| Author |
Message |
    
Matt
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 9:19 am: | 
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I have talked to a lot of truckers who like the Fire Stick, What do ya'll think about them? |
Hamcber
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 11:02 pm: |
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A lot of wire goes into those antennas which don't do much for your signal.
A 1/4 wave will out-talk a Firestik under almost all circumstances. However, if you must use a reduced length antenna, the Firestik is a solid choice. Get the longest one you can stand.
A Firestik antenna is to CB frequencies what a 'rubber duckie' is to VHF and UHF bands. A full length 1/4 wave antenna will outperform a 'rubber duckie' every time. However, the 'rubber duckie' is shorter than a 1/4 wave whip. Also, a 5 foot Firestik will outperform a base loaded 5 foot whip antenna. The 7 foot Firestik will perform almost equally as well as a 108 inch whip. The receive will be what noticeably performs better than transmit in this rare case. |
Warlock
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 21, 2001 - 10:27 pm: |
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For an inexpensive antenna, the FRANCIS can't be beat. |
Hamcber
| | Posted on Thursday, November 22, 2001 - 1:12 pm: |
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But the Francis whips break way too easy. I have had a few.
By the way, have you looked at the price of Firestiks? What's not inexpensive about Firestiks? |
Bulldog
| | Posted on Thursday, November 22, 2001 - 11:04 am: |
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Bought a firestik right from the company. Could not get the s.w.r. below 2.5 tried everything Me plus 3 hams could think of, called firestik back they said it was my problem not theirs. Would not give me a refund (paid by check, never again) Went to Walmart and got a shorty antenna for $19.00 worked better then the 50.00 firestik. Save your money and buy a antenna from Copper, and get one that WORKS!!! |
Santa
| | Posted on Thursday, November 22, 2001 - 8:12 pm: |
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I hear the wilson antennas work great. Also the solarcon tri load is also a good one to. |
Matt
| | Posted on Thursday, November 22, 2001 - 6:26 pm: |
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Thanks for all the replies, the firestik that I was looking at is $12.99 for a 5 foot antenna. It might look a little funny a red antenna on a white patrol car but if it works.
Thanks again. |
Warlock
| | Posted on Thursday, November 22, 2001 - 6:17 pm: |
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The Francis antennas do not take much abuse, if you're going to be whacking it frequently you need a steel antenna anyway.
I'm aware the Firesticks are inexpensive also, but not always tuner friendly. You can mount a 4' Francis almost anywhere with 18' of coax and get a decent match with no tuning.
If you're going to be punishing an antenna you may look at a Wilson 2k trucker with a short shaft. |
Hamcber
| | Posted on Thursday, November 22, 2001 - 5:31 pm: |
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If your Firestik had high SWR, there was something else involved that you haven't considered.
As far as Firestik selling direct.... I don't think they do sell direct. If they did indeed sell direct to you, that would explain the FULL RETAIL price you paid. Do yourself a favor and buy your Firestik antennas from Copper next time.
This may sound like I am some kind of fan of Firestik, but I am not. Actually, Firestik would be one of my LAST choices for an antenna installation.
Some of the companies that make commercial grade antennas also make antennas that work on 27 MHz. Maxrad makes antennas for 27 MHz. that screw right on to very high quality Motorola type mounts (NMO) and they are strong, work well, and will outlast ANY typical 'high quality' (which is actually poor quality) CB antenna.
I'm always amazed and the substandard junk that typical CB shops consider 'high quality'. Wilson antennas are not that bad, and would probably be my first choice if I HAD to choose a CB brand name antenna, but they are still not as high quality as commercial grade antennas. |
Santa
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 7:15 am: |
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Hancber where do I purchase a Maxrad antenna?
Santa |
Dx4fun
| | Posted on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 6:04 am: |
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I have used my 2 KW7 Firesticks for over 16 years as both mobile and base antennas. They are one of the best antennas you can buy if you use them correctly (read as follow the directions).
I have talked worldwide on them with no problems, they are immune to all types of weather and require very little if any maintenance other then a wipe down with a squirt of WD40 once a year.
There is no way a 1/4 wave whip can even come close to the DX talk power of a KW7 Firestick. As for SWR I have never seen higher then 1.3 across the entire 27mhz band myself.
They are very easy to trim to the resonate frequency you want, for me that's 27.505 where SWR is 1.1 and continues at that reading for quite a ways on either side.
I suggest you go read the install information that is available online at the Firestick website for answers as to why you might be having problems with these antennas because I have tried most of the competitors at one time or another and I always end up back using my old Firesticks. |
Tech833
| | Posted on Saturday, February 22, 2003 - 10:57 am: |
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I recently discovered the Van Ordt Pow-R-Stik antenna. I was sent a 5.5 foot version for testing and can honestly say I would choose it over the Firestik models.
It has a tuneable tip and 'quad wrap' (4 wires ties together at the base and tip) which gives the antenna a much broader bandwidth and higher power capabilities. The SWR from 24 to 30 MHz. never gets above 2:1. As for performance, it is almost identical to the Firestik 5 foot model. As for strength, it is still not as tough as a commercial antenna.
Also I did notice that it is sensitive to placement on the vehicle. I always volunteer my truck for mobile antenna testing, and found that when the antenna was mounted on the roof, it worked best. Mounting on the bed rail or bumper didn't affect the performance as much as the bandwidth. It is not sensitive to random coax length.
Although I really don't have the need for this antenna (no mobile radio), I decided to keep this one instead of send it back after testing. That says a lot. |
Climber
| | Posted on Sunday, February 23, 2003 - 11:36 pm: |
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Tech833,
Where can I get this "Van Ordt Pow-R-Stik antenna"?
I have searched the web on different engines with no luck.
I've had good results with the "Firestick 4ft" on a mobile, trunk stud mount. Also our Truck/350 Bumper Mount "7ft Fire Stick", as long as I did my part. I keep a 102 inch stainless Steel whip on hand for camping/hunting stationary DX'ing but rarely need them.
Just our results, opinions seem to vary.
Always willing to try good advise, like this Van Ordt.
Thank you!
Climber
** Hi Climber,
I'll bet that if you call Copper and ask really nicely, they can get you one of these antennas. If all else fails, I can send one to Copper for them to sell you. Your 102 inch whip is a good antenna also. For performance, I always suggest the 102. I liked the Van Ordt because of the bandwidth with no apparent compromise in performance. It will not transmit further than the 102 inch whip, but it will cover more frequency range and maintain equal efficiency over that range.
Tech 833 |
Dx4fun
| | Posted on Monday, February 24, 2003 - 2:53 pm: |
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Well that's interesting, Coppers does not sell a 102" steel whip or the Firesticks anymore. They do have something called a Night Stick which I guess is replacing the Firesticks but no pictures so can not see what they look like.
I guess sales of the basic antennas fell to low to continue stocking them. Shipping on the long antennas probably hurt sales as well.
Bummer, I will have to go looking for someplace that still stock them if I ever need to replace mine.  |
Climber
| | Posted on Tuesday, February 25, 2003 - 7:14 pm: |
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Tech833,
Thank-you for the information and offers to assist me in many ways.
After reading your reply, I may spend the money on a new Base antenna from Copper for now.
Sincerely,
Climber |
Kattracker
| | Posted on Sunday, July 13, 2003 - 4:02 pm: |
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Bulldog, If you used a dvom and made sure the Firestick had continuity from base to tip I can assure you from experience your swr problem was not the antenna.
I and many friends have used Firestick antenna with excellent results. Remember this, they are simply wire wrapped around a fiberglass rod. They are built intentionally electrically long, meaning you will likely have to cut off considerable wire to achieve good swr.
Short of having an open circuit in the wire, there is nothing that can go wrong with the antenna. I would bet you my paycheck your swr is caused by another problem such as bad ground, poor mounting location etc.
What model is it that you spent $50.00 on it by buying direct? I bought direct from the factory and a KW-6 was only $22.00.
The KW-7 is the largest antenna they make and it is only a couple bucks more.
By the way, truck stops are a good outlet for Firestick antennas and cost less than buying direct. However it is rare to see anything over five footers at a truck stop. |
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