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Reviews For: Solarcon A-99

Category: Antennas: HF: Verticals; Wire; Loop

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Review Summary For : Solarcon A-99
Reviews: 204MSRP: 57.99
Description:
10-20M Vertical Antenna
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
152043.6
KB5LMB Rating: 2005-05-13
Makes a great Dummy Load Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This antenna is a big hit with the CBPlussers, and the crowd that knows little to nothing about antennas. If you�re looking for a Dummy Load, the A99 is your ticket. Save your money if you�re looking for an antenna though. As for the comment about not withstanding 500 watts. The POS is marketed as withstanding 2000 watts.
N1VLQ Rating: 2005-05-09
Good performer for the money Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I, too, am amazed by some folks expectations. I've had a couple of different A99's, and they both performed as advertised, and expected. A decent performer for the bands it was designed for, and can even squeak out signals when coaxed into area's it wasn't designed for.

Is this going to compare with a 3 element beam, nope. Is it going to compare with a higher-end vertical, nope. Or even a properly installed dipole, hung very high, probably not. But for what it is, and how it can be used, it does a very good job.

I chuckle at the folks who insist on putting over 500 watts into these things, and complaining that they have problems. Yes, they may be "rated" to handle that, but were I to have the where-with-all to own and operate that much power, I think that I would probably have bigger and better antenna's to go along with all that power.

Used barefoot, and not expecting 40-over reports, my A99 performs very nicely, thanks.
W8KQE Rating: 2005-05-09
W8KQE Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I agree with the post below. There is absolutely no way this antenna deserves a 0, 1, or 2 rating. For what this antenna is and does, it is excellent! It's a great, cheap way to get on 10 meters with NO radials, and still receive and get out fairly well. When I lived in an apartment building (on the top floor), I had one of these mounted temporarily in a large flowerpot filled with cement and a 5 foot mast on my balcony, and I worked DXCC with it on 10m running 'barefoot'. I often got '10 over 9' signal reports on it as well. It was broadbanded too, enabling me to use it on both the CW and SSB portions of the band with flat to 1.2:1 SWR! While certainly not the best way to get on 10m quickly and economically (an end-fed wire is), the A-99 has proven its mettle for many hams over the years.
AA2HA Rating: 2005-05-08
only for those who dont know better Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After the center section broke, in mild winds, it was replaced (by the mfg). I understand this is a problem with this antenna. Anyway, I used 750 watts and the antenna went "open".
It is rated at 2,000 watts (big joke) It was again replaced and while running 500 watts this antenna again failed. Its now in a land-fill somewhwer in NJ
LU2EDW Rating: 2005-03-03
Burned up Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have antenna up for 6 months. I thought it was good antenna but its not. I now have 500 watt linear. Antenna is now no good after I use linear at 500 watts one time. Stay away from this antenna. It no good for 500 watts.
KE4VPT Rating: 2005-02-21
You can do better Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Has a big problem with moisture getting inside the fiberglass tube, which causes all kinds of problems down the road. Some ppl have had decent luck with them, I did not. Does not work very well on 15 and 17 meters, for which it is advertised. For a few more dollars you can get a much better antenna.
K2ANE Rating: 2005-02-18
A Real GladRadiator Time Owned: more than 12 months.
About an hour ago I read the two previous reviews for this antenna, the Solarcon A-99 and was amazed at the statements made. I have one of these antennas too and can't even come close to condemning it like the others did. I thought about responding then with my own review but had some business to take care of first.

So as I began to drive down my hill to the town below I observed some vehicles that were blown off the road into the ditches. It is 2 1/2 miles to the convenience store here at my portable New York State location. Most of the ride is 6% downhill grade or better to get to the town which is around 1250 feet in elevation. Those vehicles were the victims of icy roads and the prevailing high winds that buffet this area. Being at a high elevation we get the winds from all directions. Cars blown off the road is a common thing. The farmers just come out with their tractors and pull them back up on the road for the unfortunate person. We are quite neighborly here. Trees are a luxury where I live.

So I thought to myself how the elements here are very hard on anything man or God made. When I got home, I looked up at my A-99 replete with its four radials and watched it oscillate from top to bottom from the winds. The radials were wobbling too, enhanced no doubt by the drooping 45 degree angles they hang from. The mast it is attached to was also doing its random bending and leaning.

I had put this antenna up over a year ago. It is now going through its second winter. The temperatures here get down to 15 below or more and coupled with the winds of winter, they can really put an antenna through the paces. But the winds never stop. Even in the spring and summer months, major storms move through here with great ferocity. You should be around when the lightning bolts are dropping all over the place and the sky is aflame with non-stop pyrotechics.

All through these extreme conditions my A-99 has survived. Upon close inspections I have found no signs of fatigue or damage to it. It takes a beating. It goes with the flow of nature and keeps on performing for me. To date it has never been necessary to retune it for resonance.

The coax going to it is buried and then ascends to the connector at its base. I did not use any sealer when I made the connection. The sleeve that protects it is sufficient. The SWR is 1 to 1 on the CB band and well below 2 to 1 from 28 to 29Mhz on 10 meters. This has been the case since the first day I put it up, even though the rain, sleet and snow falls horzontally here. We get tremendous ice storms too. The A-99 has been encased in ice many times. The wind blows it to and fro and I can here the ice creaking and cracking, yet the antenna still stands.

It is also the antenna of choice for local CBers, with good reason. The low angle of radiation is quite effective for getting out a hundred miles from this area. Canada is a regular on the contact list even though it lies 125 miles to the north beyond a Great Lake. I find that it gives me very good ears to hear on 10 and 11 meters. The band noise comes alive as I use a coax switch testing other antennas against it.

Regarding gain figures and the like, if one is really a Ham, they should know better when it comes to claims of its performance. The CBers unfortunately have limited understanding of the techical issues and don't really know that the reference antenna used to make the extravagant claims is a wet noodle. We know better but it is right on for what it is, a half wave radiator with loaded radials. And it works.

So really, I can't find any issue with this antenna other than it does what it is supposed to do and it is a tough bird. I can highly recommend it based upon my experiences.

de Bill K2ANE/2
ZL1PO Rating: 2005-02-18
Electrically:OK, Mechanically:Poor Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is a narrow band width antenna,primary used for 12m to 10m.I obtained a used one for CB radio purposes.Very simple to assemble,tune and pleasing to the eye compared to other antennas.The antenna had delaminated exposing the highly irrating glass fibres and had lost the weather protection glass coat,resulting in moisture intrusion.But after a few coats of marine varnish it was like new again apart from the unknown internal electolysis.This is a common fault with this antenna as I have seen other A99s that moisture has entered the antenna structure.This results with the build up of crud from the electrolysis corrosion blocking the drain/vent holes in the base and the antenna to go out of tune.Even those fitted with a coaxial cable drip loop the moisture has exited via the coaxial connector and coax cable with the drainpipe effect some staions having water entering the radio shack and radio!
Electrically the A99 performed OK.On RX in the 12m to 10m range it was equal to a locally manufactured antenna of similar size,outside this range it was very deaf possibly due to the tuning/matching devise .I gave the A99 antenna away and the last I heard it was chopped up and being used in the vegetable garden as tomatoe stacks.
EXPRO Rating: 2005-02-18
Pure Junk!!!!!!!!!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had one of these sorry excuses for a month and took it down. Anybody who thinks this thing works great is not very experienced in radio. I think the mfgr should save face and take this white elephant off the market.
WA4ISA Rating: 2005-02-18
False gain figures Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Some will tell you to ignore the false gain figures that Solarcon is putting out there on the A-99. They will claim they do it to “stay competitive”. I say no to false advertising, and wish for any company to be truthful in advertising. As for covering 10-20M like stated in the tag line for this product, bull. 10 and 12 at its best. I have never owned an A-99, but did have the unpleasant opportunity of using one at Field Day 3 yrs back. The performance was horrible. It did not return to the following years activities.