mastercylinder
Member
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2020
- Messages
- 46
Would Painting a yagi have any effect on antenna performance
Ah yes, the old "HOA fined me $500 for the day-glow pink antenna" trick.well then lets see if i can match the house or trim color, once I figure where to mount
Would Painting a yagi have any effect on antenna performance
Yep, metallic paints will cause problems.only if the paint contains metal.
On our montain top fiberglass omni "Station Master" antennas they are normally white. Due to ice loading and wind they would last a year maybe two depending on the winter. I then did an experiment. black plastidip tool coating (The DIY for wrenches etc). I made sure it didn't contain any metal and coated it in black.
My findings, performance, not affected. SWR did not change. Coverage remained the same. BUT.... I had to make a trip the mountain in the middle of winter for another agency. I couldn't see the antenna due to fog when I got there. I finished the repairs and looked up at the tower and noticed several other antennas on the tower that were loaded with ice (guessing 4" to 6") and some broken, except one..... There was the Station Master not a single bit of ice I could see. I went back inside and checked the performance of that repeater and it was just doing its thing, no problems.
I think between the black color and the flexibility of the "tool dip it" it sheds ice like nothing I have ever seen. My experiment is still running on the tower, I think 20+ years. Now every antenna I put up gets the same treatment.
Hope this helps.
Good old latex exterior paint will work if you mount it along the house eaves. If you put it on a tower, a mast, or in a place that can be a challenge to reach, paint it with epoxy or CARC paints. They'll last a decade or longer without maintenance if done with epoxy or CARC paints.
Most CARC paints require the painter to be in a pressurized hazmat suit, its very nasty stuff. In fact if you have any mil surplus items painted with CARC paint you are not supposed to sand or grind the dried paint without proper training and being in a hazmat environment.