102 cb antenna??
- Thread starter mattyhfd
- Start date
rambrush
Adventurer
Hey no problem with disagreeing on my no tuning. It is a free world sort of anyway,
A 1/8" at a time is what is suggested from the tip until it falls into specs. just hard to glue it back together if you take off to much.
Next we will get the folks to discuss ground planes and omni directions if you mount on this corner or in the center of your roof. which way it will transmit signals.
A 1/8" at a time is what is suggested from the tip until it falls into specs. just hard to glue it back together if you take off to much.
Next we will get the folks to discuss ground planes and omni directions if you mount on this corner or in the center of your roof. which way it will transmit signals.
Token
Explorer
I'm running one on the back bumper.. I sticks up between 5 and 6ft over the roof..
I've often wondered if a 102 whip needed tuning.. The problem with tuning them is that you'd have to cut the tip off and then find a replacement tip to have soldered back on. I forget what it is, but there is a reason that the ball tip is supposed to remain in place other than just so you don't poke someone.
The thing flexes great under branches and stuff, but can be an aggrivation at times, like when going through the drivethru at Starbucks and McDonalds..
One other thing to keep in mind, is the reason that they are banned during trail comps.. They can flex, break off and turn into a spear and stab someone.. Personally I'd recommend replacing it every few years to hopefully prevent it from getting weak from flexing over the years and hopefully limit the chances of that actually happening.. Though I have never heard of it happening.. At $20, it's cheap insurance..
I've often wondered if a 102 whip needed tuning.. The problem with tuning them is that you'd have to cut the tip off and then find a replacement tip to have soldered back on. I forget what it is, but there is a reason that the ball tip is supposed to remain in place other than just so you don't poke someone.
The thing flexes great under branches and stuff, but can be an aggrivation at times, like when going through the drivethru at Starbucks and McDonalds..
One other thing to keep in mind, is the reason that they are banned during trail comps.. They can flex, break off and turn into a spear and stab someone.. Personally I'd recommend replacing it every few years to hopefully prevent it from getting weak from flexing over the years and hopefully limit the chances of that actually happening.. Though I have never heard of it happening.. At $20, it's cheap insurance..
mcneil
Observer
If you're going off graded roads, just get a 4' firestick or similar tunable antenna. I've seen the long whip antennas get bounced around so much they strike the vehicle.
Also, here's a fun thing about whip antennas:
https://www.logsa.army.mil/WEB-PAGE/2002/596/596-46-47.pdf
Also, here's a fun thing about whip antennas:
https://www.logsa.army.mil/WEB-PAGE/2002/596/596-46-47.pdf
rambrush
Adventurer
Drive through's that is the problem or can be. Because I have double rear doors on my Shell and lift up doors on the sides I was limited to locations for mounting.
I ended up switching from a 102" to a different style for my Ham rig. Course now I mount the 102" up on top when Stationary.
Right side mounting allows careful negotiations on drive through excursions.
So far the cat claw, mesquite and salt cedars have been unable to tear this antenna off. But I have removed the egg beater for normal operations.
I ended up switching from a 102" to a different style for my Ham rig. Course now I mount the 102" up on top when Stationary.
Right side mounting allows careful negotiations on drive through excursions.
So far the cat claw, mesquite and salt cedars have been unable to tear this antenna off. But I have removed the egg beater for normal operations.
Attachments
gary in ohio
Explorer
Keep in mind a 102 whip must have a 6 inch spring (or extension) to be resonant. The proper antenna legnth is 108".
Backroad Explorer
Adventurer
I've used 102" stainless steel whip's for over 20 years on all my 4x4's. Have never had to cut one of them for a match always with a 1:2 to 1 or better on all of them. My most recent set up drivers side front bumper
center of front bumper
center of front bumper
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Tumbleweed
Adventurer
I hate them. I have had my ball cap removed from my head with the end of one flaying around on a trail ride. Way too close.
There was a member of a Las Vegas Jeep club years ago that had one that hit him in the face. I was the one that transported him to the ER for 18 stitches.
The examples above are why they are generally not allowed by most clubs.
I have never seen a great advantage of a whip over a well tuned Firestick or similar.
There was a member of a Las Vegas Jeep club years ago that had one that hit him in the face. I was the one that transported him to the ER for 18 stitches.
The examples above are why they are generally not allowed by most clubs.
I have never seen a great advantage of a whip over a well tuned Firestick or similar.
I have been using 102" whips off and on since 1976. Never bothered to tune one since they always fell into spec just as they are. Have had one on the race Jeep now for 7 years (one of the twins I originally mounted on my Ford F 150 in 1975, so it has been around the block) and it has: 1) always worked; 2) never fallen or been knocked off; 3) runs fine with a 300 watt bi-linear; 4) will out-distance just about any other mobile antenna; and 5) always works. Always working is important to me, hence mentioned twice.
Others I have tried are the Firestik (knocked off in Australia), WalMart fiberglass special (knocked off in Alaska), and one or two others I can't recall, but can tell you they fell off or were knocked off in less than one season.
The stainless steel whip has taken solid hits at high speeds and if it has ever been bent by any of these hits, I can't see it. The only down side if there is one is that it flips forward hard enough to ********** the top of the windshield if it hits something hard on the trail. Sort of a reflex depending on how hard it was knocked back. When it gets annoying I clip it down to the rain gutter to keep it out of the way, and it works fine in this position also, although range is cut down a bit.
Do definitely mount it on a spring if you want it to last. Whether it needs the spring in order to be within tune length, I don't know but I doubt it. Its just that the spring takes up so much shock from trail hits that I think it is the reason the darned thing has lasted as long as it has.
The great advantage of the 102" whip over shorter antennas is performance in the field. The only antenna that can outperform a 1/4 wave mobile antenna is a longer one. There is no substitute for radiant surface.
As far as being a danger to others on the trail, I have to wonder what anyone's face was doing within range of the whip. If the vehicle is in motion and someone is within 102 inches of the truck, they are far too close regardless of whether you have an antenna or not. They are dead easy to secure, so if you are doing something that suggests they might get in someone's face, tie them down first.
Others I have tried are the Firestik (knocked off in Australia), WalMart fiberglass special (knocked off in Alaska), and one or two others I can't recall, but can tell you they fell off or were knocked off in less than one season.
The stainless steel whip has taken solid hits at high speeds and if it has ever been bent by any of these hits, I can't see it. The only down side if there is one is that it flips forward hard enough to ********** the top of the windshield if it hits something hard on the trail. Sort of a reflex depending on how hard it was knocked back. When it gets annoying I clip it down to the rain gutter to keep it out of the way, and it works fine in this position also, although range is cut down a bit.
Do definitely mount it on a spring if you want it to last. Whether it needs the spring in order to be within tune length, I don't know but I doubt it. Its just that the spring takes up so much shock from trail hits that I think it is the reason the darned thing has lasted as long as it has.
The great advantage of the 102" whip over shorter antennas is performance in the field. The only antenna that can outperform a 1/4 wave mobile antenna is a longer one. There is no substitute for radiant surface.
As far as being a danger to others on the trail, I have to wonder what anyone's face was doing within range of the whip. If the vehicle is in motion and someone is within 102 inches of the truck, they are far too close regardless of whether you have an antenna or not. They are dead easy to secure, so if you are doing something that suggests they might get in someone's face, tie them down first.
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Hilldweller
SE Expedition Society
You can't use them on any club rides around here or in any parks at all.
My favorite antenna for offroad use is the Wilson Silverload "Flex". It can bend 180 degrees without breaking and is easy to tune. I've snapped too many Firesticks and Fireflies to count, even Fireflies with a spring mount.
