Sirio 827 One Year Review and Overview - CB Base Antenna

Someone asked to see my base antenna setup. I thought I've give a bit of an overview to show how it's set up and how it works for me. If you're new to setting up a base station at your house, I will say that you at least need to get an Antron 99 or larger antenna if you are wanting to talk coast to coast regularly.
I had a 102" stainless steel whip with an SWR of 1.1 for over a year and only talked to one person, locally. So do yourself a favor and get a dedicated base antenna. It doesn't need to be very high off of the ground to get you out there.
I chose the Sirio 827 based on what I thought would be the best performance for the cost. It's not as durable as a Colossal 5K antenna, but it's less than half the price. It's nicer than the cheaper Sirio and Maco offerings from what I can tell. Mine has withstood 80mph winds and nothing has come loose in the past year. I used blue Loctite on every threaded connection and have had great luck so far. I'm sending 500W into it with only RG8X (cheap, small, Chinese coax.)
I made this video to demonstrate the sort of performance I get out of the antenna in the middle of the day when skip is rolling. This is pretty typical behavior that I have recorded.

[@user-xs6kn2hb2b]

I've tried the 2016 sireo and in a matter of months it's bending. So I've ordered a 827 wished I had firstly as I had one years ago and it was awesome. So can't wait to get it and put it up 🇬🇧

[@421CentralIowa]

My 827 is two years old. We haven't suffered any insane winds, but maybe a couple of 90mph gusts. It's still as straight as day one.

[@user-xs6kn2hb2b]

@421CentralIowa the 2016 is just like a silver rod with a coil, only up 16ft and it's bent. Can you remember the top section swr length bud.

[@421CentralIowa]

@@user-xs6kn2hb2b I can't remember the exact measurement but the 827 came with instructions to calculate the length of the top element in terms of tuning to what frequency. When I first set mine up for channel 20 my SWR was 1:1 from like 26.500-27.800. I can get away with using it on 10m but my SWR is around 1.7 up there. I have used it on 26.805 to talk on FM without any problems.

[@user-xs6kn2hb2b]

@421CentralIowa brilliant cheers bud 👍

[@ericdee6802]

Sirio makes an excellent product in my opinion, nothing is half assed. You have the right formula, for DX work you want a low takeoff angle, its just the opposite if your working local stations. Thanks for sharing your radio gear with us.😏👍

[@kelnewman1446]

The 827 on the side of your house with much less cable would be even better

[@furion..]

The Sirio 827 (or whatever they call the new version which I believe already comes with the plastic anti-resonance ring) - is probably the best bang for the buck - it's a good performer, (actually Very good) well made, not cheap but not stupid expensive, and is overall just a good solid design.

[@421CentralIowa]

Yeah, I'm glad I went with it. The Sirio is going to outlast my use of it by the time I get a tower and beam of some sort. It's in the middle of the pack on price and durability, but has performed very well for me and it's as straight as the day I put it together. I haven't had any issues with it or needing to give it any attention due to weather or corrosion.

[@MrKmd27]

Thanks for sharing. I just put up an 827 and so far so good. I prefer aluminum antennas, and this one offers good performance for a reasonable price. I used waterproof elec. tape and taped over the sections that connect together. I also purchased the nylon ring for the ground plane.

[@mwilliams55555]

I gave up freebanding in 2002, glad to see it's still going strong, low angle is great for DX, I made 2. Coaxial cable antennas and co-fazed them at 25 feet, one vertical, one horizontal, talked all over the country and the world, 73s. 2AK2410 Mike

[@flhusa1]

Did you use the big 75 ohm coax for your cophase cables ?

[@mwilliams55555]

@@flhusa1 no I used rg-58, it was the best cable I could get though, wasn't the cheap stuff, I got a roll from a local shop that was closing down, 300+ feet left on the roll when I bought it

[@flhusa1]

@@mwilliams55555 ALL COPHASE CABLE ASSEMBLIES REQUIRE 75 OHM TO WORK PROPERLY. GOOGLE IT IF YOU DECIDE TO MAKE ANOTHER ONE.

[@markr9895]

I have this antenna. Great for skip. Mounted on top of a 32’ mast. A lot better than my old A99.

[@Fox250R]

How is it better? Less noise? Thank you

[@markr9895]

@@Fox250RI actually get out really far. I’m in AZ, I can talk skip to the east coast and sometimes to the UK. Tuned perfect on first try. The A99 couldn’t do any of this.

[@Fox250R]

@@markr9895 yeah I want one. Not sure where I can find one tho

[@furion..]

Hey 421, I'm going to try a new antenna out tomorrow or the next day whenever I get it done, it's kind of a home brew design like having a big stick on top of an antron 99 with a two element horizontal beam all driven off of one piece of coax, and if everything works together impedance wise it should make for a healthy DX and local antenna. Listen for the "Beetle Mender Eleventeen" on L36 - L40+ and I hope we have conditions! 73!

[@kkristopher7413]

I use the same antenna with the radial ring. Nothing but praise for that antenna. Still straight, no missing radials, and great performer. Next better thing is a beam. I wouldn't mind trying out the Colossal 5k.

[@421CentralIowa]

Mine is a year old and looks the same as the day it went up. It also works the same as when it went up, so my mission has been accomplished. Out of sight, out of mind :)

[@charlieodonnell9129]

Thank you for getting back to me I've just bought one literally today do I'm waiting for it to arrive in the next week or so I'll see if I can get it to about 40feet may be and it's possible to have a dx chat some time 👍

[@421CentralIowa]

They work well for DX. You will like it.

[@johnnyphillips9735]

Nice setup i have a penatrator 5/8 wave old school ive had to move it bc of the static low swrs is what one of the things i like about it I'll be putting it up soon my boomer is down right now but it be on the air soon thanks for sharing hillbilly in the bam waving 👋

[@furion..]

well I had a whole bunch of omni verticals, the two Sirio antennas I've had were the Gain Master and New Vector 4K, and I've had an i-10k, a Shockwave, Zer0-5 Colossal, helped a friend retune and install his Mr coily, along with all of the other fun little antennas like Astroplane, Starduster, A99, Imax2K, also had a GPE27 by Sirio, Avanti Sigma-II ⅝, Taylor GLR-4 "Grandslammer", Hy-Gain CLR-2 & Penetrator, Hustler JamRam, Super Maxim, Mighty Magnum III - plus various home-brew oddities 😆 and the one thing they all share in common is there's metal in all of them. 😜

[@davidvogler]

Great video! Very interested in getting the Sirio 827!

[@StevieB-jj9fz]

Awesome video and antenna man. I definitely need to get me a base antenna set up. Sirio does make excellent antennas. I need to be over 10 feet. My house is surrounded by some fat trees. Thanks again for the video.

[@421CentralIowa]

It's surprising what'll work. Some people strap Antron 99 antennas part way up a tree, right against the wood and manage to have good performance. Having the antenna away from trees probably helps to tune it. I followed the length suggestions in the instructions and had 1.0 SWR without having to re-adjust. My SWR is 1.3-1.5 only when I'm using my amplifier. It's about 1.0-1.1 with just the radio barefoot.

[@flhusa1]

Trees have no effect on your signal.

[@flhusa1]

​@@421CentralIowaI have a hybrid antron 99 in my oak tree about 35 feet up .painted camouflage so no HOA member can see it. Hybrid because it has a cut down stainless steel whip for top section and the rest is factory for lower sections. My antenna gets higher every year. 😢😂😊😊

[@jonthebru]

Good review, I'll be using the Serio 827 for 10 meters. Nice closeup shots of the radial hub.

[@421CentralIowa]

It should work well for that. I have about a 1mhz range (26.600 - 27.600) of having an SWR of 1.0 so it's wide banded enough to cover all of 10m without any issues.

[@miker8379]

@@421CentralIowa I get 2megs of good swr.

[@421CentralIowa]

@@miker8379 Yeah, I just hooked my antenna to my analyzer and have 1.5:1 from about 26.000 - 28.000. The whole 11m range is below 1.1:1. I like how wide banded the antenna is.

[@z3r0c00l2]

I have the same .... But I have qrm / qrn from outside sources around my house and the antenna picks it up .... My normal static noise is between s2-s3 but sometimes noise goes between s5-s7 .

[@peternewman958]

I’ve got a Sirio Gainmaster and they are fantastic here in Australia, i also have the 827 but its still in the USA.

[@kloteful]

i got the 827 here as well and i am not verry happy with the swr 2:1 on 27.500 manual info says: 27.500 = 300mm tuning length but it gives me a high swr even with new new rg213 cable en new plugs on it

[@421CentralIowa]

I get almost a 1 mhz stretch with an SWR below 1.4 from end to end, dipping down to about a 1.05 at the resonant frequency (using a Rig Expert antenna analyzer.) Mine tuned right on the money when I got it and was using RG8x coax. I've since changed over to LMR400 and the tuning changed. I shortened the antenna a bit and I'm still resonant on 27.085 at the moment. So it seems you may need to play with the length based on your feedline setup. It's annoying to have to change things after the fact though, taking it apart...

[@skiball2000]

Please explain the #421 What does it stand for? Where do operators get these numbers and are they necessary. When I was into CB radio in the 1970’s and 80’s we used handles. Mine was Oddball… Taken from the movie Kelly’s Heroes…

[@421CentralIowa]

It's the last three numbers on the license plate of my Chevy pickup. You just choose them as a way to kind of make yourself unique when you're DXing. I've run into other 421s from other states like Georgia, Florida, Colorado... There's no rhyme or reason to it. 766, a notoriously loud CBer on channel 6 chose his numbers from.... the last three numbers of his 1972 Cadillac license plate ;) I should probably use a handle as often as I'm trying to talk cross-country, but the numbers was something I used when I first got into SSB talking.

[@miker8379]

Handles for am. Numbers for sideband. There’s actually more to it than that. There are some DX clubs that issue numbers and there are country prefixes. 2 for USA 8 is Canada,26 England and on and on. Most Americans just want to wave a hand anyway.

[@furion..]

On Sundays I think there's guys listening on Lower 39 who give out World radio numbers, even though Eli is Silent Key, I think they're still giving numbers out. 73

[@AndrewSparkfish]

Awesome video thanks. Am wondering how it would cope in strong winds. Do you get much wind in your area ?

[@421CentralIowa]

I don't get a lot of wind, but we have those random derecho storms. It has survived at least 80mph gusts a time or two and then day-long 40mph wind. I bought that black plastic ring to keep the ground radials stable and it seems to work really well.

[@peternewman958]

Replace the electrical tape with self amalgamation tape and you won’t be replacing it regularly.

[@michaelgilreath1025]

Thank you for the review!!!

[@charlieodonnell9129]

I thought it would be a lot higher is it better having it that little of the ground or would it work better higher or Is it the same at your high for higher ???

[@421CentralIowa]

It'd be ideal to have the ground radials at about 36 feet up off of the ground, on a tower. I seem to get out pretty well at 10 feet, but it's not ideal, especially for local talk. Locally I am able to talk to guys about 60 miles away on sideband. I could get up to about 100 miles of reach if I raised it higher into the air.

[@dylanschulz2404]

I am CB ignorant. How do you get your dx call sign/number? Thanks for the video.

[@Fox250R]

For the most part you just make it up.

[@portabull749]

Awesome.

[@timmack2415]

Well, "skip" means just about nothing. The real question is how does it work locally, and out toward the horizon?.

[@421CentralIowa]

Skip is everything. I only talk DX, not locally. I have mine mounted 10 feet off of the ground. I imagine it'd work fine locally if it was 36+ feet off of the ground, but I don't talk to locals. I have talked to someone on sideband who was on a moonraker, about 65 miles from me as the crow flies.

[@timmack2415]

@@421CentralIowa I should have been more clear- While "Skip" may be a personal preference as far as desired outcome, "skip" is not, in any meaningful way, a good measure of an antenna's effectiveness; it's far more an indicator of atmospheric conditions and solar activity. Despite manufacturers hype, we live in a physical world with physical laws. A half wave vertical antenna will radiate as a half-wave, the same is true for 5/8 or quarter wave antennas. The only real consideration is the specific location they're used, matching network's loss, antenna height and physical material used, but they still function identically as dictated by the laws of electromagnetic radiation. 5/8 wave antennas are a compromise antenna. Some of the higher radiation angles are shifted lower, however, that is far less than ideal for all locations. While a 5/8 antenna is a good choice for those who are in a high location or in the clear, those lower in elevation or who have obstructions will have quite significant ground loss. Transmitting your signal into nearby hills equates to substantial loss, signal degradation and pattern distortion. Also, shifting the max radiating angel from about 20 degrees (half wave) down to about 16 degrees (5/8 wave antenna) is not as good for sporadic-E skip (the most common type on 10/11 Meters) in all cases but does have the edge in uncommon long skip. Sporadic E skip will favor the half wave every time as 20 degrees is the optimal angle. So, one can never generalize that one is superior to the other without considering specifics. The real answer is that it depends. There are path profiling calculators online that allow you to plot your radiation pattern from a particular location. At my house in Pennsylvania, (1,485' ASL and the second highest point in the county) the 5/8 wave antenna is a winner. From my house in Essex county, NJ, the half wave is, by far, the better choice. I would almost guarantee that, considering the height of your antenna, coupled with a 5/8 wave antenna with radiation angles down to 5° (almost straight out from the antenna) a 1/2 wave antenna would clearly be the decisive winner for you. I'm a retired electrical engineer and I have designed many communication facilities throughout my career. I'm far from being an "expert" in all things RF, but basic rules apply and you might just find yourself pleasantly surprised by using some free path profiling software and making a decision based on empirical data. Again, I'm not criticizing you or your station, I'm just trying to help. 73

[@NLINE7]

Skip is all about atmospheric condition's. If conditions are in your favor where you are at, then someone with like 12 watts of power can talk over someone operating 1kw amp. It cracks me up how these manufacturers say this so&so particular antenna is the best for DXing. It's all marketing B.S. on the DX part.I've talked skip on a Wilson Little Will magnetic mount antenna inside my house stuck to a metal stair railing. Also talked to a local friend 12 miles away from me on the same setup. All this done using a President 2510 putting out around 35 watts PEP on LSB.

[@timmack2415]

@@421CentralIowa I have a 10 meter beacon. I spent about $5.00 to make a vertical, wire dipole. I'm running just under two watts. I have 114 countries and 34 US states confirmed since April. A simple dipole made with 14 gauge wire and less than two watts works pretty well for me.

[@timmack2415]

@@421CentralIowa Not to mention that a few years from now, there won't be any "skip" as this cycle winds down. We're just past the peak of Solar Cycle 25. As you know, it's an 11 year cycle. So, it'll be 22 years before we're here again. We're going down in the cycle and it'll be less "skip" every year and 11 years from now we'll be at the very bottom of the cycle and no skip will be found. Plus, a 5/8 wave antenna like this is not the best for 11 Meter DX. The majority of it is sporadic E and the angle of radiation of a 5/8 wave antenna is lower than the optimal 20⁰ to 22⁰. A 1/2 wave vertical is a good choice for the best DX. .73

[@jojojeep1]

I want to get a makeover 58 but at my age I can see putting an antenna that’s 18 feet wide up on my roof. Your antenna is the second one I want do you think it’s as good as a Macco honest question because I’m going to get one.

[@421CentralIowa]

I like the Sirio 827 design better than the Maco V58. It seems like it would hold up better to weather over time in terms of staying in tune. Both antennas would work well though as a good 5/8 wavelength ground plane style antenna.

[@franciscolopez3229]

May I ask what frequencies does that antenna cover? I mean can it be used from 10 and 11 meters without any modifications?

[@421CentralIowa]

It can be used for either 10m or 11m, but not both at the same time with good SWR readings on both bands. It covers about 1mhz with a flat 1.0:1 SWR. I've got it tuned for 27.285mhz and have talked on 10m between 28.300-28.500 but my SWR is something like 2.3:1.

[@gogeorge7]

Awesome video. I like the 23 channel radio👍 what amp? Great radio station‼️

[@421CentralIowa]

I think Palomar called it the Deluxe 500 or the Boomer 500. Someone had it for sale locally, so I picked it up last year. It's been working fine, so I'm using it for now. I'd like to eventually pay a builder to make me something nicer.

[@zukispur5493]

@@421CentralIowa A builder?

[@421CentralIowa]

@@zukispur5493 People who build amplifiers. There are countless builders in the USA who sell the same basic 'pill' type amplifiers.

[@zukispur5493]

@@421CentralIowa if you want something built properly get it built here Germany or Japan 🌚

[@zukispur5493]

@@421CentralIowa I use a amplifier made in Italy 😂 rm kl 503. It does the job especially at my height.

[@gabrielsalazar8005]

Hola amigo. Saludos desde Chile. Que modelo es tu radio anytone...?????....gracias.

[@LuisPerez-xe6nu]

AnyTone AT-6666

[@enriqueacevedo7651]

Where can you get one of these antennas?

[@421CentralIowa]

I got mine on Amazon, but I don't see any on there at the moment. There are some on ebay for 160 dollars.

[@Fox250R]

Would you recommend this over a iMax 2000? Thank you

[@421CentralIowa]

I like it, but people who have the 2000 also like theirs. I wanted an aluminum antenna rather than a fiberglass one. The nice thing about the Antron 99 and Imax 2000 is they are lower profile without the ground radials at the base. If you think the neighbors care about visuals, the fiberglass antennas still work. I have a local 1 mile from me that gets out as well as I do with his new Antron 99.

[@Fox250R]

@@421CentralIowa 10 4 thank you

[@AJ-te1ot]

what kind of power are you using there lol !

[@stefanrudorfer4317]

With how many Watts you send at min 6:12? I see it right almost 600 Watts or i`m wrong?

[@421CentralIowa]

That Workman meter is a bit optimistic. With the Anytone measured by my Bird 43 meter, I have a carrier of about 125-150w RMS and peak out at about 450w. The amplifier is a 4 transistor, 1446 design for low-ish drive. It was originally marketed as a 500w amplifier.

[@fulltruckereffect]

💪💪💪

[@jamalelkilay2830]

Bravo 👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@UDX-21]

Aluminummmmm is the best, LOL . Dirty Diaper 21

[@PhilipHounsham]

😎👍

[@kelnewman1446]

Mines up 60 feet all the money spent to get a mug on the other end wots the point 😂

[@Mrshutdown60010]

I talk too you 421

[@terryshrives8322]

I think height is over rated. I have seen guys with their antenna literally on the ground do better then guys that have it 50ft in the air.

[@421CentralIowa]

It would help me a lot to talk to my locals better, but for DX, it may actually help to have it lower to the ground sometimes.

[@terryshrives8322]

@@421CentralIowa That's true, I should have clarified that. Definitely for local, go higher. But on the ground, I've seen amazing DX

[@NLINE7]

I have a buddy of mine that has a 5/8 super penetrator ground plane that is mounted on a 4 ft metal fence post. I have a A99 mounted 20 ft metal pole.We are both running same radios Anytone 5555n2. He can hear people and talk to them up to 80 miles away that I can't even hear. I'm looking at the Sirio 827 or 2016 models.

[@1OFGODSOWN]

Get a True Peak Reading Wattmeter and throw that Junk Away.If it doesn’t have a Peak Reading Circuit it can’t read Peak Power and that requires power going to that Circuit and not just to a light in the meter.An Average Reading Meter is Junk and Cheap for a reason & why the CB Shops sell them.👎🏻🎙

[@421CentralIowa]

I have two Bird 43 meters inline to read output power and reflected power in realtime nowadays. I also have a RigExpert AA35 and a Nano VNA.

[@zukispur5493]

If you put that antenna up against a £40 odd quid silver rod you wouldn't be able to justify paying the extra £100.

[@skiball2000]

Will the silver rod also work on 40 meters?

[@zukispur5493]

@@skiball2000 no. 26 to 28 megs. 10 and 11 meters

[@skiball2000]

@@zukispur5493 Actually here in the US 10 meters stops at 29.7 MHz. I was planning on purchasing a Sirio 827 as a 10 meter vertical. The prospect of getting 11(CB), 12, 15, 17, 20 and even 40 meters on the antenna was a big plus towards my decision. You mentioned the silver rod as a cheaper alternative.. If I can get the same bang for less bucks, I’m all in. That’s the reason for my question to you. Amateur operator- WW3HAM

[@zukispur5493]

@@skiball2000 I didn't realize the 827 had such a wide range. Kinda justifies the price now I suppose. The simple silver rod is enough for me right about now though. I have it on the roof of a 18 story tower block here in London 🌚 can get out all over London on a watt or two. Vintage cb radio is my thing , those I wanted in the 80s that I couldn't afford. Cobra 148 gtl DX. Stalker x1. Westland 707. Midland 7001. President Lincoln mk1. Teardrop mic. Turner jm+2u. Silver eagle mics ect. Anyway brother nice chatting with ya🌚👍

[@zukispur5493]

@@skiball2000 old licensed hams are killing this wonderful hobby. They all need to lighten up. 🌚

[@Randy-lf2dp]

Nice i have an imax i black taped it up gonna put in pine-tree 28ft up not to high have good one 290 in beer Capitol wavn

[@Fox250R]

Why the tape? For splinters?

[@Randy-lf2dp]

@@Fox250R hard too see when placed in tree plus splinters

[@furion..]

Hey Randy how many rolls of tape did it take to wrap that thing LOL I've actually thought about doing that too, starting at the bottom wrapping up to the top of each section and then back down over it so each wrap is like a roof over the last one. I think I figured it would require about 10-12 rolls. How many did yours take?

[@Randy-lf2dp]

@@furion.. one roll 3m 700 stuffl ive been running my penettator 500 on 10ft mast i moved to new house im on 38 lsb take care from 290 located 20miles west of milwaukee