what can make one antenna seem louder than another

[BOOTY MONSTER]

we often read comments/reviews about antennas that one antenna thats very similar to another is noticeably louder . it seems to be a CB only claim . i dont buy into the louder antenna claims , but something has to be going on to give some folks that impression . ive thought of a few things that could give that impression and was hoping others here could provide some insight into whats possibly or actually going on . anyhow , heres mine ....

someone simply talking a little louder because of the excitement of the new antenna .
holding the mic closer for one antenna than the other .
placebo effect . simply hearing a difference because you want to or think you should .
installation or manufacturing error on one of the antennas .
conditions .
lying for $$$ or to keep in good graces with the maker .

what other reasons can you share why folks make the louder antenna comments ?

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I thought this was handled in another thread. An antenna will NOT make you louder. Any difference in received audio levels that may possibly be detected is simply a result of the receiver's AGC (automatic gain control) not responding tight enough. A receiver should have the same audio output regardless of RF signal output. Old timers used to tune the bands with the volume wide open and adjust the audio level with the RF gain control but this was before the advent of AGC circuits in receivers. Back then a stronger signal would be louder than a weaker signal simply because of the receiver used and not because of anything used on the transmitting end.

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

thanks CK . i was kinda focusing on the human error side of things . covering the technical side is important too . antennas can be very difficult to compare for us average users .

 

[jazzsinger]

there is a few things can make one antenna sound louder than another Booty.

Hype, Advertising, Bullshit, Delusion, Desperation, most likely good quality drugs or alcohol also have an effect too.

Sadly none of them actually depend on reality or embracing the laws of physics.

 

[mackmobile43]

One of if not the best things is to have a great

on the receiving end of any transmission.

 

[W5LZ]

Another aspect of it is that 'loudness' relates to how your ears work, which is entirely different than the strength of a signal. It isn't exactly the best term to describe a received signal. The volume control affects your ears directly, the RF gain control only affects your ears indirectly. So 'loudness' is a proper term to use with the volume control, an inappropriate term with reference to the RF gain control. Right?
- 'Doc

(Which is just another way of saying the same thing as C.K. said.)

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

there is a few things can make one antenna sound louder than another Booty.

Hype, Advertising, Bullshit, Delusion, Desperation, most likely good quality drugs or alcohol also have an effect too.

Sadly none of them actually depend on reality or embracing the laws of physics.

Actually jazz said it much better than I did.
When testing different antennas I never tell the other person which antenna I am using at the time. I simply refer to them as antenna #1 and antenna #2 so that any unconscious bias can be eliminated.

 

[mackmobile43]

One of these certainly doesn't hurt either.

The Antenna Ball Store - Antenna Balls & Antenna Toppers

 

[jazzsinger]

One of these certainly doesn't hurt either.

The Antenna Ball Store - Antenna Balls & Antenna Toppers

is that how you get out so well Mack? the old hannah montana antenna ball giving you an extra couple of db's/

I can't believe i fucking looked through them all,lol.

my personal favourite was the whopper ball, i can't think of a more appropriate one for a cb antenna going by all the whoppa's i've heard coming through my cb's over the years.

 

[HomerBB]

When I compared 6 antennas on my mobile one after the other with the same 10 miles distant base station transmitting to me and receiving from me I noticed slight differences in the S units between some of the different antennas as did the base station. Two things I did not do. I did not refer to the different antennas except as antenna #1, #2, etc, and I did not hear any difference between the perceived audio of one over the other.

On the other hand, regardless of the potential uproar saying this may cause, there is a spot in the road a couple blocks over from me that when I drive over it not only do the S unit readings go up no matter whether it is local or weak DX I'm hearing, but the perceived audio goes up as well. Driving over a railroad track has done this, too. And a different spot on a parking lot has had the same effect.

I am not saying it is the antenna. I am saying that perceived audio levels can be noticed without touching the volume control on a radio. I am not arguing about it, but I am not going to permit anyone to tell me it hasn't occurred. I drive through this spot every day, and on most I am talking mobile to a 20 miles distant base station as I do so. Every time I do I experience this phenomenon. The base operator experiences the same on his end as I drive through the spot. This happens no matter which antenna I am running at the time.

 

[AudioShockwav]

Jazz:

I can't believe i fucking looked through them all,lol.

my personal favourite was the whopper ball,

hahah, My favorite is the Antenna ball spring mount....add`s .164 of a wavelength to the antenna and helps smash mudducks.

Homer:

I am not saying it is the antenna. I am saying that perceived audio levels can be noticed without touching the volume control on a radio. I am not arguing about it, but I am not going to permit anyone to tell me it hasn't occurred. I drive through this spot every day, and on most I am talking mobile to a 20 miles distant base station as I do so. Every time I do I experience this phenomenon.

More common than you think, there is a spot at my parents place, in the drive actually, where signals will drop, a "dead" spot, no matter what direction the receiving station is from that area, signal drops and the rx in your radio will drop as well.
I will echo Captains post that the radio`s AGC can have a big influence on perceived audio.

73
Jeff

 

[Shockwave]

When someone explains that their loading coil increases modulation or that their hairpin adds more then 3 db, we have to understand what they are saying actually has nothing to do with antenna performance. It is however tremendously helpful in determining the amount of technical skill that went into the design, or the level of snake oil the marketing has been coated with.

 

[gamegetter]

antenna performance or efficiency. A properly matched and resonating antenna should have a better signal than an unmatched-untuned antenna even of the same brand.

How many s units i don't know as i have not tried any testing.

 

[HomerBB]

thanks CK . i was kinda focusing on the human error side of things . covering the technical side is important too . antennas can be very difficult to compare for us average users .

Goodness BM, I suck at philosophy

But your question does raise interesting technical questions.

 

[HomerBB]

Jazz:


hahah, My favorite is the Antenna ball spring mount....add`s .164 of a wavelength to the antenna and helps smash mudducks.

Homer:


More common than you think, there is a spot at my parents place, in the drive actually, where signals will drop, a "dead" spot, no matter what direction the receiving station is from that area, signal drops and the rx in your radio will drop as well.
I will echo Captains post that the radio`s AGC can have a big influence on perceived audio.

73
Jeff

So there are circumstances that cause audio to seem louder.

What causes the hot or dead spots. Metal in the ground, more moisture, reflection from a set of structural anomalies man made or natural. . . I know this is risky ground, but what if the better made antenna leads to a perceived increase in audio on one vehicle but not another? (Don't jump me, folks. I clearly posted above that I saw no such increase of audio on the six different antennas I tested while noting slight differences in S unit readings.)

Many of us have settled on our answers and lack the room in our noggins for any other possibilities, but bumblebees are still flying last time I checked. I don't have the answers, however, I can't help but wonder what uproar might have been caused in the radio/internet community if at this point in history we were still using wire antennas and the Yagi-Uda were introduced into the radio world. (No I am not comparing the Yagi to any false media manipulations. But I am referring to stretching our thinking as the inventors of the Yagi did)There is science for real results when once discovered (and of course that may well be where the tree finally falls on this one).

What would cause one antenna to appear to be louder than another to a listener.

AGC influences the output levels from the radio speaker as I understand it. Would AGC suddenly decide to make one signal seem louder than another when the antenna is switched out? (I don't think so, but. . .) Could there be other factors that do?