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Post by aircargoo on May 1, 2009 16:52:26 GMT -5
got one of those magnet mounts about 18 in. high with black thingy in center. my units a 29 nw cobra.... wondering if a larger whip like a 36in. or slightly taller would make difference?  i can receive and transmitt about 2 miles. i know this thru radio checks thru out the week.  i just looking to reach futher without or b4 really sending out to tune and peak it. txs all in advance people.....  |
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Post by BionicChicken on May 1, 2009 17:19:54 GMT -5
got one of those magnet mounts about 18 in. high with black thingy in center. my units a 29 nw cobra.... wondering if a larger whip like a 36in. or slightly taller would make difference? i can receive and transmitt about 2 miles. i know this thru radio checks thru out the week. i just looking to reach futher without or b4 really sending out to tune and peak it. txs all in advance people..... As long as your reflected power (VSWR) is low you do not need a longer whip. It will only change these readings and not do anything to improve the overall setup. All you can do is to make sure the VSWR is as low as you can get it with the antenna you have or either go to a different (longer) antenna. A Wilson 1000 magnet mount is a good choice but the price is probably more than you might want to spend. It all boils down to: Pay to play. But different mounting solutions can improve what you have. Magnet mounts tend to not do as well as a metal grounded antenna. BC |
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Post by Tombstone (R.I.P.) on May 1, 2009 17:32:54 GMT -5
That depends on if you really want to get out or just talk over a couple of miles. There are way better antennas available that will greatly out perform the one you are using. What you can use depends on your vehicle and if you want to drill holes or not. I've found that a 102" stainless steel whip and the 6 inch spring works the best using hi grade coax. The drawback to this is they're usually not feasible on a high profile vehicle such as a van or SUV because these antennas are usually bumper mounted. If you have to use a mag mount there are decent ones out there with a longer whip. There are many great mobile antennas that work quite well but you might have to experiment until you find the one that meets your needs and works the best. It's been so long since I've used anything but a 102" steel whip that I don't know what companys are still in business. Try K40 (American Antenna), Wilson, Firestik, among others. I'm sure someone on this board can give you more suggestions. If you're going to try different antennas always make sure your standing wave is as low as possible (SWR, match). They claim 2 to 1 and under is ok, the closest to 1:1 to 1 is best.
Tombstone
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simple
Mudduck
"..Don't forget son, there is someone up above..."
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Post by simple on May 2, 2009 7:05:14 GMT -5
my personal experience with antennas involved some like you are talking about, probably the walmart speacial. if you're lucky and get one that really talks then it's an excellent deal, sometimes the set screw is rusted straight out of the package on those, so adjusting swr is pretty well out. A 102 inch steel whip and the 6inch spring and 18 foot coax will make an almost perfect match, I have talked 50 plus miles ground wave on that setup, usually mobile to base. At the same time though, you could buy a Wilson 1000 magnet mount, and get the same response for about the same price and no drilling required. K40 was mentioned, but I advise to not waste the money on it. They do a great job the first couple years, but none of the internal connections are soldered so after a little weathering they will corrode resulting in higher swr and less reliability. Wilson solders all connections so no worries.
Hope this was helpful.
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Post by aircargoo on May 6, 2009 12:36:19 GMT -5
wow...wilson 1000 is expensive! what about that lil wil? so....starting with antenna good idea?gonna try to get one this weak...i did radio check 2day,got like 3 miles then lost signal,thats it. when you say low swr...how do you adjust? key up? and of coarse lil switch has 2b on swr correct? txs in advance all.... |
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Post by Tombstone (R.I.P.) on May 7, 2009 8:56:28 GMT -5
Usually there's a set screw at the base of the antenna that hold the whip. Just loosen it and move the whip up or down to set the SWR. It won't read correctly while you're touching it. Your meter should have set, forward, or SWR positions. First, put the switch on set and while keyed up turn the dial so that the needle goes all the way and aligns with the set mark. then while still keyed, put the switch to forward or SWR for the reading and adjust the whip for the lowest SWR.
Tombstone
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Post by Marc on May 7, 2009 15:22:35 GMT -5
Aircargoo
I have found over the years (for me) the best way to set your SWR is as follows.
(Step one)
First check them on Ch.1 Ch.20 and then Ch.40. Make note of the readings on
Ch.1 and Ch.40
Now if you have a higher reading on Ch.1 then on Ch. 40 you will need to lengthen the whip (loosen the set screw and slide it out.) (Make it longer)
If you have a higher setting on Ch.40 than Ch.1 you will need to shorten the whip (loosen the set screw and slide the whip in.) (Make it shorter)
(Step two)
I find it best to do the actual adjustments on any Ch from 20 to 22 this is center of the band approximately.
Pick your Ch lets say 20 that is what I use, move the whip in the direction as indicated by the readings made in the first step. Make your adjustments in about 1/8th inch steps, till you get the reading as low as you can. If you are using a magnetic mount it may not be possible to lower the reading under 1.3 or 1.4 due to a marginal RF ground.
If using a trunk lip mount you might have to scrape some paint off where the
Set screws tighten against the trunk edge.
You might see a curve when checking Ch.1 and Ch.40 after setting for lowest reading on the center of the band, this is normal as long as the higher readings are in a safe range.
Hope this helps you out.
Marc
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simple
Mudduck
"..Don't forget son, there is someone up above..."
Posts: 7
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Post by simple on May 9, 2009 3:32:43 GMT -5
Wilson's can get high, but they are worth they're money.
As far as the "Little Wil" goes, you probably won't be happy with it. They don't get a lot of range from what I've heard. I haven't dealt with many of them, but the ones I have only went 4 or 5 miles if that.
Not trying to be an advertisement for anyone, but Copper Electronics is the cheapest on Wilson 1000 that I have found, unless you can ebay one for less. Usually run just under or around $70 from Copper, includes shipping.
A side note for them is if or when you order one, you might specify that it will be for CB, sometimes the stinger is cut for ham bands, which is longer, and you'll have to cut off about 2 inches or so just to get in an adjustable range, and that is some HARD metal.
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Post by ohiocowboy1277 on May 12, 2009 21:58:28 GMT -5
radioshack still sells the102 inch whips that plus a good magnetic base for it should get ya out farther provided swr is set right i run one on my buick with a stock cobra 25 only thing done is turned the modulation up to about 95% and i get out about 4-9 miles depending on conditions whip was $30 not sure about the magnetic base as i had one laying around someone had given me . ive had good luck with it been using it over 5 years no probs . simple but effective set up and relatively cheap compared to some
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Post by BionicChicken on May 13, 2009 6:38:06 GMT -5
102" whips have gotten outrageous. I can't begin to remember how many we sold at $6.95 each. About the only way to get a deal on them now-a-days is to buy the 6 at the time.
They are one of the best antennas you can use provided you are able to properly mount it....preferrably with a ball mount.
BC
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Post by Tombstone (R.I.P.) on May 16, 2009 5:36:32 GMT -5
Yep, yep, but $30.00 for a steel whip and that's not including the spring or ball mount? My whip was the $6.95 model too, it must be more ancient than I thought. I'm also surprised that Rat Shack still sells something that's Olde School.
Tombstone
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Post by doctor on May 16, 2009 8:15:27 GMT -5
I would choose a wilson 1000, I have had many antennas and that is the best for ME. I talk home at 40 miles all the time and that is running no excessive power less that 15 watts.
If you only get 2 or 3 miles, there is a BIG problem, and you dont have to send your radio away to peak/tune just look it up on cb tricks, follow the simple steps.
In the long run it is the ANTENNA you use..........and the coax..
DOCTOR/795
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Post by gator7 on May 16, 2009 9:13:40 GMT -5
I have to agree with the doctors orders. My Wilson 1000 is the best antenna for the buck. Ran the little wil for a while. It's ok if you are not running a amp. But if you do. The little wil is not the answer. Any rain or ever the morning dew will cause a RF issue and higher VSWR. NOT GOOD. So I now use the 1000 w/ my texas star 350 and can talk 25 -30 miles mobile to base. And have talked mobile to mobile about the same distance. As for skip contacts. My buddy and I try to have a conversation and we can't. All the skip talkers want to jump in. The 1000 may cost more. But you will have a tough time finding a better antenna.
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Post by BladeRunner now OLD FLASH!!!!! on May 24, 2009 21:05:47 GMT -5
I have an antenna called a SPARROW I got off a guy . It' s on an all metal bodied car and has a good ground and swr but it's not much of an antenna. It's an ugly thing. has a coil at the base of the antenna plus a larger external that encircles the base coul. not sure why it was designed that way. or what effecr it has on the antenna because it does connect to the metal antenna at the base and right above the base coil. It's a very long antenna.....
I'd put a 102 inch whip on it but the bumper is plastic with metal under it. would have to drill into and tap that for a good ground. it's a sports car so it would look pretty stuupid on there anyway. I already get comments about the sparrow.
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Post by Tombstone (R.I.P.) on May 24, 2009 21:37:22 GMT -5
I'm not familiar with the Sparrow but it sounds like what they called the Master Blaster that I saw in the truck stops back in the 1980's. How do you have it fastened to your vehicle now, mag mount or? If the antenna works well and it's not a mag mount you might be able to fasten it to your rear bumper. You say you have a sports car. If it's low profile that's probably the best place to mount a longer whip except like you say, a 102" will look too crazy. I don't figure that you want to drill a hole in the roof. Choosing the right antenna and finding the best mounting place is always tough. Pick up trucks and such that have west coast mirrors are always easy. Youll have to find a happy medium somehow.
Tombstone
OT222
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Post by BladeRunner now OLD FLASH!!!!! on May 25, 2009 10:52:09 GMT -5
I have it lip mounted to the center of my trunk...I scraped the paint off underneath just enough for the set screws to clamp on and ground the antenna. it's fairly popular around here. but ugly as sin. That outer coil around the base looks dumb. There are guyss around here that swear by them...There is a guy that has an antenna that I can't rememember the name of right now. It works great but the only place on the net I can find it is overseas.
It has a base coil and extremely long antenna. He can't use it on his newer mustang but won't part with it. I wish I could remember the brand name.
On his mustang, he has tried everything but has been unable to rid his radio of motor noise. I had some suggestions but he's not one to take advice from anyone.
I remembered and came back to modify the post... it's a Serio 5000 and I found them in the states on the net at H&Y electronics. while I was at his house , he has another car with a radio, we took a wilson (that good one you guys are refering to)
and repaced it with the serio and his receive and transmit was substantially better. The swr was low on both. I was quite surprised. His signal strength went up a full db on a guy 10 miles away. I thought that was pretty good for a barefooted mobile radio and just an antenna change. I don't do much better than that on my base when i go from barefooted to amplified.
I agree though...there is nothing better than a correctly tuned 102 inch whup.....yes i said whup (it's a southern thing). I havent seen one of those in ages. The police cars all use to have them. I have seen some bizarre ham antenns though. looks like a spaceship.
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Post by maddog on Jun 7, 2009 23:49:51 GMT -5
there is no comparison between the "little wil"and wilson 1000.The wilson 1000 is by far the only choice between the two, in my opinion.I have used both; little wil=2-3miles,Wilson1000=20-30 miles or better.The difference is day and night.Also could not get a good match with a little wil,With the 1000 I get a perfect match.
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**GRUMPY**
Administrator/The Boss 
Classic Radio Operator Olde Timer 8220 [/color][/center]
"The King of Ping"
Posts: 4,342
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Post by **GRUMPY** on Jun 8, 2009 8:01:02 GMT -5
I guess that I am the only one that has had very good results using a Wilson Lil Wil. I ran one on my company car with a Galaxy DX99V and talked all over the place with it. I was headed for Baltimore, Maryland one day and talked to my tech (Channel Master) who lives in Rising Sun, Maryland. I was coming out of Oxford,PA, talked to him all the way until I just went through Kenwood,Maryland which is on the North Side of Baltimore then we lost each other. He was running a Browning Mark III with a I-Max 2000 and no amp. This was on AM also, not Sideband. If anyone knows Route 1 running through there knows that this road has a lot of hills and valleys with lots of trees. Distance = 45 miles.
I was talking to another buddy of mine (Blaze) one day when I was coming out of Oxford,PA, he lives in New London,PA which is not to far from Oxford. The skip was running pretty good that day and Blaze went back to another guy (I forget which state he was in) and started talking. Blaze asked him how his Browning was sounding since he just got it back from the shop and the guy said " you sound good, put that other guy you were talking to sounds even better". Blaze came back and said "go get'em Scotty" I was shocked  I talked to the guy all the way to Parkesburg,PA, he lost Blaze. Blaze was running a Browning Mark III, Shakespeare Army Stick and about 500 watts.
Another friend of mine runs a Wilson Lil Wil and a Titan 485 has talked to me from Coatesville,PA to Lancaster,PA. Distance = 28 miles
I never had SWR issues with mine, they were always around 1.3 or so. I still have the antenna and use it on my wife's car from time to time. It's 8 years old. I run a Wilson 1000 now, good antenna also. I paid $19.99 for the Lil Wil, I paid $69.99 for the 1000. Big difference in price for small results!
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I talked to the guy all the way to Parkesburg,PA, he lost Blaze. Blaze was running a Browning Mark III, Shakespeare Army Stick and about 500 watts.