Solarcon AKA A-99

[Texas Mobil 219]

Just a question because im going set up my 148 for a base soon. I have a Soloarcon base antenna. But looking at the Soloarcon Imax 2000 they look the same. Even the logo Send your signal to the world is the same. My cb friend told me that he knew where to get a A-99. I bought it, but when it got here it said Solarcon. So do i have a Imax 2000 or a imatation Antron A-99.



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[Nightwing]

Hi , what you have is a solarcon....
I run the same antenna with the GP/kit, use it for all my local stuff..WORK'S GREAT !!!!!!!!!
I use a home brew dipole for DX'ing
I have ALWAYS had GOOD reports on my signal when using the solarcon 99.

Nightwing/288

[Texas Mobil 219]

Harley's are my second addiction. Anyway i was looking to find a ground plan kit for my Solarcon. That when i seen that they looked alike i was just wondering.

[Nightwing]

I've had the G/P on the antenna since I put it up. Thought about removing it but given the advice I
got here,I'm leaving it in place.....
Not really sure what effect it really has,,, Everything is working GREAT!!!!!!
Leave well enough alone I guess.

Solarcon or antron---- same G/P kit...

Nightwing/288

[Nightwing]

OH I forgot--------------------HARLEY'S,The one true addickiton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A great place to put money$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

['Doc]

So what do you have? You have a typical 'A-99'. If it's made to the same standards, there should be no difference in it's performance. Are they made to the same standards? Beats me, never owned an 'Antron'. Have owned a 'Solarcon', it worked, did what it was supposed to do. How about the GPK? Nope, haven't had one of those, didn't see any need in it. Still don't. Wanna try one? Be my guest! In my opinion, if that groundplane kit makes any appreciable difference, then you were doing something wrong to start with. But then, what do I know. Right?
- 'Doc

[Texas Mobil 219]

So your saying that with or with out a GPK there will be no difference in performance. I had it on a 20' pole in Grandview and it work well. Talked skip and locals. Im was just wondering. If it wont improve performance then i save the 50.00 bucks.

[Nightwing]

A few months back we had a lengthly talk about the benifits of the G/p kit.....
What I got out of it was that having the G/p kit in place MIGHT eliminate some pos. TVI.
Since I had the kit installed, why bother to go through the troubble of taking it off??
Dosn't hurt or dosn't help WHO knows for sure???????? Not Me...
Nightwing/288

WHAT I DO KNOW IS MY RADIO GET'S OUT GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PONY EXPRESS]

So your saying that with or with out a GPK there will be no difference in performance. I had it on a 20' pole in Grandview and it work well. Talked skip and locals. Im was just wondering. If it wont improve performance then i save the 50.00 bucks.

Myself we purchased the IMAX 2000 with the GP KIT and had it installed both ways with and without . We was able to see about 1/2 s unit and 1 s unit difference on receive comparing it to a couple stations that transmit on a local 10 meter frequency .One was 5.2 miles away the 2nd was 9.7 miles out according to my GPS info on Microsoft streets and trips 2008 . So lower angle of radiation is what the GP Kit does. This was done in a 30 minutes time period

[Foxhunter]

First how are you Mr.TexasMobile219 ? Glad to see you getting into the home base-stationing and think you'll like the good results you'll get------often FAR better than in an average mobile set up. Running even a barefoot radio at a base station is like the equivalent of running an amp in a mobile setup. That much difference.

A few comments I'd like to add if I may.

You have a 3-piece antenna made by Solarcon, so right away if the sections measure 8-FT each----that says that it's an IMAX 2000. It is then a .64-wave antenna and not a 5/8 as commonly thought. The IMAX is made up of three approximately 8-FT sections totalling 24-FT. If the antenna sections are shorter and the assembled total length is 18-FT then you have the Solarcon version of the A99.


To clear it up a little, the "A99" (which A99 ?) is a 3-piece antenna, each section is 6-FT long-----so it's only a 1/2-wave 18-FT antenna.


There is an orginal Antron A99 once made by Antron. A 3-piece 18-FT long antenna.


There is the remake Solarcon A99 now made by Solarcon. A 3-piece 18-FT long antenna. It is a "clone" of the original Antron version.


I would try and DC "ground" the antenna to earth to bleed off static. These type antennas are notoriously BAD for building-up a static charge, as the wind constantly blows across the antenna and generating one. It will cause too much noise if you don't ground it IMHO.


Ground Plane Kits (GPK)

Not to open a "can of worms"------because I know opinions are divided on this whole thing, but would consider a ground radial kit if you are mounting the antenna 1/2-wavelength or higher. That is the vertical antenna mounting practice standard, straight from the handbook. The IMAX has a counterpoise already built-in sort of, so it may not be a total necessity. But with a small built-in counterpoise like that, you pay a price for such a small counterpoise system------less/reduced efficiency


Due to the small size of the Solarcon GPK-1, I would possibly consider the one made by Maco Antennas instead, which consists of four 90-degree complete 1/4-wave radials. I'm not exactly absolutely sure which to choose. I do know the Solarcon GPK-1 has the much shorter less-than-1/4-wavelength "drooping" radials instead of the 1/4-length 90-degree ones that Maco has. Maybe you should stick with what the manufacturer has designed for the antenna again it's hard to say. Solarcon may have made the radials "drooped" to help facilitate a match to 50 ohms by angling the radials downward, which may raise the impedance of the antenna (more as you increase the angle downward).


I think the usual rule-of-thumb is, if the antenna is at or below 1/2-wavelength in height, it is considered a "ground-mounted" antenna. You will be using the "lossy" earth as your groundplane in that case, and would want 16 ground radials or more eminating from the antenna mast's base, to help make up for the earth/soil's losses.


At 1/2-wavelength or higher, the antenna is no longer "seeing" the earth/soil below it for counterpoise and you then would fall into the category of being an "elevated artificial ground plane" antenna consisting of/needing a GPK consisting of three or four (four is better) 1/4-wave radials.


So how high or low you are mounting the antenna will determine if you need a GPK or not, or if adding radials to the base or not. Or maybe you just want to talk local and won't be concerned with sqeezing every bit of performance from the antenna. In that case just put it up as it is. Radials will make a considerable difference though.


(Wait 'til you get your IMAX 2000 up, that thing is tall ! For fun----wait until you see the famous "IMAX dance" as they call it, what it does on a windy day ! Can be a bit scary, seeing it wobble all over the place and nearly bending in half.)

Have FUN !

[Texas Mobil 219]

Thank for the reply's fellers.

[Foxhunter]

Let us know the antenna's length when you get the chance and what you plan to do with it. Best of luck!

[Texas Mobil 219]

Its measurement is 17'3''. I dont think its the IMAX 2000 just the 1/2 wave Solarcon 99. But still a kick but antenna. And yes ive seen the thing dance. Was real scary the first time i saw it in a 70 mph gust. But it took it and said bring it on nature. I just cant wait to have it up again running my 148 on it.

[Foxhunter]

Its measurement is 17'3''. I dont think its the IMAX 2000 just the 1/2 wave Solarcon 99. But still a kick but antenna. And yes ive seen the thing dance. Was real scary the first time i saw it in a 70 mph gust. But it took it and said bring it on nature. I just cant wait to have it up again running my 148 on it.

Ok that's cool and am glad to see you getting that stick up in the air and "on the air".

The Commercial Broadcast Engineer wrote about using the GPK-1 with the A99 and IMAX 2000------"Although adding the Antron GPK-1 ground plane kit will not add much gain to the Antron 99, the ground plane kit would add significant gain on the horizon for the Imax 2000".

Good luck with everything you're doing down there in the Lone Star.