jan 19, 2022 1:10 pm

So about $100-$200 to get an FM Yagi. Question, still horizontal polarization best since most stations are circular? I recall some old tyme stations having 50KW Horizontal and 30KW Vertical? STill the case?



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audiophile
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Re: Put up a 5 ele FM beam feeding a Sony XDR-F1HD

Post by audiophile » Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:19 pm

There are many that are vertical only. I only know of one horizontal-only station and couple with less vertical than horizontal.


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