ANTRON 99 fibreglass flaking

[ai4ep]

Over the years associated with Citizens Band radio, I used to use an Antron 99, or Solar con . When re - selling the used ones, some type of discrepantcy was always made about " the GOOD ones did not have bits and pieces of the fibreglass come off in your hands, while the JUNK ones had plenty of fibreglass come off ". What are the facts on the situation, was it
manufacturing defect --
reaction of the fibreglass to daily sun light/ozone --
reaction to more than 4 watts rf being applied to it --
Reason I am asking, is I have a very, very old one ( pre - 1985 ) that has " shards of fibreglass falling off it like dead hair " and I was going to tune it for 10 meter operation, but wonder...should I just spend $60 - $70 for a NEW one ( that is right, hams are cheap/thrifty ). Of course I wont get more than $15 - $20 for the old one due to the local public opion by the cb guru s that if " YOU have one for sale it is no good, but if I have one for sale it is worth more than when it was brand new ". ---ai4ep--- http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[KI4BOO]

You can fix them with a few cans of clear coat spray, if the fraying isnt too bad.

But if it is to the point that the antenna seems to have a mat of hair growing on it... Throw it away and get a new one.

[N8YV]

Ultraviolet (UV) from the sun is the main cause of the deterioration you are describing. Since the fiberglass itself has nothing to do with the radiating or tuning of the antenna, as long as it's still sturdy and watertight, there isn't much point in replacing it. Just be careful when handling it, some of those glass fibers can easily find their way under your skin.

73

[ai4ep]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif I am also GUESSING that the reason the " flaking " is not seen on 102 " fibreglass whips, 4 foot Fibreglass whips, etc that are usually mounted on vehicles..is... that the WIND from driving down the highway at 50 - 90 miles-per-hour blows/knocks off the loose strands the vibration of the vehicle/road contributes some too; and you never knew they were there. Whereas with the ANTRON 99, it is just standing there day in & day out, with an occassional gust of 40 - 60 miles per hour going by, and the shards of fibreglass dont have any thing to " pull " them off like the wind from a moving vehicle does to the mobile antennas. That is just a GUESS. ---ai4ep---

[K9STH]

The Communications Products Stationmaster ("croppie pole") antennas usually survive being hundreds of feet in the air without any sign of flaking on the fiberglass. These antennas are exposed to all sorts of environmental situations including winds over 100 mph, rain, sleet, snow, ice, and even sun for decades.

I guess it really depends on how well the fiberglass is sealed.

Glen, K9STH

[w6ez]

The problem is that the resin is eaten away by the wind and sun, then the glass strands come loose. I have repaired several of these antennas by sanding and then coating with a good epoxy paint. I went so fas ast to coat one with some epoxy resin once but the mess wasn't worth it.

[KG4CGC]

What W6EZ said. Also, look for a paint made for fiberglass that does not contain any metal particles. If it already contains UV block then that's a plus otherwise add a couple of coats of UV block.
I have painted a couple of A99's to make them look like part of a tree. The neighbors seemed to like it!

[KA9VQF]

I used Val-spar marine grade polyurethane on my Big stick. It has a UV rating of 22. I did this around five years ago when we re-shingled the roof and I can’t see any deterioration yet.

[ai4ep]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif ...hmmm...camoflague ( sp )...what an ORIGINAL idea !!...I like that one !!.. ---ai4ep---

[N5RLR]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ai4ep @ April 13 2004,13:27)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><span style='color:darkgreen'>http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif ...hmmm...camouflage...what an ORIGINAL idea !!...I like that one !!..</span>[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
<span style='color:blue'>Better: #Convince the manufacturer(s) of these antennas to offer them in OD Green or Camo pattern [such as Mossy Oak<span style='font-size:7pt;line-height:100%'>&lt;TM&gt;</span>]. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif</span>

[KG6SOF]

The Good VS Bad only comes from some of the Fiberglass style antennas letting moisture past the bad glass and affecting the SWR. Just coat the antenna in Val-spar like KA9VQF said or another marine grade coating as they are designed to take major weather abuse and the antenna should last for many more years

[KC7UP]

I must be out of the loop, I never heard of this antenna.
Curt

[K8EEI]

The definitive answer is UVs .

Those antennas are coated with fiberglas gel coat which has no UV protection .

#Being in the automotive collision and refinishing industry , I do know this .

# If you buy a one new you can coat it with a good automotive acrylic urethane clearcoat after cleaning it with a good solvent and soap and water and scuffing it with sand paper or a scotchbrite for adhesion .(in that order ) .

#Even a good carnuba wax can help if you can't obtain a good automotive urethane clearcoat . Or even a wood finish such as sparvarnish which has UV protection .(after proper preparation)

Do you all know the &quot;5 P's &quot;


&quot;Piss poor preparation prevents performance &quot; . Keep that in mind .

#I've taken an old one and cleaned it and sanded it (carefully) to avoid fiberglas splinters and clearcoated it with a good automotive acrylic urethane and it worked just fine for several years .

[KA9VQF]

Curt, these are chicken band antennas. Mine was made by Shakespear I belive it is basicly a halfwave dipole stood on end, no ground plain. the bottom half has the center conductor running through it to the top half. Pretty neat deal really.

[KC8QMU]

Ummmm, it's not just necessarily a &quot;chicken band&quot; antenna, and although it looks a bit similar, it is not the same configuration as the 1/2 wave &quot;big sticks&quot; made by Shakespeare and a few other.


These antennas can be cut to provide good bandwidth and performance on the 10 meter band, and with a tuner can also be used on the 12, 15 , and 17 meter bands with good performance, and 20 meters with somewhat compromised performance. #It is a 1/2 over 1/4 wave vertical antenna design.

[XV2PS]

If the fiberglass is at the surface, you first have to add or epoxy or polyester. This for the mecanical proprties. Epoxy is stronger but very UV sensitive. Polyester should get a gelcoat if possible UV proof, or a lacquer as herunder.
Epoxy can get a PU 2 components UV absorbing (car body type) to protect it. Lot of work...

[k6pme]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (ai4ep @ April 13 2004,11:27)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif ...hmmm...camoflague ( sp )...what an ORIGINAL idea !!...I like that one !!.. #---ai4ep---[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
I saw a HF verticle antenna painted this way a few months ago tucked in amongst some landscaping. It's been set up along a main road in the area and is completely invisible. The only reason I knew it was there is that I spotted the feedline in his backyard. I had to walk to within 15 ft before I actually &quot;saw&quot; it.

[KA9VQF]

Well, yes mine was actually sold as a 5/8 wave for 11m and it loaded up so well on the novice sections of all the bands, with my old Tempo one, when I got my novice ticket that I kept it around. Glad I did it will out perform the G5RV a lot of the time.

[ai4ep]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif According to the &quot; spec sheet &quot; an ANTRON 99 will work with up to 1000-1600 watts. According to the local &quot; cb guru s &quot; the ONLY time they will start to &quot; flake the fibreglass off &quot; will be if the antenna is BURNED UP by running more than 1600 watts into it. ( lol ). The &quot; local cb guru s &quot; say at that time the antenna is no good for any thing and should be thrown in a dumpster ( for the &quot; cb guru s &quot; to go retrieve later for their personal use ) or just given away. I am going to get some of this stuff mentioned in earlier posts and fix mine up and put it back up for 10 - 12 - 17 meter usage ( thanks for the information, I knew it would work on 10-12 but not as far bandwidth as 17 meters ). Current vswr is 1.1 - 1.3 at 27.200 Mhz ( near cb channel 20 )...it dont flake that bad, and with a bit off effort, I can fix it to where it dont flake fibreglass at all. I just hate it http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif that the lousy folks would LIE to some one about something like that, not just ME, but all of the other folks that were/ are being LIED to. But considering the source, it is really nothing new. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif .........thanks to all who responded, more folks learned something than just me who read these posts about ANTRON 99, BIG STICKS, etc.these antennas are used by lots of folks, and if this helps just ONE to maintain and keep a good antenna going for years to come, then it is all worth it...helping others ! ---ai4ep---

[k9kjm]

ALL fiberglass antennas eventually get &quot;hairy&quot;
and you need to use gloves to handle. Including
the commercial Phelps-Dodge &quot;Super Stationmaster&quot;
The big buck commercial antennas may (Or may not)
have a heavier gel coat and last somewhat longer than
an A-99, But sooner or later, They all need replacement
or a coat or more of clearcoat to keep the hair in check.
As mentioned, This is a UV and outdoor weather caused
problem, Has nothing to do with hooking up a 70,000
watt CB mobil (Or whatever) to one.
Most any type of paint or clearcoat can be used to greatly
extend the life of any of these types of antennas, As
long as the paint or clear coat is non RF conductive.
(Test a sample in the microwave oven when the XYL is
not around. If it warms up a lot, Do not use it.....) http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[K9STH]

VQF:

The antenna configuration that you described is often called a &quot;coaxial&quot; antenna. That is one where the top half is fed through the feedline coming through the center of the lower half. This type of antenna is basically a vertical dipole and they usually work very well for a 0 dBd gain antenna.

Glen, K9STH

[kf7qq]

this is a common thing if you live in the desert.
I dont think there is anything to do about it unless you treat it. I would buy a new one, and start over. And remember not to touch the thing.73