| Author |
Message |
    
Wally38
New member
Username: Wally38
Post Number: 1
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2005 - 8:35 am: | 
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Will my 2 five foot Firesticks work just fine on the bedrails of my truck even if they aren't the "9ft" apart? I'm mounting them in the stakeholes. I've never had a cophase setup.
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Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 5090
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2005 - 9:02 am: |
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Wally38,
WELCOME TO THE COPPER FORUM!
Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9OSN |
Rover
Intermediate Member
Username: Rover
Post Number: 120
Registered: 2-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2005 - 12:00 pm: |
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Wally,
Welcome to the group. I think you would be better off with ONE antenna in the center of the roof or on a toolbox than with the cophased thing. Sure, to some people, they look "cool" (I don't know why), but you would do better with the one. The spacing MUST be at least 9 feet apart in order for the system to be "cophased", and a pickup truck doesn't do that. I think it is hilarious when I see a Toyota mini-pickup with two
stick antennas mounted not even 6 feet apart. Mostly the cophase thing is a clever marketing scheme; it sells twice the antennas!
(flameproof suit now safely on! ;)
73
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Coyote
Intermediate Member
Username: Coyote
Post Number: 139
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2005 - 2:54 pm: |
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I would go with mounting directly to the roof or other part of the body and try to avoid the toolbox. The roof is best as it provide's the highest point.
On another point. If you really want to effectively use the co-phased antenna's, I suppose you could mount one on the front of the vehicle and one on the back with the spacing correct,instead of side to side. Would look kind of strange but it would work, wouldn't it? |
Wally38
New member
Username: Wally38
Post Number: 2
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2005 - 3:26 pm: |
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Thanks for the big welcome. And thank you for the information. Around here in Iowa you see alot of twin antennas on pickup trucks. Just never knew if they actually helped. Thanks
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Wally38
New member
Username: Wally38
Post Number: 3
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2005 - 3:31 pm: |
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Tech808, do you like your Ranger 696F? I'm buying a base within a month and was considering that one or the Galaxy 2547.
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Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 5098
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Friday, March 04, 2005 - 6:06 pm: |
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Wally38,
Yes we love it but it is the 1st Sargants Radio.
She uses the Silver Salute Desk Mic on it and when she allows me to play with it I use the DM-452 Hand Mic on it.
VERY GOOD RADIO but has a lot of Features that we do not use or need.
Check out the Magnum S-3200B Base out by Magnum and read my Review on it.
Magnum S-3200B
S-3200B REVIEW
Hope this helps,
Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9OSN |
Racer_x
Member
Username: Racer_x
Post Number: 98
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, March 05, 2005 - 6:35 am: |
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By having the antennas too close you may actually make the pattern go side to side rather than front to back.
A single antenna on the roof will be more omnidirectional and will work better because it's higher. |
Pig040
Advanced Member
Username: Pig040
Post Number: 717
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, March 05, 2005 - 11:34 am: |
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I have seen them co-phased front to rear, dont know how they worked though, and it sure looked wierd.
Rich |
Hotwire
Intermediate Member
Username: Hotwire
Post Number: 156
Registered: 1-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, March 05, 2005 - 12:21 pm: |
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Hey Wally38! You could use daul antennas but make sure they are no where near the side of the truck body. You must have as much free space around your antennas as possible. If you must use the stake holes use the ones in the back! Definatly not the ones in front.
Trust trying to help. |
Patzerozero
Advanced Member
Username: Patzerozero
Post Number: 538
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, March 05, 2005 - 1:32 pm: |
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'I have seen them co-phased front to rear, dont know how they worked though, and it sure looked wierd.'
they work like a beam. check out the 'keydowns'. some even add extensions from front & rear trailer hitches & mount PVC booms to them. standard practice is 2 on the roof of a suburban or van, then 2 behind & 2 or 3 in front for effectively a 6 or 7 element yagi. most times, the 2 on the roof are not both 'hot', which would give a front to back radiation pattern (as racer stated would happen, sideways, when mounted side by side), but instead 1 is driven & the other is usually used as a reflector. they then find a 'private' location where they can aim their signal towards the direction of the dx. i don't use that setup, but do mount my antenna rearwards on the roof when i park on the beach, & because of available angles, can aim from northern europe all the way around to pretty much 'west' with a somewhat directional pattern over water. |
Racer_x
Intermediate Member
Username: Racer_x
Post Number: 102
Registered: 2-2005
| | Posted on Saturday, March 05, 2005 - 4:14 pm: |
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Front to rear is pretty much the same as side to side, but the one antenna is fed 180 degrees out of phase from the other antenna so the directional pattern is in the plane of the antennas rather than perpendicular to it. That just means that an additional 1/2 wave of coax is added to the feedline of one antenna.
Like a regular cophasing, the antennas should really be as far apart as possible for it to work best. |
Pig040
Advanced Member
Username: Pig040
Post Number: 718
Registered: 7-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, March 06, 2005 - 11:13 am: |
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Pat,
What I meant by that is I understand the beam type theory, I just had no idea how functional they actually were being used that way. The guy that had them mounted that way was a long time extra class, and he swore by them.
Rich |
