@@LAGPROJECT-gy7rjGot you. No idea Mr D it was 5 odd years back. They are sold by many on there. Just be warned the 3m poles tend to turn up on a lorry :-O
hi,i live in Rotterdam very strong winds,also tomorrow,what part of Holland are you in,,maybe can give you a shout,thanks,ps my gainmaster 5/8 also made it to tell another tale,
Great video, I have been in radio's for 45 years and I see nothing wrong here, tape it don't tape it no matter it is just a preference and has no bearing on anything, I tape my coax to the mast because I live in a windy area and don't want to hear it slapping the mast all night, just enjoy your radio and don't pay any attention to the know-it-all's out there 😎 Cheers.
You stick at it Fred Your enthusiasm has attracted quite a few back into CB. Your antenna set up works, enough said! I often listen to 27.305 incase I can hear you guys down there! Thanks for sharing your views, sometimes stealth is the only way to go. Cheers buddy Big 10-10
Your enthusiasm helps makes your channel enjoyable and interesting Fred! I have a similar mast setup @ my QTH, only with several antennas instead of your single vertical. It might be better to have the pole extend to the ground with the overall weight supported by the base. Purely to take some of the vertical loading off the brackets. But you would know the overall weight of the entire assembly and maybe it's not necessary. Since my mast is all galvanised steel, with an aluminium cross bar at the halfway point, it is really too much load to have supported entirely by the K brackets and brickwork. But nice install and yeah, have to keep a level of discretion here too. A big installation would almost certainly upset many with complaints of "TVI" and alien voices etc....
Welcome to the hobby! The 10M-11M bands are opening up and guys here on the East Coast of the USA have made contacts in the UK as well as Central & Eastern Europe. I've had my Antron99 since 1990, and it spent nearly 15 years on a 4' mast, strapped to a single flue chimney, narrower than yours, built in 1927; in an area unprotected from winds, with no problem. You'd probably have to put a lot more force on it than wind can achieve to break your chimney. You might consider camouflaging your antenna with a very light blue paint, applied with a kitchen sponger that has a rough/randomly uneven surface; allowing some of the native white fiberglass (or coat entirely with flat white) to show through the blue paint pattern. In my case, after years in the sun, the coating on the fiberglass had worn off to the point where the fiberglass was exposed and flaking to the point you couldn't handle the antenna without gloves; so when I re-hung the antenna, I first coated it twice with polyurethane and then used the camouflage method I described to you, but using several textured articles to achieve random patterns, and four flat paint colors: a base color of olive drab green, then patterned black, as well as gray and rust primer paints. The fiberglass is now re-encapsulated and the camouflage is so effective, even I have a hard time seeing it in the woods, hanging from a tree branch. Tape your coax right at the base of the antenna, and then every 2' , you don't want to put an undue force on the coax or connector; don't use zip ties, tape is better and won't crush the coax.
hi Fred just thought i would comment, and say thank you. watching your vids has got me back on cb. i was on back in the late 70s and 80s. gave up in the 90s,. well now have cbs in my classic cars, the house, and have discovered there is a lot of locals on, one i knew from the 80s, keep posting the vids. hope to chat on cb sometime,
@@CB-RADIO-UK *_I just got my 450D back from the Yaesu shop. Still not working right. Dead carrier on AM and FM and nothing on SSB. I am wondering if it is the microphone. Any ideas? Thanks._*
Well done Fred. I've just come back to cb after 29 years off air and I set up mobile to start with and I'm loving it so far. A few nice groups to talk to on the south coast but I've decided I want a home base set up as well so I'm just about to buy a sirio 2016 to put up at the rear of the house. Just like you I'm a Bit worried about the neighbours behind having a moan so I going to start on a smaller pole maybe 4m in the umbrella stand and then in time increase the height until I get to 6m on k brackets bolted to the back of the house. Wish me luck. Keep up the videos 👍👍
Thanks Paul. Thats the way i started with the pole. If its free standing it does not break any regs and you can raise it up over a few months so people get used to it.
Good video mate , yes my problem is outside antennas , I use mag mounts at present , even bringing magmount into loft making ground planes for a good Swr, not ideal but at least I’m getting out and part of the hobby , cheers Fred
OK Sir, this comment is 2 years to the month after you made your video. Great video! A couple things, I have the same antenna and very close kind of set up. 1. Yes tape the coax. 2. You need to ground your antenna, to a copper ground rod that's put eight foot deep into the ground about a foot away from your foundation and three or four feet away from the base of the antenna. 3. If you can get a polyphaser and put it in the coax line going to your radio. Outside the shed in a water proof box is preferable, but I have mine inside three foot away from radio. Their is a ground wire needed to be attached to the polyphaser going to the Outside ground of your antenna. Easy really. God Bless from the U.S.
Hi. Thanks for the comment. The earthing has been covered since the video. I cannot sink a copper rod (i did buy one) due to the type of earthing i have on the house.
Great video, if it works, why mess with it, well done Fred, my mast for the Gain master is a 2 to 4 meter pole for tree cutting, very strong and works ok so far, Good luck in the next storm, we have one Sunday over here, 56CT004
You're not an 'amateur' if your external antenna installations survive a storm intact Fred.. Being considerate to what your neighbours see is also a very thoughtful .. Fingers crossed as Denis the Menace heads our way ...
@@CB-RADIO-UK Yeah.. So far, so good, down here in Devon.. But then, the female of the spices could always kick up more of a storm eh ! Poor old Dennis ... 🌬
And your TV antenna is also a bird perch! 🙂 I wouldn't worry about lack of cable ties, unless you can hear the wind whipping the cable; in that case just add a cable tie here or there.
People saying it looks messy ,ha, I bought a T2LT after watching one of your videos, I live in a town house , tiny garden , ground floor , 1st and 2nd floors, I extend my fibreglass pole out of the top window , slight angle and have the T2LT hanging from that, yes I get quite a bit of noise but I get out pretty well, now that looks a mess.
Iv got a venom antenna but I need a scaffolding pole but here in Doncaster don't seem to be able to get one it's only about 8ft.off the ground at the minute
Fed up here in Scotland its a bit different I don't know about the an there . If you've bought your house up here and you have a reasonable sized antenna up on the roof/garden . They can come and ASK you to remove it . If you refuse all they do is warn you that theyre putting a marker on your property which prevents you selling your house in it's current state (Radio Antenna installed..as if ) . All you have to do is remove it whenever/if you plan to sell your house . I have had a few pals who've been pulled for it and they've just told them to jog on they ain't selling and if they do they'll remove it . It is pretty unbelievable . I was the same as you mate I had the antemna on the building and had a K bracket at top , a T in the middle and K at the bottom . overkill for a Sirio 2016 but the 20FT 2" TV pole I got from eBay fatigued and snapped with a gain master in 50mph winds . So it was onto the 20FT ally scaffs from then on. I removed it as the strain on the building and vibration noise was really bad . Now I have my cobweb and scanner antennas on a Winch/Tilt mechanism at 20FT in the back garden. But we are never happy Fred thats for sure . I do miss the height of the building mount Fred ,but as you say ...we look and we see things of art ..neighbours and people who don't know what the antenna is see it different from us . We are all amateur enthusiasts Fred. Some more so than others but the learning is what makes it fun. Great video thanks for sharing
Good luck ,you have a great setup. I too have an A 99and although it may not be the best antenna in the world but it withstands wind and ice better than aluminum. The only problem i see with it is the finish wears off, mine has been up about 3 years and i see i have to tske mine down this summer and paint it. 73s 514 Ontario Canada
@@CB-RADIO-UK I restored my old Shakespeare Big Stick when the finish wore of it with mant coats of primer with sanding between coats ,then 5 or 6 good coats of Krylon outdoor paint. Be careful never us a paint with metal flake in it. 73s.
I had an 99 for a while and a radial setup its very windy off saint marys bay nova scotia the antenna held up butthe radial kit ring broke in 3 pieces with radials around the house on the ground no harm to the antenna which i intend to setup on another tower on my shed...we had 96 mph gust of wind last friday in febuary hard to keep other type of antennas here
That makes me stop and think about putting the groundplane kit on..... I dont like how little the clamps get to grip on in the first place... An inch less with the groundplane kit too... Hmmm
Just do as the rest of us do when storms come, let them down a little and make sure they are not up to high in the storms and you will be damage free longer that way, with just a little bit of labor. Here in Arkansas, in the U.S.A. we have tornados and we have to keep a sharp eye out ourselves.
I think you have done a good job under the circumstances of your position and the brickwork well done Fred. Experimentation is all part of the hobby trying different things makes the hobby more enjoyable like your dipole in loft etc. Alan 26CT2661
Fred, I haven't been on the air for a few years. I have an A99 on a mask up in a tree. this is how I've always mounted mine, just saying. My top section has a heavy growth of lichen on it, I plan on TX soon to check VSWR and see what happens. Regardless top needs clean/replace extra wind load & makes the antenna very obvious. My question is if I remember right the top section is 96inches long? Have you ever tried 102 in fiberglass? Which I have in stock. Saw another post below about 102in s/steel whip works well, but don't want to tempt lighting on gulf coast Mississippi. 73's 2DX21
Loving your vids and enthusiasm in this hobby dont give it up....my concern here is not with the antenna.....but the joining of the 2 poles it will fail...73 2e0ikm
I thought I heard Fred say that one pole was steel and the other was aluminum? I would be curious to know if he's having any problems with corrosion between the two poles and in another video I noticed he was using steel(?)wool on aluminum, I made that mistake once and even after cleaning off the aluminum and it was nice and shiny within a month it was a complete corroded mess I wound up scrapping the antenna. I guess the hard learned lesson for me was to use stainless steel wool on any aluminum, brass, or copper parts on the antenna if one cannot find stainless steel wool then one might have to resort to using those cheap small wire brushes with plastic handles they usually are available in brass, stainless steel, or plastic bristles.
Hi Fred, I just wanted to ask, the a99 upgrade you got, was it the original firestick upgrade or the thunderpole version mate? Does the thunderpole have the same nut an bolt in the top of the whip as in one of your videos?
Hi Fred. Been watching the videos and I'm getting started in cb. Did you leave the 99 tuned for the middle of the cb frequency (as they come) ? This is something I've been pondering
Hi Wayne. They are supposed ship preset but i had issues with my A99 and even had to get part replaced. I ended up with the rings very high. Ive since set the swr for 27.305. See more in this older video. th-cam.com/video/Y40_6wqW5pU/w-d-xo.html
I like how you instal your antenna. I have President Black Pirate 5R antenna and is fixed on chimney and i must say it's ok for now but i have to fix it a little bit higher. I have a question...do you have your antenna grounded?...I hope to hear you someday 😉 73s from S5DOL
Hi and thanks. No iam currently not grounded mostly due to concrete foundations under the antenna making it impossible to sink a copper rod. I do need to look at it again though.
Hi Fred what size are the u bolts that join the antenna to your top pole. I'm just ordering the brackets the clamps come with the brackets and there offering either 2.5 or 175.my pole is 1 and an half inch in diameter. Thanks.
Hey from across the puddle. I use an A-99 for Amateur radio on 10- 12- 17 meters. It is more than 30 years old. One question: did you insulate the base of the antenna from the mast? If not, then you are creating a ground plane effect which will affect your SWR. I have experimented with this and it does matter. My A-99 is mounted directly to a 10 ft. piece of 1 1/2 inch PVC tube, which is clamped to a fence post, so it is in effect insulated. KC3BXZ Joe 73
Fred in the Shed I use the same antenna with the yaesu ft 450d as well as you do, I’m selling my home here in Texas and moving back to Nevada where I originally came from, I’m hoping to do a much better job of getting my antennas up.
Hi Fred. I have enjoyed this video because I am going to purchase a new Antenna.I am running a half wave silver rod at moment and it's causing me very bad QRM. I have short list 2 antennas the Antron 99 & the 5/8 wave Gain Master. I believe that both are better to combat the dreaded QRM. What's more worrying to me is that the QRM issue is external. I have decided to go for the Gain Master for a couple of reason signal strength and build quality. I have read that the new Antron's have quality problems with middle section that is being delivered bent and they will not replace it, saying that it's a build problem. My first question to you is . Do you earth your Antenna and is it from the actual antenna or the pole it's attached to? If I earth the antenna direct will it alter the characteristics and affect the SWR . Or do you earth both Pole and Antenna? Thanks Mate 73's Keith
Hi Keith. QRM is a real pain. Its going to effect all antennas so best to try and get it away from the house or at least above the roof line. The Gainmaster is a good choice. I had quality issues with a bent middle section on my A99. Earthing wise you need to be careful. First check if your house has modern PME earthing as dropping a rod can be dangerous. I will be showing this in a video coming up in a couple of weeks. best of luck bud.
Thanks for a quick reply Fred. I have been running a SS6900 but have recently bought a second hand ICOM IC- 706MKII. Even with the better filtering I am still suffering badly. I thought to get a new antenna would help a bit with the QRM. I am just over the roof at the bottom of the roof slope at 20ft with the silver rod clearing the roof just, So I can only put new antenna up and hope that this better quality aerial will improve things a bit. I will look forward to your up-coming new video regarding earthing. Thanks for your help Bud. 73s Keith
Fred I have recently Subscribed. Been tuning in to several of your Videos. Looking for some advice on Coax Cable.In the old days I used RG58 and RG8. Whats the Latest Coax Product now days for a 10m/11m Base Station?
Hi Clive. RG8 (mini 8) is a step up from RG58. RG213 is better still and prob the best choice but quite a bit thicker if you have to go through walls etc
HI Fred, I am thinking of coming back to radio, i have an antron99 which i bought in 1994 it was only up for 6 years before i moved house. If i put it back up how far above the roof line must the base of the antenna be?
Aim to get the base coil level or above the top roof ridge tiles. This will cut down on noise. The lower the antenna the more background noise you will get from the house. Good luck.
Dipoles inside can work ok but tend to pick up a lot of qrm noise. An outside antenna normally works best. Even on a short pole stuck in the ground a homebased antenna can work ok.
Makes me nervous that its only the last 12 inch of the antenna ( the metal bit) that takes all the strain.. And an inch less if youve got the groumdplane kit on as well.. Ive got a man coming tommorow to put mine on the chimney.. Just holding the bottom bit you can feel the torque when the wind hits.. How has yours been Fred?
hey fred im not to far from you in skelmersdale and iv never ever heared you on 27.305.00 usb just wondered are you still on the bands look forward to hear from you and we will set up a day to come on and i would apreciate a radio check off you mate 73 hopeto hear from you soon 26pat064 ste 73
Hi. Ive been busy at work with this Covid19 lark and not had much radio time but i was on over the weekend. The guys are on the 305 pretty much every day so keep your ears on.
God bless mate. Thats the setup that suits your QTH and thats it.. People who poke holes through that are wankers... Its all about horses for courses. You have parameters you have to work by.. In a ideal world we all live on a fucking 10 acre ranch with a 40m tower.. Its not a ideal world... 73s 153 AT 888
Hi Fred!When the CB Band is open you can call me on Channel 15 USB,hope to hear you one day 👍I have a Gateway on Zello, the name of the Channel is "Gateway13HN730". It comes out on a Diamond X50 on Freenet, that's a 2 Meter license free Radio here in Germany with 1 Watt pep.Maybe you want to try this if CB is not open.Greetings,Mike
What kinda paint would you use to protect the antenna? I am about to purchase one for a new setup. I wanna do it right from the beginning. Thanks for any ideas.
Ok kool I will try an order 1 end of the month. I tried all day today an can't get below 1.5 on channel 20. 1.4 on channel 1 an 1.6 1.7 on channel 40. Is it worth changing my mini 8 coax to rg 213?
Any lightning strikes yet? My wife is freaking out, saying I'll get the house stuck by lightning. I will be grounding the mast (21 foot, 1 1/4 galvanized pipe I got from a plumbing supplier) and coax lightning arrestor.
At the time i had the silver rod up i did not have any reg local contacts to get a report. As for the Fireup top kit it makes no difference with local contacts. I think it improves DX but you really would need two antennas side by side.
@@CB-RADIO-UK like yourself I live on a housing estate (a new one), and I'm really cautious about how far I can push it before a neighbor complains and spoils all the fun. I have a colinear for 2/70 (small and discreet) and an antenna called a Sirio Boomerang for CB (and 10m). It's like a 9ft long mobile whip with a single counterpoise/groundplane. It's pretty stealthy.
So you want the lightening to go from the antenna to the house? I don't know much about PME earthing to be honest but for my previous Antron 99 setup I had a dedicated ground wire from antenna mast to a dedicated grounding rod. I'm about to re-setup the same antenna after being in storage for almost 30 years and my plan was to use the same grounding method I just described.@@CB-RADIO-UK
hahahahah, ive such a laugh watching this,, i was a late AM, guy, you should have been there the day they let 27mz fm 40 chans loose. i dont think it would ever get that good, but yep, cb,rs are odd but good ums., i would go for a sigma 4 , to start with, that will get em realy going, then ,take it down after 2 weeks, the a siro 20something, then up up what ya want coz they will think the moaners have won,lol.
“Dear Mr Shed, It has been brought to the Council’s attention that you have found something of joy in this world. As you are well aware, according to Article 4, Section 19, Paragraph 3, Line 1, “There shall be NO joy in the kingdom”. We are sorry, but the rules are the rules. Please remove this abomination immediately. Sincerely, Richard Head Councilman
Hi. Yes the upgrade is still up there ans survived a few storms now (videos on the channel). Its a lot stiffer than the orig section and stops the antenna waving in a S pattern in high wind.
A requested video about my pole set up which has evolved over the years. All found on Ebay. Search "TV mast pole" and you should find the hardware.
Love your videos fred
@@LAGPROJECT-gy7rjGot you. No idea Mr D it was 5 odd years back. They are sold by many on there. Just be warned the 3m poles tend to turn up on a lorry :-O
most houses those brick are filled with concret in the states fred
we all love your enthusiasm - it's what this great hobby needs!
Thanks bud.
i have a 25 years old Antron on my roof and still working here , even after the last storm here in Holland , still no problem!
hi,i live in Rotterdam very strong winds,also tomorrow,what part of Holland are you in,,maybe can give you a shout,thanks,ps my gainmaster 5/8 also made it to tell another tale,
Great video, I have been in radio's for 45 years and I see nothing wrong here, tape it don't tape it no matter it is just a preference and has no bearing on anything, I tape my coax to the mast because I live in a windy area and don't want to hear it slapping the mast all night, just enjoy your radio and don't pay any attention to the know-it-all's out there 😎
Cheers.
Thanks for showing the mounts and way to raise the mast. Im in process of doing mine now.
Good luck!
I just bought one of these. ...I hope it dose well here in North Cornwall on the cliffs lol
You stick at it Fred Your enthusiasm has attracted quite a few back into CB.
Your antenna set up works, enough said! I often listen to 27.305 incase I can hear you guys down there!
Thanks for sharing your views, sometimes stealth is the only way to go.
Cheers buddy Big 10-10
Thanks Mark.
You did a great job Fred. I have seen so many really bad antenna installations and yours is not one of them. 73s Joe
Thanks Joe
Your enthusiasm helps makes your channel enjoyable and interesting Fred!
I have a similar mast setup @ my QTH, only with several antennas instead of your single vertical.
It might be better to have the pole extend to the ground with the overall weight supported by the base.
Purely to take some of the vertical loading off the brackets. But you would know the overall weight of the entire assembly and maybe it's not necessary.
Since my mast is all galvanised steel, with an aluminium cross bar at the halfway point, it is really too much load to have supported entirely by the K brackets and brickwork.
But nice install and yeah, have to keep a level of discretion here too. A big installation would almost certainly upset many with complaints of "TVI" and alien voices etc....
Welcome to the hobby! The 10M-11M bands are opening up and guys here on the East Coast of the USA have made contacts in the UK as well as Central & Eastern Europe. I've had my Antron99 since 1990, and it spent nearly 15 years on a 4' mast, strapped to a single flue chimney, narrower than yours, built in 1927; in an area unprotected from winds, with no problem. You'd probably have to put a lot more force on it than wind can achieve to break your chimney. You might consider camouflaging your antenna with a very light blue paint, applied with a kitchen sponger that has a rough/randomly uneven surface; allowing some of the native white fiberglass (or coat entirely with flat white) to show through the blue paint pattern. In my case, after years in the sun, the coating on the fiberglass had worn off to the point where the fiberglass was exposed and flaking to the point you couldn't handle the antenna without gloves; so when I re-hung the antenna, I first coated it twice with polyurethane and then used the camouflage method I described to you, but using several textured articles to achieve random patterns, and four flat paint colors: a base color of olive drab green, then patterned black, as well as gray and rust primer paints. The fiberglass is now re-encapsulated and the camouflage is so effective, even I have a hard time seeing it in the woods, hanging from a tree branch. Tape your coax right at the base of the antenna, and then every 2' , you don't want to put an undue force on the coax or connector; don't use zip ties, tape is better and won't crush the coax.
Thanks for the tips. Esp like the camouflage idea. Thanks
hi Fred just thought i would comment, and say thank you. watching your vids has got me back on cb. i was on back in the late 70s and 80s. gave up in the 90s,. well now have cbs in my classic cars, the house, and have discovered there is a lot of locals on, one i knew from the 80s, keep posting the vids. hope to chat on cb sometime,
Welcome back and good to hear your getting local contacts.
Great job Fred keep up the good work enjoy your videos enjoyed the one about that a 99 thank you
Thanks 👍
*_I think you did a great job of putting up that antenna. It looks just fine. Nice install!_*
Thank you! Cheers!
@@CB-RADIO-UK *_I just got my 450D back from the Yaesu shop. Still not working right. Dead carrier on AM and FM and nothing on SSB. I am wondering if it is the microphone. Any ideas? Thanks._*
Well done Fred. I've just come back to cb after 29 years off air and I set up mobile to start with and I'm loving it so far. A few nice groups to talk to on the south coast but I've decided I want a home base set up as well so I'm just about to buy a sirio 2016 to put up at the rear of the house. Just like you I'm a Bit worried about the neighbours behind having a moan so I going to start on a smaller pole maybe 4m in the umbrella stand and then in time increase the height until I get to 6m on k brackets bolted to the back of the house. Wish me luck. Keep up the videos 👍👍
Thanks Paul. Thats the way i started with the pole. If its free standing it does not break any regs and you can raise it up over a few months so people get used to it.
On Amazon in the US the Antron 99 has went from $78.67 in 2015 to now $189.95 in 2021
Good video mate , yes my problem is outside antennas , I use mag mounts at present , even bringing magmount into loft making ground planes for a good Swr, not ideal but at least I’m getting out and part of the hobby , cheers Fred
I put mine in the pointing for the same reason. Just fill it with some gripfill works a treat 👍🏻
Nice set up lad i had a moonraker on top of my high rise flat! i was reported just took it down
Thanks for teaching us, bless you mate
Kind regards
James
Fae Scotland
🏴
Part of the UK
🇬🇧
OK Sir, this comment is 2 years to the month after you made your video. Great video! A couple things, I have the same antenna and very close kind of set up. 1. Yes tape the coax. 2. You need to ground your antenna, to a copper ground rod that's put eight foot deep into the ground about a foot away from your foundation and three or four feet away from the base of the antenna. 3. If you can get a polyphaser and put it in the coax line going to your radio. Outside the shed in a water proof box is preferable, but I have mine inside three foot away from radio. Their is a ground wire needed to be attached to the polyphaser going to the Outside ground of your antenna. Easy really. God Bless from the U.S.
Hi. Thanks for the comment. The earthing has been covered since the video. I cannot sink a copper rod (i did buy one) due to the type of earthing i have on the house.
Another good video Fred.
Great video, if it works, why mess with it, well done Fred, my mast for the Gain master is a 2 to 4 meter pole for tree cutting, very strong and works ok so far, Good luck in the next storm, we have one Sunday over here, 56CT004
You're not an 'amateur' if your external antenna installations survive a storm intact Fred.. Being considerate to what your neighbours see is also a very thoughtful .. Fingers crossed as Denis the Menace heads our way ...
Thanks. Dennis has hit today but so far nothing like the last one.
@@CB-RADIO-UK Yeah.. So far, so good, down here in Devon.. But then, the female of the spices could always kick up more of a storm eh ! Poor old Dennis ... 🌬
Another Brilliant video
Fred I would now give your garden a good cleanup and remove all rubbish , especially under the antenna and around your building.
Yeah its overdue
And your TV antenna is also a bird perch! 🙂
I wouldn't worry about lack of cable ties, unless you can hear the wind whipping the cable; in that case just add a cable tie here or there.
Thanks for the video Fred
Cheers Dave. Hope your antennas are all ok.
Thanks...I'm gona buy an A99 2....think I make the right choice 🙌
Thank you for the video!
People saying it looks messy ,ha, I bought a T2LT after watching one of your videos, I live in a town house , tiny garden , ground floor , 1st and 2nd floors, I extend my fibreglass pole out of the top window , slight angle and have the T2LT hanging from that, yes I get quite a bit of noise but I get out pretty well, now that looks a mess.
Good on you. If something works then stick with it
Iv got a venom antenna but I need a scaffolding pole but here in Doncaster don't seem to be able to get one it's only about 8ft.off the ground at the minute
Fed up here in Scotland its a bit different I don't know about the an there . If you've bought your house up here and you have a reasonable sized antenna up on the roof/garden .
They can come and ASK you to remove it .
If you refuse all they do is warn you that theyre putting a marker on your property which prevents you selling your house in it's current state (Radio Antenna installed..as if ) . All you have to do is remove it whenever/if you plan to sell your house . I have had a few pals who've been pulled for it and they've just told them to jog on they ain't selling and if they do they'll remove it .
It is pretty unbelievable . I was the same as you mate I had the antemna on the building and had a K bracket at top , a T in the middle and K at the bottom . overkill for a Sirio 2016 but the 20FT 2" TV pole I got from eBay fatigued and snapped with a gain master in 50mph winds . So it was onto the 20FT ally scaffs from then on.
I removed it as the strain on the building and vibration noise was really bad . Now I have my cobweb and scanner antennas on a Winch/Tilt mechanism at 20FT in the back garden. But we are never happy Fred thats for sure .
I do miss the height of the building mount Fred ,but as you say ...we look and we see things of art ..neighbours and people who don't know what the antenna is see it different from us .
We are all amateur enthusiasts Fred. Some more so than others but the learning is what makes it fun.
Great video thanks for sharing
Hi. Thanks for comment. Did not realise that they could do that in Scotland.
If that roof is metal or the down spout close enough from the gutter, try running a large size ground wire from the pole, it might make it quieter?
Good luck ,you have a great setup.
I too have an A 99and although it may not be the best antenna in the world but it withstands wind and ice better than aluminum. The only problem i see with it is the finish wears off, mine has been up about 3 years and i see i have to tske mine down this summer and paint it.
73s 514 Ontario Canada
Yes ive got the same issue. Last time i took it down i ended up with tiny fibreglass splinters getting in my hands.
@@CB-RADIO-UK I restored my old Shakespeare Big Stick when the finish wore of it with mant coats of primer with sanding between coats ,then 5 or 6 good coats of Krylon outdoor paint.
Be careful never us a paint with metal flake in it.
73s.
@@charleswills4554 That sounds like a fine job
Looks good who cares what other people think.
I like your set up fred. If you had it on the chimney it would be at nightmare to get up and down.
Pretty much impossible to bring it down in the enclosed space.
Wish they had those brackets here there cheap made here but to ship form UK to US it's like 60.00 bucks
I had an 99 for a while and a radial setup its very windy off saint marys bay nova scotia the antenna held up butthe radial kit ring broke in 3 pieces with radials around the house on the ground no harm to the antenna which i intend to setup on another tower on my shed...we had 96 mph gust of wind last friday in febuary hard to keep other type of antennas here
That makes me stop and think about putting the groundplane kit on..... I dont like how little the clamps get to grip on in the first place... An inch less with the groundplane kit too... Hmmm
Just do as the rest of us do when storms come, let them down a little and make sure they are not up to high in the storms and you will be damage free longer that way, with just a little bit of labor. Here in Arkansas, in the U.S.A. we have tornados and we have to keep a sharp eye out ourselves.
Nice, antenna, i use mine on 17m band, tunes up great, 1.2 swr, no need atu
Looks a good discreet job to me👍
Because it's the best antenna.
I think you have done a good job under the circumstances of your position and the brickwork well done Fred.
Experimentation is all part of the hobby trying different things makes the hobby more enjoyable like your dipole in loft etc.
Alan 26CT2661
Put mine up in the 90’s. Still working like new.
Antron's may not be the best CB antenna but it sure is the most weather resistant and tolerant that I have ever used.
They do stand up to a real licking. Mine will be tested once again this weekend.
What we call wind the USA would laugh at, so I reckon Antron are built with their type of storm in mind. Very robust.
Fred, I haven't been on the air for a few years. I have an A99 on a mask up in a tree. this is how I've always mounted mine, just saying. My top section has a heavy growth of lichen on it, I plan on TX soon to check VSWR and see what happens. Regardless top needs clean/replace extra wind load & makes the antenna very obvious. My question is if I remember right the top section is 96inches long? Have you ever tried 102 in fiberglass? Which I have in stock. Saw another post below about 102in s/steel whip works well, but don't want to tempt lighting on gulf coast Mississippi. 73's 2DX21
Hi Rich. No ive only tried the standard top section and the firestick upgrade.
Loving your vids and enthusiasm in this hobby dont give it up....my concern here is not with the antenna.....but the joining of the 2 poles it will fail...73 2e0ikm
I thought I heard Fred say that one pole was steel and the other was aluminum? I would be curious to know if he's having any problems with corrosion between the two poles and in another video I noticed he was using steel(?)wool on aluminum, I made that mistake once and even after cleaning off the aluminum and it was nice and shiny within a month it was a complete corroded mess I wound up scrapping the antenna. I guess the hard learned lesson for me was to use stainless steel wool on any aluminum, brass, or copper parts on the antenna if one cannot find stainless steel wool then one might have to resort to using those cheap small wire brushes with plastic handles they usually are available in brass, stainless steel, or plastic bristles.
Cool!
Hi Fred, I just wanted to ask, the a99 upgrade you got, was it the original firestick upgrade or the thunderpole version mate?
Does the thunderpole have the same nut an bolt in the top of the whip as in one of your videos?
Hi Tom. Mine was the repro thunder pole version which had the adjustable bolt on top
Hi Fred. Been watching the videos and I'm getting started in cb. Did you leave the 99 tuned for the middle of the cb frequency (as they come) ?
This is something I've been pondering
Hi Wayne. They are supposed ship preset but i had issues with my A99 and even had to get part replaced. I ended up with the rings very high. Ive since set the swr for 27.305. See more in this older video. th-cam.com/video/Y40_6wqW5pU/w-d-xo.html
Hello Fred. Quick question. Do you tape around the connection (PL?) into the A99 to prevent water ingress? Cheers
Hi. Yes if your talking about the PL259 coax connection you need to seal it from water with rubber amalgamating tape.
@@CB-RADIO-UK perfect. Thank you for your reply. D
I like how you instal your antenna. I have President Black Pirate 5R antenna and is fixed on chimney and i must say it's ok for now but i have to fix it a little bit higher. I have a question...do you have your antenna grounded?...I hope to hear you someday 😉 73s from S5DOL
Hi and thanks. No iam currently not grounded mostly due to concrete foundations under the antenna making it impossible to sink a copper rod. I do need to look at it again though.
Hi Fred what size are the u bolts that join the antenna to your top pole. I'm just ordering the brackets the clamps come with the brackets and there offering either 2.5 or 175.my pole is 1 and an half inch in diameter. Thanks.
Hi Chris. My bottom section is 2" so the 2.5" U clamps would work for that. For 1.5 " the 1.75" should fir perfect.
Hey from across the puddle. I use an A-99 for Amateur radio on 10- 12- 17 meters. It is more than 30 years old. One question: did you insulate the base of the antenna from the mast? If not, then you are creating a ground plane effect which will affect your SWR. I have experimented with this and it does matter. My A-99 is mounted directly to a 10 ft. piece of 1 1/2 inch PVC tube, which is clamped to a fence post, so it is in effect insulated. KC3BXZ Joe 73
Yes my antenna is connected to the pole. Works well with ground wave which i mostly use. SWR is 1.1-1.2
Looks like a fine installation to me, nicer than mine lol😳
Thanks. I think i would do better if i started from scratch but this one kinda evolved with the hobby.
Fred in the Shed I use the same antenna with the yaesu ft 450d as well as you do, I’m selling my home here in Texas and moving back to Nevada where I originally came from, I’m hoping to do a much better job of getting my antennas up.
Thanks
Hi Fred, noticed you have the FireUp upgrade for the Antron 99. Has it made much of a difference to the antenna?
I makes it more stable in wind as its shorter. Not really noticed a performance improvement.
Hi Fred. I have enjoyed this video because I am going to purchase a new Antenna.I am running a half wave silver rod at moment and it's causing me very bad QRM. I have short list 2 antennas the Antron 99 & the 5/8 wave Gain Master. I believe that both are better to combat the dreaded QRM. What's more worrying to me is that the QRM issue is external. I have decided to go for the Gain Master for a couple of reason signal strength and build quality. I have read that the new Antron's have quality problems with middle section that is being delivered bent and they will not replace it, saying that it's a build problem. My first question to you is . Do you earth your Antenna and is it from the actual antenna or the pole it's attached to? If I earth the antenna direct will it alter the characteristics and affect the SWR . Or do you earth both Pole and Antenna? Thanks Mate 73's Keith
Hi Keith. QRM is a real pain. Its going to effect all antennas so best to try and get it away from the house or at least above the roof line. The Gainmaster is a good choice. I had quality issues with a bent middle section on my A99. Earthing wise you need to be careful. First check if your house has modern PME earthing as dropping a rod can be dangerous. I will be showing this in a video coming up in a couple of weeks. best of luck bud.
Thanks for a quick reply Fred. I have been running a SS6900 but have recently bought a second hand ICOM IC- 706MKII. Even with the better filtering I am still suffering badly. I thought to get a new antenna would help a bit with the QRM. I am just over the roof at the bottom of the roof slope at 20ft with the silver rod clearing the roof just, So I can only put new antenna up and hope that this better quality aerial will improve things a bit. I will look forward to your up-coming new video regarding earthing. Thanks for your help Bud. 73s Keith
Fred I have recently Subscribed. Been tuning in to several of your Videos. Looking for some advice on Coax Cable.In the old days I used RG58 and RG8. Whats the Latest Coax Product now days for a 10m/11m Base Station?
Hi Clive. RG8 (mini 8) is a step up from RG58. RG213 is better still and prob the best choice but quite a bit thicker if you have to go through walls etc
Look up lmr 400 time wave
It the best b for you go to hard line
Les lose n better shielding
HI Fred, I am thinking of coming back to radio, i have an antron99 which i bought in 1994 it was only up for 6 years before i moved house. If i put it back up how far above the roof line must the base of the antenna be?
Aim to get the base coil level or above the top roof ridge tiles. This will cut down on noise. The lower the antenna the more background noise you will get from the house. Good luck.
What is best dipole or what pole.. I lived in a bungalow so couldn’t have a big Ariel outside so had a dipole in the loft which was ok and bad
Dipoles inside can work ok but tend to pick up a lot of qrm noise. An outside antenna normally works best. Even on a short pole stuck in the ground a homebased antenna can work ok.
Makes me nervous that its only the last 12 inch of the antenna ( the metal bit) that takes all the strain..
And an inch less if youve got the groumdplane kit on as well.. Ive got a man coming tommorow to put mine on the chimney..
Just holding the bottom bit you can feel the torque when the wind hits..
How has yours been Fred?
Its 4 storms and counting. Three of the storms caught on video.
Where did you get your mast for it or pole
HI FRED nice day
Hi Fred do you ground your A99 please, just got mine and wondering if fiberglass should be grounded or not thanking you in advance
Hi. I cannot ground mine due to the house earthing.
Hi Friend, where do you get the couplings that you use to join the pipes together?
Hi came from Ebay. Under TV mast section
hey fred im not to far from you in skelmersdale and iv never ever heared you on 27.305.00 usb just wondered are you still on the bands
look forward to hear from you and we will set up a day to come on and i would apreciate a radio check off you mate 73 hopeto hear from you soon 26pat064 ste 73
Hi. Ive been busy at work with this Covid19 lark and not had much radio time but i was on over the weekend. The guys are on the 305 pretty much every day so keep your ears on.
you did a good job. fcc in the usa allows 20 feet of mast on a structure , meaning the roof. what is the law on height in the uk ?
Depends on local council but around my QTH its 1.5 meters.
that's only 4 feet 10 inches. we can also mount on a 60 foot tower.
God bless mate. Thats the setup that suits your QTH and thats it.. People who poke holes through that are wankers... Its all about horses for courses. You have parameters you have to work by.. In a ideal world we all live on a fucking 10 acre ranch with a 40m tower.. Its not a ideal world... 73s 153 AT 888
My understanding is that this antenna requires no type of ground. Is that true? Thanks, Mark
Ive not got mine grounded. Grounding can help reduce noise though.
Hi fred, what size expansion bolts did you use on your wall mount? And how is the wall doing after that storm ?
Hi. Jeez i cannot rem. I think they were 8 or 10mm dia. Everything is still holding up the same.
@@CB-RADIO-UK thanks. I was worried if i picked the wrong size bolts. I'm reentering the hobby myself.
Great Channel! Greetings from Germany.55 and 73 from 13HN730/Hannover
Hi Mike and welcome bud.
Hi Fred!When the CB Band is open you can call me on Channel 15 USB,hope to hear you one day 👍I have a Gateway on Zello, the name of the Channel is "Gateway13HN730". It comes out on a Diamond X50 on Freenet, that's a 2 Meter license free Radio here in Germany with 1 Watt pep.Maybe you want to try this if CB is not open.Greetings,Mike
What kinda paint would you use to protect the antenna? I am about to purchase one for a new setup. I wanna do it right from the beginning.
Thanks for any ideas.
Ive not done mine but others have used a good quality exterior varnish.
A good quality yacht varnish too
So how far have you transmitted with that setup? Thanks
Hi. New York from UK.
Before I put my half wave silver rod I called my Council, they said you can 1m above my roof.
Yeah i think we are 1.5m.
What type of pipe did you use and where did you get those clamps to clamp it to the house whats the total lengthy of the pipe
Total Length is 5 meters. The other info is contained in the video.
I bought a 21 foot galvanized pipe from the plumbing suppliers
Fred, did u have to cut the top off your a99, my swr is 1.5 and I can't get it any lower pal. Its rather annoying. Any help or tips would be great
Hi. No i put on the Firestick upgrade. With that if needed you can just unwind some of the wire.
Vid.th-cam.com/video/uJ31j8lKQ8s/w-d-xo.html
Ok kool I will try an order 1 end of the month. I tried all day today an can't get below 1.5 on channel 20. 1.4 on channel 1 an 1.6 1.7 on channel 40.
Is it worth changing my mini 8 coax to rg 213?
I would replace it with the Gainmaster HW.
Any lightning strikes yet? My wife is freaking out, saying I'll get the house stuck by lightning. I will be grounding the mast (21 foot, 1 1/4 galvanized pipe I got from a plumbing supplier) and coax lightning arrestor.
No strikes yet and it been through a few storms. See here. th-cam.com/video/DKVaX4LAUt8/w-d-xo.html
Did you compare signals of the 5/8 Vs the A99 Vs the A99+Fup? Quite curious.
At the time i had the silver rod up i did not have any reg local contacts to get a report. As for the Fireup top kit it makes no difference with local contacts. I think it improves DX but you really would need two antennas side by side.
@@CB-RADIO-UK Thanks Fred. I didn't expect there to be much difference.
@@simonbussey7530 No not a lot. It does make the antenna smaller and more stable in winds though.
@@CB-RADIO-UK like yourself I live on a housing estate (a new one), and I'm really cautious about how far I can push it before a neighbor complains and spoils all the fun.
I have a colinear for 2/70 (small and discreet) and an antenna called a Sirio Boomerang for CB (and 10m). It's like a 9ft long mobile whip with a single counterpoise/groundplane. It's pretty stealthy.
@@simonbussey7530 Its a balance. My Antenna went up on a pole quite low and i raised it over a period of 6 months or so.
ps luv the video
I had my hi cran 5up about 10years no one say. Thank about it
Hi Fred , is the Antron east go Swr ? Cheers mate
Sorry Pat not understanding ?
@@CB-RADIO-UK lol sorry Fred, typo, I meant to say is the Antron easy to SWR
I never tape my cables
No ground wire and ground pole?
No alas not as i have PME earthing in the house.
So you want the lightening to go from the antenna to the house? I don't know much about PME earthing to be honest but for my previous Antron 99 setup I had a dedicated ground wire from antenna mast to a dedicated grounding rod. I'm about to re-setup the same antenna after being in storage for almost 30 years and my plan was to use the same grounding method I just described.@@CB-RADIO-UK
hahahahah, ive such a laugh watching this,, i was a late AM, guy, you should have been there the day they let 27mz fm
40 chans loose. i dont think it would ever get that good, but yep, cb,rs are odd but good ums., i would go for a sigma 4 , to start with, that will get em realy going, then ,take it down after 2 weeks, the a siro 20something, then up up what ya want coz they will think the moaners have won,lol.
Has your gain master snapped yet ?
Never owned a Sirio Gainmaster.
ya got to stick a sigma 4 up,lol, now that was visible for miles.
s1.manualzz.com/store/data/002220137_1-0f0d34880f9a835d43211561207d4a33.png
100 mph a antron will withstand
No guy wires ??
No did not bother.
cb arrived today its your fault
:-)
“Dear Mr Shed,
It has been brought to the Council’s attention that you have found something of joy in this world. As you are well aware, according to Article 4, Section 19, Paragraph 3, Line 1, “There shall be NO joy in the kingdom”. We are sorry, but the rules are the rules. Please remove this abomination immediately.
Sincerely,
Richard Head
Councilman
Sadly not far from the truth. See here. th-cam.com/video/werS51fajqo/w-d-xo.html
Hey Fred, are you still using the Fire up? Does it stop flexing less than original top section?..
108-DD-999 Brian
Hi. Yes the upgrade is still up there ans survived a few storms now (videos on the channel). Its a lot stiffer than the orig section and stops the antenna waving in a S pattern in high wind.
@@CB-RADIO-UK cheers Fred... Ordered one 73's 🍻👍