Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

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Mcyl
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Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by Mcyl » Tue Oct 15, 2013 4:12 pm

Hello, has anyone tried the Amtak microwave guides? Just the looks alone :D got me interested.

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by KyLakeLunker » Tue Oct 15, 2013 9:11 pm

I built two spinning RX8 802.75, one with Fuji KR theory, and the other with Microwaves. The KR theory was fairly smooth casting, but the Microwaves really tamed the line. I'm not sure what the weights were on the two, but the Microwaves impressed me. I thought the KR theory was fairly smooth until I used the Microwaves. Casting distance didn't change much if it changed at all.

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by jimmyb » Wed Oct 16, 2013 1:42 am

interesting on the microwaves. It is also interesting that they didnt effect casting distance too much.

I, too, have like the KR stuff as it does a noticeably good job of "taming" the line

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by Bronzeye » Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:03 am

KyLakeLunker wrote: The KR theory was fairly smooth casting, but the Microwaves really tamed the line.
Thanks for your impressions. Some questions from one considering building with them:

1. Have you used both braid and nylon monofilament lines with them? If you've used mono, what's the highest diameter you've used pleasurably with the Microwave guides, and are there any lines you've tried with them that work better with larger guides?

2. Are you using the newer version of the Microwaves (base guide 20 mm attached to a 6 mm), or the original (which had a larger gathering ring on the base guide)?

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by snowman custom baits » Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:40 am

I'm no expert I've build around 20 rods. I have built 4 microwave rods and only 1 KR rod that broke and I rebuilt it with microwave guides. I have used mono up to 12lb and would say that was the max I would go before you started to loose distance. I have used braid up to 50lb and I would stick to braid under 40lb. I have used sunline sniper 10lb and it's the max and would prefer 8lb. Hope this helps

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by Bronzeye » Thu Oct 17, 2013 3:29 pm

Very helpful! I was wondering whether to use them on a 7' St. Croix SCV ML blank to save weight. Wasn't planning to use mono heavier than 8 lb. on that (though maybe braid up to 20 lb.), so it sounds like this is the way to go IF you have been using the 20/6 mm base guide sets of Microwaves. Could you confirm that, please? (I think the original version used a 25 or even 30 mm. ring as the point of entry for the line.)

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by Bronzeye » Thu Oct 17, 2013 4:12 pm

Forgot to ask: what size reel were you using the 8 lb. sniper on? I plan to use a Patriarch 9535 (48 mm. lip diameter). The old rule was to use a base guide at least half the diameter of the spool lip, but that seems to have been set aside by the Microwave designers.

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by snowman custom baits » Fri Oct 18, 2013 12:04 pm

I haven't used 8lb sniper yet only 10lb so far but I'm going to buy some 8lb to use. I was using the 10lb on a 3000 saros. I am using from a 1500 to a 4000 with the microwave rods. The only ones I've seen are 20/6. Swampland I was told had a bigger starting guide but I haven't seen one. I emailed american tackle to ask about using the 20/6 guide with a 4000 size reel and never got a reply. I had to move the starting guide a little further out to get the most casting distance with the bigger reel.

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by Bronzeye » Fri Oct 18, 2013 12:54 pm

Thanks!

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by Koldkut » Mon Oct 21, 2013 3:02 am

I put a new concept guide setup and a microwave guide setup on a pair of Lami LP844's and I was pleasantly surprised. I was going to do some formal measurements, but I could not get the right combination of weather and friends to come over on said weather days(I live WAY out on the prarie in CO). SO I started casting the new concept guided rod and put a frisby as a general marker of distance out there where I was averaging. I have a measured 100 yard casting area and I would say I was casting close to 50 yards. I was throwing 8lb CXX flouroclear and I had a hookless spook on the line(barn cats are great fun with hookless lures). I was averaging 10' more with the microwaves than the new concept guides, I was expecting the results to be closer than that.

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by Thor » Mon Oct 21, 2013 5:47 am

You are certainly using heavier rods and a full size spook is a much larger bait than what I test with but my results were completely opposite. I do believe spacing will be different for the microwaves versus the KR guides. My biggest complaint is how the microwaves look, showing my age again.

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by Koldkut » Mon Oct 21, 2013 6:58 am

I can still go out and do a similar test with a smaller lure for sure, I have not sold either of the LP844's yet. I just got impatient with it. I've had these LP844's in the works since Oct 2012. With other builds and whatnot, they always got shuffled to the back of the to-build list. And now I kinda want to move them out of the way to purchase more blanks to build. I got bit by the swimbait bug, and I was accepted on as a pro-staff rodbuilder with Hydra. So there's more Hydra models and Kigan guides I want to try.

I can totally understand the age thing, one of the guys I've done a little work for always discounts the new stuff for a few months until the other guys we fish with get on with it and report good things. And if nothing else, the guides will garner talk, and I've never seen that be a bad thing. I still tell folks the spiral wraps were accidental from leaving the rod in a hot car.

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by Phantom » Wed Oct 30, 2013 4:47 pm

are you passing leader knots in these tests at all?

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by KyLakeLunker » Sat Nov 02, 2013 9:33 pm

Bronzeye wrote:
KyLakeLunker wrote: The KR theory was fairly smooth casting, but the Microwaves really tamed the line.
Thanks for your impressions. Some questions from one considering building with them:

1. Have you used both braid and nylon monofilament lines with them? If you've used mono, what's the highest diameter you've used pleasurably with the Microwave guides, and are there any lines you've tried with them that work better with larger guides?

2. Are you using the newer version of the Microwaves (base guide 20 mm attached to a 6 mm), or the original (which had a larger gathering ring on the base guide)?

Sorry for the delayed response. I haven't been on here in a while.

1. I have used fluorocarbon 8lb and 10 lb, and braid 10lb and 20lb.

2. I am using the newer Microwaves that are sold in the set. This has the 20mm with a 6mm attached.

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Re: Anyone tried Amtak microwave guide sets?

Post by Bronzeye » Sat Nov 02, 2013 10:58 pm

Thanks for the reply. The reason I asked about diameter, rather than rated break strength, is that one manufacturer's 10-lb.-rated fluorocarbon could be as thin as a 6 lb. nylon mono. I think some manufacturers do that to get people to say their 10 lb. fluorocarbon is more manageable than some other brand of (thicker) fluorocarbon.

If you don't know the diameters of the 8 and 10 lb. fluoros you use, I would be happy to look them up if you know the type.

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