yes the 10k is a great antenna for it's intended use. Like i said i still have a wilson 1000, which is great with my chip switched 2510. is it good on 20,40 mtrs. probably not, will it radiate? sure so will a beer can (empty of course) on the deck rail.
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good mobile antenna ?
- Thread starter minitrucker
- Start date
yes the 10k is a great antenna for it's intended use. Like i said i still have a wilson 1000, which is great with my chip switched 2510. is it good on 20,40 mtrs. probably not, will it radiate? sure so will a beer can (empty of course) on the deck rail.With all things being equal, yes. But in this case, the problem is with the word, "efficient".4600turbo said:
Maybe this will help:
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/2775/effhf000.html
5
575Colorado
Guest
So, I have a 102" whip. All I read about is how wonderful the 10k is and how quickly I should go by one. I've also read that no coil can compare to the whip because of the loss in efficiency of the coil. I understand that the whip doesn't stay vertical when driving down the road, but do the losses justify the use of a coil. better yet, is the predator worth the hype or do I keep what i've got?
5
575Colorado
Guest
read a lot more posts. I like what I have, and I'm going to keep it, at least for awhile, even if I'm not sure it's the best. Some say yes, some say no. who knows for sure? seems that the whip hears better, and the 10k transmits better.
5
575Colorado
Guest
I made that statement based on test results I read on another forum. I don't know personally if they were true or not. Seems that a coil antenna would have losses on both transmit and receive compared to the whip but what the heck do i know.
575Colorado,
You know enough that you got it right. Coils introduce losses. How much loss is more a matter of what you are willing to put up with, or that you have to put up with. If the length of a usable antenna on a mobile is such that you can't move 10 feet without hitting something, then a coil to shorten the thing is worth the loss it will produce.
'Shortened' antennas do not work as well as un-shortened ones, depending on where they are. A shortened antenna for a fixed position is not going to be as 'good' as the 'full-sized' antenna would be. Why? Cuz like it or not, the length of an antenna determines it's radiation pattern. Not talking about 1/4w, 1/2w, 5/8w, or whatever, but a shortened version of any of those lengths as opposed to the full sized one. With mobiles you have a potential problem, the @#$ things are just too long, right? So, a little 'shortening' in the mix is okay under those circumstances. You can also go a little too far very quickly. A 6" CB antenna just ain't gonna cut it, I don't care who makes it.
Which antenna to use? Whatever fits the situation, and your wallet. It's your wallet, treat it like you want.
One last thing. Power handling ability, as in "I'll never need it but a 10,000 watt capability is nice to have!", is a misconception. If it will handle whatever power you use then it's just as good as that 10,000 watt monster (all things being equal). That 'monster' has losses too. At 10,000 watts those losses don't amount to much. But at 5 watts, they certainly can!
This is all a sort of generalization, nothing specific about any particular antenna, even the 'miraculous' ones.
- 'Doc
You know enough that you got it right. Coils introduce losses. How much loss is more a matter of what you are willing to put up with, or that you have to put up with. If the length of a usable antenna on a mobile is such that you can't move 10 feet without hitting something, then a coil to shorten the thing is worth the loss it will produce.
'Shortened' antennas do not work as well as un-shortened ones, depending on where they are. A shortened antenna for a fixed position is not going to be as 'good' as the 'full-sized' antenna would be. Why? Cuz like it or not, the length of an antenna determines it's radiation pattern. Not talking about 1/4w, 1/2w, 5/8w, or whatever, but a shortened version of any of those lengths as opposed to the full sized one. With mobiles you have a potential problem, the @#$ things are just too long, right? So, a little 'shortening' in the mix is okay under those circumstances. You can also go a little too far very quickly. A 6" CB antenna just ain't gonna cut it, I don't care who makes it.
Which antenna to use? Whatever fits the situation, and your wallet. It's your wallet, treat it like you want.
One last thing. Power handling ability, as in "I'll never need it but a 10,000 watt capability is nice to have!", is a misconception. If it will handle whatever power you use then it's just as good as that 10,000 watt monster (all things being equal). That 'monster' has losses too. At 10,000 watts those losses don't amount to much. But at 5 watts, they certainly can!
This is all a sort of generalization, nothing specific about any particular antenna, even the 'miraculous' ones.
- 'Doc
5
575Colorado
Guest
thanks for your support doc. i do understand the loss vs. power issue, and with my current setup i'm nowhere near the power cabability of the whip let alone a multi kw antenna. maybe sometime in the future, i may add some fire in the wire but, really, it works pretty good as is