I have gotten an 11 meter radio now with a wilson 500 on the roof of my silverado. It already hits everything in site. I just picked up a 102 inch steel whip that was on the cheep and I want to use it so that I can enhance my range as slight as the difference may be, but if I mount it low on the truck or on the bed somewhere it will mess up the lobes of the radio waves I'm told by my buddy's analyzer plus it would be behind the cab or the fenders and I want my antenna up high. My question is does anyone think i'd be totally insane or just a little insane if I get a three magnet style mount and slap it on my roof bringing the tip height to 15' off the ground (just below the standard overpass height according to what I've read online). Has anyone tried this maddnes and do you think i'd be asking for trouble. I also would plan on using a coil spring in the mount.
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Antenna Question
- Thread starter Gniederb
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TheSpaceMann
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You could do it, but it may look a little weird! Be careful when you are near low lying tree branches or garages.
Delta33
Member
Bigger is NOT better. Put a LARSEN Nmo 27S in the middle of your Roof and call it a day!
Delta33
Member
Larsen Nmo27S in the Middle of the Roof.
that's good to know. I'll have my local shop put the swr meeter on it before I plug and play. Don't wanna fry my first big boy radio.
TheSpaceMann
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Yep, and you could also just add 4 inches of metal or wire to the top of the whip!
Delta33
Member
Yeah just Glue it on Right ?? *rolling eyes*Yep, and you could also just add 4 inches of metal or wire to the top of the whip!
Delta33
Member
Again, a Larsen Nmo 27 would be a wiser choice.
In most states there's only a 12' required clearance above the right-of-way and your 15' antenna may have issues with that.(G)
Also, a helically wound 1/4 wave antenna is a little harder to find, a little more expensive, but it can chop that down to 3-5' of antenna height and you'll never notice any performance difference. Except, perhaps, when you're not hitting overpasses with it.
By the way, when you have a really big heavy solid magmount base on a big antenna? And, perhaps because you're just a tad over the limit on a windy night? That antenna mount can scare the *rap out of you when it lifts free and BANGS down the side of your vehicle. Works better than a large espresso-shot double coffee.
Don't ask me how I know that.
Also, a helically wound 1/4 wave antenna is a little harder to find, a little more expensive, but it can chop that down to 3-5' of antenna height and you'll never notice any performance difference. Except, perhaps, when you're not hitting overpasses with it.
By the way, when you have a really big heavy solid magmount base on a big antenna? And, perhaps because you're just a tad over the limit on a windy night? That antenna mount can scare the *rap out of you when it lifts free and BANGS down the side of your vehicle. Works better than a large espresso-shot double coffee.
Don't ask me how I know that.
jim202
Member
Unless you don't care what the paint on the roof of the vehicle looks like in a couple of months go with the mag mount.
The reason that I say this is most people have never seen the effect of a mag mount that have been on the body of a vehicle for a while. It seems that there is enough fine particles in the air can be very abrasive to the paint around the mag mount. It circles around the mag mount and cuts the surface of the paint. The longer you have the mag mount on the paint, the more the paint gets abraded.
Trying to buff out the scuffed area where the mag mount was will not bring the shine back to the body paint. So the bottom line here is do you care about the vehicle body paint condition or not? That will be the decision here on if the mag mount used for any duration is a good choice.
The reason that I say this is most people have never seen the effect of a mag mount that have been on the body of a vehicle for a while. It seems that there is enough fine particles in the air can be very abrasive to the paint around the mag mount. It circles around the mag mount and cuts the surface of the paint. The longer you have the mag mount on the paint, the more the paint gets abraded.
Trying to buff out the scuffed area where the mag mount was will not bring the shine back to the body paint. So the bottom line here is do you care about the vehicle body paint condition or not? That will be the decision here on if the mag mount used for any duration is a good choice.
I already use a willson 500 magnet mount. I was going to go to a permanent mounted willson 1000 but I came across a solid steel 1/4 wave whip for 20 bucks and my inner mad-man wants to try it out on the roof. I'm new to the scene and luckily I found one of those rare tech's that actually know what they are doing and the physics behind it all and why they do what they do and he showed me on paper how that big whip I have will outperform the willson in ideal conditions but unless I mount it center mass on the roof it will weaken my send and receive in certain directions since the other options are along the bed rails/corners.
If I am going down the road and I hit something with the tip, even with he antenna being highly flexible and a coil spring at the base do you guys think it's likely to get ripped off the roof, or would I have to hit something pretty far down on the whip using a three magnet set up.
If I am going down the road and I hit something with the tip, even with he antenna being highly flexible and a coil spring at the base do you guys think it's likely to get ripped off the roof, or would I have to hit something pretty far down on the whip using a three magnet set up.
No magnet mount will support a 1/4-wave CB antenna. The sheet metal in the roof won't give magnets enough grab even if you use super-strong neodymium magnets. You MUST use a reinforced permanent mount; something that ties into the frame, support structure, or at least a backing plate to "thicken" the metal around the mount. Otherwise you're going to have problems even if you use the spring in the base.
prcguy
Member
The typical 4-magnet mounts with 5" magnets will easily handle a 9ft stainless whip and spreads the load out just fine.
prcguy
prcguy
Delta33
Member
Sure if you don't mind making the vehicle look Ghetto? A simple roof mount base loaded antenna would look considerably more professional.
I dood it. Way better than my old antenna, can hear and transmit so much further. It really stretches my little 42 watts. Haven't had it up long but so far so good on the 'making it under' things. BTW the magnet mount I bought is on there tight. I've lifted weights for a lot of years and I can't budge the damn thing
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Delta33
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Yeah, you "Dood" it alright. Not much gooder, or Legal either.
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