102 cb antenna??

[mattyhfd]

been thinking about getting one of these, anyone have one? how are they? PICS????? do u need to do anything or have anything to run it off of ur joe shmoe cb??:elkgrin:

[rambrush]

Well you will need a mount I use These (http://bellsouthpwp.net/b/r/breedlove1/index.html) and buy from Here (http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2102428).

They work great require no tuning

[dragogt]

Sorry, but I have to disagree with the No Tunning bit..

You should Always tune your radio when you change antennas.. jmo

[rambrush]

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.

[dragogt]

x2 on 1/8" at a time..

Naw you wont see me get into all that, at that point its "owners" discretion..

[JIMBO]

:sombrero: If it's just for a CB--get a 4" Firestix and they are tunable without cutting-

Mine ranges from 25 miles to 5, depending on terrain !!

:costumed-smiley-007:wings: JIMBO

[Token]

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..

[mcneil]

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

[rambrush]

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.

[gary in ohio]

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]

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

http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/backroadexplorer/225.jpg

center of front bumper
http://i718.photobucket.com/albums/ww183/backroadexplorer/scan0001-1.jpg

[Tumbleweed]

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.

[madizell]

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 smack 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.

[Hilldweller]

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.
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.

[cico7]

I have the 102" whip and the results are great!

You really can't tune these because the amount of change would be
too great at the 1/8" increment.

You can tie them down if necessary or put a limiting strap to reduce the
amount of sway.

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vKmvVdTkTsg/TGyMTpNqExI/AAAAAAAAAbs/HAhtIhpRlzA/s512/IMG00372-20100812-1232.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_vKmvVdTkTsg/TGyMQvUimJI/AAAAAAAAAaA/xSewHqd7g9k/s640/IMG00369-20100812-1021.jpg

[Tumbleweed]

The guy who got hit in the face was spotting a Jeep on a washout, standing in front of the rig. My hat was taken off when I pulled up and stopped on a trail ride, got out and the antennae on the rig in front of me got me. I disagree on the comment about being too close.
Yes, I have heard the I will tie it down comments; but have seen them come loose more often than not.
For the marginal increase in CB performance, I will stick with a Wilson shorty, or Firestik and replace them every few years if needed. My CB use in the last 10 years has been limited to about 200 yards at best. I prefer my Ham or cell phone..

[Borrego60]

Love the 102" great antenna and can take a beating.

[cico7]

Yes, I have heard the I will tie it down comments; but have seen them come loose more often than not.
For the marginal increase in CB performance,...... I prefer my Ham or cell phone..
Last August, we were on a mountain top. One of our group had just arrived
and was setting his camp, fell and broke his leg. I was the furthest away
from the group, but the only one that heard his wife radio for help. No one
else heard her call...and there was no cell service (Verizon). I relayed the
info to the rest of the group and they got to him before I could.

I will hang onto my 102 but after reading your story, I will make sure it gets
tied down!

BTW, I am getting a HAM, studying for my license now....way better than the
old CB....

[jeffy]

I'm not a fan of the 102's for the reasons mentioned previously. I use a 4.5' K40 for the CB. The only reason I have the CB is for those who haven't moved over to HAM. Otherwise, I'm using my 2M (w/49" Larson NMO-150). Range isn't an issue. Some research of the local local repeaters and auto-patch is a good idea.

[goodtimes]

I had a 102" whip on my TJ. The shorter fiberglass pieces didn't work worth a crap. I would have to tune it every time I took the soft top on or off (seriously -- when I tuned it with the top down, then put the top up, the SWR would jump from the 1.2 range to 3+)

The concerns about them (102" whips) flying around and hitting bystanders are legitimate. They will reach out and touch someone 9 feet away. To mitigate this, I sewed a fabric loop (short piece of nylon webbing) to the top, and another around the roll bar (for the times the top was down) that would restrain the whip at about the mid-point. This cut the 'striking distance' in half. Even the clubs that didn't *allow* the 9'whips grudgingly accepted this as a reasonable solution.

As others have mentioned, you can reach out farther and with far more clarity than the shorter antennas will let you (assuming all other things are equal).

[PMA4x4]

I use a 102" with a 6" HD spring I got lucky and it tuned up pretty good. I use a Uniden 520XL.

If you want compact and small try the Solarcon A-110S its 2ft long, threads into std 3/8 mounts and is fully adjustable.

If you go thru a lot of tight forest trails I personally don't recommend a firestick. they are too stiff IMO. What I ran with on my CJ7 was a Wilson Flex antenna. Dan near bend that end to end.

[TOI]

i've used a 102" whip on 3 or so of my 4x4s. i've loved them, they work great with all my CB's. from the $19.99 cobra from walmart to my peaked and tuned nightwatcher that i spilled drink on and fried. :mad:


i would have it tied down when your DDing around, i'm not welcome at a few drive thru's in Atlanta anymore after busting a couple lights....


-Ian

[catfish]

Francis use to make a gray 8' antenna, if you can find one it might be the best alternative for those that can't use a whip, myself I'd run the whip and screw em, carry a second antenna for when your "group" dictates you can't.

To me its about range and the tallest antenna with the lowest SWR is going to get the best range bar none.

[PMA4x4]

To me its about range and the tallest antenna with the lowest SWR is going to get the best range bar none.


Yep

[TerryD]

I have mine mounted on the back gate of my Cherokee with a custom made S/S mount. I ran without a spring or extension for a couple years, but my tune was never quite right as I could never run my Sound Tracker feature without locking up the radio.

I added a 6" S/S bar to it that I picked up at a truck stop for a couple bucks and it's worked great ever since, other than over tightening the antenna and pulling the threaded part off the nut. This was solved by splitting the rest of the brass nut off the antenna and inserting it into a 3/8 24NF thread bolt with the head cut off and using a 1/8" ferrel fitting nut and ferrel that fits the 3/8 threads perfectly to hold it in place.

[GlennA]

These whips are trimmed from the bottom. (The fat part.) It's easiest to trim them using a grinder. I have never seen a mobile CB antenna with anything but "uniity" gain. Therefore, theoretically no antenna will outperform a 1/4 wave whip except a longer whip such as a 1/2 wave.:wings: Of course, 1/2 wave would require an overheight permit. :victory: