I am looking for a good source of antennas for some armour, humvees etc… Stretching sprue is an art I have not been able to master, lol. I heard peopel using guitar strings but I don’t play but I know they have a variety of sizes and types (gauges and bass, electric, accoustic, etc…)
Or any other options then sprue. I have a fine wire on a roll but it isn’t the easist to work with.
Thanks!!
If you have a cat in the house, pick up the whiskers that are constantly falling out. They make great antennas as they are flexible and won’t break. If you don’t have a cat, check with friends or neighbors. I have 2 cats that keep me with a good supply. Don’t be cruel, they fall out on their own at a fairly quick pace.
Jim [cptn]
Just go to a music store and ask for a couple of “unwound 9’s or 10’s”. That’s all you need, really. One or two strings will give you a dozen or so antennas, each.
I use Evergreen or PlastStruct 0.02" syrene rod cut in 2 3/4" lengths.
Some garbage bags are sold with paper wrapped wire ties for sealing the bags.
They aren’t usually strong enough to properly seal the bag, but do make nice antennas.
Grocery store vegetable displays also have similar wire ties for the produce bags.
The wire is roughly 4 inches in length, usually very thin and easy to straighten if not bent too sharply during use.
The paper is glued to the thin wire but can usually be scraped off without too much trouble.
The wire is a soft steel and will rust easily if you use water to remove the paper.
^^DITTO^^
They are the best and are the easiest way to get consistent results every time.
Cat whiskers…
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I usually buy a bag of 10 mixed 1.4 & 2 metre Brass scale antennae from my Friul bloke who specialises in Brass accessories. These are obviously German ones as that’s all I really build and are super cheap and look great.
I’ll have to get some Brit ones soon for my upcoming Firefly and Comet builds.
I used to tear my hair out getting sprue to stretch properly! Dragon sometimes throw in some half decent antennae that I’ll use as well.
Ben [t$t]
Almost ditto…I use .02 brass rod…if I need to bend it, it will hold the bend. But the styrene will also work for a straight up unit.
Rounds Complete!!
I like to use guitar string for antennae and the likes, because of how they are resistant to damage. Just the same they are pretty resistant to cutting, but that’s no problem once you buy the right tool - a carefully chosen wire cutter takes care of that. Plastic and brass antennae will also hold, and we’re talking about display models and not toys here - but still, being around musicians a lot, some time ago, I still have enough broken strings, that I got for free, for several models. Hope i helps, have a nice day
Paweł
Albion Alloys…
http://hawkeyes-squawkbox.com/2010/11/19/thats-tubular-dude/
This is a great question. I play guitar and have a ton of guitar strings. Unwound .008 or .009" strings look perfect for an antenna. Never thought about using them. I don’t think I would even need to paint them.
You DEFINITELY don’t want .009s ('9s") and .010s are pretty thin too. Go with an unwound G-something like a .016. They’re thin enough, but look more like the real thing size wise as well. 9s are high E’s and VERY slinky, 10s are either E’s or Bs, depending on the gauge, but they’re a bit too thin as well.
I’m a guitar player, so I’ve been using these for antennae for about 33 years or so.
May I’ll just try .042 wound strings as tow cables [:D]
[dto:] I use the RB antenna’s, about £1 each. But Aber also makes them.
I have no problem stretching sprue. But do you guys know of anything besides stretched sprue that has the taper like modern FM antennas do? Wire, brass, guitar strings, etc. are fine for constant thickness antennas, but what other source besides stretched sprue has a taper?
That’s why I started buying a few Brass Antennae Stik.
I’d stretch sprue and it would never look quite right - the ones Bish and I use are to scale and tapered (the ones that should be tapered) and look perfect.
I might build 5-7 models max this year depending on what I go for so forking out a few quid (literally) at the beginning of the year makes sense. The RB ones I use are a pound each and come in just about every variety you can think of.
I order a few with a Friul order when I’m running low so that’s free postage and they’ll last AGES.
Other than that, like I say I’ll happily use a kit supplied antennae if it looks ok.
All the best mate,
Ben [t$t]
Lots of great info here, thanks for all the replies. Anyone know where I can buy Aber Antenna kits in the US? I don’t mind paying a few bucks for a detailed antenna.