Base Ruggedized A99

[Brian Washburn]

I just put an A99 up on a small tower (25'). When I put it together I was a little concerned about the build quality. I noticed that the top cap of the second section was slightly loose. The antenna is up and working fine but I'm wondering if there is a way to bolster the three sections connecting points. I'm thinking of either putting some heat shrink tubing over the connections or using some SuperFlex tape to wrap them up.

I've read that many people have used these antennas for years with no problems. But the build quality I'm seeing leaves me wondering.

Thoughts?

Brian

 

[Robb]

Never heard of this problem before. But I'm sure it happens.

Fixing it? Think fiberglass resin/hardener! Just like it was built. Should be easy to disassemble and fixing a single section with something that can be easily had.

The resin treatment is also an easy and good way to recondition the entire length of the A99, since they tend to start shredding/shedding after long exposure to UV rays.

 

[W4KVW]

I have a Stainless Steel Lock Washer between the sections & it has no wobble. I have seen them break apart at the joint below where they go together because the glue was not thick enough to hold it together & the sections came apart.

SIX-SHOOTER

 

[Brian Washburn]

Never heard of this problem before. But I'm sure it happens.

Fixing it? Think fiberglass resin/hardener! Just like it was built. Should be easy to disassemble and fixing a single section with something that can be easily had.

The resin treatment is also an easy and good way to recondition the entire length of the A99, since they tend to start shredding/shedding after long exposure to UV rays.

Fiberglass resin sounds like a good idea. I'll just beef it up a bit and then wrap it with the SuperFlex tape to make sure its watertight. I use this thing on 10 and 12 meters with about fifty watts so hopefully it holds together. I've seen people post that they've had them up for more than ten years with no problems so I'm hopeful. I searched for a commercial antenna in the right frequency range but really didn't find anything other than the AR-10.

 

[Shadetree Mechanic]

I have heard of people painting them or covering the whole length with heat shrink tube to keep the sun off of it.

 

[autotuner]

If you are thinking heat shrink make sure it is UV stabilised. I made the mistake of using clear on a dual band antenna that was rough, the heat shrink lasted a year or so before cracking and falling off.