I don't think you can go wrong switching to the Skyhawk.
Recently acquired one for the first time and although I have not put it
into service yet it appears to me
that it is an improvement on the already good design of the Force 12. I
have had the F12's in the air for
20 years without touching them and with no sign of deterioration. The
Skyhawk looks to have a little better
element to boom mounting hardware arrangement so I would expect them to
have the same or better longevity.
The only warning I might offer is that on the one I just acquired the
strips of plastic that they use to maintain
the distance between the closely-spaced driven elements were all broken
and their appearance indicates that
this is a result of deterioration caused by UV from the sun. My solution is
going to be to acquire a different type
of plastic material for the replacements that will survive UV better.
Tom
K0SN
On Wed, Jan 9, 2019 at 7:54 PM Tony Brock-Fisher via TowerTalk <
towertalk@contesting.com> wrote:
> When working, the KT36-XA is a great antenna. I believe that compared
> other tribanders on a 32' boom, they are the highest performing antenna
> you can find. Unlike interlaced tribanders, the XA uses all of the boom
> length on all bands, and forward gain is related to boom length, not the
> number of elements.
>
> The trouble with the KT antennas is that they are not reliable. Despite
> the tremendous mechanical improvements from the M2 revision, water still
> gets into the capacitors, resulting in skyrocketing SWR or arcing at
> high power.
>
> I've owned, loved, rebuilt, and hated the KT antennas for over 30 years.
> I've made several experimental modifications. I started a user group for
> them, KTantennas@yahoo.com. I have been successful in keeping the bugs
> and debris out of the tubing, but the antenna still fails from moisture
> getting in. And once the capacitors get wet, they do not dry out by
> themselves, and the antenna must be taken down and rebuilt.
>
> My last experiment was an attempt to hermetically seal the antenna. I
> posted a detailed description of this experiment to the KTantennas
> group. This worked for 3 years, but recently failed with typical high
> SWR and high power issues. This is the second time that the XA has
> failed during a contest season, forcing me to use my 2-element quad
> 'multiplier' antenna as the main (and only) antenna on the high bands.
>
> So after 30+ years of trying to make this great design reliable for many
> years of service, I am forced to face the conclusion that finding a way
> to give it environmental longevity is beyond my technical ability.
>
> Therefore I too will be replacing a KT36-XA with a Skyhawk next spring
> when antenna weather returns. I know I am giving up a db or two in
> forward gain, but hopefully the Skyhawk, with no traps, will be able to
> give me long term service. The reviews all seem to support this vision.
>
> A 'good' antenna that works is far better than the 'best' antenna that
> doesn't.
>
> -Tony, K1KP
>
>
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