Thats pretty vague considering its a bulldozer. A pic would help for antenna locations. Can you drill holes? Also, any height restrictions like tree limbs, bridges, etc.?
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Mobile Mobile antenna choice
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Love them too until I tested them. My 6ft Skipshooter raised my transmit and receive 1/2 of an S unit above the predator K-1-17. When we tested with 20ft high buildings on 2 sides forest 20ft+ high on a third side and the fourth side was the driveway out and I sat in the middle It raised over a full S unit on my setup from the Predator to the Skipshooter. The predator is actually longer than my Skipshooter. That being said my Predator K-1-27 did the same as my 7ft skipshooter and my SS Whip. although the whip and the Skipshooter had a quieter receive. Transmit and receive MY 7ft actually did a little better than the whip and next was the predator K-1-27. All by a hair. Any other tested are no longer even looked at. I have learned it is true that top loads are continuos loads like a whip is and the center and base loads have a more rain down on effect. I use three antennas as needed. My 108 inch SS Whip with a 12 inch riser for stationary skip(to high to drive with). 5 or 6ft Skipshooter for driving around, 7ft for skip(to high to drive around). Predator K-1-17 for driving around in unknown territory(in case i whack something) and the K-1-27 sitting on a hill or a flat park for local fun with my box LOL. I'll post some pics of my set ups.
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The 17”...well, because that’s about what I can get away with on the roof of a pickup.
My results aren’t much different than yours, except that I don’t see 1/2 S-unit from antenna to antenna..usually just a difficult to see sliver. The differences show up best all the way at the end of the range, where one antenna will fall off before the others.
My President Texas beats the 17” 10k, and is pretty much indiscernible from a full quarter wave on a receiver’s S-meter.
Any way...there’s something to be said for quality construction. And that’s what I liked the most about the 10k. Hard to argue they aren’t well made. Mine is pretty old by now, and my son is still using it.
I was shocked myself. Usually they are very close as with my K-1-27. When I tested the K-1-17 and got that result I was shocked. I tested it a couple times with a few base stations. Maybe it was just where it was tested. They are very durable. Had mine for many years.
Yeah always fun and always learning. Try a Skipshooter. 4.5ft and longer they use the thickest winding wire of all the other top loads we could find. Those two types of tests we did that made a difference is where we were trying to test the antennas blocked. The first was the buildings and forest I described. The other test was the antenna was surrounded by 20ft high chain link fence on all 4 sides. We tested on different vehicles with the same results at different days and times. They didn't get the exact same results as me but all dropped when we went to the K-1-17 from a 6ft Skipshooter in those two areas. There's 5 of us testing and comparing for many years now and still going LOL. So they were extreme conditions to us, thats why we tried it. And even though its not a perfect way of testing, it did what it did, and we have fun doing crap like that anyways LOL. And you are correct normally the K-1-17 is as you said and close to the whip and the 6ft skipshooter antennas the same length. But it was interesting to know especially in an emergency say completely surrounded. I know top loads an center and base loads are different types but besides top load distance now it looks like it can help when blocked as well. This spring we will be testing other areas that would block an antenna. Those tests were done at our job at a gov. complex which their walls are 2ft thick 20ft high and the fence is 20ft from a jail vehicle area. So we are going into the woods this spring mobile to mobile LOL! Extreme yes. More fun, yes. Its so fun because i have a couple ham friends who hate when I bought the Skipshooter and it did so well all these years and they hate it because it has a nail for a tuner LOL. My one friend used to act like there was nothing better than his 7ft Firestik, years ago. He uses a Skipshooter now LOL. He uses a SS Whip too and doesn't like the center or base loads of any type because of our tests. To each his own when you are having fun.
P.S. Sorry for rambling, off work on a mediacal for 3 months and bored LOL.
My comparison tests have been with other than radio equipment. But I recognize (and appreciate) the descriptions.
“You fellas hold on a moment. I dug around the truck bed and found me a nail to adjust this fishin’ pole I wrapped with some baling wire”.
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