Building Antennas

The Building Process

This is how a quality CNC machined long lasting antenna is manufactured. Starting at the top "see photo right side" a Delrin lower coil support with a 3/8 inch stainless threaded rod, threaded clamping collar, bearing housing with two double sealed ball bearings, threaded clamping collar, magnet support ring/motor coupling, Delrin motor support housing and finally the industrial grade Pittman motor.

We use only the finest materials in our antennas. Our customers are amazed at the machining and how well they are built. Our antennas cost more to manufacture than the other guys, but we know our antennas will be around for many years to come.

We are the only antenna manufacture that will show the public the inside build of our antennas, we have many requests for the inside antenna view. Quality built inside and out!

Delrin Tensile Strength Specs

Tensile Strength (PSI) 9,500
Tensile Modulus (PSI) 400,00
Tensile Elongation at Break 30%

Flexural Strength (PSI) 12,000
Flexural Modulus (PSI) 400,000
Compressive Strength (PSI) 15,000

Hardness, Rockwell M88 / R120
Compressive Modulus (PSI) 400,000

Let us know if you have any questions or comments

Quality Parts for Quality Products

Scorpion finger stock housing top view.

Inside view of our finger stock housing with coil support. Precision machining through out. Quality you can expect from Scorpion Antennas.

Coil support bearing housing. We are the only manufacture to install two double sealed ball bearings for the coil support.

SA-680™ Stainless counterpoise bolts at base of antenna makes it a snap to connect counterpoise wires for home use, field day or camping.

SA-680 Finger stock housing mounted on antenna.

Scorpion precision machined coils upclose. SA-680 “left” SA-6160 “right”.

This is our CNC precision machined finger stock and coil support housing. This 3.5 inch long Aluminum housing is also a heat sink under high power use.

We use Tin plated finger stock on all of our antennas. Our finger stock has a combined pressure of 37 lbs on the coil, highest in the industry.

Scorpion precision machined coils upclose. SA-680™ “left” SA-6160™ “right”.

OUR ANTENNA BODY IS .065 INCH WALL STAINLESS STEEL

We use Acetal better known as DuPont Delrin® for the base of the antenna, the Pittman motor support, the ball bearing support and the upper coil cap that supports the whip. This material is extremely expensive, it is dense and heavy.

Our finger stock and coil support housing is polished 6061-T6 Aluminum. It houses the tin plated finger stock and a one inch wide phenolic coil support. The housing also works as a heat sink during high power operation. Our finger stock is very expensive special order tin plated Beryllium Copper that maintains 37 pounds of combined pressure on the coil at all times.

Our antenna coil drive motor is the commercial grade Pittman quality motor that uses all steel gears in its gear box, not plastic. We install capacitors on our motors so tuning the antenna by ear is static free.

Our coil is driven with a piece of polished 316 grade 3/8-16 thread pitch stainless threaded rod. The threaded rod is lubricated with very expensive Teflon grease that will withstand -40 to a plus 475 degrees Fahrenheit.

Our coil form is 1/4 inch wall Industrial grade phenolic that has a special resin base formula that is manufactured to our specs. Our coil alone weighs 4.5 lbs wound with wire.... so we use two double sealed ball bearings for the coil support.

Our coil cover wall is the thickest in the industry, it is made of .125 inch Lexan. This is the same type material that is used for bullet proof windows on armored trucks.

We are the only manufacture that includes counterpoise or radial wire connecting bolts built into the base of our antennas. This makes backyard, field day or camping install of counterpoise or radial wires a snap.

Our antennas have a reed switch installed for use with digital display antenna controllers. We use two magnets mounted on the motor coupling that generate two pulses per revolution.....this equates to better antenna positioning from a Digital Antenna Controller.

Ameritron© manufactures several digital display antenna positioning controllers that work well also. The SDC-102 controller has 10 memory presets and is one of the many they have to offer.