starman wrote:
big boy now wrote:

A week ago i placed my order for a Wellbrook ALA330S active antenna
loop...
Well the ALA330S arrived today
first impression of the antenna is packaging was spot on no
problems....
i carefully un packed the antenna to inspect the parts included
with the
antenna. my first findings are as follows. the loop its self looks
well
made. but for the mounting bracket that is included anybody who has
brought
a wellbrook loop will agree this bracket fixes to the bottom of the
antenna
by use of two screws. the mounting plate only has a 1 inch tube
coming from
the mounting plate this is to allow it to be fitted inside a pole
of the
correct internal diameter and a hole drilled through and screwed
together
this mounting plate in my opinion needs to be re designed with a
longer tube
fitted to the mounting plate .....

How well do you think it would stand up to some rough winter weather
with icing and strong winds?


The antenna should be pretty resilient once you have it mounted. As I
recall, Wellbrook does recommend that, after attaching the base of the
loop to a post, rotor, etc., you should add some improvised vertical
supports to support the upper portion of the loop in the event of high
winds. I doubt it would be hard to add this extra support.

The way I have the antenna situated is unusual, I think. I have it on
the end of a horizontal mast extending away from my building. The *top*
of the loop is actually attached to the mast via some clamps and
protective rubber inserts. The clamps hold the loop firmly, but not so
tightly that the antenna can't 'give' in the face of strong winds. The
base of the loop, with the coax attached, isn't mounted to anything,
but the coax itself provides it with a bit of weight and added
stability.

I obviously could have mounted the loop differently, and could
certainly have attached it via its base to the horizontal mast I'm
using, provided I also gave it some vertical support for wind
protection. However, I thought that attaching the upper portion of the
loop to the mast while leaving the bottom free to shift a bit with the
wind would provide better long term protection, and after a few months
I feel pretty good about this arrangement. Because the loop is visible
out my kitchen window, I've monitored its condition very carefully and
everything's working out just fine. In fact, over the last couple of
days we've had very strong winds and these have not stressed the loop
*at all*.

Steve