So for fun, I decided to try this super long whip antenna on my SUV using an ICOM 7000 rig. It's stainless steel and fairly flexible. I saw that DxE has one of these and is advertised as being even more flexible so I ordered that one for grins. This is the Radio Shack model.
I never tried this antenna because it's very long -- at 8.5 ft. Out in a rural area this would be a very fun antenna.
I decided to try the NVIS configuration that some of our military vehicles use... needless to say, I'm quite impressed. This antenna is a monster! My previous antenna was a shorter "CB" whip but it did have a base loading coil. That coil could have been an issue. My ham-stick antennas seem to perform better but they are also nearly 7.5-8 ft long as well.
The plain whip is a signal sucker though. Even this morning at 10am PST, I was getting S9+20 on 20megs WWV and the same on 15megs WWV. Both 10/11m were coming in great too.
The whip is just long enough that I can bend it over and with a 12" loop of dacron rope it's holding tight. The stainless end cap of the antenna is holding it in place but I think I'll wrap a few layers of electrical tape around the end to keep it from coming loose.
If anyone knows of a thin, bungee-like cord with a non-conductive end on it then let me know... The rope should be fine but I'd rather have something a bit more reliable.
The entire whip has a nice buffer between the SUV body or roof. It has about a 8-10" buffer over the roof until the rope brings it back down. (The rope attaches to the stock luggage bar.)
If you haven't tried one of these whips then you don't know what you're missing. The cost is about $30 and well worth it!
PS. I've heard that the R/S model is a cheap Chinese-made whip. The 3/8" stud is actually hollow brass and not solid steel. The DxE model is made in the USA so it might be of better quality. The price is nearly the same.
Here's the R/S link:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102428
Here's the DxE link:
http://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-wp-102
I never tried this antenna because it's very long -- at 8.5 ft. Out in a rural area this would be a very fun antenna.
I decided to try the NVIS configuration that some of our military vehicles use... needless to say, I'm quite impressed. This antenna is a monster! My previous antenna was a shorter "CB" whip but it did have a base loading coil. That coil could have been an issue. My ham-stick antennas seem to perform better but they are also nearly 7.5-8 ft long as well.
The plain whip is a signal sucker though. Even this morning at 10am PST, I was getting S9+20 on 20megs WWV and the same on 15megs WWV. Both 10/11m were coming in great too.
The whip is just long enough that I can bend it over and with a 12" loop of dacron rope it's holding tight. The stainless end cap of the antenna is holding it in place but I think I'll wrap a few layers of electrical tape around the end to keep it from coming loose.
If anyone knows of a thin, bungee-like cord with a non-conductive end on it then let me know... The rope should be fine but I'd rather have something a bit more reliable.
The entire whip has a nice buffer between the SUV body or roof. It has about a 8-10" buffer over the roof until the rope brings it back down. (The rope attaches to the stock luggage bar.)
If you haven't tried one of these whips then you don't know what you're missing. The cost is about $30 and well worth it!
PS. I've heard that the R/S model is a cheap Chinese-made whip. The 3/8" stud is actually hollow brass and not solid steel. The DxE model is made in the USA so it might be of better quality. The price is nearly the same.
Here's the R/S link:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102428
Here's the DxE link:
http://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-wp-102
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