Jeremy,

Both Larson and Wilson make a good 3dB whip. They won't be 1/4 wave in physical length though. By using a physically shorter whip and loading it with a coil just right, they can change the radiation pattern. The radiation pattern of a 1/4 wave looks kind of like a big donut. A lot of your signal gets wasted going straight up into space. By squishing those vertical signals down, they get gain in a horizontal omni pattern. A 5/8 whip acts like this.

When you go shopping, the gain figures can get kind of confusing. Like Berry was saying, your isotropic, dBi, gain is just compared to a perfect round ball of signal, somewhere out in space. Engineers use it for a reference. The dBd gain is used to compare to a known, real world antenna.

The two figures, dBi and dBd, are not the same. When you're looking at the specs on an antenna and it shows a 2 or 3 dBi gain, that means it's about as good as a plain old whip. Sometimes I think they use it as a selling point for the uninformed. Kind of like telling someone, "I'm not going to give you just one dollar, I'm giving you 100 cents!"

When you're looking at two whips, side by side, with one having a 5.4 dBi figure and the other having 3 dBd - just think of them being about the same. You really don't want more than 3 dB omni gain on a mobile, unless you live in a really flat area, or your signals can get blocked by mountains or hills. And if you live in the mountains, sometimes a unity gain whip is the best thing for you, so you can reach up high.

Whew, it's a good thing I can type fast...

 

Another thing to look at is the size of the whip.
Those loaded whips are a lot shorter than the full size whips and they break a lot less tree branches and lights in service stations. ( ha! )
I have used wilson 1000s a lot and they are very good for the size.
I really like the wilsons that have the loading coil (antenna shortener) part way up the mast insted of the base loaded coils. The higher you can get the coil the better, but then the wilson 1000 mag mounts are really good for quick and easy installation.
Like someone said before, any antenna is better than no antenna.

 

another thing - if you have the antennas mounted behind the cab, its better to have a taller antenna because the higher you get above the cab the farther in front of the truck you get and all around you get out farther.

 

Wow there are some red necks in here. Not a bad thing but I havent seen use a CB since I stopped driving over the road.

 

Whutdaya mean "rednek?"
(spit)
I don't got no durn CB

But really, a lot of off road folks still use them.
I am always being asked to help install CBs, even though I haven't used one for over ten years.

 

hell yeah im a redneck,

i love my cb, everytime im in my truck i have it on.

 

CBs are cool. Around here there is a HUGE amount of CB use.
I would expect this is not the only part of the country where that is true.

 

I appreciate ya'lls help.

Jeremy

 

Sure , the digital world has created a lot of great tools....GPS, Cell phones, etc....but it's my CB that saves my butt during highway driving where all the other tools are near worthless. It's a CB'r who alerts me instantly to road debris, traffic, how to reroute in unknown territory efficiently ( GPS's make mistakes ! ) , traps, if something is wrong with my trailer, if I need help, etc. I wouldn't live without a CB.

 

YOu guys slay me!!! LOL, LOL. If the OP only needs to transmit a few 100 feet or even a few miles, he'll do MUCH better (and cheaper) to go with Handy Talkies (FRS Radio). You can get a real good pair pretty cheap and won't have to put up with the cursing and heterodyne (many on same frequency at same time - SQUEAL) that the CB gets you!

 

BPofMD: I think you're throwing apples at oranges. IF you only want to speak with a specific friend that you've shared the second walkie talkie /frequency with in a pre-determined venture ( and they remember to turn it on )......walkie talkies will certainly give you adequate service......but a CB will be far more helpful in the variety of situations I mentioned and particularly running state to state.

 

I was referring to THIS part of the OP'ers post. "The other time i really use my CB is offroading when generally my buddy is less than 100ft behind me but we're in a place where cell phones have no reception. "

Otherwise, I agree 100%

 

I know this is kind of an old train, but it has seen some activity lately. I just want to add some advice to those thinking of using CB or 10meter ham mobile operation.

After many years of putting antennas on many different types of vehicles for both 10meter and 11meter(CB) operation, simply put, there is no antenna better than a Wilson 1000. Little or no tuning, flat SWR over entire band, extremely low SWR, extremely sturdy (whip can be replaced if necessary), wind loading can be easily accounting for by bending the whip foreword if desired, absolutely will not detune itself like the fiberglass wire wound antennas, signal quality can't be beat on RX or TX.

I've spent a lot of money on other types of antennas and always come back to the Wilson 1k. If you are running power, don't ever use the top loaded, wire wound, fiber glass antennas, unless you like just flushing $ down the toilet. Even 4 watts will detune wire wound antennas over time. Remember, the tip of the antenna is a voltage node and this high voltage will eat away at the relatively thin wires at the tip of the antenna through heating and arcing. I have also tried a few of the wire wound fiberglass antennas with the "stinger" type tuning tip. Mechanically, they just don’t perform well. Wind loading vibration and weight at distance from the fulcrum make these antennas a nightmare for mobile operation. Other base or mid loaded antennas just don't have the kind of electrical design as the Wilson 1k and don’t perform half as well (look it up on the net). Mechanically and electrically, this antenna out performs all others.

Now, there may be others that will post with their favorite antenna and claim theirs is better than the W1K, and I am not saying other antennas don't work, I am just trying to save you $ and time. It is not that they don't work, I'm just saying their performance is nowhere near the performance of the Wilson 1000.

PS. . .No, I don't work for Wilson and I have nothing to sell you.

 

I looked up the Wilson 1000 and see it's 62 inches long. It sort of confirms my general rule for all antennas, CB, Ham, TV, etc. The biggest ugliest antenna put in the most high obnoxious looking place will be the best performer.

 

Well physically, it is less than the 102" 1/4 wave radiator, but performs better. "ugliest". . well, compared to a wire wound fiberglass whip, it's barely noticible.

I currently have one on top of my F-150 and the center of the trunk of my 05' focus. Both are bent foreword to take care of wind loading and trunk angle. Later model Focus have the stereo antenna located above the rear window instead of front, so trunk mount is not recommended. Most of the radiated power comes from the tip of the antenna so I don't worry about the coil being on the trunk. That being said, any radiation coming from fron the lower part of the antenna I don't worry about because it passes throught glass. Radiation pattern????? It's fine.