Best mobile antenna for maximum range? Whip?

[Free Agent]

Working on putting together a radio set up for my hauling truck. ( F-450 super duty) Haven’t decided on a specific radio yet, but I’m trying to figure out the best possible antenna. I know the good old 102” whip is hard to beat, but is there anything that will beat it? Putting a 9 foot tall antenna on top of a 6 1/2 foot tall truck is getting pretty high up in the air.

Would like to have a Radio with side band, just to have fun with and reach out. So that could also affect antenna choice

[MDYoungblood]

My suggestion if you aren't afraid to drill a hole in the roof is is any of the 5000 series of the Sirio brand, check them out at DNJ's website,

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They are on average about 6ft in length, you can get them with a magnet mount but a permanent mount is better.

3's

Greg

[iparodyall]

i've heard people talk about firestiks having better performance than whips because they are top loaded antennas, but other than those rumors i have no real idea

[19dt2120]

Firestick antenna isn't top-loaded ,it building principe is more helical based .

[rudy]

I had pretty good luck with the Firestick, but always came back to the SS whip.

[Free Agent]

What about the Wilson 1000? How does that stack up? I’ve got one on my old F100 pickup and it seems to work pretty darn good.

[nosaj]

You know I'd imagine most antennas are good, where the differences lie are the cable and the location on the vehical. Both having everything to do with how well an antenna will perform. Antenna's are not a just stick it u an go, unless of course you like spending money on blown equipment.
What performs well on a pickup maynot work so well on your Ford Taurus.
Research and an understanding of the antenna you want will help you a long ways.

nosaj

[Free Agent]

Right. It’s all dependent on application conditions and pairing/tuning equipment. This is a question of opinion/experience.

[Free Agent]

Sub question....

What the hell is a “double 1/4 wave” antenna? Like the fiberglass Francis sticks. I’ve installed a couple of them before, because they are cheap and work pretty good, but the double 1/4 wave has me confused. Is it a half wave? 1/8 wave? Two 1/4 waves stuck together somehow?

[MDYoungblood]

Antennas that are double 1/4 wave, 5/8 wave, etc. is just the way the manufacturer winds the wire on the fiberglass rod. If you search most new antenna manufacturer’s you will see most are made by the same one.
The mounting location is what would be the deciding factor in my antenna purchase. I suggested the Sirio brand because it would give you the most height and durability. If you plan to mount it elsewhere then a antenna with the load in the center would perform better.
As for the Wilson 1000, a few years ago they had big problems with trying to get the loads to seal and they would soak up water easily, I believe they have cured this problem.

3’s

Greg

[nosaj]

Right. It’s all dependent on application conditions and pairing/tuning equipment. This is a question of opinion/experience.

My point is that a bad installation can lead to a bad opinion/experience thereby misleading someone.
nosaj

[Free Agent]

Antennas that are double 1/4 wave, 5/8 wave, etc. is just the way the manufacturer winds the wire on the fiberglass rod.

3’s

Greg

So it’s probably two 1/4 wave wires wound around. Got it.

[Free Agent]

I would have the antenna mounted on top of the truck. Either at the center of the cab via mag mount, or right behind the cab on the headache rack off a tab.

[GREGT]

I simply drilled the hole and did the center mount on my quad cab. I'm running a Wilson 5000 and you can get a shorter S.S. whip with a mid mount coil and they work great as well. My set up is the standard 62" above the cab. I'm also running a tuned Grant XL and a T.S. 667 so when you buy good stuff you have good stuff.

[The DB]

Can a shorter antenna outperform a full length 1/4 wavelength whip? Yes, but only if the longer whip is mounted lower than the shorter antenna. Mounted at the same spot, a shorter antenna will not outperform the longer antenna.

When it comes to antenna performance, the best place to mount an antenna is as close as possible to the center of the roof. The biggest enemy of mobile antennas is the earth below the antenna, and the part of all mobile antennas that radiates the most is the base of the antenna, you simply want these two points as far apart as possible. Also, more metal to shield the antenna from the earth below helps a lot as well. Simply moving the antenna from the center of the roof to the edge of the roof will affect both performance and the antennas feed point impedance.

The second thing to look at is antenna length. You want as long of an antenna as possible.

A 5' antenna on the roof of a car will outperform a 7' antenna on the trunk and a 9 foot antenna mounted to the bumper. However, move one of the longer antennas to the roof and both of them will outperform the shorter antenna.


The DB

[rudy]

I've had a 5' antenna mounted to the rear hatch of a station wagon. I had great range to the front, but not much to the rear.

[Free Agent]

Just to wrap this up,

I ended up using a Wilson 1000 magnet center roof. With a 980 bearcat radio.

It gets out, and shoots skip

[MDYoungblood]

3's

Greg

[jessejamesdallas]

Most any antenna 6.5 to 7' or the whip will get you talking mounted on the roof...I personally lean to the Predator 10K antenna myself...specially the original single coil 10K...have yet to use any antenna that works any better than the 10K...

[Gunner357]

Most any antenna 6.5 to 7' or the whip will get you talking mounted on the roof...I personally lean to the Predator 10K antenna myself...specially the original single coil 10K...have yet to use any antenna that works any better than the 10K...

Agreed P10K