Little wil placement

[DrillBit102]

I have a cobra 29 LX and have a little wil antenna and currently the antenna is placed on the back driver side roof of my car (2008 Honda fit) and I’m wondering if it matters where the antenna is placed on the roof or if anywhere is ok?

 

[slowmover]

The ideal is roof center.

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[kk9h]

Yep, the roof center is what you want.

 

[mmckenna]

I’m wondering if it matters where the antenna is placed on the roof or if anywhere is ok?

There's usually two parts to a radio antenna.
There's the radiator, that's the vertical part of your antenna that radiates the signal.
There's the radials, or ground plane. That's the conductive material under the antenna.

The placement of the antenna on the available ground plane (vehicle body/roof) will dictate how well the antenna works.
Offset to one side, it's going to work, but not as well as it can. The antenna performance tends to be skewed away from the ground plane in an installation like yours. In your case, most of the radiated (and received) signal is oriented to the rear left hand side of your car.

Placing the antenna in the center of the ground plane helps make it omnidirectional, or work equally well in all directions.

So, yes, antenna in the center of the roof will improve performance to some degree. You may or may not notice much of an improvement on a vehicle that small, but there will be something.

 

[niceguy71]

this chart shows how different locations affect the performance.
the LIL Will is very short at 3 feet tall
for a CB to work well you really need a 5 foot tall antenna.... so if you can afford a 5 foot antenna it would be a huge upgrade.

 

[WSAC829]

the LIL Will is very short at 3 feet tall
for a CB to work well you really need a 5 foot tall antenna....

That’s subjective. I used a Lil Wil for over 20 years (bought it in 2001) and talked all over the world with it. As a base antenna stuck to my metal garage roof, or slapped on my vehicles, it didn’t matter. That antenna always performed well local and DX. 23 years after purchase and constant abuse of being out in the elements, baking in the sun, frozen in ice and snow, slapping garage doors, pumping 300 watts through it, etc, it finally died. Money well spent. No complaints here.

Here’s a few sites with reviews of the Lil Wil. Seems more than just me saw no issue with it.
eham.net (3.8 out of 5 stars with 6 reviews) This was the worst average rating i could find.
Amazon (4.7 out of 5 stars with 1,183 reviews)
eBay (4.7 out of 5 stars with 176 reviews)

ALL base loaded and/or coiled mobile antennas are compromised in some form or another. 4’, 5’, 6’, 7’, doesn’t matter. The only true “great” mobile antenna is a 102” whip with a spring. All other mobile antennas are just “posers” trying to be a 102” whip. Having said that, not ALL the “poser" mobile antennas are bad. Some will get silver and bronze medals, but none will ever take the gold from the 102” whip and that’s a fact (unless maybe when somebody finally creates a 108” whip).

 

[slowmover]

Under 5’ cuts performance unacceptably if the rest of the systems & components are capable.

Hell, 6’ to 7’ can be demonstrated as an upgrade, I’ve done it. Can just barely hear one man and then swap to 7’ and hear to whom he’s speaking.

102” is great until you’re moving.
At which point the 7’ base or mid-coil with flex whip will edge it out.

Get total height closest to 14’ with ideally no less than 5’ length it’s pretty much KOR.

Where one is located in the US always plays a role. Run nationwide and get back to us.


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[niceguy71]

That’s subjective. I used a Lil Wil for over 20 years (bought it in 2001) and talked all over the world with it. As a base antenna stuck to my metal garage roof, or slapped on my vehicles, it didn’t matter. That antenna always performed well local and DX. 23 years after purchase and constant abuse of being out in the elements, baking in the sun, frozen in ice and snow, slapping garage doors, pumping 300 watts through it, etc, it finally died. Money well spent. No complaints here.

Here’s a few sites with reviews of the Lil Wil. Seems more than just me saw no issue with it.
eham.net (3.8 out of 5 stars with 6 reviews) This was the worst average rating i could find.
Amazon (4.7 out of 5 stars with 1,183 reviews)
eBay (4.7 out of 5 stars with 176 reviews)

ALL base loaded and/or coiled mobile antennas are compromised in some form or another. 4’, 5’, 6’, 7’, doesn’t matter. The only true “great” mobile antenna is a 102” whip with a spring. All other mobile antennas are just “posers” trying to be a 102” whip. Having said that, not ALL the “poser" mobile antennas are bad. Some will get silver and bronze medals, but none will ever take the gold from the 102” whip and that’s a fact (unless maybe when somebody finally creates a 108” whip).

unfortunately, ratings for the lil wil are not a good indication of how it performs. if you go to Target or Walmart you will see they only sell the Lil Wil the K-30 ( basically same antenna ) and a 3 foot firestick so that becomes everyone first antenna... I have read all the reviews for years.. that's kind of my thing,.... I like reading and writing reviews and testing out different CB products.
when reading 90% of the reviews they always say this is my first antenna and it's a good one! ( how do they know??? if that is the only antenna they have ever had?) many of the reviews say I had to follow my spouse on a 1000 mile trip and with our two CB's and two Lil Wil's we were always able to communicate ( they were following each other!) many of the reviews say I bought this as my wife wouldn't allow me to buy anything bigger..... when I read reviews for taller antenna's I constantly see this XXXXXX Antenna blows my lil wil away!!!!

people also buy the cheapest CB radio and the cheapest antenna they can... then they expect
the world from it.... I constantly see reviews for these POS little $50 CB's that say this CB is awesome... works really good???? it's thier first CB and they think it's awesome????... I have tested a lot of CB's and the little CB radios don't work as good as the full size radios.... the small ones Uniden 505, Cobra Mini, Cobra 19, Uniden 520, Midland 75-822 ( I actually love the 75-822) and the handhelds that are being used as a vehicle CB don't do as well as a full size CB radios..... they put out about 3 watts and modulate up to 4 watts ... the full size radios like the Cobra 29 put out 4 watts and modulate up over 10 watts...... but people buy the $50 radio and then write a review it's the greatest radio in the world?????.. I keep seeing things like "this is what the truckers use" ???? REALLY this is what the truckers use???? then why do they sell full size radios for $150 ( that receives 50 times better ) .... why would anyone buy a $150 radio if the $50 radio was just as good?????
there is a cute couple on Youtube that I enjoy watching... the guy does a lot with CB's ....he went out and bought his first radio I think it was a Uniden 505 and he bought a lil Wil ..... he put one on his car and bought a K-30 for his wife's car... he went around the neighborhood and JUST BARELY got 3.8 miles..... he was extremely excited by that 3.8 miles!!!!! and was singing the praises of the Lil Wil!!!!!
if he would try a 5 foot antenna I think he would find it to do 5 to 7 miles.... I have a lot of friends that have the lil will and they all tell me it works good enough for them ... and they don't want that big ugly CB Antenna on the roof.... I don't think I could pry their fingers off their Lil Wil's...
my neighbor has one and a Icom ham radio that puts out 15 watts and can talk on CB frequencies..... he gets about 3 to 4 miles with it.... so I let him borrow my 5 foot tall Tram 3500... we tested it and he got 8 miles with it.... so I said I guess you'll be buying a Tram 3500???? he said no... it's just too big for a few more miles????? that was last year... he still has the Lil Wil on his car

everyone has different opinions... if you love the lil Wil great...
all I said was QUOTE
"the LIL Will is very short at 3 feet tall
for a CB to work well, you really need a 5 foot tall antenna.... so if you can afford a 5 foot antenna it would be a huge upgrade"

if you don't feel a Stryker S AR-10 or a Wilson 1000 or a Sirio 5000 or the President MLA 145 would be a HUGE UPGRADE... that's your opinion.... if they don't work much better than the Lil Wil I don't understand how they stay in business
I see a lot of Lil Wil antenna's and they typically get 3 to 4 miles range at most...... and the 5 foot tall CB antenna's typically get 6 to 8 miles... about double the range!
if someone wants to have a handheld CB in their vehicle and a lil wil on the roof for say a pilot car great! if a family is going across the country and wants something to ask the trucker a mile up the road what's going on ... great... it's a great little antenna for that..... but if someone is into CB and is trying to make a really good working system... I don't feel the Lil Wil makes the cut.

this is the cute couple RAVING how FANTASTIC the little will is!

 

[WSAC829]

if they don't work much better than the Lil Wil I don't understand how they stay in business

Pretty lights, goofy looks, and retractable gimmicks. People love lights, goofy looks, and gimmicks.

why would anyone buy a $150 radio if the $50 radio was just as good?????

For sideband mostly. If you don't need or want sideband a $50 radio can be just as good. Watts means nothing. A 5 watt radio can talk just as far as a 50 watt radio. There would only be a 1 S-unit difference between the 2 radios on the received transmission. The big difference comes in when the bands are piled up. The 50 watt radio would punch through the noise better, but on a quiet night the 5 watt radio would TX just as far. Also SIZE. Not everybody has room for a boat anchor in the mobile.

I don't feel the Lil Wil makes the cut.

I’ve used well over 50 mobile antennas in the last 35 years. While yes, there are better, the Little Wil still makes my “Top 10” list.

 

[niceguy71]

Pretty lights, goofy looks, and retractable gimmicks. People love lights, goofy looks, and gimmicks.

For sideband mostly. If you don't need or want sideband a $50 radio can be just as good. Watts means nothing. A 5 watt radio can talk just as far as a 50 watt radio. There would only be a 1 S-unit difference between the 2 radios on the received transmission. The big difference comes in when the bands are piled up. The 50 watt radio would punch through the noise better, but on a quiet night the 5 watt radio would TX just as far. Also SIZE. Not everybody has room for a boat anchor in the mobile.

I’ve used well over 50 mobile antennas in the last 35 years. While yes, there are better, the Little Wil still makes my “Top 10” list.

thanks for straightening me out WSAC829 I had no idea how great the lil will is!
I stupidly thought the taller antenna's were better because they were taller... I had no idea they were more money because of goofy lights and other gimmicks and junk....
I, ..... like a lot of other idiots, bought into all the marketing that the taller antennas were better... now that my eyes are open
I will have to pick one up and replace the antenna on my truck as there is no reason to have a taller antenna if it doesn't work any better.
I may even take my Antron 99 down and put up a Lil Wil as that Antron 99 is pretty ugly and can be seen from the street..... with the Lil Wil working just as good, then there is truly no reason to keep the Antron 99 up.
thanks again, much appreciated.

 

[slowmover]

Expectations based on what’s now obsolete radio gear muddy the discussion.

DSP changed it all.

The point with these NRC (DSP) radios is don’t run out of antenna (total length & installed height assuming roof-center) coupled to dead-quiet coax & power.

What was GREAT in 1994 ain’t today.

And the only time a 102” outperforms the 7’ selections I have is in sitting still.

A 6’ NMO looks to be the best all-around solution to both performance & longevity. And 35-75W as needed (built-in).

Clean DIN-style dashboard install & NMO.
Experience in use while traveling is what really matters so “best setup” is the radio rig that’s out-of-the-way and always ready for use.

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[WSAC829]

with the Lil Wil working just as good, then there is truly no reason to keep the Antron 99 up.

Do it. Antron 99’s are pure garbage anyway. I know, because i had one.

Fiberglass base antennas don’t hold a candle to the aluminum base antennas ….and before you say “but i have a good SWR and can talk all over on my A99”…well… so could i on a Little Wil. Nobody “serious” about using the best setup for a CB base station chooses the A99. If it works for you, great, but there are much better base antennas in the same price range. Just like there are better mobile antennas than the Little Wil, but it worked fine for me and thousands of others.

Peace.

 

[WSAC829]

Antron 99’s are pure garbage anyway.

Here’s a nice video proving my point. A piece of 10 foot wire beat out the A99 easily.