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High Sierra Antenna Factory

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High Sierra Antenna Factory

High Sierra Antennas Are Made By

Highly Trained Technicians Using

State of the Art

Computer Controlled Machines.

Professional Antennas for the Amateur^tm

It was High Sierra Antennas that popularized the motorized antenna with monthly advertisments in CQ and QST Magazines. Over the last 18 years, High Sierra has manufactured more than 21,000 motorized antennas! 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. Nothing is just as good as a High Sierra except a High Sierra (you gotta see this picture)!

When we started manufacturing in 1993, everything was done by hand. A machinist using drill guides and 3 drill presses, drilled holes in the aluminum tubes. Typically, that took 20 minutes per tube. Now, using our computer controlled machines, we can drill the holes in a Sidekick tube in just a few seconds. In one of the pictures above, you can see a machinist doing the final step on stacks of Sidekick tubes. The machine behind him drilled the holes. The days of using a drill guide and drill press are long gone. We would not be able to keep up with demand.

As you can see from the pictures, High Sierra Antennas are manufactured using computer controlled machinery. Parts for our antennas are manufactured in very large quantities. Typically, we manufacture 100 to 500 of the same part at a time. Tolerances on most parts are 5 thousandths of an inch or less. That means the variation from part to part is very small. Since we sell a very large number of antennas each week, we must make large quantities that can be assembled by our staff with no issues. If you look at the pictures above, you will see boxes and carts full of parts.

There are a lot things that set High Sierra Antenna apart from those who have copied our designs. For example, the weathershield is injection molded here using our mold. We do not use PVC sprinkler caps that are painted black. We injection mold the parts in black, white and gray to match the color of the antenna. 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.

Another thing that contributes to our quality is our baked-on powder coating. Many parts, including the stainless steel parts, are powder coated. Power coating is much more costly than spray painting. Powder coating also assures a thick, uniform result when we are doing hundreds of tubes at a time.

A major item that separates High Sierra Antennas is that we don't use hazardous Beryllium fingerstock. All other screwdriver antenna use dangerous Beryllium! We use our patented stainless steel contact spring which 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. Exposure to Beryllium can kill: It's just that simple.

Another thing that set us apart is that we use fasteners to assemble the antennas that are stainless steel. In the case of the black and gray antennas the fasteners are black oxide coated stainless steel. We don't use pop rivets. If necessary, the entire antenna can be disassembled by removing a few screws. A High Sierra Antenna 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! We encourage you to look inside.

There are many more reasons why High Sierra is the most popular motorized antenna. If you have any questions, please email our tech staff using the Contact Us above in the darker blue line.

Keep in mind that High Sierra Antennas has been the largest manufacturer of motorized antennas for 18 years. The proof of that is the 18 pages of advertising that we do in QST every year that cost over $60,000! No other company or person comes even close.

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