Sirio Tornado 27 5/8 Wave Antenna Review
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- Опубліковано 3 лис 2020
- This is my personal in detail review of the Sirio Tornado 27 5/8 wave antenna. I tried to cover all of the basic bases for others who may be interested and considering purchasing this antenna.
OK, im looking at this video in late 2023. Ive had two of these myself and still have them up now. The first is now 8 years old , the second is 5 years old. both have withstood 80mph winds on a few occasions. I would not suggest using lock tight on any part of this antenna. Its a good idea to drop it down once a year and just give it a clean with a mild detergent and just put it back together and back up. Im hoping they last a few years longer .
A great video for anyone looking to buy a base antenna. These are tried and tested and work very well.
From my home in a valley in south wales, uk, ive spoken all around the world many times.
A highly rated antenna that just lasts and lasts and works exceptionally well.
There are two types of loctite. One is a permanent loctite and the other is one will only gum up the threads enough so they do not back out due to any vibration or temperature shifts. I used the non-permanent loctite on this antenna along with other projects like this. For some people it is an act of congress to drop an antenna down unless it's just on a few poles and even my setup is involved to swap or service the antenna. Mine is on a 50 foot push-up pole and there are three guy wires on each section so it is a slow process especially raising the last sections due to all of the weight so when I set up an antenna I pay attention to all of the details along with being meticulous so I don't miss anything that will cause me grief. True story: Years ago I purchased a MACO V-5/8 antenna and as an antenna it is a great antenna as far as how it operates but it SUCKS the way it was designed because the wire connector thay attatches the hollow tuning ring will almost always corrode and even if you seal it with a coat of rubber, no worries because the hollow aluminum tuning ring is almost guaranteed to develope a leak and fill with water and swell and split on the first winters freeze. It was those reasons I dumped the MACO V-5/8 because nobody wants to have to drop an antenna unless it is an absolute necessity. I have friends who have had Antron-99 and I-Max 2000 antennas that have been up for over 20 years that still work as good as the day they originally set them up. That's one thing I do like about the Tornado 27. The aluminum coil is solid so it cannot get water in it and swell and split. As long as everything is good and tight when it is assembled these antennas will go for years without any need to service them.
Thanks for the overview. I have one ordered but no signs of it yet. Meanwhile I have the radio in the truck running mobile until the Sirio comes in.
Hopefully this will help you assemble your antenna when it arrives.
Nice video. I ordered mine today and hopefully the plastic coupler isn’t a problem considering I’m in Cape Cod by the water and the wind can be brutal at times and the snow can be wet and heavy.
These antennas are decent for their price. I've been looking at the Sirio 827 and I may try one in the future.
Great video here is a idea.
Video @ 12:20 about the electrical tape. I think the heat shrink tubing would be better. You can get it that has a 3:1 shrink rate. I use it on my antennas both aluminum and wires. My brother just got his in today and we are going to put it up this week end. Myself I am still using my old Sigma 4 I bought back in 1978. It has been a great antenna even after 4 lightning strikes and all I had to do was preplace the gamma match two times.
You're correct that there are better methods to be used. I chose to use high quality UL electrical tape because it allowed me to stretch it tight around the joints but the trick is the super glue. Once it dries it becomes a solid piece of thick plastic that won't unravel. The best thing would be to use the stuff the cable companies use that stretches and self heals to itself. That stuff will outlast the wire but the tape trick works quite well. I could have used heat shrink and I had some here but I've seen it get brittle and split over time where the tape literally has to be cut away with a razor. Recently I just reclaimed some old PL259 connectors that I used the tape method on and they not only stayed totally sealed after 8 years but the tape had to be removed with a razor blade so it does work.
*How do I get one of these to use here in Brazil in the range of the citizen in the 11 meters*
excellent receiving and transmitting antenna but sadly no DC ground and yes without tape the screw connections fall apart, I did drill a hole in each radial to secure this screw connection with a self tapping screw, and drilled a little into the solid radial extensions so the hex screw makes a better connection.
You're right that it actually is a decent antenna as far as receiving and transmitting goes. I know there are people reporting these antennas will eventually break at the bottom insulator where the matching coil is under high winds but I believe this can be strengthened by removing the matching coil and using a PVC sleeve to give it more strength and you could also add some fiberglass rods to the inner center of the plastic insulator. I have a back-up antenna still in the box and I will be looking into doing this mod and if it turns out to be simple enough I'll make a follow-up video on the mod. You mentioned the DC ground and that is something I would have liked to have seen with this antenna. I'm willing to bet you could redo the loading coil so that it was set up sort of like a MACO but without the big aluminum ring coil like the MACO antenna uses and it would perform just as good if done correctly. This is a $79 dollar antenna so I'm willing to do some surgery experiments because I think can do the mods where if they don't work they could be undone without destroying the antenna ... UPDATE: It was $79. Now it's cost is anywhere from $99 up to $215 but this is still a far cry from some of the prices for the other antennas in this class online.
I just ordered mine tonight... Thanks
Let us know once you receive it and set it up. A bit of advise... The reflectors or horizontal ground plane reflectors are easily bent if you bump them. Especially the smaller solid aluminum rods so be careful and if possible, build you a tuning rig like I demonstrated in the video. This way you can easily tune the antenna without bending anything.
How or why is the antenna bending in in the wind? Its aluminum tubing screwed together so it should not be flexible like a steel whip or fiberglass. Wouldn't the tubing kink and stay bent instead of flex?
The tubing pieces slip into each other. All vertical antennas like this are designed to flex.The fiberglass antennas can flex with more movement along the lines of a fishing rod and the aluminum antennas flex the same way with a bit less free movement. You would think they would snap right in two or as you mentioned, bend but they won't unless they are hit with a really bad wind storm that causes these antennas to violently be whipped around and even the fiberglass antennas can break under these winds too. I'm making reference to the kind of winds that uproots big trees and lifts shingles off of roofs on houses. You got to keep in mind that this is a bit over 24 feet in length and the tubing is hollow. Watch UA-cam videos where people make videos outside of an passenger jet window and you would be amazed at just how much the jet's wings bend and flex during flight and we are talking about something that is built with aluminum support beams for the outer aluminum skin to secure to. The antennas are made out of the same blend of what is called "aviation grade" aluminum which is made to be able to give and flex even under mild wind movement. There are still aluminum ground plane antennas standing strong that were built in the 1960's and where I live there are still a few old houses with these old antennas still up.
Do you have any videos on calculating coax length with the vna? I once thought lengths of 1/4wave were good choices but it turns out that odd lengths of 1/4wave is a bad idea, so a full wave length or a half wave length of coax would be ok but not 1/4 or 3/4 etc. This left me wondering about very short lengths for the car. I once cut rg48 at around 9ft for the car. Probably not a good idea. I'm switching to a balanced antenna on ladder line or 300 ohm ribbon because there is too much loss in coax.
Now I'm a believer not to cut cable too short because under some circumstances you can have snafus or issues. As far as trimming cable to certain wavelengths, I got to be honest with you and mention the following: When you're dealing with long runs over 30 or 40 ft especially for a base station situation you can cut the cable to any wavelength you want to all day long because if you're moving up and down on the band even by 20 or 30 channels then technically the wavelengths that you cut that wire for just like an antenna would be technically falling in and out of its sweet spot so in other words I don't bother with those kinds of calculations and I've never had a problem with being heard or hearing others. I know there are two schools of thought on that topic but I've never had an issue with my setups.
Can it be tuned for resonance in the 11 meter band? What frequency was your antenna resonant at with the SWR numbers you showed?
I tuned mine for around 27.205.
Good job on the review, my wondering is what it might look like on say 20 meters or other HF bands, your antenna meter should easily tell you? The Hygain 5/8 10-12 meter sold now by MFJ is being claimed to be a solid 20 meter. performer. I have a 2000 up about 30 feet and very surprisingly it works well on 15, 12, and 11ad 10 and 17 with a little tuning. A second antenna that could be used on 20 is needed, the 2000 is about 10-1 so the loss makes it unusable. Also to beef up your antenna you could get a fiberglass tube to go inside that would not have the water issue. These plastic parts are used to end antenna life. Also, one of the fiberglass wraps could be used to wrap the entire bottom area thus making it endure for many years after they dry the water issue also goes away with them, fiberglass is rf invisible so after setting them up they are permanent. You seemed skilled with tools etc so you might search for MIKE a UK ham for his homebrew gainmaster you might be able to stick into that IMAX shell you have, it is very broad-banded also, he has 3 different videos of building it.ua-cam.com/video/5VxHNTttpEc/v-deo.html
Hey thanks for that info. Yeah I had that idea you mentioned and I might do that once the weather warms up. I should have done that BEFORE I raised the antenna. I could have used a bundle of cut off 1/4 solid fiberglass rods that they sell at Lowe's for placing reflectors or signs on. Hey you live and learn. I will be checking out the link you sent me. I also thought about experimenting and broad-banding this antenna with a cancelling matching coil like they use on the Imax 2000 antennas. I have a spare that I might tinker with once things warm up and dry out a bit. There's a bit more to the Imax 2000 that meets the eye. In the second stage of the antenna they add a capacitor in series with the antenna that's made up of a small brass sleeve with a nylon insert that the wire fits into the center to make the capacitor which would have the opposite effect of a series coil so instead of an electrically longer antenna with a series coil, the antennas will act electrically shorter but more importantly it helps keep the antenna in phase across it's length. The antenna can function without it and from what I found online, their earlier designs didn't have this in the middle section but yeah, that caught me by surprise when I found it in the middle section.
Went and checked out the link. Yeah I've seen this! I thought about tinkering with this and making a horizontal wire antenna using this concept.
Instead of electrical tape... Use Marine heat shrink tubes it has sealant it that holds. I had to do that to my vector the second element from the top kept snapping. But the marine heat shrink held it together.
Yeah you are correct. I had some rubber self sealing tape the cable companies use but I was out of it. UL electricians electrical tape works in a pinch as long as you coat it with super glue. It will turn to a hard plastic on the outside that won't unravel or peel off.
Hi this looks like the updated version of the sigma 2 ?
I've gone through two Sirio Tornado 27 antennas. They are an excellent well priced antenna that works well and tunes well. The only downfall is the plastic coupler at the base. It will eventually snap in high winds. I've had to upgrade to a Hy-gain Penetrator spt 500 because of the plastic coupler that snaps. If they upgraded it then it would be great. As far as the aluminum base, I did it just like you and it's the absolute best way! Good video.
We do on occasion see high winds here but it will always be a hard fast storm that rolls in. I have a backup antenna still in the box ready to go and I thought about reinforcing it with a good piece of fiberglass rod then sealing it followed with adding water bleed-off holes right at the base of the antenna. Also if the sections are sealed the likeness that water can enter into the antenna can be eliminated. For the price you still can't go wrong. Thanks for the feedback.
@@flash001USA Even though I've had two snap and I now have the Hy-gain Penetrator spt 500, I have a new Sirio Tornado 27 in the shed just in case!
I dont like this antenna.Broke after 3 months.Only 50 feet of the ground.
@@michelst-jacques9555 Where did it break? So far the antenna I have here has held up through a couple of hard storms with enough wind power to rip small branches and leaves from trees. If it snapped after 3 months you need to contact the company and either get a refund or a replacement.
Consider running wooden dowel rods sized to fit down through the center of the vertical portion of the antenna.
If you're making reference to the plastic part to beef it up that thought did cross my mind but the antenna has to be able to breathe to lose any residual water that could possibly get into the sections that needs to drip out at the bottom. They do the same thing on the Antron 99's and the Imax 2000's. They call it weep holes. If you try to beef it up with a wood dowel then more then likely the wood dowel would slowly absorb water and one of two things would more than likely happen: 1. The wood dowel would start to act as a sort of conductor due to water trapped in it and it would probably interfere with the characteristics of the loading coil. 2. A good freeze would come along and the trapped water would freeze and split the antenna at the bottom. I thought of packing it with reinforced epoxy resin and leaving a straw sized hole in the center for water to escape from but decided to just see what happens over time.
I will have to purchase one of these , question, if by chance are you still using your gassifier? I am looking at building one like yours and do you have the plans and parts list for the automation controller?
Yeah I do have the build for everything. Send me an email to the following address and I'll reply back with the PDF files. flash001@rocketmail.com
@@flash001USA
and happy Thanksgiving ..God Bless ! GO TRUMP !!!!
@@john27hemi Yes sir!
I've been around radio for quite some time. Looking at this design, tells me it is really a base loaded 3/4 wave. A true 5/8 requires a shunt feed to achieve the proper impedance and radiation angle. This is a popular trick on many so called 5/8 VHF mobile antennas. I have done tests between the DC open an shunt fed "5/8" and the shunt fed always wins.
I'm willing to bet if you tied the bottom of the coil to the ground plane and tapped it in the sweet spot with the coax cetner. You will find it will perform better.
Great minds think alike. I plan on reconfiguring the open coil design with a shunt coil setup. I also plan on adding 4 more ground radials so the antenna will be set up like a Sirio 827 antenna. As to the mod the shunt setup will give some protection against static build up too since there will be a DC short to ground.
If you know your history, the A99 came about when the people who protect us from ourselves decided that "CB" antennas could no longer conduct DC to the mast. Hence there was a crazy 5kv rating that was given. The end work around was to sell 27mHz commercial antennas.
@@CrawldaBeast Yeah I remember when the market started getting flooded with the fiberglass antennas. I purchased a Antron back in the early 1980's and it set up great with a really good SWR but in my opinion I didn't think the antenna had good ears compared to a 5/8 wave antenna so I went and purchased a MACO v5/8 and I ran that antenna for a couple of years then I purchased a I-Max 2000 and that antenna ruled the roost until God called it back home with a direct lightning strike lol. There wasn't enough fiberglass to make a damned toothpick with in the yard. I replaced it with a newer I-Max 2000 but they monkeyed with the design to make it favor the 10 Meter band and eventually I got rid of it and went with what I am running right now. In the end I came to the conclusion that I prefer aluminum antennas over fiberglass antennas.
Hello, what experiences have you had with the antenna? Is she recommended? 73. 55
As far as the performance goes it's a good antenna. I'm still running it now and I get nothing but good reports on it. There are people who have had the plastic insulator/spacer break off at the bottom of the antenna where the loading coil is and from what I understand, Sirio has made an effort to address this and beef it up. Most of the breaks happen in areas with extreme high wind conditions. Here where I'm at we do see some bad storms but this antenna has stood up strong for me. The Sirio Tornado 27 uses a different loading coil than the MACO v5/8 or other ground plane antennas based on this design where the Tornado 27 coil is a non DC grounded configuration so if you put an ohm meter across the antenna RF connector it reads open where the MACO v5/8 and other antennas like this will read a dead DC short. To me I would say this is the only thing that I don't care for because a DC shorted loading coil can help in protecting the radio from static discharge that can be produced under very windy and dry conditions but then again, I have never had an issue with static discharge either. There is another positive feature to a DC shorted loading coil and that is it can help protect the coax cable from damage if the antenna takes a direct lightning strike because it will help shunt the strike directly down the tower or pole directly to ground provided you have your antenna grounded correctly. Sirio makes another antenna that I will be trying out in the near future that has a bit better specs than their Tornado 27 It has a better SWR rating along with a bit wider bandwidth and a bit more gain and it's built a bit a lot more sturdier but it is also a physically heavier antenna too. The Tornado is right at 6 lbs and this newer antenna is just under 13 lbs. I already have one and I'm impressed with the build. It is the Sirio 827 and I'll leave you the link to this antenna. As long as you have a good support system this would be the better of the two antennas and in my opinion it's one of Sirio's best 5/8 wave antennas they sell. Here is the link just in case you are interested. www.sirio.store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_18&products_id=185
@@flash001USA thanks.
My I max with manual tuner will go out on 20 meter’s no problem! Mouth on canyon 70 mi/hr winds at least twice a year,in Utah! When it was 9 yrs old took it down lightly sanded it put 4 coat’s of polyurethane varnish on it works like a charm! Have 11 meter fun and two ham bands 10,11,20 meters go figure! Oh slightly customized, top whip is a 102 inch fiberglass Wilson mobile it’s red colored ! Works great love your video. John Boy Utah 🇺🇸😎🎙👍🏻
When they're working they are great antennas!
I bought mine in 2009! I think the quality has gone down since then. JohnBoyUtah 🎙🇺🇸👍🏻😎
@@Brenda-jf2pe That wouldn't surprise me because I think a lot of these antenna manufacturers are looking for ways to save cost on their products especially now.
A tuner is no more then a fancy matchbox, you know that right!?
Hi my friend, i want to buy this antenna, if i put a heatshrink on base plastic where the antenna snaps, it will be more resistant on winds ?
Hi I don't think they sell the Tornado 27 any longer. They had a heavy duty version with better specs called the Sirio 827 and that too has been discontinued. Here is a link to a really good antenna that has good specs and it will stand up to the wind. www.sirio.store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_18&products_id=21
I buy yesterday 827, indeed is very robust and more stronger than tornado, they say is the best antenna on the market 5/8 vertical
I just bought this .
I was hoping you would tell how u Did the measurements, that was my tuff part. Wanted to see if I did it correctly
I just helped a friend install one of these a few days ago. OK when you first put the antenna together, all of the pieces are pre drilled so there are no measurements to calculate until you get to the very top of the antenna where it does not have any drill holes but instead it has a silver ring with a small hex screw to hold the top piece in place once the antenna is tuned. You use their chart which is in metric and you find the frequency from the chart that you want to tune the antenna to and if you're good with metric or if you have a metric tape measure you just set the very top length to the predetermined pre-calculated height and if you're not comfortable with metric measurements, do what I did and go to Google and type in "online metric to Inch conversion calculator" and you will now have a simple calculator at your fingertips to convert the metric to inches. Once you set the top section just be sure the antenna is at least 10 feet off the ground without any buildings or metal objects near it like a utility building or a car or even a house and then you check the SWR and shoot for the lowest SWR at the center frequency the antenna is tuned to. I also like to balance the antenna by going between both the lowest channel then to the highest channel "Ch1 then CH 40" and I try to make them read as close as possible to each other. That's it and you're done. I hope this helps you. Just a side note: I have an antenna analyzer so it really allows me to fine tune the antenna but a decent SWR meter will do just fine too.
@@flash001USA
Thank you 😊
@@flash001USA
Right now it's 1.3 on ch 1 and 1.5 on 40.
100 watt amp on 1.7 on 1 and 1.9 on 40
Not sure how to lower SW with the amp on. Lots of skip during the day.
@@timkubica5056 The reason the amp has a bit higher SWR is not due to the power. The amp itself may not be tuned to a true 50 ohms match. Some amps have tunable caps on the input and output of the transistors but most newer transistor amps have a pre-set tuning cap so you're kind of stuck with what you have. Tube amps on the other hand have a tune and a load capacitor on them to get the best match because tubes will burn up in a NY minute with a mismatch. On my base I run a RM Italy KL501 and with it on at 100 watts dead carrier I have a SWR of 1:2... I also have a MFJ-945E antenna tuner inline that I use and with that inline I have a 1:1 SWR at 100 watts. The tuner allows for a better match which means things run better. I purchased mine for less than $100 and now they have jumped up to around $160 to around $180! That really makes my blood boil to see the prices jump up like this but I have never blown out or damaged an amp in over 40 years. What kind of amp are you running?
@@flash001USA
I have a CTE 747
Am dead key at 90
No pre amp but ssb
Just ordered this antenna hope it last
As long as you have it set up and secure it should last. This antenna has seen some hard winds with no issues but if you live somewhere with high winds like hurricane storms on the coast that may be another story.
@@flash001USA im in Colorado 5380 ft. foothills kinda strong at least 40 mph
Good job👍🏻
Thanks... This is a cheap antenna but it does talk very well.
It's now 2024, do you have an update on the Sirio Tornado? :)
I have had no issues (knock on wood) with this antenna so far.
@@flash001USA It would be great to see a followup video showing how it is holding up, etc. :)
Are you happy with this as of now?
For now I'm happy with this antenna. It's not as broad banded as the Imax 2000 but it's working and I've talked all over the country during conditions with good reports. As far as local communication goes, I have a decent 70 mile radius with this antenna which is what I had with the Imax 2000. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it does not snap at the bottom like some are claiming has happened to theirs. If that happens I plan on beefing up the bottom insulator with fiberglass rods and I think that will be the fix should I see this issue.
Hi do u know if this will work without the ground plane radials installed?
The antenna will NOT function correctly without the ground plane radials installed.
@@flash001USA Thanks for the reply. I just thought because the antenna is above my garage which has a large metal roof the roof could act as the ground plane
@GMandMoparRule Now if it's going to be above a steel roof garage it may work to some extent would have to be very low to the steel roof itself to get to interaction for the antenna to behave correctly. Another issue is the antenna will be directional because the lobe will be off to one side if the antenna is mounted up to the edge of the roof. The only other work around to keep it Omni directional would be to mount it somewhere centered on the roof. If not it will behave like a set of semi directional vertical beams to some extent favoring the signal depending were the antenna is in relation to the steel roof due to the lobe being offset.
@@flash001USA it will be attached to the back of the garage but there is also 2 other large buildings with metasl roofs attached to the back of the garage so the antenna is basicially in the middle of lots of metal roofs
@@DaveCarpenter2112 It may be easier to go with a different antenna so you don't have to modify anything. Here is a link to a 5/8 wave Silver Rod antenna and a lot of people speak highly about these antennas. You can get them on Ebay out of Europe and I have a friend that has one and he likes it. You could even go with a 5/8 wave fiberglass antenna and get one locally but here is the link. Honestly I would rather have an aluminum antenna over a fiberglass antenna. www.ebay.com/itm/320937624705
Good afternoon, do you know the original design of the antenna? Who designed it? 73
To be honest I don't know who did the original design. I would have to assume Sirio was the original designer of this particular antenna but pretty much all of these antenna designs have been around for many years with each manufacturer adding their own signature designs to older designs like these antennas.
My silver rod works just fine thank you very much🌚
What kind of antenna is the silver rod?
I went and found the antenna. Yeah I started to get one of these. A lot of people around this area were running this tornado antenna with good reviews and I decided to try one out. It doesn't have the bandwidth that my Imax2000 had but it seems to work ok for my radio room..
@@flash001USA I live in a tower block here in London. (18 floors) I have one on the roof 🌚 height really is might. £35 only it cost. Happy days
@@zukispur5493 Yep height really is might! I was tempted to purchase one of these antennas and the only reason I decided on the Tornado 27 was I couldn't find a lot of reviews on the silver rod antenna on youtube.
@@flash001USA the silver rod gets the job done for hardly any money. I use a cobra 148gtl dx with a teardrop 575 m6 mic. I also use the alinco DX 10. Got a little 100 watt linear amp. It's enough to get me everywhere 🌚 73 brother
Why Sirio doesn't make those couplers out of Teflon is beyond me. The added expense wouldn't be as costly as repairing the antenna if it snapped and fell 60'f .
Yes these antennas break at the bottom just like the Maco 5/8 antenna. These antennas cannot stand constant whiplash over a period of time. They will fail at the base if you live in a medium to high wind location.
I know they have been trying to address the issue by using a different material at the base of the antenna and so far this antenna has taken some storms without any failure. I also have this antenna mounted onto a solid mast pole so that the whole antenna cannot rock back and fourth like you would expect to see one mounted in the top of a tree. I owned a MACO v5/8 back years ago and the only issue I seen with the MACO was the round tuning ring at the bottom of the antenna giving me solid connection issues and I eventually wound up taking it down and replacing it with a IMAX-2000. As far as the MACO antenna itself holding up that antenna took a beating but I never had any issues with it breaking or even bending under high winds but I get it that some places will see a consistent 40 to 60 mph winds and that I couldn't honestly comment on.
Mine did that
Watch your video but I miss
About what Kind of tape you
Used I miss it
This is just a UL quality electrical tape made by Scotch which you can pretty much pick up anywhere where they sell electrical tape at such as Lowe's or Wal-Mart etc.... You want to use good quality electrical tape because it will last for years on end even outside exposed to the elements.
In my experience.Of all the vertical antennas Sirio offer. By a country mile ,the Sirio 2016 is the best performer. And has way better build quality. Example the GP radials are threaded and securely lock into the base coil. No chance of malfunction.. And tune down to a flat VSWR 1.0.
Yeah I agree with you. I don't have it set up at this time but I have a Sirio 827 which is based on the same design as the Sirio 2016 and I got it because the specs are really good. Both the 827 and the 2016 are pretty close in specs and their over-all design.
antenna tuner only lets radio see low swr. a antenna is still only resonances were it is.
Agreed... That's a given.
Id use epoxy infused double walled shrink tubing on those joints, that stuff dont mess around!. Cool antenna though, id take one of those over a crappy Antron 99 any day!!!.
I agree with you about the Antron 99. I purchased an Antron 99 way back in the day when they first started hitting the market and the first thing that I noticed was they had no ears unless you were close to other stations. I just didn't like it. I had always used 5/8 wave end fed antennas before I tried the Antron 99 and even my beat up bent up old 1960's freebie 5/8 wave aluminum antenna I had inherited from a friend who purchased an old house where someone left the antenna, it beat out the brand new Antron 99. This Sirio Tornado may not be the best antenna but for an antenna that's under $100 with the shipping included, they are well worth their price!
@@flash001USA Thanks for the reply. Not sure if you heard of a guy here on UA-cam, "Stan Gibilisco" (silent key W1GV) he was a writer for the ARRL and has many videos here on the Tube, he talks about and explains the theory of "loading a ground plain using capacitors" from what i gather, Stan was not only a ham operator, but a Physicist, Book Author etc....His video about "Loading a ground plane using Capicators" gives explanation as to the Antron 99's construction theory.
@@ericdee6802 Thanks and I'll look him up.
How does it tune out? Price $ ?
The Tornado 27 will run around $95 give or take with shipping. Sirio has another antenna that's a bit more robust and the specs are a bit better that will run you around $165 give or take with shipping. Both antenna links are below.
www.sirio.store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_18&products_id=185
www.sirio.store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_18&products_id=417
@@flash001USA OK thanks for 27 mhz what you recommend?
Mine has corroded or something blowing in wind good swr bad swr. Good swr bad swr. Need new Antenna.
You may need to go back and simply tighten up that hex nuts that hold the big aluminum loading / matching coil in place. I tightened everything up on the antenna before I raised it up just to play it safe and knock on wood I haven't had any issues with the SWR on the antenna. So far so good. It's not one of their best antennas but for the price I paid for it, it has served me well.
Man seams like it would bend and stay bent in a heavy storm
So it's stood up to some heavy storms and some high winds here. My main concern is lightning.
its not a mosley thats for sure but for 100 not bad
Actually less than $100 including the shipping.
Huh. Fra gee lay. It really is Italian!
Lol...
Looks a little more flimsy than the Hy-Gain SPT-500 Penetrater!
The Hy-Gain SPT-500 Penetrater was a great antenna back in the 70's and it's still being sold and that speaks volumes on the quality and performance of that antenna. This Sirio Tornado is OK and talks pretty good. Where I'm at we don't see a lot of hard core storms but we do get them and so far it has survived. I'm going to modify the loading coil on this antenna to be a DC grounded setup in the near future but other than that, I only paid $70 for it
when I purchased the antenna and it has worked with no issues. Sirio makes another antenna that is a really good antenna that's better than the Tornado 27 and is equal to or maybe a bit better on it's specs than the Penetrater. Here is a link if you would like to see the specs on it. www.sirio.store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_18&products_id=21
Mine lasted 6 months. First real storm.... TIMBER!!!... Down she came..
I hate to hear that. Mine has seen son high winds and is still up after a couple of years.
@@flash001USA now I use the Sirio 827.. Fantastic
@@Team-fabulous I actually purchased a Sirio 827 a while back as a alternate back-up too. Those are damned good antennas but they are very heavy and the weight of the antenna which is 12 Lbs is the only reason I haven't set it up as of yet. You really need a good and solid mast or better yet these would work great with a tower. I don't know if you are aware of this but Sirio no longer advertises the Tornado 27 and it appears to be the same with the Sirio 827. They had a Sirio 2016 which was pretty much the Sirio 827 and it appears they aren't producing that antenna any longer either. I have been to the Sirio store and they are no longer advertised. You can still find these antennas online while they still have them in stock where they are being sold from. As I mentioned my Tornado 27 is still going on strong and I actually have a second new Tornado 27 still in the box. The weight of the Tornado 27 is under 5 Lbs which makes it much easier to raise up on a push-up mast. I do plan on bring it down and converting it over to a Sirio 827 by reinforcing the plastic piece that supports the actual antenna along with making and adding the loading coil to convert it over to a Sirio 827 along with removing the four ground reflectors and setting it up to accept eight 55 inch length ground reflectors. The mod won't cost me anything other than a few hours of time and I will wind up with a light weight version of a Sirio 827 and when I beef up the plastic support, this should protect the antenna from being able to snap off. As I mentioned we have seen a few bad storms and so far my Tornado 27 has held up... Knock on wood...
My Sirio Tornado went banana after one storm.. You really shouldn't make these kinds of long antennas from aluminium, really a design flaw in my opinion. For the 3 weeks that the antenna was neatly straight, it worked really well do.
So far the storms we've had have not damaged the antenna I put up but I do agree that long antennas are prone to bending under heavy winds and harsh storms. This antenna has been up almost 4 years and it's still working and holding up.
@@flash001USA Update video would be cool
That may not be a bad idea. If I do make a follow-up video I'll include the antenna analyzer data so everybody can see that nothing has changed on the characteristics of the antenna
@@flash001USA Cool, I'm there!
Reflector ? .... There's no reflector , It's a monopole vertical .
You mentioned reflector and if I used the word reflector for radials then it was just a slip of words.
Lmao! I was trying to figure out where I said reflectors and I just heard where I said it. No that was just a slip of words. I meant to say thank you for your feedback in my reply to your first message.
@@flash001USA Six of one half a dozen of the other, I have watched many antenna review that have made the same boo-boo. I have done it myself when talking with friends and I have been in radio since 1967. At the time I was thinking about a Yagi when talking about a vertical with counterpoise wires (radials). It happens and you move on, no big thing! lol.
une antenne a ne pas achetée elle est très très fragile ne résiste pas a des vent moyen le plastique ne résiste pas
Jusqu’à présent, cela a tenu. L'antenne est en place depuis environ 4 ans maintenant. Merci pour votre avis.
This antenna is scrap.Lasted 3 months at 55 feet high.Broke at the base of the antenna.Never again.Got a Max 2000,raised it at 70 feet high and very happy.
Wont last . Great antenna , But wind will kill it , Snaps at the base . Rubbish never gain .
I figured I would give it a try just to see how it works out. Yeah I've heard the same things you point out about the antenna breaking at the bottom section. I know they are aware of this issue and it's possible they changed up a few things with the plastic but don't hold me to that. The plastic insert is extremely thick but I still don't think it would hold up to constant high winds. Time will tell.
@@flash001USA Had one that I put up at 40' this past summer (July, 2021) and we had a nor'easter about a month ago, winds got to 60 MPH gusts and the tornado snapped at the base, the plastic section. I am back to using the Hygain SPT-500. QTH is the south coast of Massachusetts.
I did give the video a thumbs up as it was very well done and informative and done in a way that a newbie will easily understand.
73 from the New England.
@@jfrphoto01 We get hit here with sudden storms that pack high winds and so far this antenna has held up. I was seriously considering reinforcing the antenna with a fiberglass rod in the center of the plastic piece along with a outer PVC sleeve on the outside. If that was done I think it would hold up in high winds. It's a shame because it's a decent talking antenna.
@@flash001USA Yes. it is a decent talking antenna, but now after seeing your video and getting suggestions for more videos on this antenna, I have found that a lot of these videos have to do with the antenna breaking at the base, and they all break in the exact same place, the base insulator right where the lower vertical section ends. It would take more than a fiberglass tube or rod to strengthen it at that point, it needs a complete redesign of the base insulator.
As a disabled CB/ham operator, I have to rely on others to do antenna work (it was fairly easy to get people together in the past but now it is harder since covid). So I will stay with my SPT-500 (the Hygain was purchased in 1970) and my wire antennas.
73
@@jfrphoto01 I don't blame you. I'm in my 60's so I'm not a young guy myself and I can understand needing a helping hand when it comes to wrestling with antennas! I loved my first IMax 2000 when it was working before it was struck by lightning. The second IMax 2000 just didn't tune as good as the first one tuned due to the changes they did on the later revisions. That's why I didn't go purchase a replacement IMax 2000 when this last IMax failed. I'm not going to give up on this antenna just yet. I still think it can be beefed up without changing the characteristics because the antenna itself is pretty light weight so a mod may work. I do have a second in the box new back-up antenna and I'll be looking at what it would take to give it some strength and if the idea looks valid I'll try it and make a video covering this defect. Take care and 73s back at you.
The 2016 is a better antenna
This is going to sound like a dumb question but is that the year of that particular batch of Sirio antennas or is that a model number?
2016 is slightly better made , But performance wise they will perform the same .
@@flash001USA 2016 is the model number, it is the one with all the short radials and the loading coil inside an transparent amber colored enclosure.
I dont use the cheap metal screws that can back out just from wiggling, I pop rivet the joints, seven years still going strong
use 3m super 88 electric tape. it is the industrial version of super 33
Now that you mentioned that, I think that's what I'm using. As a rule of thumb, I don't use the cheap stuff.
Metric measurements are more easy than The Imperial and U.S. Customary Systems. Less confusion with a metric system, no fractions needed just a decimal point.