| Author |
Message |
    
Cool_pr
Junior Member
Username: Cool_pr
Post Number: 11
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Friday, July 23, 2004 - 10:31 pm: | 
|
Whats the best mobile Ant. for a Ford ranger cab.. I will also be usind a twister 900v linear.. |
Rattlesnakejake
Intermediate Member
Username: Rattlesnakejake
Post Number: 187
Registered: 12-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, July 24, 2004 - 12:31 am: |
|
Most anything will do if it is grounded well. If you are in doubt, attach a copper wire to the metal surface on the cab to the chassis, and your grounding problems will be solved,.
Good luck. |
Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808
Post Number: 3065
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Saturday, July 24, 2004 - 12:53 am: |
|
Cool pr,
Personally, I would suggest the WILSON 1000 or 5000 ANTENNA or the Anttron A-1700
They are ALL hard to beat, and offer great performance and are very durable/reliable.
Lon
Tech808 |
Crackerjack
Member
Username: Crackerjack
Post Number: 92
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 24, 2004 - 1:21 am: |
|
Wildson 5000, however I think that a 102" whip on the rear quarter pan would be better. Just my opinion. |
Hollowpoint445
Intermediate Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 166
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, July 24, 2004 - 11:34 pm: |
|
No contest - 102" SS whip mounted on a ball mount and spring on the roof of your vehicle. I've used that and a Wilson 1000 magnet mount and there really isn't any comparison at all. The 102" whip is by far the best antenna. |
Crackerjack
Intermediate Member
Username: Crackerjack
Post Number: 107
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, July 25, 2004 - 1:07 am: |
|
HP454:
My vote goes with you. O quit messing with everything else. The 102" can't be beat. |
Brewdirect
New member
Username: Brewdirect
Post Number: 4
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, July 26, 2004 - 12:58 pm: |
|
102" whip is best...next I would say Wilson 5000 or 1000. |
Applejack
Intermediate Member
Username: Applejack
Post Number: 185
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 27, 2004 - 10:17 pm: |
|
i put a 102 whip on the spring that my workman b-50 is on and had a higher swr than the b-50....aj |
Dx431
Advanced Member
Username: Dx431
Post Number: 888
Registered: 2-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 11:39 am: |
|
What may be the best ant for one person may NOT be the best ant for another.
I've tried the Wilson ants and couldn't get the swr below 1.5. I installed the 102" ss whip and my swr is flat and tx/rx is 100% better. |
Mikefromms
Intermediate Member
Username: Mikefromms
Post Number: 219
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 12:27 pm: |
|
I think most people are aware that the 102" whip is the best. The problem is-it is not the most practical, especially on newer vehicles. Next best? That is a toughy. I will say that I'm having my best success with my mobile set up with a Wilson 1000 trunk mount. I really liked the Anttron 1700, also. Both are broad banded. The Anttron 1700 is the broadest banded of all the mobile antennas I've used.
Mikefromms |
Crackerjack
Intermediate Member
Username: Crackerjack
Post Number: 152
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 2:13 pm: |
|
DX431:
I have tried two Wilson Truckers and got horrible SWR on both.
I helped a friend place one on top his pickup last weekend, and we got a flat SWR in less than three movements of the whip? Go figure. |
Tech548
Moderator
Username: Tech548
Post Number: 178
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 4:20 pm: |
|
I've lost count how many times this (best mobile antenna) subject has come up.
Yes, the 102" whip is the best when compared to other 1/4 wave antennas. When compared to the Wilsons (or any other short whipped 1/4 wave antennas) the 102 will just blow them away.
But, when comparing the long 102" with a 7 foot 5/8 or 3/4 wave Firestik mounted at the same heigth, the 102 falls short in performance since the 102 has such a high angle of radiation. All 1/4 antennas have this very high radiation angle. As most everyone knows, the lower the radiation angle, the farther away it will be heard.
Jeff
Tech548 |
Crackerjack
Intermediate Member
Username: Crackerjack
Post Number: 154
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 6:02 pm: |
|
Jeff:
What does the SWR of the firestick look like compared to the 102"? |
Hollowpoint445
Intermediate Member
Username: Hollowpoint445
Post Number: 183
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, July 28, 2004 - 6:05 pm: |
|
Jeff - how can an antenna that is not 1/4 wavelenth long physically be a 5/8 or 3/4 wavelength antenna? It isn't possible. They are loaded 1/4 wavelength antennas no matter what Firestick's advertising says they are.
I can make a coil resonant on 27MHz with some wavelength multiple of wire too. It won't radiate a gain pattern, but it will show the radio a reasonable load.
If their antennas were 5/8 wavelength there would need to be some kind of matching system because the impedance at the feed point would be very high. I've never bought one and cut it open, but I'm guessing there's nothing but wire wound around a fiberglass rod covered with a plastic sheath.
Further, a 5/8 wavelength or 3/4 wavelength antenna is a resonant antenna and needs no ground plane. I doubt you could put one of these antennas on your roof and get any kind of impedance match at all. You would need 1/4 wavelength counterpoise wires to get a match.
The 7' Firestick is a good antenna for a loaded fiberglass antenna, however it is not anything more than a loaded 1/4 wavelength antenna no matter how much wire they use in it.
Top loading is the best way to do a shortened antenna and the farther away from the feedpoint the loading is the better it will perform, but you won't find any of those antennas that would out perform the signal pattern of a 102" whip antenna. Sure, there may be an odd lobe that would make it show more signal here or there than the 102, but unless you are competing in keydowns, the 102" is the best performing mobile antenna you can use. |
Big_l
Junior Member
Username: Big_l
Post Number: 46
Registered: 6-2004
| | Posted on Sunday, November 06, 2005 - 8:44 pm: |
|
Predator 10K |
Moonraker
Member
Username: Moonraker
Post Number: 61
Registered: 3-2005
| | Posted on Sunday, November 06, 2005 - 9:44 pm: |
|
If you decide to go with a "loaded" antenna be sure the bottom shaft is long enough to get the load or coils above the cab. The 102" whip is a great antenna when you are parked, but it doesn't work as well when it is laid back at highway speed. I have heard very good things about the predator 10k. You can get a 10k in an assortment of shaft lengths, I think they make a 27" shaft for behind the cab of pickups. |
Road_warrior
Advanced Member
Username: Road_warrior
Post Number: 901
Registered: 7-2004
| | Posted on Monday, November 07, 2005 - 11:57 am: |
|
Predator 10K or Coily antennas are as close
to a 102" whip as your going to get.
At highway speeds they will NOT lose power
like a 102" whip will, due to SWR changes.
But, these are a heavier coiled antenna that
will require a good solid mount.
Or take a look at what Copper has to offer in
antennas like Wilson ect.
|
Coyote
Advanced Member
Username: Coyote
Post Number: 532
Registered: 11-2004
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 09, 2005 - 12:00 pm: |
|
Yup, that's exactly what they are. I don't care at all for Firestix. The tuning tip can be knocked completely off the antenna rendering it nearly useless. All it takes is a couple good whacks from low tree limbs or overhead door and its gone. I suppose you "MIGHT" be able to repair one at this point by adding a lenght of wire to it to replace the now missing tuning tip and rewrap it with electrical tape, but they are not worth the money, IMHO.
The last one I had did this very thing. I wound up cutting the outter cover off of it, added several lengths of wire cut to various frequencies, and made a scanner antenna out of it. Works pretty darn good now for that. 
If you don't want to or can't mount a 102", then go with the Wilson.
|
