Friday, April 13, 2012

WRTC-2014 SELECTS ANTENNA SUPPLIER CYCLE 24

WRTC-2014 SELECTS ANTENNA SUPPLIER CYCLE 24

WRTC 2014, Inc., host of the 2014 World Radiosport Team Championship competition, is pleased to announce that the tribander antennas to be used for the competition will be supplied by Cycle 24 Antenna Products Company. Cycle 24 was selected after a thorough technical evaluation and competitive bidding process among multiple antenna suppliers.

The WRTC Station Committee identified a list of preferred attributes for the WRTC competition antenna. These included being light weight, having good performance, ease of assembly, and available at a competitive price. Several antennas met the requirements. The successful bidder, Cycle 24, provided an antenna with a winning combination that not only addressed the electrical and mechanical performance sought but also provided a design that was fast to assemble and worked very well in all aspects of installation, test and disassembly.

“Antennas are a critical component to the success of WRTC,” said Mark Pride, K1RX, leader of the WRTC-2014 station committee. “With 59 stations to build in less than two days, we wanted antennas that could be easily assembled by the volunteers and that would deliver the performance expected by the competitors. Cycle 24 was the best fit for our requirements.”

“Cycle 24 was honored to be asked to contribute to this important and exciting WRTC 2014 event,” said Stan Stockton, K5GO. “WRTC has personal meaning and significance to several members of the Cycle 24 team who have been competitors in previous WRTC events. Cycle 24 sought to deliver a new and exciting antenna design that would be fitting for this unprecedented international competition.”

The Cycle 24 model TX38 antenna has mono-band performance, extremely wide bandwidth across all three bands, and is rated to survive more than 80 MPH winds. The TX38 has 8 full-sized elements (2 elements each on 20 and 15 meters and 4 elements on 10 meters) on a 14.5 foot (4.4m) boom and weighs only 30 pounds. The antenna will be commercially available in July 2012. More information about the TX38 is available at www.cycle-24.com/antennas.htm.

Cycle 24 TX38 antenna to be used at WRTC 2014

About WRTC 2014

The World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) is held every four years and consists of approximately 50 two-person teams of amateur radio operators from around the world competing in a test of operating skill. Unlike most on-the-air competitions, all stations are required to use identical antennas from the same geographic region, eliminating all variables except operating ability. Previous WRTCs have been held in Seattle (1990), San Francisco (1996), Slovenia (2000), Finland (2002), Brazil (2006), and Russia (2010). More information is available at www.wrtc2014.org or contact WRTC Chairman, Doug Grant, K1DG, via e-mail at k1dg@wrtc2014.org.

About Cycle 24 Antenna Products Company

Cycle 24 is owned and operated by Stan Stockton, K5GO and Kevin Stockton, N5DX. With over four decades of antenna design and construction experience, Cycle 24 provides high quality, American made antenna related products. More information is available at www.cycle-24.com



TX38 Triband Yagi
THE OFFICIAL ANTENNA OF WRTC 2014


Frequency Range 14 MHz / 21 MHz / 28 MHz Max Element Length 36' 4"
Active Elements-14-21-28 2-2-4 Boom Wind Survival 170 mph
Impedance 50 ohms- Single Feedpoint Min. Element Wind Survival 80 mph
Antenna Weight 30 lbs. Wind Load 5.3 sq/ft
Boom Length 14' 6" Turning Radius 19' 4"
Power Handling 3 KW Balun Included
Mast Size 2"
PRICE $1,149.00 Shipping & Handling $50

The TX38 triband Yagi has now been selected as the official antenna of the WRTC-2014 competition.

The TX38 is a 30 pound Yagi antenna with 8 full-sized elements (2 elements each on 20 and 15 meters and 4 elements on 10 meters). It features mono-band performance across the three major HF frequencies while utilizing a single 50 ohm feedpoint. A high quality 1:1 balun is included with this antenna. The TX38 was designed for wide bandwidth across 20, 15, and 10 meters and is rated to survive more than 80 MPH winds on a 14.5 foot (4.4m) boom. The antenna features all stainless steel element hardware and element mounting blocks to reduce wind vibration in the elements. NEC 4 with custom optimization software developed specifically for multi-band, interlaced designs was used to design the TX38. Real world verification have shown the TX38 to have superb gain, VSWR, and front/rear across the 10, 15, and 20 meter frequencies. This antenna is ideal for DXpeditions, field day, or permanent installations.

The TX38 is MADE in the U.S.A.

Frequency Gain dBi @ 60' Gain dBi* VSWR* Front-Rear* Elements
14.000-14.350 11.65-Plot 6.38-Plot 1.293-Curve 10.74 2
21.000-21.450 12.41-Plot 6.78-Plot 1.360-Curve 9.84 2
28.000-28.800 13.45-Plot 7.92-Plot 1.371 -Curve 22.26 4
*Average across the entire frequency ranges listed.

It is an honor for Cycle-24's TX38 antenna to be selected as the official yagi for WRTC-2014. We sought to deliver a new and exciting antenna design that would be fitting for this unprecedented international contesting event to take place in New England in 2014. The TX38 was electrically and mechanically designed to the exacting standards of the WRTC committee. Scott McClements, WU2X, wrote custom optimization software specifically for the design of multiple-band antennas. His electrical design provides superior performance across the 20, 15, and 10 meter bands.

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