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GoldenRod 45 A+ antenna

pimphand442

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Jun 11, 2011
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i have an old goldenrod 45 a+ antenna has anybodu ever heard of this antenna ive never seen one like it before so i baught it for 15 bucks at a yard sale thought i could find some more info on here im not even sure on how to go about adjustin the swr on it but its labled 10-11m. thanks
 

There are two models for this antenna. What is the length of the one you got 442?

My Pop use to use the shorter ones on his field trucks and found them to be very effective, but I don't think they showed enough bandwidth to work both 10 and 11 meters.

I'm also not sure how much adjustment range the wire top hats provided, or how effective they were in raising the frequency to 28.500. I think the antenna was basically designed for 11 meters only...but maybe you could raise the frequency a bit, but I'm not sure about effectively going up to 28.500.
 
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That link above is still good (2019 update)

I’ve had one of these for umpteen years. Used to run it on the roof of our Jeep XJ with a triple mag mount. Good reports on a Uniden PC76 with a dual final upgrade (Clays CB) now 20-years ago.

I’ve even threatened to try it on this Peterbilt. Recently acquired a mount for the passenger door, so maybe I’ll remember both next time I’m home.

Should put me at 13’ give or take.

(Ha!). And a quick disconnect.

Coax route is the real problem.

I don’t think it’ll do well at 67-mph. May have to use some braided fishing line from the visor.

Signal Engineering told me it was envisioned for a a coupe or sedan trunk mount, centered just aft of the back window. I used it on my New Yorker awhile before going all in on a 108”.

But it’s just collecting dust, so, some Loctite and . . .

(Part of the Museum Curators Certification course, Undertaker: Use ‘em!!)

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Made it home a few days after a 5-6 week trip. Among too many other projects I decided to disassemble this [1998] SIGNAL ENGINEERING GOLDENROD 45 to clean & utilize some self-fusing silicone tape over shrink-tube on shaft.

And to take some pics for those interested.

Bought it 21-years ago. Maybe a month of days in use 1998-2005.

In that period I became seriously ill. Waiting to die, IOW. Had to give up the older car, and most any kind of project. A diagnostic test change indicated a parallel diagnosis that surgery “fixed”. CB sat on the back shelf till 2012 when trucking became full-time.

Don’t ask me why I kept it, ha! Had no friends interested in CB at that time. Would have given it to them.

Now I I think I’ll take the 5’ Skipshooter off the back-of-sleeper 579 Peterbilt and put this up for y’alls edification & entertainment.

The Skipshooter was right at 14’ clearance on TOP GUN stud and SS spring. 90k miles without a problem. (Knock on wood, everyone . . except Undertaker as I’ve been close enough to that wood already).

68965BE3-54EF-4A93-A014-29A4268BC5DB.jpeg A5B897FD-20BB-463D-8CDF-AC4D96422302.jpeg
DD7068EC-80ED-4272-B67D-171D3EBCCDCB.jpeg
A9A33A42-33C8-4625-A145-86BBF04F8D1B.jpeg

1). The white plastic dowel is drilled at both ends, fits another 1.5” into anodized shaft; shows tape remnants.

2). The cap hat & shaft bolts utilize internal tooth lock washers and Ny-Lock nuts.

3). I used some Super Glue under the shrink tube. That and the silicone tape are enough I figure. This isn’t coming apart again.

4). The coating is very light. The current manufacturer (LIGHTNING ANTENNAS) calls it both Alodine (brand name: HENKEL) and anodizing.

I would be a little surprised if it was the latter. The former is said to be easier to apply. In using a DREMEL to cut the corrosion off the terminals, inadvertent slip took coating off way too easily. My anodized SILVER STREAK Travel Trailers would have taken a great deal more to cut the surface coating.

That said, while it’s never been stored outside, it’s virtually corrosion-free.

5). I’ve not replaced the terminals on the coil. I’ve powered off the corrosion on the ends and am hoping there’s little or none under the crimp.

6. In years past I’ve seen comments that it’s not put together well. I’ll grant it’s simplicity. But I never had it come apart in use. Some of those trips made roof- mounted on a triple-mag were 1,800-miles. A call to SE back in the day was that it was envisioned as a trunk lip mount where a good deal of the shaft was below the roofline.

Once reassembled I’ll show with a tape measure for scale.

Then, to see if the coil will clear the Pete’s roof. (It’ll be close).

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There used to be a decent review online of the GR45 in .pdf form. By “decent” I mean a few photographs and the reviewer was a HAM (if memory serves). A field strength chart perhaps? 15-paragraphs?

I recall it being favorable. None of that “faint praise” stuff.

All I’ve found today are broken links to a “fire communications” .pdf which may have been that review.

Elsewhere, questions posed were asked long ago (different forums); circa 1995-2005. eHam has only a sentence about the related “50” model.

As one post-er commented on one of those threads, he’d like to try to build one. If he isn’t alone in that then my post above and the following to show a few dimensions might be of service.

The current manufacturer uses artwork; not a photograph. Of the pics I have found online, none show any detail.

So if you find one at a garage sale for $15 (like one lucky guy) check it against this.

I’ve loosened the cap hat in the past, but this was the first time it’s been taken apart since manufacture.


It was hella fun watching expressions on passing drivers when I had it roof-mounted on an unmarked dark 4WD just after 9/11. 5’ above the roof. I returned those gazes with an unblinking distant look, ha!

The usual truck driver comment was, “Hey, you trying to contact the moon with that thing?” As the complete radio rig could out-talk pretty well all of them, any response by me (of any type) shut it down quickly. Friendly or irritated, didn’t matter. Plenty were startled. Didn’t realize it was 11-Meter.

That was a weird set of months , you’ll recall.

“For less than a third the price of a StarGun, and only a fraction the cost of The Rod of God antennas, you, too, can be the Talk of the Big Road!!”

Image from:

LIGHTNING ANTENNA
GOLDENROD GR45


38E14155-63E1-435A-B547-AF024AFA7115.jpeg

One of these days I’d like to find a big ol’ sedan from when America was fun and mock up a temp mount for photos.

My fuselage C-Body Chrysler was both longer and wider than a Suburban. All that sheet metal and this antenna, while different, wasn’t so weird when in its “natural” environment.

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  • Phone Camera. Not best.

And it’s already D hot outside before 0900. On its way past 100F later. Third week of July in North Texas, whoulda thunk?

Left shows that the two are indeed same height.

Right shows height of mount.

63” + 103” = 13.8/ft.
(I knew I was close to 14’ as I have a 15’ clearance with 14’ swing bar at the KENWORTH plant in Chillicothe, OH).

.
 

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L: Dimensions of top hat. Loop is 18”L. Width is variable according to manipulating shape for tuning. (IIRC, when received from SE was barely inwards at center. I called and Anthony said it should be right on).

R: Distance of coil connections is at 8”
 
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