antenna prices

[bob85]

how do you guys feel about antenna prices,
are we expecting too much for our dollar?

over here prices have steadily risen over the past 25-30 years or so but at the top end of cb antennas all that has happened is the antennas have gotten poorer,
30 years ago a regular armco 1/2wave end fed cost £7-10, a 5/8 skipmaster groundplane was £24.99,
the avanti sigma2 was way more expensive than an equivalent copy such as the electronica special,
the sigma4 cost £73.99 while the ham international bigmac cost £110,
today in the uk the most expensive vertical is the sirio 827 or the vector 4000 £70 area and the imax is pretty spendy too,

we cry about at paying over £70 for a cb antenna in 2007 but almost 30 years ago we just bought them,
at the bottom end of the market the 1/2wave sigma/hembro junk are not nearly as well made but they cost 4 times the price we were paying back then for the better made armco,

at the top end the prices are about the same not counting the £110 bigmac but the quality/life expectancy of todays sirios/cte's is rubbish compared to the old antennas,

when you figure inflation/average wages have gone up a whole lot over 30 years why are people reluctant to pay more than they did 30 years ago for a decent antenna,
we cant buy a decent ant here because very few people will pay what they would cost,
no market = no decent antennas for the few that would pay more for something decent,
frustrating YUP for me it is.

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

i paid a decent price for my Interceptor I-10K
yet is built extremly well (even compared to 30 yr old designs)
and so i was not worried about paying for a top quality and performing antenna

it pays usally to get the best one can
do people really want poor qulity and performing fiberglass stuff

not me

 

[W5LZ]

Bob,
After factoring in the inflation thingy, I guess it just depends on the person doing the buying. Maybe with how resourceful (frugal/cheap) that person is. In more years than I want to think about, I've bought a total of 6 or 7 antennas. A couple of them were a pretty good investment cuz I couldn't make them my self. The others were a 'weakness' I couldn't resist for one reason or another. In almost every one of those 'other' cases I found that the cost vs. performance was a disappointment. (I paid ~that~ much for only ~that~ much? Thump - idiot! Thump - idiot! (thump = head against wall)).
I'm afraid I'd rather make the silly things. Not that I make such fabulous antennas, but because the difference in performance just isn't worth the difference in cost. I do have this 'cheap' reputation to maintain, you know!
- 'Doc

 

[smokercraft]

antenna cost

Doc. Am I some relation to you???? I have the same reputation to uphold You want to look at inflation, check out ebay on some of the old moonraker's and pdl antenna's.I guess I will never own a nos in the box antenna.