Disguise Colors for antennas
Robert Mansfield
military aircraft. The Airforce spent a lot of time and money trying to
make them hard to see.
--
Bob Mansfield "Facts do not cease to exist
Freelance Engineer because they are ignored"
WA8USR Aldous Huxley
s/v Shadow Dancer This is to fix some spamers wagon u...@ftc.gov
enfor...@sec.gov
<s...@severs.com> wrote in message
news:sam-010300...@c307794-a.frmt1.sfba.home.com...
> I'm thinking of painting a 4 element quad that will go up soon and I have
> thought about what color will be most effective in reducing it's
> visability.
>
> The Max-gain web page advocates painting spreaders flat black over primer,
> and I have trouble believing that flat black could be the best choice. I
> had flat grey or light powder blue in mind. The antenna will be 70' in
> the air above a large maple tree. I don't have to do this to please
> anyone but myself. I think the white spreaders could be toned down the
> the shine taken off of the aluminum boom.
>
> I'd like to hear from fellow Ham's out there who have some real experience
> with this and your reasons for any particular color that you like and
> use...
>
> Sam / N6FAV
hollozzz
Hardware stores. It is a blue-gray color that blends well with most sky
conditions. My home antennas and the repeater antennas at work (got to
keep those "suits" happy)are this color. Hope this helps....
73 Cliff NØHC
http://www.geocities.com/n0hc/
s...@severs.com
Reg Edwards
leaving no hard lines. Imagine you are camouflaging yourself in
battledress. Even birds will bump into it.
---
Reg.
Dennis
that matters. your looking for something that has the same brightness as
the sky or whatever your trying to hid it against. if you cud hang variable
power lites on it, that wud match the brightness of the sky at the time, it
wud be almost impossible to see, since the eye wud see the same levels of
lite from sky and antenna
--
Dennis
<s...@severs.com> wrote in message
news:sam-010300...@c307794-a.frmt1.sfba.home.com...
Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.
Light matte gray goes unnoticed for the longest periods of time.
TTUL
Gary
Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr.
>Your best bet is to go to a hobby store and look at the paint job on
>military aircraft. The Airforce spent a lot of time and money trying to
>make them hard to see.
yes, but that's from the air looking down, not from the ground looking
up!
TTUL
Gary
Rick Jones
>
>Work done by the US military suggests that it's more brightness, than color
>that matters. your looking for something that has the same brightness as
>the sky or whatever your trying to hid it against. if you cud hang variable
>power lites on it, that wud match the brightness of the sky at the time, it
>wud be almost impossible to see, since the eye wud see the same levels of
>lite from sky and antenna
>
FWIW,
The Discovery Channel had an interesting episode regarding this very topic
some time ago. The Army was looking at ways to disquise (camoflauge) tanks and
other large vehicles. They mounted a large array of bright lights on the side
of a tank. When the tank was positioned so that it's background was sky (i.e.
while on the crest of a hill), the dark outline of the tank was clearly visible
against the sky. When the lights were turned on, voila!, the tank disappeared
into the background sky! This system may not be all that practical as the
lighting situation has to be pretty specific and tanks aren't alway (or even
often) sitting on the crest of hills!
I don't know how easy this would be use in antenna applications either but it
is an interesting concept for camoflauge.
Rick, N6WQY
--
* * * * * Coast Community College District * * * * *
Rick Jones Telephone: (714)438-4620
Systems Analyst Internet: rjo...@cccd.edu
District Information Services Fax: (714)438-4884
******************************************************
John Dewey
when I looked and I knew where it was! However under certain lighting
conditions, even that blue wire stood out.
My present wire antenna is Pink (insulation) and shows up readily.
My Quad, has the white fiberglass spreaders and the aluminum boom. The
spreaders are much more noticable than the silver wire or aluminum boom.
KA9CAR
s...@severs.com wrote in message ...
Siegfried Rambaum
... until someone notices it. And then it is the whole neighborhood
chanting in front of your driveway "LOOOOOOOK !!!! He wanted to hide this
monstrum....."
Hiding in plain view usually works much better. Neon-orange or neon-green
would be my colors of choice. Everone will see it, will notice that it
looks like an antenna, but nobody will believe it to be an antenna, as
who in the world ever had heard of such a thing? Neon-orange for an
antenna? Get real.
lous...@jps.net
Lou
Kludge
And, it would useful only if you were rotating an F-14 on a 40' tower.
Jonesy W3DHJ
--
--
Marvin L Jones jonz--AT>>frontier.net | W3DHJ
Gunnison, Colorado | Jonesy
7,703' -- 2,345m | DM68mn
Charles T Johnston
Stealth Fighter Bomber is all black. BTW my wire antennas are already black so
guess I'm OK
--
Charles T Johnston - AB7SL
cha...@ab7sl.com
______________________
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http://www.ab7sl.com
Add YOUR SITE to my Free-For-All Links page
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_____________________
"Kludge" <X...@Y.Z.net> wrote in message
news:slrn8bto...@animas.frontier.net...
w7...@arrl.nospam.net
is therefore the least visible.
In a previous article, < s...@severs.com> writes:
>I'm thinking of painting a 4 element quad that will go up soon and I have
>thought about what color will be most effective in reducing it's
>visability.
>
>The Max-gain web page advocates painting spreaders flat black over primer,
>and I have trouble believing that flat black could be the best choice. I
>had flat grey or light powder blue in mind. The antenna will be 70' in
>the air above a large maple tree. I don't have to do this to please
>anyone but myself. I think the white spreaders could be toned down the
>the shine taken off of the aluminum boom.
>
>I'd like to hear from fellow Ham's out there who have some real experience
>with this and your reasons for any particular color that you like and
>use...
>
>Sam / N6FAV
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least visible. (apologies if this is a duplicate). 73 de W7WJM
Dale M. Skiba
: If that theory holds water then you better use black-colored wire since the
: Stealth Fighter Bomber is all black. BTW my wire antennas are already black so
: guess I'm OK
Hmmm...
Aren't most F-117A Stealth fighter sorties between sunset and sunrise?
So, if you want a maximally disguised nightime antenna, use black wire.
:-)
Dale Skiba
W0BOT
Dale M. Skiba
: Flat black is the best way to go. It reflects the least amount of light and
: is therefore the least visible.
Flat black reflects the least amount of light, but absorbs the
most amount of light. This means it's next-to-invisible at night,
but highly visible in the daylight.
Want proof?
Think about the black on white used for the printed page.
--
Dale Skiba
W0BOT
Don W6JL
I've always tried to maximize the visibility of my antennas. Well
built and trim, they are things of beauty, after all, and I talk about
them admiringly to anyone who will listen, including over the fence with
my neighbors. In all the places I have lived over the years, I have
never had a problem when neighbors know what my interests are, and how
an antenna helps to serve that interest.
For visual ugliness as well as light pollution at night, I suppose it
is hard to beat above-ground powerlines and mercury or sodium vapor
streetlights and/or their supports. I think streetlights, and cars on
the street and such are ugly myself, and I strive to live as far from
them as I can. But if I choose to live there, I don't expect everyone
else to remove them or make them "invisible" just to suit my taste.
Same goes for antennas.
Other-directedness (living in fear of, and in response to, the
opinions of others, or voluntarily signing away rights, in order to
'belong') can be an insidious thing; pretty soon, you have voluntarily
placed yourself at the mercy of anyone else, over whom you have no
control. Then you are ruled by Conformist Nazis, an unenviable position
to be in.
73,
Don, W6JL
Siegfried Rambaum
> built and trim, they are things of beauty, after all, and I talk about
> them admiringly to anyone who will listen, including over the fence with
> my neighbors.
Not only this. When you maximize the visibility, a watcher will imply,
that you do what you do from a position of strength. When one tries to
hide it from view by whatever goofy means, it also implies a position of
weakness. And that implication attracts troublemakers like honey attracts
bees.
This basically was the logic of what I meant, when I suggested gigh
visibilty neon-orange or neon-green for a coating.
People who try to hide it, hide it for a reason.
People who don't care that it jumps at everyone, have obviously no reason
for camouflaging it.
A good idea would be to leave the antenna unconnected for a week or two.
Just coil the coax and leave it at the bottom of whatever. Few days after
the antenna is up, complaints will come about TVI etc. Nothing cures TVI
complaints more efficiently than an antenna not yet connected....
Uf, an Earthman
There`s a lot here in YU after attack...
UF
Dale M. Skiba wrote in message <89ooqm$7o4$1...@gazette.corp.medtronic.com>...
Ron Bean
from magnet wire - it's small gauge makes it virtually invisible. I used
one for several years, and often had to "look" for the antenna even when I
knew where it was. It's also a very inexpensive way to quickly put up a
high performance wire antenna - you can't beat a loop for cost, ease and
performance.
At the same time, while I never try to "advertise" that I'm a ham, I don't
try to hide the fact either. I live in an area with deed restrictions
limiting ANY outside antenna use. At one point I had 3 wire antennas up all
at the same time and never had a single complaint.
The ARRL has a great book about Camo techniques for antennas, you may want
to check it out.
Ron Bean
KJ5XX
<s...@severs.com> wrote in message
news:sam-010300...@c307794-a.frmt1.sfba.home.com...
Tristan
complaints came roaring in. Except I had no coax hooked up...The
"delegation" that came to talk to me about the "tvi" were given a very nice
tour, then told never to step foot on my property again.
The first time a fellow came over when I was up on the tower. Asked me to
come down to talk about the tower. He said "several" of the neighbors wanted
to know if I had a permit to build the tower. I told him (nicely, I might
add) that I would NOT speak to some self elected speaker for the
neighborhood. If they had a problem, they needed to come speak directly to
me. I also told him to do his own research and decide for himself whether I
had a permit or if I even needed one (didn't need one, but I wasn't going to
tell him that).
Sounds pretty ugly but it's not. We do get along okay, I just refuse to be
weak about it. As long as I am in compliance with local regulations I don't
even want to waste the time discussing it.
Now to answer your question about color. Leave it natural. There's nothing
more satisfying than stepping out on to the porch and seeing your hard work
outlined up against the blue sky.
Rick
Siegfried Rambaum <si...@lightlink.com> wrote in message
news:Pine.GSU.4.10.100030...@adore.lightlink.com...
K7jy
They were virtually invisible and never had a complaint, although I was running
high power. Then I put up a tower and beam, and I sure found out fast who was
getting RFI ! It wasn't worth the continuing aggravation with the neighbors
who got real nasty (slashed the tires on my car, for example). Finally we moved
to a nicer neighborhood. But I'm not going to put up the tower. My 100 foot
trees get thin wires up nice and high. The best solution is to buy 150 acres
out of town and then do whatever you want! 73s. John.
David Walker
>
> Charles T Johnston (cha...@ab7sl.com) wrote:
> : If that theory holds water then you better use black-colored wire since the
> : Stealth Fighter Bomber is all black. BTW my wire antennas are already black so
> : guess I'm OK
>
> Hmmm...
>
> Aren't most F-117A Stealth fighter sorties between sunset and sunrise?
>
> So, if you want a maximally disguised nightime antenna, use black wire.
>
> :-)
>
> Dale Skiba
> W0BOT
A sailor will tell you it is easier to see a black piece of string at
night than it is to see white. Don't ask me why but I have found this
to be true. That is why tell-tails and weather vains on boats are
black. I don't know if black at night theory would work for antennas.
David VK2MID