Antenna Set Up

[thetez]

Im looking at getting a 4' Wilson silver load antenna. Its 1000W,

1000W doesnt need o be pumped into the antenna right?

Also if i got a coax cable that was 600w or 700w thats the max the antenna would really be usable for right?

where can i get 1000w+ rated coax cable?

PLEASE help me understand these questions....

[tfisher63]

Antennas and Coax are rated for a certain wattage maximum. A stock, legal cb only puts out about 4-5 watts. Your Wilson will be fine. look for a low loss coax with 50 ohm impedence like Belden 9258. It is a mini 8 size and flexible for mobile use.

[thetez]

to me it sounds like your talking about power for the radio... the antennas work diffrently .... dont they

[tfisher63]

Are you considering running a 1000 watt amplifier? For one thing its illegal not to mention the rf radiation you are emitting right beside your head. Not good for your eyes...kinda like a microwave oven. With a stock radio, youdont need to be concerned with the wattage rating of the coax, but a low loss coax will be more efficient, meaning that more of the power that the radio puts out will actually get to the antenna and be radiated as signal. The power that is lost in the coax just simply is converted to heat.

[thetez]

No i plan on running a stock radio with a 1000w antenna....

clear this up for me... what is that 1000w rating for? its radiated power or something like that....? considering most good antennas are at least 400w it cant be the 4w power that the radio supplies. The problem im running into is all i am finding is 600w rated coax cables.... meaning i would have bought an extra 400w for nothing... and not get that extra power....

umm.... hows all this stuff connect and such... help me understand... im really not that knowledgeable when it comes to radio stuff, id love to be and im trying here...

Pretty much will the coax cables wattage govern what the antenna will put out? [in radiated power]

[tfisher63]

ok, the rated pwer on any coax or antenna is the MAXIMUM amount of power that can be applied to the coax or antenna. The antenna will not put out any more power than you are sending to it. A stock radio that has not been peaked, tuned, modifed or otherwise alter will put out about 4 or 5 watts, period. With absolutely no loss your 1000 watt rated Wilson will only put out the same 4 or 5 watts. Antennas or coax can not increase the output power of your radio. They almost always will decrease the effective power output due to inefficiency (loss).
High wattage output can be had by using a radio that has high output finals in it or by using an amplifier. Both of which are illegal by FCC rules.

The MOST important things in considering coax and antennas are impedence and loss factors. The impedence in ohms will be labeled on the coax and on the antenna package or info. Cb radios use 50 ohm coax. This is critical to obtain a low swr. The loss factor of a particular coax can usually be found on the manufacturers website. Info on Belden brand coax is available several places ont he web.

Hope this helps.

[thetez]

Thanks.... So is that rating for ham or something?

So this is what im going to go with
My Stock radio....
The 4' FGT Wilson Silver Load Antenna
18' to 20' of RG 58 Coax Cable
In Line SWR Meter/Antenna Tuner, to insure the antenna will be around 1:1
[i wont be using that antenna tuner though, i will be tuning the antenna with the piece on the antenna]
Mirror Mount


Anyone know about how far i can talk with this? I know the standard is about a mile for each wattage, But ive also heard from multiple people on the web, and a lot of people on here that you can talk much further on a regular basis with a properly tuned antenna and such. ive heard anywhere from 4 to 15+

[ee_john]

Originally Posted by thetez

Thanks.... So is that rating for ham or something?

So this is what im going to go with
My Stock radio....
The 4' FGT Wilson Silver Load Antenna
18' to 20' of RG 58 Coax Cable
In Line SWR Meter/Antenna Tuner, to insure the antenna will be around 1:1
[i wont be using that antenna tuner though, i will be tuning the antenna with the piece on the antenna]
Mirror Mount


Anyone know about how far i can talk with this? I know the standard is about a mile for each wattage, But ive also heard from multiple people on the web, and a lot of people on here that you can talk much further on a regular basis with a properly tuned antenna and such. ive heard anywhere from 4 to 15+

That all sounds good. The 1000 watt rating on the antenna just means it is built with materials that could handle that much power without overheating. What this means for you and your 4 watts is the antenna is more "beefy" than it need be, but it will sure be a lot stronger and hold up better over time.

You might consider RG58AU cable. The U specifies stranded center conductor. Stranded wire is very slightly inferior in conductivity than a solid conductor, but is more flexible and will hold up to frequent bending longer. If you are going to install your coax in such as way it does not move, either RG58 or RG58AU will be just fine.

Expect 4 miles or less on average. Things vary from day to day and even hour to hour, but that can be part of the fun.

Good luck. You seem to be off to a good start.