Mobile Antenna: PRESIDENT Texas 1800

[slowmover]

Have to make runs every so often across a rural property where low tree branches are an occurrence. 4-5/strikes each way. About 1-2’ of antenna “hit”.

So far, not a problem. Crawl speed due to cow path being followed. Set the TurboDiesel into First and idle along using clutch & brakes to modify headway.

With a PRESIDENT Lincoln + V2 and a DSP extension speaker am getting good enough reports. (The new Washington is the replacement).

I’ve too many component controls to have to balance against each other for optimum performance, but when I do is when the 7’ class of antennas really shine.

If you find a T1800 NOS and deal with its design . . there’s no hard feelings.

Another man used some sort of film wrap to “hide” the chrome base. Said it didn’t seem to affect performance. That done (and a more low-key mount than mine) this antenna would almost disappear. He would loosen the base and lay the whip flat to listen thru his work day (contractor; usually for SSB DX). Raised it up at quitting time to participate on his long drives to his home. It was his experience 4-5/years ago convinced me I wanted VG SSB performance, so I saved and got the gear he ran (radio & antenna of Linc + Texas).

Yeah, it’s obvious I’m running a tall antenna. But it’s not neon glare, either. The mid coil antennas are what jump out at one.

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[slowmover]

The Road Trip Antenna for perspective.
Same heighth, but that coil is over 2’ above roof.



PREDATOR 10K 10-1-27

I’ll get around to mounting and tuning one of the big truck pair on here: SIRIO 5000 3/8”

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[jcrmadden]

Yeah, it’s obvious I’m running a tall antenna.

The 7' skipshooter on my Tacoma makes it look like a RC toy truck...

PREDATOR 10K 10-1-27

I will inevitably own one of these...

 

[slowmover]

This has been base-load permanent choice for many years. But since being sold the quality became questionable.

 

[slowmover]

DRIVER EXTREME Silver Bullet 66”​

The back-up antenna

Underneath black sheathing we’d see:

​

66" Black DRX-4661​

66" Fiberglass CB Antenna Black
UPC Code: 734139846610

Am running this as backup to the 1800. Got it out while in town a few days ago as a wreck on the nearby Interstate (and Friday traffic before Christmas) made for more local than usual on AM-19.

Atop the puck mount it tops out at 5.75’ above the roof (11.75’).

Is obviously easy to tune. Very “solid” is the impression. Quite a lot of thread depth on the 3/8” mount screw which is welcomed.

As the drive home made clear, height is might as it lost RX as I got away from the highway and got behind hills and down into stream crossings near the Brazos River. Sooner than with any of my 7’ as was expected.

With that said it gave me clear RX & TX as I invented a few reasons to get on-air first parked then moving. Sounded as good as the T-1800, overall.

It stores easily across the rear seat back and is said to tune broadly. 25.5-28/Mhz will be the test someday. Maybe it’ll be good for when parked (easily re-tuned).

I will have to add a spring at base.
There’s NO flex with this design.



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[jcrmadden]

I like that tuning tip. Looks a lot easier than a decking nail with a set screw. Stainless I would hope.

 

[slowmover]

I like that tuning tip. Looks a lot easier than a decking nail with a set screw. Stainless I would hope.

Silver Bullet Antennas

driverextreme.com

 

[slowmover]

Antenna Springs

Stuck a medium weight spring underneath it.


Nope, need a barrel spring (avoid highway wobble & bend). I’ll first have to get some idea of how much it moves with sunlight angles. And Ck SWR at highway speed.

A 4.0” HUSTLER C30 should do it.

C30 - Hustler Heavy Duty Chrome Antenna Spring

C30 - Hustler Heavy Duty Chrome Antenna Spring

www.wearecb.com

The similar-appearing 4.5” C29 is likely too stiff.

The SSM-3 is what I need for the 102”.

Note: All three (3) of these look almost alike, but they aren’t. Same is true for the spring at top. There are engineered differences and price alone won’t tell you.



Figured I’d have to re-adjust the tip. Nope, actually showed better across spectrum.

Will take the expensive meter with me on next trip. Will also take a radio along that has weather channels and check that as well. See what higher & lower than 11M is like.

Get this backup antenna as good as can be for now.

FWIW, anyone playing with AM-19 don’t expect much the day before, during, and the day after a major holiday. With big trucks off the road the cars won’t or can’t carry the burden. It’ll just be Skip with punks on splatter-boxes.

That said, maybe your region has men on other channels. A holiday period would be very good for that (off of 19). I know that SSB can be lively. That’s what I’ll be checking at some point. An open area I can park and “scan around”.

I try to avoid springs as they add failure points. Mainly used as a crutch for a poor antenna choice. And, the center woven braid gets old. One can wick a light amount of LPS to it, but be sparing. A spring is “consumable” (same as coax) as it will wear out. And these examples can’t be rebuilt to my knowledge.

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[slowmover]

Been battering low tree branches (tips) with the T1800 crossing the barely graded, uneven camber “lane” connects both properties where I’m staying. (5-MPH.)

And the narrow (paved) first road leading out has spring growth that’s reached inwards too far. (20-MPH).

Have achieved a slight rake with the whip as they are below 9’ for a 13’ antenna. (12-degrees?)

It’s been awhile since I’ve had the base set screw loosen enough to knock it down (2X).

Can’t tell any difference in RX.
If it was more rake I’d try to correct it.

The upper two feet are gold. It’s when the hits are lower.

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[slowmover]

The Road Trip Antenna for perspective.
Same heighth, but that coil is over 2’ above roof.

View attachment 172582

PREDATOR 10K 10-1-27

I’ll get around to mounting and tuning one of the big truck pair on here: SIRIO 5000 3/8”

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I have to run just over a mile to the second road out before a good spot to park is available to install the 10K. (30-MPH).

Really, I ought to wait until I’m 3.5-miles out.
Same true for the SIRIO 5K 3/8. (40-MPH road).

Once I’m on the Farm-to-Market Road (a Trxas system; 45-MPH) it all GTG.

7’ is a magic number (108” performance without the high speed oscillations), but non-standard tree-trimming on local and on county roads makes them more susceptible to damage.

Not for nothing, then, the 5’ recommendation of NMO34 + W640 whip in this link as we’ve removed the height incentive to remove it.

The radio that’s always ready is the one that gets used.

Best Mobile 2025

A general: what should I recommend to friends who want high performance in Citizen Band? Let’s ballpark it at $500 entry. Will last longer than the time they own the automobile. Seatbelts, Concealed Carry, and CITIZEN BAND. This thread aimed at YOU, not the guy who knows even less. However...

forums.radioreference.com

That’d be about 2’ shorter @ 11’ clearance with shorter whip and spring added given roof-center mount on my truck. I’ve been guessing 90% same performance except when far rural.

(Shown with mag mount and no spring).




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[slowmover]

102” Whip for stationary use




Month of May weather pleasant yesterday so got out the 102” whip (one of two bought from DX-E a few years ago), and found my stash of SS extension shafts. Took this one off the remaining W-2000.

Added a Corona ball from the SIRIO pair.
Avoid poking eye device.



BREEDLOVE #601 mount is 3.5” tall.
Atop the truck that makes feedpoint at 6’3”.

Antenna at 113” with attachments. (9’6”).

1.5-SWR on the Lincoln II+.
Was 1.3 without ball.

Starting SWR without extension/ball was above 2.0

Total height is 116”, or, 191.5”
Right at 16’

Here at home am down into terrain cleft for the Brazos River. Not hard picking up Skip, but IH-20 @ fourteen (14) road miles north I’m not (today) able to contact anyone with 35W.

I’ll attach a KL-203P sitting here and try another day as that heavily-trafficked Interstate will sooner or later yield a return on the right day. (90-100W). Truck sits for days at a time.

Later will get a proper spring and dial it in more carefully with cross-needle PEP Meter.

I don’t expect much from this location re any real distance with this set-up. Maybe neighbors within a few miles at this elevation.

Got to get the R-W Bazooka up into the closest pecan tree (40’).

This 102 as shown is a park-on-an-overlook-near-the-road set-up. I can just fit it as equipped into truck under bed topper. Goes with the D-E back-up antenna. (A DIY dipole, too).

It’s also part of road break-down gear (tools & supply). 16’ is a good 4-5’ above my travel trailer.

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[slowmover]

Ha!

Changed the 10” SS extension shaft for a 5” and SWR dropped back to 1.3:1. If I was willing to dig out another coupler and all-thread piece might move again.

Tail-chasing.

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[WSAC829]

With my 102” i found that all i needed was to add the 4” large spring and the SWR now sits at 1.1 - 1.2. The extended shafts always made it worse in my situation. Nothing wrong with 1.3 though. I’d be happy with that.

 

[slowmover]

So . . . having written about it I went ahead and dug back down to out a PREDATOR HD aluminum stud and increased length from 5” to 7”.

Or was it the magic wadding polish and De-Oxit clean-up?

With drivers door open (as before) it’s now at 1.2:1 all across band (radio meter).

What was convincing was to make it GTG until barrel spring purchased.



Newtronics HUSTLER 6” SSM-3 spring

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[jcrmadden]

from this location re any real distance

You routinely use "re" in your posts... but I don't know what it means... please advise...

 

[slowmover]

Re-garding.

Thoughtful chew of crayon indicated as Marines may have heard/read “mens rea” after a weekend of liberty and this gives pause ever after.

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[slowmover]

Y’all are a tough crowd. Okay, I went and got out The Big Iron, the DAIWA 501.

Am below 1.2:1

Really, it’s a few hairs above 1.1:1 across band. Ready for that RM ITALY KL-703 (which ain’t gonna happen).

I sure do like BREEDLOVE #601. “I feel like” the mount & location are transparent.

Looking forward to using an analyzer to get the rest of the way.

Didn’t get done the original plan for today, and this was the third of three tests performed around house instead, so it’s alright.

Thus endeth the tail-chasing for 05/20/25.

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[slowmover]

With my 102” i found that all i needed was to add the 4” large spring and the SWR now sits at 1.1 - 1.2. The extended shafts always made it worse in my situation. Nothing wrong with 1.3 though. I’d be happy with that.

I’d like to have the CAL-AV Mark 5 4.65” (3/8-24) spring; but last I checked it was north of $150.

Today’s standard offerings aren’t what once they were.

The Mark 6 is $375 and up.

I’d have to change to CB BALL in the Breedlove line-up (#100) to accommodate Mark 5 and an RF Parts riser given a strong reason to need to run this antenna OTR assuming “perfection chased” with analyzer.

A $35 spring for temp use will suffice. Will make it easier to mount/dismount and move around in bed used as a handle (antenna wrapped at both ends).

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[niceguy71]

I bought the Sirio 5000 mostly for a range test in the future....
if I liked it maybe I'd leave it on my F-150......
after getting it, I wonder how anyone can use that big mother!!!!
I was driving down my street today with all the spring leaves sprouting..... every road I went down had a canopy of trees over the road..... it was beautiful...... I thought NO WAY would that Sirio stay in place on my roof...most roads don't see the sun!

it's like driving under an unbrella .. the tree branches are 10 to 12 feet from the tops of the telephone poles... hard to say what the height is... maybe 12 to 13 feet above the road...
my 57" whip with 3 inch tall base Tram 3500 hit a couple... but not too bad.
I thought I should take a video so I could share it with Radio Reference .... how people down south and New England and Oregon and Washington have nothing but a canopy of brush over their roads...... if I lived in New Mexico, Arizona, Texas.... perhaps the tree cover wouldn't be so abundant and someone could get away with a Sirio 5000..... I can't even imagine a 102 whip!!!!!
funny how it works I thought about sharing a video of the tree cover.... I get home and we are talking about tall antenna's... funny how the world works.
next nice day I'm taking a video so I can ask how on earth you guys get away with such big honking antenna's...
you all must live in the desert

 

[slowmover]

“Riser”, to then include use of a tuner.