OpenMarine

I have built my Maiana antenna - super easy and well thought out!  But I am thinking about applying a second layer of shrink tubing, and am wondering if anyone has already done so, or if there are any reasons not to.  My main concern would be possible signal attenuation, although gut instinct says that would not be significant.

My reason for the second layer is that the antenna will eventually be on a boat in the tropics, and it will be sun-blasted.  So I want to add an additional layer over the current black tubing that is white shrink-tube; my thinking is that it might reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the flat black tubing under tropical sun.

Thanks for all input!

Ask here please: https://github.com/peterantypas/maiana/discussions

I haven't personally done it, but it seems like a practical way to protect the antenna from the sun's heat.

(2024-02-12, 02:26 AM)ozone_one Wrote: [ -> ]I have built my Maiana antenna - super easy and well thought out!  But I am thinking about applying a second layer of shrink tubing, and am wondering if anyone has already done so, or if there are any reasons not to.  My main concern would be possible signal attenuation, although gut instinct says that would not be significant.

My reason for the second layer is that the antenna will eventually be on a boat in the tropics, and it will be sun-blasted.  So I want to add an additional layer over the current black tubing that is white shrink-tube; my thinking is that it might reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the flat black tubing under tropical sun.

Thanks for all input!

I have not, but I have had it installed for 2 years and it looks like new!!  I am in Milwaukee, WI but we still get a fair amount of UV, both summer and winter

Just wanted to report back here and say that I went ahead and applied a second layer of white shrink tubing. I do not have any sophisticated ways of testing for reduced receive/transmit range, but from a "gut feel" POV, there seems to be absolutely zero attenuation at all. Comparing before and after, with the antenna mounted in the same location, my range seems to be exactly what it was before the second layer.

thanks for sharing