so im surfing around looking at base antennas and at CB Radio Antennas at Discount Prices - Palco Electronics i find what may be a good deal .
they have a workman W-58 omni. for $60 plus 17 S&H to va. .
the also have the maco V-58 for $77 plus 17 S&H to va. .

ive got so many crappy old wires comming to the back of my house that im not even sure i can put up anything with radials . i may have to go with a 2000 or a 99 . but if i find a way is the workman a decent antenna ? is it the same as the maco , just sold under a different brand name ?

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Frank Zappa observed, "It's not getting any smarter out there. You have to come to terms with stupidity, and make it work for you."

I called Palco yesterday and had this exact same question.

The guy that answered the phone transferred me to Tony, the owner of Palco. He was a great guy to talk with with a few funny stories to boot.

He told me that he knows the Maco Antennas are made in the state of Illinois, right here in the Good Ol' U S of A.. but he can not say they he knows where the Workman W58 is made. Basically, the Workman is a clone of a V58, and the V58 is a clone of an Avanti Sigma 5/8...

I ordered a Maco V58, it was a Total of $95 ($76.99 for the antenna, $18.01 UPS Ground), mainly because I have heard that Maco's Customer Service is quite good.

I'll have it Friday.

Maco is now owned by Gizmotchy.

And like you said...

It puts cash in american pockets.

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MoJo
www.mojoenterprises.us

Which would be the best deal? The quick-n-dirty answer would be the cheaper of the two.
Is one just a copy of the other? Yes and no. I would think they are similar because they are the same basic type antenna, a 5/8 wave ground plane. Lots of ways they can be the same thing and be different, no idea in this particular comparison.
Another terrible way to make a comparison is which one weighs the most? I would assume that would mean it's a little heavier-duty than the other one (yeah, I know, big stretch there).
Something else to think about is that mess of wires going to your house. If the 'groundplane' is above those wires, then they shouldn't make much difference. Key work there is 'much', which opens up a whole 'nuther can of worms, sort of. Shouldn't make any more difference with an A99 or Imax though.
So, which to get? Beats me, you gotta decide that.
- 'Doc

If its about money go with the cheapest it will work ok. If its about performance and the bottom of the antennas are at the same level, the longest one wins, if both antennas are at the same height at the top its a tossup. If your looking for an antenna that is broud banned an A99 is a good choice and it has a small wind loud so you can put it up higher than one of those big metal antennas that require lots of guy wires to stay up there...................walterb