[TowerTalk] Space Age Antenna Materials

[W0UN -- John Brosnahan]

I have been looking at a number of modern materials for antenna
and tower applications and there is a confusing array of different
variants of the "plastics" family.

I have found two useful sites for my design work.  The first site gives
a bit of technical information for a wide variety of materials but I find
it most interesting for getting an idea of the COST of some of the
materials.  I have found their prices to be competitive, but what is most
handy is the price calculator so you can get an idea of what you
will pay for something.  I found one product (forget what it was at the
moment) that was over $8,000 per square foot.  You can be sure that
I will NOT design around that stuff.

http://www.professionalplastics.com


A second useful reference is the 61 page guide from Regal Plastics.
It has good overview information on just about everything as well as
telling you what an item is when you only have a trade name.  It doesn't
give you ALL of the detailed specs on a particular item but it does give you
some insight into applications and points you in a direction to find more
information from the manufacturer.

http://www.stealth316.com/misc/engineered-plastics.pdf