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102 INCH DARK GRAY FIBERGLASS ANTENNA ?

Switch Kit

Switch Kit

Well-Known Member
Apr 6, 2005
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I at first thought it was a Fransis , but the color took me first and then there was no markings on it ? Fransis ,if i recall , always stamped there's around the bottoms, Does anybody know what this antenna might be ? All's I can really say is that it looks just like a Fransis but 102 inches long. I can say this much about it , it seems somewhat sturdier (stiffer then the Fransis) Thanks .........Radio Shack maybe ?
 

Yea, I would have thought it was an old Francis Amazer based on your description. Have you tried it yet? What kind of standing wave do you get?
 
Have not tried it yet , but I found a used Fransis (Wheeler Dealer) a few weeks back at a radio ham type flea market for 5 bucks (even had a monster heavy duty spring on it), this one was in a pile of fishing poles some dude had at the local swap meet , he took 2 dollars for it and wasn't sure where it came from ? They don't make the Fransis 8ft'ers no more so I thought I would grab them when ever I saw them through out my travels , But this Dark Gray one is a first for me at 102 inches ? The Fransis's are 96 inches. But like I said , this gray dude is really sturdy with a nice semi-type gloss finish to it compared to the Fransis somewhat flat coat finish. Hmmm ? Thanks for the replies guys.
 
231 said:
Yea, I would have thought it was an old Francis Amazer based on your description. Have you tried it yet? What kind of standing wave do you get?
Click to expand...

Well , whatever it is ? matched out very nicely when I tried it a few days ago , ,needle on meter wouldn't move on channel 1 and it was about a 1.3 on 40 .
 
those are 96 in. this one is 102in , most Fransis stamp there's at the bottom of the antenna. (Maybe years ago they didn't ? and they were 102 inches ?)
 
Now what I found might not be the same antenna. What I found was a franCis and not franSis. francis DID make an 8 foot but it is disconntinued. for how long they have been i do not know.
 
:) your ok ,ole Switch spelled it wrong like I do a lot of words , as far as I know , they were 96 inches long not 102 inches , but it wouldn't be the first time I was wrong either. Maybe they did come out with a Francis 102 ? Peace
 
My spelling isn't up to par either. One web site that I went to who sells those antennas sais they have some but are dicontinued. Another one I went to said that they are still selling them and did not say anything about dicontinued. I can't remember the third one but, other web site it seemed to me that they were still in production.
 
Here's the story . Barjan (whom also owns Wilson antenna's) baught out Francis a while back , it's been about a year or so that the 8 footers have been discontinued , they say it was because of shipping costs on that sized antenna.......Go figure ? they (Barjan) still using the Francis name, still make (or put out) those antenna's just not in the 8 foot size. )-: I also stand corrected , I just installed a 5.5 ft Francis the other day and it DID NOT have the Francis stamp on the bottom of the mount. Go figure again ? Also bigger shops with more inventory could very easily still have the 8 footers in stock , but one things for sure ,they DO NOT make that style of antenna anymore. Shops that do have them ? could very easily double or triple the price of them ,they used to go for about 10 to 20 dollars depending on where you went to get them. They are very good antenna's and I could surely see a guy paying 40 dollars for one if he had to.
 
I used to have the gray francis, about 5.5 feet years ago. Thought it was a great antenna. Took my mobile out for a while put the stuff in the garage and don't know what happend to it. Bad mistake on my part. Now, several years later with antenna problems, I'm wishing I still had. Now on the search for a good new mobile antenna. Seems I can't ever win. Hopefully Barjan still makes the Francis just as good, if I can find one of those.
 
After all that talk about Francis antennas, I just went out and bought a Monkey Made. Hopefully I'll be hooking it up Monday when I get back home to my pickup truck. Everyone wish me luck, I'll need it.
 
Good luck with the Monkey Jon , I can say this much as far as Franscis antennas are concerned , they are very good TXing and RXing antennas at any size. Always have been fairly cheap and easy to match at any size. Of course you will always do best with the larger ones , but depending on how far and to whom it is your trying to talk to , I think there's a right size for just about anybody in this hobby. The Wheeler Dealer and the Amazer were great antenna's ! Whenever I would have a problem with a 102 SS , usually the Francis would take care of it. I think it was more so the way they were made being fiberglass , you had to be careful with them big babies !! I surely wasn't driving through fast food changes with those on )-: (you could always bend over the 102 SS's ) Amazers' were more solid and stayed that way at 75 miles an hour with a good mount underneath them. (I would also think that SWR's were more stable with the Amazer's because they just didn't flop around like the 102 SS do) I just wish I would have known about there departure, I surely would have grabbed a few of them for future uses. I used one back in 1992 for a base antenna in a apartment building ,it matched out very nicely and I talked all over the world on that antenna at about 25 feet up with plenty of clearance around me. As far as IM concerned ,the cb radio world ,just lost one hell of a antenna. )-:
 
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