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Firestik Fire-Up 99 Has anyone tried one.?

Moleculo

Ham Radio Nerd
Apr 14, 2002
9,200
1,686
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Dunno if it's just me, but I wouldn't spend money trying to "upgrade" an A-99. I'd just by a better antenna.....







Moleculo


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Firestik A99 Upgrade

Dont waste your money on this product. I read the hype on these and got suckered, stick with the standard A99 tip or better still by an Imax.
My buddy and I put one of these on a brand new A99 and results looked quite promising with swr being 1.2 : 1 on channel 20 and worked some dx. We were using a stock Cobra 148nwst driving a Palomar Tx250 amp and PEP was around 180 -200 watts max.
Next morning SWR was running 3:1 and nothing we did with the tuner seemed to help a great deal, Eventually pulled the antenna back down to find a nice burnt hole the size of a match head in the windings. Replaced the Firestik tip with the original A99 tip and its proven good for over two years. I wouldn't buy anything else with the Firestik name on it.

Murray
 
It doesn't make much sense to me either, trying to 'upgrade' a 1/2 wave end fed antenna is a little like trying to 'upgrade' a center fed 1/2 wave dipole! And 'upgrading' from an antenna with no loading coils- to an antenna with loading coils seems counter intuitive to me.
 
Firestick has been crowing about that "upgrade" since the days of the Shakespere Bigstick.It didn't work 25 years ago and it still doesn't. :roll: There are a few people that will try to tell you it made a huge improvment.Those are the ones I am looking to sell a bridge too. ;)
 
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QRN i agree i also tried a 7 foot firestick with the superbigstick back in the late 70's, it performed worse than the stock antenna.
 
Yeah I would also be one who has been hounded in the past decades about modifying a A99 and the Big Stick of yesteryears. I guess this is why Firestick discontinued this antenna, they made a few bucks I'm sure, but, it's not worth the time to even try it.
 
Yeah I would also be one who has been hounded in the past decades about modifying a A99 and the Big Stick of yesteryears. I guess this is why Firestick discontinued this antenna, they made a few bucks I'm sure, but, it's not worth the time to even try it.

Nice Dredge of a 4+ Year Old Post... :bdh::bdh:
 
yep,,i tried one years ago..guess what..it worked ..1to 1 1/2 s units better tx..i didnt check the rx..i drove out a few miles and had the wife dk me and checked the meter then drove back and changed the tips and drove back and checked again and it does work..it does make the a99 a little shorter though and that should make it a little worse on rx....
 
Firestick has been crowing about that "upgrade" since the days of the Shakespere Bigstick.It didn't work 25 years ago and it still doesn't. :roll: There are a few people that will try to tell you it made a huge improvment.Those are the ones I am looking to sell a bridge too. ;)


If you happen to find any of these people please let me know because I have a few boxes of unopened 1.1 SWR's just sitting here and Ide like to sell them to someone who could use and really appreciate them. ;) :whistle:
 
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Some people will believe anything, and for sure if it has CB on it anywhere and it smacks of mystique or new and improved.
 
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