Hi Frank;
I don't know where you got the idea that the Force 12 antennas
are so outrageously priced. If you compare their cost of the C-3 that I
own to the cost of a Moseley Classic 33, (I owned a 33), the price is
equal or slightly less than the 33.
As to weight, I can only talk to the differences in the 2
antennas I mentioned above, and the C-3 weighs less than the 33 by at
least 15 pounds. This alone is a vast difference. AND the difference in
wind load is considerably less also.
Like you, when they first came out, I was leery as to the no
trap idea, and the weight factor. However, after having the chance to
see one up at 40 feet (C-3), and how well it performed, I was sold on
the antenna. I purchased a C-3 and put it up at 40 feet, the then top of
my tower, and it was a BIG difference from the 33 I had replaced. I was
actually able to hear people that were just too weak to work before.
Another consideration, the Force 12 facility is out west, where
materials and other related manufacturing costs are higher than, say in
the south, or the economically depressed northeast. And nobody has said
that this "hobby" is or was cheap when it comes to equipment.
My C-3 has been up over a year in some winds over 90mph, and it
still performs like it came out of the box, no if's. ands, or but's.
I suggest that if you don't like the cost of a new Force 12
antenna, you look for a used one, maybe it might be cheaper than a new
one.
Don't be so pessimistic, and look for excuses, or try to
reinvent the wheel.
Remember, you get what you pay for. There are a lot of antenna
manufacturers out there, and they price their products fairly close to
their competitors. The choice is yours.
John Watson/KC4TBH
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