Antenna Lifting Kite

€53.94
(Inc. Tax)
€44.95
(Ex. Tax)

Customers outside the UK pay the lower (Ex. Tax) prices when ordering. However, some countries require you to pay tax on imported parcels. Details here.

(6 reviews) Write a Review
SKU:
ALK-100
Availability:
Only ships to UK
Shipping:
Calculated at Checkout

Antenna Lifting Kite

Due to their size, kites can only be sent by Evri (previously known as Hermes) or by DHL

 THIS ITEM ONLY SHIPS TO THE UK 

Also available for US Customers from: 

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 The SOTAkite - our selected antenna lifting kite

One of the most enjoyable portable activities that you can do with the family or alone is using a kite-borne antenna. I have used kites to hold up antennas all over the World from Antarctica to Chile to Jordan and the UK. A key factor in successful kite operating is selecting the right sort and size of kite. Our SOTAkites are specially selected for this specific application. Easy to fly and stable, they are the perfect aerial-platform. This kite is big enough to lift antennas with ease but small enough to be easy control - even in high winds. It's a super high quality product that will give you many years of fun!

Pack includes SOTAkite, drogue tail, 61m (200ft) 55kg Dacron Braid on reel, instructions, kite bag.

Operating windspeeds 5-18 MPH (good wide range for maximum utility!). Ripstop nylon flying surface, 168 x 100 cm. Age suitability 12+.

Also check out our shock cord - ideal for reducing the strain on kite-borne antennas. We advise that you need at least 5 metres of this product.
We also sell 470kΩ 2W metal film Static Bleed resistors

 

Save money by selecting the optional kite pack which contains:-

  • 5m shock Bungee cord
  • 2 Static Bleed resistors
  • 2 top insulators
  • 1m Hi Viz cord

 

Read our kites FAQ here!

Important note: we recommend that you use a Bowline knot to attach your braid/cord to the kite. Always check the knots before flying your kite to avoid loss of the kite (and subsequent disappointment).

Customer Review 11-May-16 "I tried to write a review of your antenna lifting kite but, because my son bought it for me, rather than me buying it directly, it wouldn't accept my comments! Nevertheless, this is just to let you know it's excellent; it's very stable in flight and will lift any practical wire antenna. Very good piece of kit. In a decent breeze the pull is quite strong, and it might be an idea for you to also offer a reel with a winding handle? 73.Nigel GJ7LJJ"

 

6 Reviews Hide Reviews Show Reviews

  • 5
    Great anttena support

    Posted by John Beaumont on 21st Aug 2016

    I have run this kite a few times on my land at home and found it very good. Today I put it up,to support a 180ft vertical,for 160m, it stayed up unattended all day until the wind stated to drop about 1930 hrs. It is easy to put up and nothing really to break. John G4EIM

  • 5
    A real weight lifter

    Posted by Terry G4POP on 7th Aug 2016

    Received this kite last week and tried it in an average 10 MPH wind gusting to 17 MPH and was realy surprised with the power of it. This kite will pull any antenna that I will ever use into the air and it is completely stable. Delighted with it

  • 5
    Go fly your kite!

    Posted by Chris. G4RSL on 7th Jan 2016

    This was a Christmas present from my son. Even in light winds it goes up like a rocket and pulls strongly. I look forward to flying it in the summer.

  • 5
    first time flying a kite antenna, great fun !

    Posted by Graham /g7vji on 7th Jun 2015

    I have been thinking about flying a kite antenna for a while now , so bought this kite from SOTA and turned out to be straight forward enough. I got all the equipment needed from SOTABEAMS. The kite was easy to get in the air, and stable once flying the wind was fairly strong as well. I had 45 m of wire antenna pulled up. Once in the air it stayed there for about two an half hours , so i shall definitely be out in the New Forest again soon. My second contact was Richard G3CWI so I had chance to tell him how pleased I was with the kite. It's a lot of fun and good value.

  • 4
    Prelininary tests stable and easy to fly

    Posted by Bill Lionheart on 16th Mar 2015

    We have not yet tested its lifting capability but we have test flown it in winds probably a bit stronger than it was designed for. It is easy to fly and and very stable when airborne. I will try a loner tail to see if it improves stability in stronger winds.

  • 5
    Why just lift an antenna aloft when you can lift the entire receiver!

    Posted by Unknown on 3rd Aug 2013

    I bought this kite primarily to haul a HF antenna aloft for SOTA work. Before I had a chance to go SOTA I thought I would put it to another use. I have been working on a locator beacon for lost radio control model planes for some time. This a small device weighing around 20g complete with GPS and battery with the transmitter operating at 434Mhz. Although the transmitter can send location data back as Morse or FSK RTTY, the easiest mode to receive is the devices digital data packets. As the average UHF user will know, reception at UHF is highly dependent on how good the line of sight is to the transmitter and the higher the receiver antenna is above the ground the better. Now you may not always have a big hill overlooking the search area, giving good LOS. Which got me thinking about the kite. I put one of the locators running as a receiver transmitter (repeater) on the kite, together with a 4xAA battery pack, the kite lifted this with ease. The extra 200ft of height gave me about 12-15db signal gain compared to the ground. This increased search range by about a factor of 5 or 6. It certainly worked, and telemetry I could only hear at S0 on a FT60, was received from the kite and relayed to a receiver on the ground. The packet receiver usually needs a signal of about S4/5 to be received. Launching the kite was easy, although be careful on very small hilltops where there can be a fair amount of turbulence right next to the ground. Once above the ground turbulence it was stable in flight, staying pretty much where it was with no drogue or stabilising tail. All in all a good buy, does what its supposed to do, and is not expensive for a well made kite.