I'm confronted by an application where I have to keep a 450 MHz repeater antenna as "invisible" as possible. I plan on putting said antenna in the top of a 50 ft. pine tree, so black would be a lovely color for this job. I know that Diamond or Comet supplies/supplied a black radome type of antenna at one time for 70 cm. amateur use. Does anyone else know of a stock antenna that would already have the color "built in"?
Failing this, I could paint any antenna black but it raises the question of what type of paint would do the job and not cause attenuation or detuning of the antenna. A black DB404 would be nice if I could be assured of not destroying the antenna by painting it.
Has anyone had experience in this area before? It seems a shame to let these Ponderosa Pines go to waste.
Black 450 Repeater Antenna?
Moderator: Queue Moderator
Well, that depends on what kind of antenna you are looking for.
On my old house, I had an antenna made by Antenna Specialists that was just a white rod about an inch in diameter. It was set for UHF. The max. RF out was 100 watts, I believe. I painted it to match the colour of the house, and it never messed with the signal at all. Just make sure you use paint that has NO lead, and NO metal in it. Most latex paints will be fine.
Mike
On my old house, I had an antenna made by Antenna Specialists that was just a white rod about an inch in diameter. It was set for UHF. The max. RF out was 100 watts, I believe. I painted it to match the colour of the house, and it never messed with the signal at all. Just make sure you use paint that has NO lead, and NO metal in it. Most latex paints will be fine.
Mike
It's not necessarily a repeater antenna, but check out the Maxrad Low-Profile Vertical antennas at http://www.maxrad.com. I have the dual-band 800/1900MHz unit for my cell phone. It's neat when radio junkies all ask if one of my antennas lost its transmitting element and I tell them no. Mine is black over chrome, but I think you can get them in black over black and white over white.
http://www.maxrad.com/cgi/maxrad_products_ind.cgi?10192
I believe that's the antenna the above post was referring to.
This puppy from Sinclabs isn't a bad antenna either. It's rather small (about 6 inches high), and looks pretty good. I've used one before, and it works pretty good too. No idea about price though.
Antennas - Base Station Omnidirectional
Ground Plane
SRL301
The SRL301 is a versatile antenna ideal for use when broadband, unity gain omnidirectional coverage is needed. It covers a 20 MHz bandwidth without adjustment between 406-420 MHz and 450-512 MHz. Its rugged construction, light weight and ease of installation make it an excellent choice for shared repeater systems or leased site use. Because of its bandwidth, it can be stocked for re-use or re-sale.
I believe that's the antenna the above post was referring to.
This puppy from Sinclabs isn't a bad antenna either. It's rather small (about 6 inches high), and looks pretty good. I've used one before, and it works pretty good too. No idea about price though.
Antennas - Base Station Omnidirectional
Ground Plane
SRL301
The SRL301 is a versatile antenna ideal for use when broadband, unity gain omnidirectional coverage is needed. It covers a 20 MHz bandwidth without adjustment between 406-420 MHz and 450-512 MHz. Its rugged construction, light weight and ease of installation make it an excellent choice for shared repeater systems or leased site use. Because of its bandwidth, it can be stocked for re-use or re-sale.
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RADIOMAN2002
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