Mobile Diesel 4000 Watt "Big Coil" Too good to be true?

[LeapFrog]

Hello everyone, I was asked what would be a better antenna compared to the Diesel 4000 Watt antenna purchased off ebay for cheap. (Like This One)

I don't know if the "Diesel Antenna" comes with coax/mounting hardware or just the main antenna "rod w/ coil".
But I had a chance to look at a diesel "4000 watt" mobile antenna w/ "the big coil" and I think the coax he had hooked up looked too thin and economical (cheap) to handle even a 2000 watts FM ( or 2 K.W. Dead Key) signal, but the antenna looked like it could?

What do you think, are these Diesel antenna too good to be true, and would a 108 in. whip out perform this
"big coil"?

Thank You, Best Regards
-LeapFrog

 

[Robb]

IIRC the 102"has a usable bandwidth of almost +/-1.5mhz from center freq and the big coil ('bc') has about a third of that. The BC has low loss from its coil and a 102 doesn't have that loss problem. They both require a 3/8x24 thread base.

 

[543_Dallas]

You have a 66" coiled antenna vs a 108" antenna. If that's what you need $20 isn't a bad deal but the construction quality is probably not as good as a predator 10k or other premium brand.

 

[Road Squawker]

Dayum!!!! and it is "air cooled" too

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Dayum!!!! and it is "air cooled" too

YUP with variable speed blower. The faster you drive the higher the rate of cooling.

 

[fourstringburn]

Dayum!!!! and it is "air cooled" too

Isn't those super dooper oil cooled antennas better?

 

[LeapFrog]

Thanks y'all I appreciate it, I figure a longer vertical element and less to go wrong makes the whip a clear winner if height issues are no concern!

 

[RatsoW8]

And it will handle 4KW which is I believe the full legal limit on 11 meters now, or is it 4 watts?

 

[fourstringburn]

Thanks y'all I appreciate it, I figure a longer vertical element and less to go wrong makes the whip a clear winner if height issues are no concern!

Mobile antennas, the longer the better which should have less inductance coil losses.

 

[Road Squawker]

.... The BC has low loss from its coil and a 102 doesn't have that loss problem....

Exactly correct, The input impedance of any short antenna will exhibit capacitive reactance (-j).

In order to cancel out this negative reactance, a loading coil with equal, but opposite reactance (+j) is used.

The shorter the antenna (in terms of wavelength), the larger the coil's reactance must be, along with a corresponding increase in coil losses.

That being said,......... that chrome finish sure is shiney

 

[PA629]

That being said,......... that chrome finish sure is shiney

It's been my experience that coils with a gold finish produce more AUDIOOOOO....

 

[LeapFrog]

Exactly correct, The input impedance of any short antenna will exhibit capacitive reactance (-j).

In order to cancel out this negative reactance, a loading coil with equal, but opposite reactance (+j) is used.

The shorter the antenna (in terms of wavelength), the larger the coil's reactance must be, along with a corresponding increase in coil losses.

That being said,......... that chrome finish sure is shiney

Thanks, Yes that's what I figured would happen.. The "real deal" vertical whip would outperform the coil design on the Diesel, thank you for articulating so well.
-Leap

 

[BBB]

And it will handle 4KW which is I believe the full legal limit on 11 meters now, or is it 4 watts?

Stryker would have you believe it's 10KW

Stryker SR-A10 CB Antenna Important Features Includes:

• 6 Gauge Solid Copper 100% Silver Plate Wire

• 10,000 Watts Power Handling Capability

• Extremely Efficient High “Q” Coil

• Double Wall Coil Cover made from High Impact Mobay Plastic

• Can be Tune for 26 – 30 Mhz

• 10” Stainless Steel Shaft

• 49” Stainless Steel Whip

• Reduced Static Interference

• RF Gain wide open or back off slightly

• Standard 3/8” x 24” Thread on Shaft

• 2 Year Warranty

(I'm sure its probably a very nice antenna)

 

[Sarasota Slim]

"Diesel" products have always struck me as cheap. I have noticed, too, that I have run across items that were identical to each other, except 1 was labeled "Diesel", and the other, "Barjan".

The company has zero web presence, that I could find, aside from Diesel products for sale on various websites.

I did find, however, that "Diesel Electronics" is owned by DAS Companies, as I had suspected. They trademarked the name, then abandoned it a year later, apparently.

http://www.trademarkia.com/diesel-electronics-85717289.html

DAS is a company, whose primary purpose is to stock travel centers. They bought a bunch of reputable names, but I highly doubt that things are of the same quality.

http://www.dasinc.com/

My theory is that bean counters likely run the show, and that they are more concerned with expenditures, profits, and losses, than they are with quality of product. Likely, too, is that the Cheif Executive Bean Counter knows nothing about radio communication, and doesn't care. It just makes me less likely to trust DAS. I actually do have some DAS products that I use, but I am slowly replacing them with other brands.

So there's a little company background, coupled with a little strong opinion, and original question unanswered by me, lmao. (At least I stayed on topic )

 

[rabbiporkchop]

Isn't those super dooper oil cooled antennas better?

definitely more durable.