The Complete Handbook of Antenna Accessories
A Practical Reference for Professionals, Businesses, and Serious Hobbyists
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
The definitive practical guide to selecting, installing, and maintaining antenna accessories, without the marketing fluff.
About this book
From a single coaxial connector to a full tower lightning protection system, the accessories around an antenna determine its real-world performance, reliability, and safety. This handbook is a neutral, engineering-focused reference for anyone who buys, installs, maintains, or resells these components. It covers the physics behind impedance matching and cable loss, the difference between connector grades, and the exact specifications that matter when comparing a budget vs. precision component.
The book walks through a systematic selection process—assessing your frequency range, power handling needs, and environmental exposure—before diving into step-by-step installation practices for ground rods, rotators, and feedlines. It also addresses the most common failure modes, from water ingress to intermodulation distortion, with clear diagnostic procedures. Finally, it explores the commercial side of the category, detailing the viable business models, vendor positioning, and certification paths for a professional looking to enter the market.
Written in clear, plain-language prose with checklists and comparison tables, this handbook is designed to stay on the workbench, not just a bookshelf. It is an evergreen reference for professionals and serious enthusiasts who need practical knowledge, not marketing hyperbole.
Reader Reviews
Shirley Baker
★★★★★This is the book I wish I had when I started doing commercial installs. The chapter on choosing accessories isn't generic advice—it actually explains why the insertion loss on that cheap coax you bought is costing you half your ERP. I've already used the troubleshooting flow chart to fix a water ingress issue on a client's repeater. It's dense, but the information is exactly what we use on the job.
Laura Adams
★★★★★It's a solid reference, definitely more thorough than any online guide I've found. I particularly liked the breakdown of connector quality grades and the explanation of how to measure intermodulation distortion. My only gripe is that the business opportunities chapter felt a bit introductory, but I suppose the book is a handbook first. Still worth the price for the install and maintenance sections alone.