Claims like no tune gamma match, collinear, and 7/8 wave at 11 feet long when 10 feet is the full wave for FM, are all false. Their deceptive advertising would have you think you're being offered an improved product when in reality many of the parts used are substandard. Implying you don't have to tune a gamma match on a shunt fed radiator across a 20 MHz spectrum of VHF will at best result in a loss in gain at each end of the band. Collinear would indicate at least two active antenna elements fed in phase where being employed. Not one that's simply much longer then what produces maximum gain. Each modification they have made from the basic design of the Dominator has robbed more and more gain.

The latest creation being offered by this distributor looks like an overgrown 1/4 wave ground plane with the 45 degree radials incorrectly placed above the RF feed point. Making them unable to decouple the coax line from the antenna effectively. The antenna also uses a gamma match that has been installed either to befuddle the layperson or because the builder lacks knowledge of basic antenna design. When you extend the main radiator beyond 5/8 wave, simple 45 or 90 degree radials produce extremely high angles of radiation however, 45 degree radials can provide a 50 ohm impedance without a gamma match.

For many years ham radio operators have used this type of design for mobile satellite communications on the 440 MHz band because they recognize one of the few examples of where this extreme high angle of radiation is desirable. Nice when you are in your car communicating through amateur radio satellites, not when you're trying to hear your local FM station. When used as a 440 MHz mobile antenna the vehicle makes up a ground plane reflector with a 90 degree angle. Since we've posted this information, the builder has now added both a 45 degree set of radials and a 90 degree set. Nothing like stacking one bad idea on top of another.  It is almost amusing if it weren't so deceptive.

You can prove this to yourself for about $50.00 by building the competitions latest antenna. Purchase an inexpensive $40.00 1/4 wave FM ground plane on eBay. Buy a 102 inch stainless steel Citizens Band whip from Radio Shack. Remove the top 1/4 wave vertical element from the ground plane and replace it with the 102 inch whip or use two hose clamps to attach it parallel to the existing whip. You may have to trim the top of the whip to get a perfect VSWR. The measurements for 98 MHz will be about 7 feet 2 inches or 2.183 meters. This is a 3/4 wavelength ground plane. Not a collinear or a coaxial antenna.

The basic design is still flawed because it will inherently have a radiation angle of 30 degrees or more above the horizon. It does not matter if the radials are 90 degrees or 45 degrees out from the base of the antenna. The radiation angle is still about 30 degrees upward. One set of 45 degree radials at the feed point works best since this matches the impedance to 50 ohms with no gamma required. This produces a usable signal in close proximity to the antenna that rapidly fades as distance is increased because the beam of radiation has not been narrowly focused on the horizon.

The pictures at the bottom of this page show some of the many components used in the competitions antennas. They are actually using a low power 27 MHz Citizens Band gamma match on all of their standard antennas. These were designed for use with radios that supply no more then 12 watts PEP for intermittent communication service. Their Teflon gamma match or choice of any quality connectors are all expensive options that should be standard in FM Broadcast antennas.