question about a Predator 10k with a quad mag mount...

[biz]

i was thinking about getting a 10k with a quad mag mount for the roof of my pickup.

i was wondering how much drag the antenna will make and if doing 100mph will damage it at all.

do you put a spring between the shaft and the mount so it can move?

thx for the help...

 

[mackmobile43]

i was thinking about getting a 10k with a quad mag mount for the roof of my pickup.

Good choice of antennas, I use a triple mag mount with a 12'' shaft 10-k on the roof of my car and it has exceeded 100 mph more than ten times with no lift issues.lol

i was wondering how much drag the antenna will make and if doing 100mph will damage it at all.

Depends on the angle of the windshield I suppose but I'm sure it would be fine but anything over 17'' shaft is gonna present trouble on the roof on a mag mount.

do you put a spring between the shaft and the mount so it can move?

No, springs are GHEY

thx for the help...

mackd.JPG

 

[biz]

its hard to believe that car goes over 100 mph lol.

the only other thing i was curious about was the type of 10k antenna...

wasnt sure if i would be better off with the double coil.... and i didnt know how the different coils effect the performance.

my truck is a F-350..... so up on the roof its going to be pretty high.

 

[Robb]

its hard to believe that car goes over 100 mph lol.

the only other thing i was curious about was the type of 10k antenna...

wasnt sure if i would be better off with the double coil.... and i didnt know how the different coils effect the performance.

my truck is a F-350..... so up on the roof its going to be pretty high.

Yeah, but that height will also work for you. Mackmobile can probably guide you thru the coil choosing part of this antenna setup - tho.
Might not be the best idea to roll thru a hamburger joint drive-thru with this arrangement; you may break their flourescent tubes out! But you should be able to receive and transmit pretty well.

Hey mackmobile - springs are 'ghey'?
I have too many 'springs' around here in CA.

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

http://www.worldwidedx.com/predator-10k-antennas/20947-10k-mounts-mag.html

http://www.worldwidedx.com/predator...pring-under-10k-monkey-made-type-antenna.html

 

[biz]

the only fast food i ever eat is Wendy's and they dont have roofs over their drive throughs...

i dont care about hitting stuff.... im always paying attention to height because i have to when im driving rubber tired excavators and backhoes around town...

i just want the best setup i can get and i want to get the right stuff i need the first time.

i would love to drill to make it harder to be stolen and perform better but i really dont want to get into that.

i like having the option of just standing in the bed and pulling the mount off and putting the antenna inside the truck when im away on vacation or something and the truck is parked outside.

 

[mackmobile43]

its hard to believe that car goes over 100 mph lol.

the only other thing i was curious about was the type of 10k antenna...

wasnt sure if i would be better off with the double coil.... and i didnt know how the different coils effect the performance.

my truck is a F-350..... so up on the roof its going to be pretty high.

Well it will do well over 100 mph and I also find it hard to believe you'd want to go over 100 mph in a F-350.

My antenna was originally a dual coil version but after using it awhile and being the ever enthusiastic CBer I found I had better tx and rx without the top coil and using an extended whip section.

I also find that the triple mag mount with the solid plate to be far more stable a mounting platform than the 4 mag unless it has a solid square mounting plate and not that chinsy three metal strap versions.

Adding the extended whip did not really increase the over all length of the antenna but was a noticeable upgrade.

 

[biz]

my F-350 has the 7.3 powerstroke diesel in it which I did some pretty nice mods to...chip, turbo, intake , exhaust, etc...

it does 100mph like its nothing... i have had it to 125 ish...

i dont do it alot but I just wanted to make sure if I did... i wasnt going to break the antenna.


I thought the exact same thing about the quad mounts with the rails ... i thought it would flex..

im just going to get the tripple... it has a solid plate which looks way stronger.

and i guess i will get the single coil.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Another option you can do on Pick-ups is mount the antenna on a riser off your bed rail...(This riser is made from a ceiling fan drop-pole from Home Depot, and a mirror mount)

Mounting like this, you still get the same effect as if the 10K was mounted on the roof! Just be sure to ground whatever you use as a Riser good.

The Single Coil Predators IMO are still the best of the bunch, and I have just about every configuration of Predators ever made lying around in my shed.

The Mag Mounts will hold any of the Predators at 100 mph, but like mackmobile43 was saying, I don't recommend putting a 10K on the roof with any shaft over 17" long...
The taller shafts just manage to find everything there is to hit too easily and will snap off at the base when the antenna hits something solid...

I have two of these 27" broken shafts now!

You "can" use a Barrel Spring (like used with the 102" Whips) on a Single Coil 10K with a 12" or shorter shaft if you want, and they work fine...
The antenna will tune as if it had a 17" shaft. I know several guys around here that have theirs done that way, and no problems.
Just don't use a spring on any shaft longer than 12" tho...otherwise if you do, the wind drag from the Coil will cause the thing to dance around on the roof!

By the way..."Where do you guys live, where you can drive 100+ MPH all the time?" Around here...If you get over 69 MPH, your A$$ is Grass!

 

[biz]

thx for the info.....

i live in Rhode Island.... driving that fast can easily be done on a few of the large highways we have...

like i said before... I dont make a habit of doing it... but occasionally a pickup will see my exhaust and hear my turbo and want to go at it on the highway.

i just wanted to make sure if i drove that fast i wouldnt be pulling over fixing my antenna. thats all..

I was also thinking about the 12"inch shaft... i dont want to be extremely high.

So you dont have to center the antenna on the roof.... i figured it would help to have an equal ammount of metal around the base...

but i guess it will use the bed also if i mounted it above the 3rd brake light.

 

[biz]

so i ordered my 10k with a 12'' shank.....and the tri-mag mount....

is this thinkg going to come with directions on what length to start with the whip?

i know the shank length is going to alter it.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

thx for the info.....

i live in Rhode Island.... driving that fast can easily be done on a few of the large highways we have...

like i said before... I dont make a habit of doing it... but occasionally a pickup will see my exhaust and hear my turbo and want to go at it on the highway.

i just wanted to make sure if i drove that fast i wouldnt be pulling over fixing my antenna. thats all..

I was also thinking about the 12"inch shaft... i dont want to be extremely high.

So you dont have to center the antenna on the roof.... i figured it would help to have an equal ammount of metal around the base...

but i guess it will use the bed also if i mounted it above the 3rd brake light.

Your whole truck acts like the ground plane...Not just the roof. So if it's mounted the way the guys have their 10K's mounted on the bed rails, technically, the antenna is centered. (and above the roof line)

The 12" shaft also works good on roofs. In allot of cases, the 17" will tune a bit better tho...There is also a 6" and 9" shaft avalible, but I would not recommend them for roof's. Everytime I have tried to tune one with a short shaft like the 6 and 9", I had allot of reflect problems and could not get them to tune very low...The shorter shafts work better when used on mirror brackets.

 

[jessejamesdallas]

so i ordered my 10k with a 12'' shank.....and the tri-mag mount....

is this thinkg going to come with directions on what length to start with the whip?

i know the shank length is going to alter it.

Just put the stinger in half-way, and get your first SWR reading...Then move the stinger all the way down and take a second SWR reading...If the reading got better, but you still want to get it lower, then trim off a inch at a time...

With a 12" shaft, you shouldn't need to trim too much off. (if any)

 

[mackmobile43]

Just put the stinger in half-way, and get your first SWR reading...Then move the stinger all the way down and take a second SWR reading...If the reading got better, but you still want to get it lower, then trim off a inch at a time...

With a 12" shaft, you shouldn't need to trim too much off. (if any)

what he said.

 

[biz]

awesome... i cant wait for it to show up at my door...