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cb magnetic antenna
- Thread starter doolidoo
- Start date
slowmover
Active Member
SIRIO 5000 Performer.
or
PRESIDENT Texas 1800
.
or
PRESIDENT Texas 1800
.
GadgetGeek
Member
Sirio Performer 5000 antenna & Sirio Mag 145 mag mount.
Been using it a couple of years now. Works well for local and dx.
Been using it a couple of years now. Works well for local and dx.
Larsen NMO-27 on a Larsen NMO-MM. I only use mag mounts for testing and very temporary installs. But you won't find a better magnetic mount. As for the NMO-27, I have one that's 30 years old and still works like new.
Nice thing about the NMO mounts is that you can easily swap out antennas if your interests change.
Nice thing about the NMO mounts is that you can easily swap out antennas if your interests change.
In other words, as attested by mmckenna, the use of a magnetic-based antenna mount should only be TEMPORARY. Consider having a professional/experienced technician install the NMO mount on your vehicle. And, as far as the devaluation of your car when you trade it in or sell it outright, in the 54 years I have been driving and owning 20+ vehicles, I have NEVER, and I repeat NEVER had any complaints, or car devalued because it had NMO mounts on it. Matter of fact, I have sold my vehicles with antennas AND radio still installed. They were thrilled to have everything already installed and could change what they wanted because NMO mounts are so universally accepted as the normal permanent antenna mount for many ham, CB, and scanner applications. Here is my current car with 12 NMO mounts, and two trunk-lip temporary antenna mounts. Not only do magnetic mounts give limited performance, but you will also severely damage your car's paint by leaving a magnetic mount on the vehicle's surface for extended periods of time.
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slowmover
Active Member
An installed first class antenna system is a vehicle upgrade unlike many aftermarket enthusiast additions.
Still, when highest performance in CB is wanted, rely on longest antenna by reliable brands (President & SIRIO among those; Larsen NMO30 + WD640 whip another).
5’ as a performance minimum “works”. (2.5-miles with a Wilson 5000 center roof permanent mount & stock radio moving away from me on Interstate).
And the difference from 5’ to 6’ to 7’ is noticeable on the big truck I drive. Distant Early Warning has a direct effect on my safety & income on the road. 7’ is where I stay despite nearly 14’ clearance.
7’ on the roof of my 6’ tall pickup with a flexible antenna choice is easily accommodated around town given barest awareness of hard sub-13’ obstacles.
NMO really is the easiest way to change things around. From the antennas I mentioned above, to shorties for around town. And then other radio services.
Ease of Use. No more storing away of antenna system. No damage to that or vehicle. Greater likelihood of daily radio use thereby.
Still, when highest performance in CB is wanted, rely on longest antenna by reliable brands (President & SIRIO among those; Larsen NMO30 + WD640 whip another).
5’ as a performance minimum “works”. (2.5-miles with a Wilson 5000 center roof permanent mount & stock radio moving away from me on Interstate).
And the difference from 5’ to 6’ to 7’ is noticeable on the big truck I drive. Distant Early Warning has a direct effect on my safety & income on the road. 7’ is where I stay despite nearly 14’ clearance.
7’ on the roof of my 6’ tall pickup with a flexible antenna choice is easily accommodated around town given barest awareness of hard sub-13’ obstacles.
NMO really is the easiest way to change things around. From the antennas I mentioned above, to shorties for around town. And then other radio services.
Ease of Use. No more storing away of antenna system. No damage to that or vehicle. Greater likelihood of daily radio use thereby.
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slowmover
Active Member
A WORKMANN Triple-Mag Starpad Launcher is what I’ve used for years to mount pretty much any antenna used for 11-Meter.
Shown above with a quarter-wave on a HUSTLER Quick Disconnect.
Not easy to dismount. Nor store.
But it won’t move at 90-MPH, either (70-MPH into headwind).
Your choice of antenna with high wind load:
SIGNAL ENGINEERING Golden Rod 45
COWTOWN ANTENNAS Predator K-1-27
These two change the, “all antennas of a similar height perform about the same”, rule-of-thumb as they’re both “better” than a quarter-wave at highway speed.
Which is why I opted to replicate & enhance that ability once I installed a permanent mount.
A base-load is less conspicuous, but the mid-coil (or top hat) is higher Q.
Antenna Q Factor
You’ve probably heard the term “Q factor” tossed around in describing antennas, but maybe you haven’t quite yet picked up on exactly what it means from a practical standpoint. Let’s see if we can get at Q, or quality factor, as it relates to antenna circuits and amateur radio operations without...
www.hamradioschool.com
When one wants to chase, what’s possible?, in mobile.
You’ve heard it said, the antenna system is what matters most, then it’s the big mag mounts which allow experiments not otherwise possible for mobile.
The match of RX/TX to greatest distance has been my interest. I encounter radio rigs which fall short in their RX vs TX. “Get out”, farther than they can hear. That’s wasted money & effort.
(Why an integrated NRC radio is the only choice).
— You’ll know success with your highest optimization of the antenna system against a cooperative base station operator.
.
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I have owned many K40 antennas. I have owned several Wilson 1000 magnetic antennas.
However, the game-changer was the Tram 3500 with a 5-inch magnetic base and rubber boot.
I have all sorts of smack from folks who disagree with me.
The rubber boot on this antenna works!! It DOES NOT scratch the paint, based on my experiences.
I have photographs of the trunk and roof of my Toyota.
I also use the Tram NMO monitor antenna with the same size of magnet and boot. I make sure I buy the 58U, not 58AU coax. I top this with a Larsen Tri-band monitor antenna.
https://www.amazon.com/TRAM-3500-Heavy-duty-Magnet-Mount-Antenna/dp/B008S5N09M
PS: I was nearing a prison unit in Texas with the K40 on top. This was near Rosharon, Texas. There was a nearby tornado that hit the pig sty of the unit. I don't know if straight winds were responsible or other wind types, but the damn wind blew it off.
The K40 was very hard to remove due to the magnet strength. The recommended antenna is just as strong, but much easier to remove.
One odd thing happened when I was using my Classic Cobra 25. At the time, I was using a Passport Max II, unshielded. When I keyed the microphone, it would set off the laser alert. I asked a radio technician why and he told me it was likely a ground issue. So, I attached the mounting screw to the body of the car, problem solved.
Now, I am using an Anytone 500-M. I am now using a Passport Max 360 (not C) with proper shielding.
About two weeks ago, the Max 360 succumbed to the Texas heat. It took a hard fall. Now, there are some false signals. I am pretty certain the fall affected the shielding. Soon, I will be sending the radar detector back to Cedar for repair.
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