Same old aerial question

I want recommendations for a new aerial.
It must be easy to put up as i an disabled.
Also i live on the coast and get a LOT of wind (outside that is before you sat cut down on the curry)..
At the moment i have the Sigma 2011 Skip Master but i think it has a crack in it (slight damage on delivery that i repaired but did report and will send back only 9 months old)..
As i said it's got to be able to take the wind.
It will only be up around 18Ft due to location.
Price range up to around £125.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.   
      Alan.   ct163-220

Hi Alan 

Antron99 or for slightly better performance Imax 2000 , both are pretty much indestructible 


Craig

Thanks for that one Craig.
The Imax-2000 is a bit too long for my location.
Antron-99 i remember when they first came out.
I was doing a lot of radio repairs then and spent a lot of time in my local cb shop and he was getting a lot of them back snapped but that was a long time ago now.
Are they any better now like i said i live over looking the Irish sea and we get strong winds.
  Regards
           Alan.

Never known a Antron 99 to snap easy TBH not even a IMAX ,I've seen a few come crashing down in high winds but that was mainly because of the pole it was connected to was weak, Antrons & IMAX's are still OK but according to Doug at Knights CB shop the sections of both the antennas espsecilly the A99 of the new being made are made in different factories and sometimes can be a bit hit and miss in the manufacturing, TBH Alan I would still consider an A99 I know some take the pee out of them or say there crap I use to use one and was happy with it in fact when I got my hands on a Gainmaster cheap (which was the only reason I got it) which I'm using ATM I kept the Antron as a spare antenna .

My Imax 2000 in 40MPH winds a couple of weeks ago....it's over 20 years old. Working fine.

Hi all
I went for the Gain-master in the end just put my order in.(go on tell me i bought the wrong one lol)....
Any recommendations for a guy kit for it.
The base is not that high at around 15/16ft but we do get some strong winds by the coast/Irish sea.

Well it came yesterday and it is up.
Did manage to lose one small part threw the gap in my decking no prises for guessing what part it was lol.
Airwaves dead until around 6.50pm i think it was when i herd a voice in the back of the box and he heard me but then it dropped out again.
I think it was that Ex pat John ??? i think that is his name you hear him a lot when it's running.
Victor that was on the Optima but still no squelch control lol.

Nice one Alan

Optima is working OK then, good news.
Squelch? What's that then? Only ever used it last whilst talking to Germans on Mid-Band FM and only because they were booming through!

Great news with the antenna, I hope it serves you well.

All the best,
Victor

Well the wind got up last night and still blowing and it's not winter yet so a lot stronger to come but it's bending well.
Think i will have to guy this aerial after all.
Problem i have is i can only guy it on 3 points fairly equal points at that.
Anybody think this will work.

Alan is the Gainmaster connected to a long pole so the pole takes more of the wind than the antenna ?, because if it's on a short pole and the Gainmaster is taking most of the wind even by guying it they can snap they do like a longer pole to take some of the strain.
Here is a old video of a radio mate of mine his Gainmaster in the wind  I know it's not like the winds you get but you can see how the pole is taking the strain to help the antenna 
https://youtu.be/ObNAtM_pDbI

There is about 9ft of pole below it and i can see it bending slightly with the wind as it is now.(well more bend than i expected)...
It's a steel slot together pole but not an expensive one.
Do you think i would be wasting my time with 3 guy's up to the top joint i just can't get a forth on it as it would be fixed around 8ft from the pole if you know what i mean like almost straight down.

The way you describe the weather you get I think I would, but as long as the pole still has abit of sway ,the Gainmaster does whip about a bit as you can see in the video hopefully you should be OK .

It does have some sway in the pole.
Will keep my eye on it today.
Thanks for your input.

Just got a new toy to test the new aerial.
This is the SWR close to 555 and drops to 1.01 at around 26.000.
I dont go on the uk fm so not bothered about it going up the higher i go up the frequency.
Opinions welcome.

Well it's got guy lines on it now so feel a bit happier with it.
Cut 1.5 cm off the end as well and got the SWR where i want it 1.02 on 27.555 and 1.12 on 26.555.
Just need to fasten the anchor end's permanently but that will do tomorrow.

Alan you say you got the SWR dow n by cutting it you do realise your not supposed to cut a Gainmaster to SWR it there are measurements in the instructions for SWR you may have messed it up for it to be able to tune to other frequencies can go to ,everyone of my mates who use Gainmasters  me included just done it by the measurements in the instructions and got the SWR to 1.1.2 in middle of the band going up to 1.5 each end of the scale ie: 24mhz to 30mhz, but if it's worked for you ok ,but be prepared it might not tune in other bands

Instructions say set the length according to the tuning table.
Then in step 4 it says "cut the extra cable".
I have done what it said and moved the band coverage down so the sweet spot is a bit lower where i wanted it.
But it clearly says adjust the top and trim.

What did you measure as it's the coax inside that needs to be the correct length not the fiberglass pole.

We all measured the poles with the coax connected inside fitted to screw thing at the to then pulled the pole to the right length then tighten everything up then check SWR with it laid out on the floor then put it up and checked again ,one of my mates actually got those instructions from Sireio themselves via an email so that's how we did all our Gainmasters and we all got the same SWR give or take a slight difference.
EDIT just read your other post they must have changed the instructions because none of said it like that infact they was in a bit of a pigion Italian so that was why my mate emailed them ,then again my mates did get them when they very first came out ,I didnt I was lucky I got mine second hand very cheap ,perhaps over the years they change the instructions

Scroll down on this to step 4.....(it's the 1/2 wave i havw)
https://www.dnd.hu/uploads/termek_doc/Sirio_Gain_Master_HW_manual_en.pdf

The fibreglass pole gives you the length yes i agree but that is not the aerial it's the coax inside it and that needs to be the correct length.
Sorry if i sound funny but it's fact you can't get fibreglass to radiate a signal the wire inside it does that and has to be the correct length for the frequency you want to use it on.
I just put it up as it came and it worked perfectly but it was a bit high on the lower frequency's 26.000MHz so i trimmed it just a bit.

Oh you have the 1/2 wave version, mine is the 5/8 wave one perhaps that's why the instructions maybe different .but as I said my mates got them when they first came out and the instructions were a bit iffy as I said that's why one of them got the info from Sirieo themselves which was in bloody Italian so it was lucky he got it translated in to better English via his Italian girlfriend who's now his Mrs than the pigeon English ones he had before

Glad we got that sorted.
They say Sirio that is that they tune or test (can't remember witch) each one in the factory and they must have some credibility on that as you can just put them together and they will work ok.

I remember the fire-stick coming out where you had to trim them.
I repaired quite a few of them when folks had cut too much off inch at a time lol....

P I T A Firesticks but good when they worked, remember back in the AM days breakers buying 6ft and 7ft ones with groundplain kits cos they classing them as one up better than DV27 lol