Product Information

Why Buy a High Sierra Antenna?

Quality and Value!

Since we began manufacturing motorized antennas in 1993, our goal was to build high quality antennas with good value.  While a lot has changed over the years, our goal has not.  The HS-1800/Pro, Sidekick, Responder and Sierra Slim Antennas offer high quality and good value.

High Sierra has manufactured over 20,000 motorized antennas during the last 16 years!  They are in use all over the world on vehicles and at fixed locations by ham radio operators, governments (FBI & other three letter organizations), military organizations (Army, Coast Guard), emergency relief organizations and by companies (Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes Benz, Mattel,& many others).  While some individuals have copied our design right down to the small screws that hold the brass strip to the aluminum tube, they have not copied the quality of a High Sierra Antenna.  You've got to see this picture of an antenna that was not a High Sierra.  It caught fire! 

It was High Sierra Antennas that popularized the motorized antenna in the 1990's. However, the idea was not new.  It has been around since the 1950's.  One version was the Swantenna.  There were others before that.  You can find advertisements for screwdriver type antennas in QST from about the mid 1950's.  You can also see a June 1963, QST article describing two motorized antenna designs.  We have uploaded two PDF's for your information. 

We haven't used screwdriver motors in many years.  So, you won't see us calling it a "screwdriver antenna" even though we made the idea popular.  The HS-1800/Pro, Sidekick and Responder Antenna Systems use the famous Black Hawk Motor.  

The high Q loading coil is precision wound on a phenolic core.  We don't use plastic or uncoated fiberglass that will deteriorate over time.  While phenolic is more expensive than the materials others may use, it is stable, durable and very strong.  It is therefore the best possible material for the coil form.

On the phenolic coil are delrin rings that guide the coil as it moves up and down inside the aluminum tube.  Another advantage of the High Sierra design is that the motor moves the coil out from the aluminum tube as the frequency is lowered.  This increases efficiency of the antenna system because there are no circulating currents below the contact point on the coil.  It also provides a very strong support for the whip.  Inside the top of the phenolic coil is an almost 3/4 inch thick brass disc that holds the whip.  Others use thin aluminum discs or plates that can gall when the whip is screwed into place.  And on some, the whip is supported by a plastic tube.  In addition, those antennas where the coil does not move have a plastic tube supporting the whip.  As you might imagine, that is not a good way to support a 6 foot whip. 

The weathershield is made here from injection molded parts using the best available materials and our own mold.  We do not use PVC sprinkler caps that are painted black.  We injection mold the plastic parts.  You'll see our name embossed into the plastic.  Replacement of the weathershield is very easy to do as part of regular maintenance.  You won't have to return a High Sierra Antenna to replace the weathershield.  And, our weathershield does not support the whip. 

In recent years as the volume of production has increased, we have been using computer controlled machines to manufacture large quantities of parts with tight tolerances and high quality.  We typically manufacture several hundred parts at a time.  Every part of the High Sierra Antenna is the best we can make it to insure years of trouble free service.  We don't take short cuts! 

The HS-1800/Pro and the Sidekick are powder coated black for a baked on finish. We don't spray paint the tubes.  Powder coating is a much more durable finish. Power coating is much more expensive than spray painting.  Powder coating also assures a uniform result when we are doing hundreds of tubes at a time.   

Contact with the coil is made with our patented stainless steel contact spring.   We don't use hazardous Beryllium fingerstock that is glued in place.  Our contact spring is easily replaced in less than five minutes as a part of annual maintenance.  Another reason for not using Beryllium is the potential for exposure of the hazardous material to our employees and customers. California has some very strict laws regarding the use of such materials.     

The fasteners that we use to assemble the antenna are stainless steel with a black oxide coating.  We don't use pop rivets.  If necessary, the entire antenna can be disassembled by removing just a few screws.  A High Sierra does not have to be sent back to the factory so the rivets can be drilled out.  We're proud of what is inside our antennas!  You can easily and quickly take a look inside our motorized antennas. 

If you have any questions, please contact our tech support using the contact us form at the bottom of the page.  For ordering, we prefer that you order online.  With our secure online ordering, you get updates on the processing of your order and the UPS tracking numbers automatically.  In addition, online orders are given priority. 

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