Bob85,
i really liked the astroplane copy that i had up.
i had it at heights ranging from 20' to 54' to the tip of the antenna and it performs awesome at all heights.
the copy is kinda cheap, and needs improvements. (read below what i did with mine)
the tubing wasnt corrugated, but it was bought about 3-4 years ago.
i think its a great antenna for high winds, (with improvements), since it wraps around the mast.
"my top one is mounted on 40' of mast on the side of my house. the house is 15' at the peak and the mast goes from the ground up using an eve mount.
First thing was to finally upgrade the coax to the real deal. i bought 83' of LMR400 with PL-259's on each end. this coax is stiff!
.
next thing was to upgrade the TOP ONE. while it is a good antenna design; the actual engineering of the CTE TOP ONE leaves a bit to be desired. the hardware for example is made of subpar metal, and its a bit off sized. i drilled out all the holes in the antenna to 17/64" and bought 1/4x20x1" stainless steel hex bolts and nylock or "stop" nuts. these are nuts that have a nylon ring in them so they wont loosen up with vibration. the u bolts were replaced with 5/16" hardware and the holes enlarged to 21/64".
i put up a 10 foot mast and assembled the antenna on it. the ring will sway a lot in the wind so i believe that it needs some extra support. i used uv resistant rope to anchor the ring to the mast and keep the mast at the center of the ring. (it looks cool too!)"
well, thats what i did with mine anyway,
LC
i really liked the astroplane copy that i had up.
i had it at heights ranging from 20' to 54' to the tip of the antenna and it performs awesome at all heights.
the copy is kinda cheap, and needs improvements. (read below what i did with mine)
the tubing wasnt corrugated, but it was bought about 3-4 years ago.
i think its a great antenna for high winds, (with improvements), since it wraps around the mast.
"my top one is mounted on 40' of mast on the side of my house. the house is 15' at the peak and the mast goes from the ground up using an eve mount.
First thing was to finally upgrade the coax to the real deal. i bought 83' of LMR400 with PL-259's on each end. this coax is stiff!
.
next thing was to upgrade the TOP ONE. while it is a good antenna design; the actual engineering of the CTE TOP ONE leaves a bit to be desired. the hardware for example is made of subpar metal, and its a bit off sized. i drilled out all the holes in the antenna to 17/64" and bought 1/4x20x1" stainless steel hex bolts and nylock or "stop" nuts. these are nuts that have a nylon ring in them so they wont loosen up with vibration. the u bolts were replaced with 5/16" hardware and the holes enlarged to 21/64".
i put up a 10 foot mast and assembled the antenna on it. the ring will sway a lot in the wind so i believe that it needs some extra support. i used uv resistant rope to anchor the ring to the mast and keep the mast at the center of the ring. (it looks cool too!)"
well, thats what i did with mine anyway,
LC