Cb Antennas

[wpwx694]

which antenna is the best for a Uniden Pro-510 XL CB Radio?

1. Midland® 18-258 27MHz Window Mount CB Radio Antenna
Model: 18-258

2. Radio Shack® Through-Glass "Cellular Look-Alike" Antenna with WX Band
Model: 21-802

3. Cobra® CoHGA1000 Mobile CB Antenna
UPC: 0-28377-31081-2

 

[zz0468]

Through glass cb antennas? Yuck. They're probably equally horrid, although I'd be more likely to go for the one without weather band coverage. Also, I haven't seen Radio Shack sell anything but crap for ages.

If drilling holes and putting in a real antenna is simply not an option, you'd fare better with a mag-mount on the roof.

 

[wpwx694]

Through glass cb antennas? Yuck. They're probably equally horrid, although I'd be more likely to go for the one without weather band coverage. Also, I haven't seen Radio Shack sell anything but crap for ages.

If drilling holes and putting in a real antenna is simply not an option, you'd fare better with a mag-mount on the roof.

what about the Cobra HG-A1000 Magnet-Mount CB Antenna?

 

[wpwx694]

please let me know!

 

[zz0468]

please let me know!

That would probably work better than the glass mount antennas, but there are other mag-mounts that have a longer whip that would be better still.

 

[policeMonitor]

in your case a wilson 5000

but if you dont want to spend the money a good one is a k30

 

[TooLate]

Cobra HGA1000 is an "OK" antenna. It's outside (better than through the glass) and monitors CB traffic in the 10--15 mile range. It is not overly durable. After a recent ice storm this winter, I was tapping the unit "gently" with the scraper handle to cut down ice buildup in the coil and the antenna snapped in two down in the plastic housing area. Since I got it directly (on-line) from Cobra, I contacted them and they sent another quickly and without question. I've "fortified" the joints with small width strips of gorilla duct tape and all has been well.

It's ok for short distance monitoring and stealth (and I'm assuming that this is a priority for you as it is for me)...otherwise, the Wilson 1000, Lil' wil, or K-40's are all much better choices (I have all 3) .

There won't be any skip shootin w/the Cobra. I don't transmit on my cobra so I don't know what it sounds like (not sure my ebay Uniden 510 XL is very solid)...will chk that out in warmer weather.

Been CB'ing since it cost $20 for a license and there were only 7 frequencies. Hope this helps. Free free to PM for more info.

 

[wpwx694]

I would use it on the highway to talk to truckers.

 

[LouisvilleScanMan]

K40s S-U-C-K SUCK!!! The vice president of my radio club had a full size K40 on the trunk of his car and after he noticed the allen screws on the trunk mount starting to strip out he replaced it with a Little Wil and the first time he talked to me on it from his work about 7 miles away I saw a 3db improvement in signal strength over what he gave me on the K40.

He later replaced the Little Wil with a Wilson 1000 and that gave him another 2db of signal from his work (he gave the Little Wil to his son).Trust me, GO WITH THE WILSON!

 

[TooLate]

Yes you can strip the allen screws out of a K-40 trunk lip but a good alternative is a better quality allen screw (harder steel) and lay off the "crankin it down till the mount bends" or the trunk lid "dimples". Still it's better than any of the other 3 original choices he considered including the Cobra cell look-alike I discussed. He was, obviously, looking for stealth and proximate communications rather than distance...hence, my response.

Signal strength can vary from minute to minute and meter to meter as atmospheric conditions and radio tuning set ups vary. I've talked to Australia from Nebraska at 2 PM in July at times and other times I couldn't talk across town. I've heard very distant stations with minimal "needle deflection" clearly and not been able to understand a station that swings the meter needle prominently. Essentially, I've found that it really doesn't matter what all the gadgets say as long as I can understand the audio emitting from the speaker.

Finally, you'll note the order of my alternative suggestions. It's been a while since I've had my Presidents and Wilson/K40's wired up so there may have been compromises and maybe even improvements in the merchandise... I was just relating my experiences with the 4 latter antennas spread over a couple of decades with various radios and assorted environmental, topographical, and atmospheric conditions and automotive setups. And, yes, I was most satisfied with the Wilson 1000. And the Lil Wil magnet mount works well on road trips.

 

[k9rzz]

I had a cellular look alike CB antenna on the car for a while. It worked great. I could talk to anyone I could hear. Had it mag mounted right in the center of the roof.

John K9RZZ

 

[RevGary]

All of our Chaplain Responder Crown Vic's have a Wilson 1000 mounted on our own SO-239 trunk lip mount brackets and the performance is substantially better than anything else that we have tested over the past 8 years. The magnetic base version will do just as well but overhead clearance for garage doors may be an issue if you place it on a vehicle roof.

 

[TooLate]

Leawoodcops:

Just for my own curiosity, are you not part of a Citizens Patrol in the Houston area? That said, am I not correct in assuming that you want a small inconspicuous radio AND antenna so as not to draw attention to yourselves while you are in your assigned patrol areas? Your communications needs are not so much for distance between cities but relatively close neighborhoods...safe assumption?

So! While there is no comparison in the performance of an antenna with a significant loading coil and 4 ft plus rod, since your needs appear to be of a much more localized rather than a wide area or distant broadcast coverage AND since there appears to be a concern for STEALTH, I still stand by the discretional looks of the Cobra or similar look alike that you queried in your original question...just not through the glass...needs to be a hard line antenna to radio...
unless my assumptions are in error...

While the GMRS/FRS type of handhelds are even more discrete, their range (due to spectrum, antenna length, and wattage (or lack thereof) in our experience in both city and rural locales is limited to 2 miles or less. The exterior mounted cell look-alike or very thin short rods "hear and talk" better.

Good luck...be safe.


Just my $0.02...FWIW ($0.02).

 

[ScanDaBands]

Wilson 5000

 

[wpwx694]

Yes I'm the Asst. coordinator.

Leawoodcops:

Just for my own curiosity, are you not part of a Citizens Patrol in the Houston area? That said, am I not correct in assuming that you want a small inconspicuous radio AND antenna so as not to draw attention to yourselves while you are in your assigned patrol areas? Your communications needs are not so much for distance between cities but relatively close neighborhoods...safe assumption?

So! While there is no comparison in the performance of an antenna with a significant loading coil and 4 ft plus rod, since your needs appear to be of a much more localized rather than a wide area or distant broadcast coverage AND since there appears to be a concern for STEALTH, I still stand by the discretional looks of the Cobra or similar look alike that you queried in your original question...just not through the glass...needs to be a hard line antenna to radio...
unless my assumptions are in error...

While the GMRS/FRS type of handhelds are even more discrete, their range (due to spectrum, antenna length, and wattage (or lack thereof) in our experience in both city and rural locales is limited to 2 miles or less. The exterior mounted cell look-alike or very thin short rods "hear and talk" better.

Good luck...be safe.


Just my $0.02...FWIW ($0.02).

 

[TooLate]

That was kinda my impression. Our reasons for using the Cell look-a-likes are probably similar. I've been using the same 510xl/cobra cell cb antenna for several months and have no complaints on reception. I know from experience with the larger mobile antennae that it is possible to tx/rx farther but my mission was to keep the radio out of site in a Camry and have the look of "no potentially theftable radio equipment inside" and hear a few miles down the road each way...the set up does just fine for that.

Like you appear to need...I'd like to have a good glass mounted CB/Scanner antenna that performed much better than they do...but the "electro-physics" aren't possible for the most part...hence the Cobra type.

Don't know if it's possible to penetrate auto-glass without causing it to shatter into hundreds of little cubes (enough to run a conductor wire through it and essentially hard wire the system). My EMS experience is that very little pressure with the right tool in the right place literally can shatter an entire windshield...and probably any other automotive safety glass panel...but I KNOW what happens to a windshield. Must be like cutting diamonds ( ). Anyway, good luck with your decision and FWIW, I mentioned that I found the Cobra people quite accommodating folks. Just wish they had a more durable (industrial version) antenna. But, my riggings appear to have helped...so far.
Have a good one!