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Can I Use These for Antennas?

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davidjacobs2012

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I am considering getting steel whips instead of fiberglass antennas. Can I use these to make antenna work?



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mmckenna

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The 49" whip on it's own won't be enough. They need a loading coil to make them work correctly. As is, those 49" whips will be resonate somewhere near the upper VHF Low Band.

If you want -just- a steel whip, you need to be looking at the 102" whips with a base spring.
 

PACNWDude

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+1 on the 102" whip.

If you park in a garage,go into underground parking, or anything like that and it will get beat up. So any way around using an antenna that long on a vehicle is a good thing.

A tunable FireStick antenna is a little more practical.
 

mmckenna

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Personally, I'd steer clear of the fiberglass antennas. They are too stiff, and contact with a branch at speed will likely damage it, even with a spring.

I'd strongly recommend a Larsen NMO27 with a spring.
Stainless steel whip, about 49 Inches long. You can add a spring (you'll have to shorten the whip).
I used these for many years on top of full size trucks and SUV's. They'll stand up to the beating, even without the spring.
It's not a consumer grade antenna, so don't expect consumer prices, but they really are not that expensive. They'll perform very well if they have a proper ground plane underneath them.
If done right, it'll be the last CB antenna you'll need to purchase.

Take a sniff around here:
http://www.theantennafarm.com/catal...-low-band-194/25-31-mhz-cb-10m-high-gain-447/
You'll need an NMO mount for it.
 

davidjacobs2012

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I have to use the standard cb mounts. I drive a dump truck that belongs to the company i work for. I would be interested in steel whips

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jonwienke

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102" whips will be crap on a big truck. If you mount them on top where they will actually work well, you will be constantly hitting low-hanging power lines and tree branches and breaking lights in parking garages. And if you bumper mount them so they are low enough not to snag on everything, your SWR will be high, especially when the whip contacts the truck body.
 

SouthernRoller

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I have ran the Wilson 2000 with 5in shaft for many years. Personally I wouldn't have anything else. Mine is on a dump truck, mirror mounted and takes a beating daily, never had a single issue at all...
 

PACNWDude

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Firestick and tree branches.

How are firesticks with constant contact with branches? I would use an antenna spring too.

Yes, the spring will be needed with a Firestick antenna also. But it will be shorter than a 102" whip. My Firestick lasted about ten years mounted to a full size SUV, but it did get smacked around by tree branches often. I taped the cap over the top so it wouldn't get torn off.
 
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