Texas BugCatcher and Accessories

Main Trading Company 

Home of the 

Texas BugCatcher 

Quality Built by GLA Systems 

“The SERIOUS HF Mobile Antenna” 

4” and 6” Diameter High “Q” Coils for 3 to 30 Mhz Operation Stainless Steel Mast and Hardware - Aircraft Aluminum Capacity Hats All Parts Have Standard 3/8-24 Threads - Tunes All HF Bands 

“COMPLETE HF MOBILE ANTENNA SYSTEMS” 

The GLA Systems Texas BugCatcher antenna is constructed of the best materials available. The center support rod is 1.5 inch diameter “Delrin”. All coil end connectors are machined from 1 inch Brass Hexagon bar. The fittings are tapped with 3/8-24 threads to allow connection to mast or whip. The coil wire ends are connected to the brass end fittings with lugs and Stainless Steel bolts. This insures the best possible mechanical and electrical connection between the coil and mast or whip. The coil supports on each end are made of polycarbonate (Lexan). Center coil form supports are used on all coils for added strength. No parts are made of PVC or phenolic, both of which are brittle. The coils are the open wound type to prevent the buildup of moisture, dust and dirt between the coil and coilform. All GLA masts are constructed of 3/4 inch outside diameter stainless steel tubing with stainless steel threaded inserts welded in each end. All masts have 3/8-24 female threads on each end. A Stainless Steel threaded stud is provided for each end to allow connection to most any type mount. The capacity hats are made from aircraft type 2024-T4 aluminum.

The “Texas BugCatcher” antenna can be assembled to meet almost any mechanical configuration necessary to fit a particular installation. However it is important to remember that the center loaded antenna has the highest theoretical radiation efficiency (as much as 50% higher than a similar base loaded system). With this in mind, we strongly recommend a base mast of 3 to 5 feet and a whip length of 4 to 8 feet.Variations from this range will still give excellent results but should be used only when installation requirements prohibit true center loading. When selecting mast length, consideration should be given to several factors. A mast should be used that will allow the bottom of the coil to be at least 6 inches above the roof of the vehicle. It is also important to keep the coil as far above ground as possible to reduce ground losses. This should be increased to 12 inches if the edge of the roof is close to the coil as would be the case with vans, suburbans and other “sport utility” type vehicles. The important thing to remember is that the Texas BugCatcher can be assembled to fi t YOUR particular vehicle and when properly tuned will give excellent performance on all bands. We have systems being used with great success from as short as 7 feet up to lengths of 15 feet on mobile installations and much longer for fixed use. All GLA Systems coils are built with both top performance and durability as a top priority. It is impossible to cover all possibilities in this limited space but we hope we can give you enough information to help you design your Texas BugCatcher.

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