In reply to M3XLG:
Hi Chris,
Don’t for one minute think that people are slagging you, or your choice of antenna off. I have followed this thread from the moment you posted it & have only just got the chance to reply.
Tha Antron 99 is indeed an end fed half wave which basically consists of a wire element with a matching section at the base. It peforms as well as an end fed half wave should perform on 10 Metres & will, with an ATU, work on other bands too. Away from resonance its performance will drop off significantly, although due to the type of matching circuit used, it does appear to tune easier on other bands (ie 20m & 15m) than other end fed half wave verticals would.
For SOTA use I think it would add quite a bit of weight to what is in my case already quite enough to carry, and for the parts that will actually be doing the work of radiating & receiving RF, it makes much more sense to build your own light weight version.
On my recent trips out,(Both SOTA & non-SOTA) I have been experimenting with some sort of vertical for use on the higher HF bands, which will soon be full of more VK’s & ZL’s than you could shake a stick at HI!
Exagerated claims of the merits of anything you have to pay for, made by the people you have to pay, are nothing new. Sometimes however, they can be so obviously wrong it’s a wonder that they could produce such good tackle in the first place if they really believe their own claims.
As I have said, The Antron 99 performs as well as an end fed half wave should do on 10m. It would perform better on this band with the ground plane kit fitted, which lowers the radiation angle, but it would not out perform a 5/8 antenna with radials when it comes to transmitting & receiving.
My opinions on this come not from advertising blurb,but from real-world experience, which generally tallies with accepted principles.
When I needed an antenna for CB use, I first built a few of my own, but when I wanted something to put permanently on top of my house I looked around at what others were using & came to the conclusion that although other larger aluminium models offered better performance, they did not have the same durability.
I wanted something that would last, & be suitable for use when I passed the RAE & eventually the 12wpm morse test. I do not think any other antenna would have lasted as long.
For an antenna I bought second hand, that had already been on someone elses chimney for several years, I think I have done rather well in getting 18 Years use out of it. It has survived the worst the weather can throw at it & out lasted any “Silver rods” put up around the same time. It works well on 10m, will work almost as well on 12m & it gives surprisingly good results on 15m. Performance on 17m is about the same as my 80m loop while on 20m my 80m loop is about 35% better.
Obviously resonant antennas for each band woul be better, but as you say, not everybody has the space.
I have experimented with it on 6m & found it to be very poor, although still useable with strong stations, or good spordic E.
It’s main strong point in my opinion is it’s durability, & for that reason I think it is a good antenna.
18 years + & still going strong 
73,
Mark G0VOF
