Gadgets, Whizzbangs, and "Magic" Potions

[C W Morse]

You guys, perhaps, see antennas with these little 'antennas' sticking out under the whip. They are often black, about 5" long, and there are 3 of them in a triangle. CBers sometimes call this thing a "rooster booster", so what is this thing and what does it do?

Sellers claim that it provides a 'ground' plane and "boosts" your signal and it does nothing of the sort. It is actually a "capacity hat". Take a wire and an alligator clip and clip it to your whip. YIKES!~ Your SWR just went thru the roof! This "rooster booster" does nothing but add capacity to the antenna and, in effect makes it LONGER that it should be; IOW, the hat allows you to use less loading coil, thus less resistance. It permits you to use a shorter whip than otherwise would be needed. Loading coils DO introduce resistance into your antenna and, in and of themselves, do not make your signal "better". When it's all said and done, you're better off with a 102" whip. Coils should be used only when physical limitations preclude the use of a 102" whip. SO! When someone tells you those "rooster booster" thingies do something to "boost" your signal, it is smoke and mirrors, horse manure and designed to get you to do one thing----part with your $$. It's kinda like cophasing antennas. Cophase has it's place, but the funniest thing I've seen is a Toyota pickup with two 4' whips sticking on the mirrors, and the owner swears it's "cophased" !

If you want to use one of those "rooster booster" things, it won't hurt a thing (Cocka doo doodle doo!) But it won't make your signal better, either. A "ground" plane is a GROUND
(your vehicle), and anything attached to the whip RADIATES and is PART of the whip itself whether it is a "rooster booster" or a Coca Cola can!

73

CWM

 

[Happy_Hamer]

I "HEARD" if you cut about 4 inches off of your antenna the watt meter "SHOWS" more power.

I am going to sell a special set of bolt cutters,,,,,,,,,,,,,errrrrrr I mean " SUPER COMBOBULATED RF ENERGY MAXIMIZING TOOL" and get rich $$$$$$$$$$

:shock: 8)

 

[Switch Kit]

BUSINESS 101 (-:

 

[Cheech]

I have seen those rooster poosters before, I can beleive they call it a ground plane! I mean common I have never seen a ground plane atached to the hot feed point of an antenna. :shock: :roll:

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

So in other words the Rooster Booster's are nothing to crow about then.

 

[C W Morse]

They have their place like everything else. If you need your antenna shorter for clearance reasons they do come in handy.
This mainly applies to truckers.

Monkey made has a decent one on the market that will lower the stinger length close to 8 inches.

I have experimented with them and so no difference in TX or RX just the clearance was lower.

Agreed. What I hate to see is these things sold suggesting that they "boost" one's signal because of a "ground plane". However, if you want to shorten your whip, a capacity hat should ideally be placed at the TOP of the whip instead of the bottom or right at the loading coil. However, it is hard to get a "hat" at the top and often gets placed just above the coil. It may even degrade the antenna's efficiency somewhat placed under the coil. The stores sell these things trying to suggest it does something it doesn't.

False advertising?

73

CWM

 

[C W Morse]

my buddy bought the one that has like 5 rods in it and its supposed to go under the base of his wilson 5000 roof mount. His swr's went up and his pocket got lighter to the tune of $25. he was really mad. Again, he should have taken my advice and walked away from "Dr.Nick" the cb radio repair hack.

This "snake oil" solution reminds me of one back in the 70's when CB really took off. Thousands of citizens who mostly wouldn't dream of touching a mike suddenly called themselves CBers because it was the thing to do at the time. Lots of not-so-honest dealers and "repair" techs came out of the woodwork. Well, there was this one called a "vinegar stick". It consisted of a lower mast of about----oh, 2-3 feet long--filled with vinegar! The package read, "Ever notice how your signal gets out better over water?" Well, this mast and center-loading coil with a 48" whip was supposed to boost your signal because it "was over a liquid". Uh-huh! SHURRRRRRRRRRR! Now most of us DO know why that is hooey, right?
I snickered and giggled when I spied this in a CB shop, and the 'inventor' of this wonder weapon laughed his a-- off all the way to the bank!! It didn't last long, tho! :roll:

73

CWM

 

[Lazybones1222]

So - uh - CW Morse. I use a 102" whip and the 10k crowd always say's I've missed the boat. Your thoughts? 8)

 

[C W Morse]

my buddy bought the one that has like 5 rods in it and its supposed to go under the base of his wilson 5000 roof mount. His swr's went up and his pocket got lighter to the tune of $25. he was really mad. Again, he should have taken my advice and walked away from "Dr.Nick" the cb radio repair hack.

Did you budy retune his antenna after he put the ground plane on it? If not that is why the SWR went up.

I'm not saying that ground planes and cap hats are great but if you put on one you have to retune in order to see if it works.

Any loading coil will introduce *some* losses into the equation due to resistance in the coil. Ideally, the 102" whip should work better than a loaded one. It's hard, for example, to run a big whip on a big truck because of height (tho I've seen it done). For the regular 40 channels, I would probably run the whip while some prefer a smaller antenna. Will a whip beat one of those BIG Coil things? It's hard to tell because a whip is usually mounted lower while a coily antenna can be put on top of the vehicle. IOW, every install is different from another and each one's preferences come to play--like with the argument about whip vs coil antenna. In BASIC theory, the whip *should* be as good, or out-perform the coil one (but 15 people will come back and post that I am wrong!) It's a lot to do with perspective and preference. If you LIKE the whip, I'd keep it!

OH, BTW. The addition of that "ground" plane changes the SWR because it "lengthens" the antenna and because it adds
capacity to the system. It's the same thing as adding turns to the loading coil and/or lengthening the whip itself. By adding this capacity "hat", it allows you to use a shorter whip or reduce the number of turns in the loading coil to increase the efficiency. However, by placing this thing UNDER the coil or right above, it may actually reduce the total efficiency. The best way to use a "hat" is at the top of the antenna (some are even called "TOP" hats). Anyway, when you change the antenna by adding this hat, it throws it out of resonance and must be re-tuned to account for it. Like so many things with CB, you have to be careful to separate the wheat from the tares. I guess that a lot of stuff WRT CB is sold because it "looks cool" while the actual value is pure hooey and those little "ground" planes AKA rooster booster is one of them except where it may serve to shorten an antenna that will prang trees and other obstacles.

CWM

 

[nomadradio]

Ummm Inspector Morse, got a hair to split with you here. You're clearly numerate enough to verify that although the length of the whip alone is 102 inches, a complete installation gets a six-inch spring under it to bring the total length to 108 inches.

Whacking off that six inches will throw almost the same- magnitude money wrench into the picture as any misplaced capacity hat might.

Besides, it's only a capacity "hat" if it's located at the voltage node, the end of the radiator. The base is a high-current, low-voltage location. So, would that make it a "capacity seat", or a "capacity stilt", maybe? Or a "Capacity Elevator Heel" ? Yeah, the elevator heel sounds best to me. About equally effective, after all.

Sure, I'm probably splitting hairs here, but basing an argument on numbers does kinda call for the right numbers, wouldn't you say?

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the "Star Gun" (or is it "Star Gunn"?) mobile antenna. Now there's the radio equivalent of a Groucho mask. Glasses, nose and mustache.

73



73

 

[C W Morse]

O

Ummm Inspector Morse, got a hair to split with you here. You're clearly numerate enough to verify that although the length of the whip alone is 102 inches, a complete installation gets a six-inch spring under it to bring the total length to 108 inches.

Whacking off that six inches will throw almost the same- magnitude money wrench into the picture as any misplaced capacity hat might.

Besides, it's only a capacity "hat" if it's located at the voltage node, the end of the radiator. The base is a high-current, low-voltage location. So, would that make it a "capacity seat", or a "capacity stilt", maybe? Or a "Capacity Elevator Heel" ? Yeah, the elevator heel sounds best to me. About equally effective, after all.

Sure, I'm probably splitting hairs here, but basing an argument on numbers does kinda call for the right numbers, wouldn't you say?

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the "Star Gun" (or is it "Star Gunn"?) mobile antenna. Now there's the radio equivalent of a Groucho mask. Glasses, nose and mustache.

73


Of COURSE it does! But, gee whiz, I can't think of everything! And yer right. Wherever/whenever you change something about the antenna, those changes have to be accounted for. So no matter where you place the device, "rooster booster", or "hat", it changes the SWR. Getting the most of out of one's antenna is a matter of understanding, practice--even experimentation. Knowing the RIGHT place to add capacity is the key. Unfortunately, since placing a "hat" at the top of the whip is a bit difficult for mechanical AND esthetic reasons, they often land right on top of the loading coil (since most capacitance hats are mainly only used with coil antennas--why not just add or subtract length, right?). OR underneath, neither of which are ideal. I sometimes add a hat about halfway up the whip to get it at least 2-3 times the length of coil itself away. Just about everything about a mobile antenna is a compromise, right? So you do what ya can given the limitations at hand! 8)



BTW, I often don't even use springs *if* I can get away with it. Of course, they can be used to add required length. OTH, an old, rusty spring can cause noise and quirky operation. So if a spring MUST be used, take time once in awhile to bend the spring over enough to check the braid inside. IF the braid is broken or missing, replace it. I've seen springs that looked like they survived the Depression, they were so rusty.

73

CWM



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[bunnieman]

I use capacitace hats on my vertical. No problem. Even for those running screwdrivers/texas bug catches etc. capacitance hats are the norm. as for the SWR going up. Yeah, it is! You just changed the capacitive componet of the equation. But again if all you are concerned about is a SWR of 1:1, use a dummy load.

As for the "rooster tail" I believe the addition you are talking about would equate to an inverted "L". For my vertical I keep 30' of #18 with a electric fence insulator at one end and a sturdy alligator clip at the other. Park somewhere and clip on to one end and send the other into the trees. You get the vertical and horizontal component. As for worrying about 1:1, thats what my SGC coupler is for.

 

[C W Morse]

I use capacitace hats on my vertical. No problem. Even for those running screwdrivers/texas bug catches etc. capacitance hats are the norm. as for the SWR going up. Yeah, it is! You just changed the capacitive componet of the equation. But again if all you are concerned about is a SWR of 1:1, use a dummy load.

As for the "rooster tail" I believe the addition you are talking about would equate to an inverted "L". For my vertical I keep 30' of #18 with a electric fence insulator at one end and a sturdy alligator clip at the other. Park somewhere and clip on to one end and send the other into the trees. You get the vertical and horizontal component. As for worrying about 1:1, thats what my SGC coupler is for.

I see I ain't the only one that does that with a screwdriver or vertical! Makes for one heck of a signal on 75 and 40M!!

73

CWM

 

[bushwacker]

a small useless set of "radials" like that sitting right above all that metal on the vehicle-- sure
Might actually do something if you have a fiberglass vehicle but at 5 inches I doubt it---thats one hell of a loaded quarter wave! 5 inches LOL