K40 trunk lip antenna

[AmericanEagle575]

Good afternoon, well I got new car( a 2012 Suzuki kizashi SE awd)and have decided to move in a different direction in way of mobile antennas. I have always used Wilson cb antennas since the early 90s( lil Wil,500,1000) all mag mounts,but I want to try a trunk lip mount as so I don't scratch the paint. I have a Uniden 980 barefoot radio,not running any extra power box( had thought about after I got advice from this forum but decided to keep it simple) how are the K40 brand??? I know Wilson used to make a trunk lip 1000 at one time but discontinued it, would appreciate any comments or advice, I have noticed there's not many trunk lip cb antennas that are quality available so it seems. Many thanks in advance and God Bless!!

 

[midnight special]

my experiance with the k40 is they are a good antenna ,, works really well, but the chinese made ones have a problem with the capacitor in the base coming loose when running high wattage,,, the american made ones from years ago the cap was twisted around then soldered but the chinese ones is just hooked and soldered so when heated will spring off,, it is a pain to take apart and fix,, and i have done a few that i bought knowing what was wrong and fixing and re saleing,,, also the k40 works in my opinion better as a trunk or hard mounted antenna then as a magnet mount,,,
73 midnight special

 

[Robb]

how are the K40 brand???

. . . weak . . . wambly . . . wimpy . . . wonky . . . worrisome . . .

 

[midnight special]

also if ya really wanted to use wilson 1000/5000 antenna ya can still get the trunk mounts from diamond antennas,,,, https://www.diamondantenna.net/k600s.html

 

[undertaker]

I would go with the Wilson.....

 

[sunbulls]

The Diamond mount has 2 lips with a total of 4 mounting screws. That's the feature I like about it. It gives you more solid stability and doubles your chance of having a good ground connection at all times. There’s a common problem that often occurs with a trunk lip. People either under or over tighten the mounting screws. I find it difficult sometimes to reach a good compromise. Of course if you don’t tighten them enough you’re not likely to have a very reliable ground connection. On the other hand, the lip will start to spread apart if you over tighten the screws. Either way, due to stress,corrosion, vibration or other factors, those two small screws often require attention. You will probably find yourself re-tightening them on occasion. Those that over tighten the screws usually end up removing the lip so they can squeeze it back into shape. That's the result of re-tightening them over time to the point they simply ran out of threads.

 

[Slowmover]

Still better to permanent mount. The car is not a museum piece

One can always substitute some sort of cell phone antenna base at the end.

The ones who cry about a hole cut don’t look at all the holes ALREADY cut. More than a dozen.

And are no more likely to park at the far end of the parking lot to avoid door dings, cart crashes and the rest. (This list continues). The concern about resale is false, IOW.

I doubt they even meet the minimum standard of a weekly wash. (Needs it or not an irrelevant question; “truth” is otherwise). “Keep it like new” might last 90-days.

A CB is a tool. Get a good mount (Breedlove) and a BETTER antenna. Quality coax. Clean DC power.

The radio interior mount is what should be more of a concern.

There’s just no point in being half-assed.

Good luck

 

[Mudfoot]

The hard roof mount is garbage. Absolute junk. Better off with a Larsen NMO-27 or fab up a Larsen (Wilson) clone

EDIT: pure trash

 

[9C1Driver]

Back in the day the K40 was a quality product, today not so much. About 1.5 years ago I bought a new K40 trunk mount for my new work vehicle. The 1/3 turn quick disconnect would not work, the coil would just spin so I had to send it back. The replacement would swivel off but still catch some, had to use a dremel to grind some metal away to make it work right. within 6 months the base cracked. Recently I noticed I have high SWR across the band, the cap in the coil is probably toast. Didn't even run an amp with this antenna and it's now junk. At this point I cannot recommend a K40 to anyone.

 

[blasphemy000]

I have a very old one that works great for what it is. I've talked skip from PA to Florida with it using only 20W continuous (80PEP) a couple summers ago when I had it on my old car. I did have a thin piece of plastic under the base to keep the metal from scratching the paint on the outside, and I also sanded the paint off in the two spots where the set screws clamped down onto the underside to ensure it was grounded.
Having said that, I cannot recommend buying a new one for the same reasons everyone above has stated. The quality control in their current production is horrible. It's not just this model of antenna either. A coworker of mine bought the K40 antenna that is similar in size to the standard model Wilson 2000 and it was very poorly made also. I don't know if it's their entire product line, but I would stay away. Now if you already have an old one like I do (it's in storage now as I put a small puck on my current car's roof) or if you found an old one at a flea market or ham fest for cheap, I'd say go ahead and use it. Otherwise I'd look for another solution.

 

[Riverman]

Good afternoon, well I got new car( a 2012 Suzuki kizashi SE awd)and have decided to move in a different direction in way of mobile antennas. I have always used Wilson cb antennas since the early 90s( lil Wil,500,1000) all mag mounts,but I want to try a trunk lip mount as so I don't scratch the paint. I have a Uniden 980 barefoot radio,not running any extra power box( had thought about after I got advice from this forum but decided to keep it simple) how are the K40 brand??? I know Wilson used to make a trunk lip 1000 at one time but discontinued it, would appreciate any comments or advice, I have noticed there's not many trunk lip cb antennas that are quality available so it seems. Many thanks in advance and God Bless!!

Firestik and Hustler both make a nice trunk lip mount.
You can then add the antenna of your choice.

I personally like the Firestiks but the Hustler HQ-27 is hard to beat. Or you can choose another brand.

 

[w9cll]

Like the Larsen options the best

 

[Mudfoot]

Like the Larsen options the best

Can't recall offhand, but I use a different coil, longer whip and 6" spring. It's not as broadbanded as a Wilson 1000, but I believe it plays better. Some ham in Canada gave me the parts list about 9 years ago. I have in NMO mount. Very nice and less expensive than a Wilson.

 

[AmericanEagle575]

Well update: I decided against the k40 in favor that I found a Mount on ebay that will accept my Wilson 1000, I also decided to put the Uniden 980 as a base and I bought a more compact cb radio( a Uniden 505xl ) since the car I have now is a little smaller on the inside, I'll let you all know how it works once I have it up and running! Thanks for all the great advice!!

 

[Slowmover]

Thanks for update. Pics always welcome