A99 Mod?

[Balboa Bandit]

Hey guys. I was wondering if any of you have used a 102" whip on the top of an A99 instead of the 6ft tip?
Would I notice any improvement with the extra length?

[pipsqueek]

I'm guessing that the longer length would make it non-resonant on 11 meters although it would probably work with an antenna tuner (matcher).
Would the extra metal up there increase the capture for receive purposes...hmmmm?
Years ago a group I used to talk to would swear by replacing the a-99 whip with the long Francis brand fiberglass whip it enhanced rx and tx. They all did it.
I can't speak from experience.
pips

[Huckleberry]

Hey guys. I was wondering if any of you have used a 102" whip on the top of an A99 instead of the 6ft tip?
Would I notice any improvement with the extra length?

A local friend used a 102" on top of an Imax. He was loud and clear, even barefoot.
He said he had to run the tuning rings all the way to the top.

I talked to him before and after. There was a noticable difference. Louder and more distance.

I've seen a coil type antenna on ebay that was touted as a tip replacement for the Imax. Never heard of anyone using one tho.

I have to take my Imax down for maintenance this year. I'm gonna try a 102. (gotta do some tree trimming/ work on my antennas while I have the bucket truck)

Huck

[silverstreak]

Fire Stick makes a replacement Top section for the Antron 99.Do a Google search on Antron 99 Exposed very interesting article and pics.

[mopar2ya]

Here is what you would see....

Less than six tenths of a db gain over a stock A99. That is assuming that you can still match the antenna with the supplied network. I wouldn't bother, but it is your money. I would hate to see you waste it. You will never see that improvement on an S-meter let alone hear it. If you did the mod and noticed a difference, it wasn't this mod that you heard.

The first pic is the 18' antenna, and the second is the 20'6" antenna. They are modeled with the base of the antenna 18' off the ground.

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Mopar

wan•na•boo (wah-nah-boo) Informal n. Derived of wan-na-bee 1. One who aspires to be a
Peakaboo. 2. One who imitates the behavior, customs, or dress of a Peakaboo. 3. A product
designed to imitate the qualities or characteristics of something built by a Peakaboo.
-.. --- -. - / ..-. --- .-. --. . - / - --- / -.. .-. .. -. -.- / -.-- --- ..- .-. / --- ...- .- .-.. - .. -. . / .-.-.- / .-.-.

[Balboa Bandit]

Well I put up the new A99 today and just used the 3 sections that came with it. Glad I did.
The user guide said to put the antenna up at least 9 feet above the roof. OOPS! I only have
a 5 ft mast. But it worked out. I have a 1.1 SWR across the band. The RX is great.

Also, I was thinking that if you use a 102" as the top section, that it might put added
strain the the antenna too because of the extra Length.

[Lost Sheep]

Its not about strain on the antenna, that's nothing to worry about. The A99 is a stout little booger. The issue is that the antenna will no longer be resonant on the 11 meter band. That antenna is designed with that length top section for a reason. If you change the length of the antenna you completely change the electrical characteristics of it. As the other fella said, when his buddy put the 102" on his he had to turn the tuning rings all the way to the top just to get the antenna to tune out. In my opinion, don't do it. As i said before, the antenna was designed the length that it is for a reason. If there was a way to make a quarter wave A-99 antenna perform any better the factory would have done it. Again, just my 2 cents. Have fun experimenting! Hope you all have a great day, and I'm gone.