An astroplane is what it is....

[ROY_PICKETT]

I mentioned that i was using a base cb antenna for my scanner , found out it is a astroplane.. Does a fairly good job.. But i have the luck of being on a BIG hill and no trees within 400 feet of me... That is alot of me i think.. location location location....

Roy

[LarrySC]

With a location like that I would use a wet kite string.

[RevGary]

Hey, Roy - Avanti Astroplanes are bringing good money these days on eBay. If they are in good shape, they are still one of the better 4.46 db gain 27 to 29 Mhz HF omni antennas. There are a number of new-in-box Avanti antennas (PDL II and Moonraker) that have brought over $500.00 in recent months as well as over $160.00 for a couple new and used Astroplanes. The Astroplane worked well and if the insullators on the coax termination bracket aren't compromised and the fiberglass spacer rod at the mid point isn't too degraded or cracked, they still do an excellent job on 10 and 11 meters. The bandspread is tunable for 10 meters by shortening the two vertical aluminum sections where they bolt to the bottom loop by 4 inches on each side, and refine if needed for best SWR on 10 meters. 50 watts in can give about 135 out.

http://www.cbtricks.com/ant_manuals/...stro_plane.pdf

[N_Jay]

Originally Posted by RevGary

Hey, Roy - Avanti Astroplanes are bringing good money these days on eBay. If they are in good shape, they are still one of the better 4.46 db gain 27 to 29 Mhz HF omni antennas. There are a number of new-in-box Avanti antennas (PDL II and Moonraker) that have brought over $500.00 in recent months as well as over $160.00 for a couple new and used Astroplanes. The Astroplane worked well and if the insullators on the coax termination bracket aren't compromised and the fiberglass spacer rod at the mid point isn't too degraded or cracked, they still do an excellent job on 10 and 11 meters. The bandspread is tunable for 10 meters by shortening the two vertical aluminum sections where they bolt to the bottom loop by 4 inches on each side, and refine if needed for best SWR on 10 meters. 50 watts in can give about 135 out.

http://www.cbtricks.com/ant_manuals/...stro_plane.pdf

4.46 dB gain over what, A dummy load?

The book says dBi, so that is only 1.66 dBd.

[ke5lvt]

i had one of those many years age. wish i still had it. it was a good antenna.

[ROY_PICKETT]

I know it is the best i have had. I did and sometimes do talk on the cb . It has the best reception and hardly any noise. I am very happy with the transmit also...Now i need a wilson antenna for the blazer. Would love a wilson 1000..

Roy

[oldsalt44]

You may purchase a brand new Astroplane here...
http://www.pacific.us.fm/pacific2005/store/antbase.htm
I started out in CB in 1959 with a Gonset Communicator,talked coast to coast with it,in 1970 I bought a Lafyette "Comstat 23-a",I tried several ground plane type antennas and could talk no more than 25 miles...Then I got an Astroplane ! I could talk from my home in Chico Calif to San Francisco,a distance close to 200 miles on my measley 5 watts,I knew an old guy who lived up on the summit in the Sierras known as "Sierra Jack", he had an Astroplane and could talk all the way to Bakersfield,about 450 miles...of courwse his altitude was about 9000 feet !
Anyway in my book an Astroplane was the best CB antenna ever made.

[Highlander_821]

Originally Posted by oldsalt44

You may purchase a brand new Astroplane here...
http://www.pacific.us.fm/pacific2005/store/antbase.htm
I started out in CB in 1959 with a Gonset Communicator,talked coast to coast with it,in 1970 I bought a Lafyette "Comstat 23-a",I tried several ground plane type antennas and could talk no more than 25 miles...Then I got an Astroplane ! I could talk from my home in Chico Calif to San Francisco,a distance close to 200 miles on my measley 5 watts,I knew an old guy who lived up on the summit in the Sierras known as "Sierra Jack", he had an Astroplane and could talk all the way to Bakersfield,about 450 miles...of courwse his altitude was about 9000 feet !
Anyway in my book an Astroplane was the best CB antenna ever made.

Those are actually italian made clones of the Astro Plane. They are made by CTE. I replaced the cheap hardware with stainless steel hardware on mine. I had it up for a couple of years, and took it down in favor of a Solarcon Imax-2000. The main difference is the way that the CTE "Top-One" mounts, with half of the antenna down below the mast, and the Imax, with all the antenna above the mast. That made enough difference in height that allows the Imax to receive local stations better than the CTE. For skywave, the two are about the same. I gave the CTE to a friend, and he likes it alot.

[WA1CRZ]

ya GOTTA love reviving an old thread!

Heres the link to an E-Bay sale on a new in the box Astroplane antenna.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ASTRO-PLANE-CB-B...QQcmdZViewItem

PS... does this sellers spelling suck or what? Check his other auctions!

[hoser147]

One of the First antennas that I help my Father put up. Correction was the first. Man that been years ago..............Hoser

[mcema699]

Got my RS 3 element beam in the attic, maybe I should try and ebay that. lol

[mack43]

Originally Posted by Highlander_821

Those are actually italian made clones of the Astro Plane. They are made by CTE. I replaced the cheap hardware with stainless steel hardware on mine. I had it up for a couple of years, and took it down in favor of a Solarcon Imax-2000. The main difference is the way that the CTE "Top-One" mounts, with half of the antenna down below the mast, and the Imax, with all the antenna above the mast. That made enough difference in height that allows the Imax to receive local stations better than the CTE. For skywave, the two are about the same. I gave the CTE to a friend, and he likes it alot.

The problem with the astroplane antenna you had most likely did not include the part of the original instructions stating that the mast to which the antenna is mounted is also part of the antenna itself and thus must be isolated from ground, you should have mounted it on a 9' mast at any height above ground but it must be isolated from ground.

It's a very common mistake which frustrates people and makes them give up on this fine antenna altogether.

Point is read all instructions thoroughly.

[kb2vxa]

Well guys I hate to rain on your parade but frankly I wouldn't give 2c for any Avanti product. Flimsy mechanical construction coupled with grossly exaggerated claims put me off in the first place, then performance testing of the Astro Plane against a Rad Shack ground plane pretty much clinched it. The icing on the cake came from "Mrs. Roman" across the street who couldn't watch TV until the Astro Plane gave way to the original GP, that misadventure officially earned it the name TVI-O-Plane. We tested several other products and came to the conclusion that a Moonraker was, is and always will be a tall masted sailing ship.

I leave you with this most pleasant thought. You may be familiar with the Italian short phrase meaning "up yours" but what you may not know is in it's most meaningful form it begins with avanti and ends with the number of whacks, however many it takes to get it there.

The Moody Blues summed it up nicely with Legend Of A Mind;
Timothy Leary's dead.
No, no, no, no, He's outside looking in.
Timothy Leary's dead.
No, no, no, no, He's outside looking in.
He'll fly his Astro Plane,
Takes you trips around the bay,
Brings you back the same day,
Timothy Leary. Timothy Leary.

[prcguy]

You must be referring to the later made Italian Astro Plane because the original Avanti unit was intended to mount to a grounded metal mast.

The original Avanti Astro Plane was nothing special and many other antennas of the time would outperform it like the A/S Starduster, Shakespeare Big Stick and the Hy-Gain 5/8 and its R/S clones.
prcguy

Originally Posted by mack43

The problem with the astroplane antenna you had most likely did not include the part of the original instructions stating that the mast to which the antenna is mounted is also part of the antenna itself and thus must be isolated from ground, you should have mounted it on a 9' mast at any height above ground but it must be isolated from ground.

It's a very common mistake which frustrates people and makes them give up on this fine antenna altogether.

Point is read all instructions thoroughly.

[mypoppa]

I checked all sites mentioned and can`t find the Italian made antenna or the astroplane.

[AlabamaRS]

if I remember its just a 5/8ths wave ground plane?? not real sure tho