Looking to buy a new antenna

[DumpTrucker]

Ever since I have had a CB in my rig I've always had problems with people being able to hear me. I can always hear them when they are a long ways away. But if I get within a 1/2 mile away hell maybe even a 1/4 mile away they can not hear me. I have a real nice cobra radio so I dont think thats the problem. I've always ran dual antennas the cheap ones you can buy from Fly'n J. I also think some of my problem is my coax. My question is which antenna is the best and why. Also I drive a dump truck so I'm always catching my fiberglass antennas on tree limbs and stuff. So I want to go with something a little more flexible. And whats the deal with these antennas I'm seeing with the swirly thing near the base? Thanks
Brian

[outlawwv]

around here the tri and quad axle dumps run steel whips on the bumper -- seems to be only way to get em to work right

[thetez]

i guess if your driving in a dump truck then dual antennas should be great... your driving a fullsize dump truck right? not a f550 or something...
Anyway... maybe it is your cable... i just installed my new wilson antenna.. fiberglass though, and it works amazing! But i do know wilson antennas are pretty good all around and they have a "flex" one that ... flex's ... as well as all their antennas have some kind of warrenty, its worth looking into if you risk snapping them...

.. well either that or try to get a spring type connector so if it smacks itll just shake it off.

[BUZZSAW]

Originally Posted by thetez

i guess if your driving in a dump truck then dual antennas should be great... your driving a fullsize dump truck right? not a f550 or something...
Anyway... maybe it is your cable... i just installed my new wilson antenna.. fiberglass though, and it works amazing! But i do know wilson antennas are pretty good all around and they have a "flex" one that ... flex's ... as well as all their antennas have some kind of warrenty, its worth looking into if you risk snapping them...

.. well either that or try to get a spring type connector so if it smacks itll just shake it off.

Good advice TEZ.....,
He might also try either a Half-breed antenna which is base loaded w/ a stainless whip . They hold up pretty well to the dump truck / on & off road usage . The flex antennas work pretty well too . also the Hustler HQ-27 works pretty well on dump trucks , alot of guys in my area use these.

[BUZZSAW]

Originally Posted by outlawwv

around here the tri and quad axle dumps run steel whips on the bumper -- seems to be only way to get em to work right

I would like to see a picture of that ! I wonder what kind of SWR they get using a whip (102" I guess) Interesting ??

[outlawwv]

Originally Posted by BUZZSAW

I would like to see a picture of that ! I wonder what kind of SWR they get using a whip (102" I guess) Interesting ??

most of em have bumper guides and they take a short {6"} bungee cord and remove the hooks and put it down over the antenna and hook it to the bumper guide to keep it from flopping all around --the base of the antenna hooks to the bumper -- as far as swr goes you can set those on any antenna no matter where its mounted -- and yes they are the 102's -- seems to work really well -- OUTLAW

[Lew29]

Does anyone know if the indoor "dipole" base antennas are any good?

[Vols1]

Originally Posted by Lew29

Does anyone know if the indoor "dipole" base antennas are any good?

I can't anwser how good they work never seen one or how it is layed out indoors, but I went up on the house in the 70's to adjust the SWR's down on a beam antenna (small sive beam too) was using a D-104 mic running a Tram D-201 that dead keyed about 25 watts. I used the lock mic ring on the D-104 and didn't slide it down far enough to unkey the mic. When I went back up on the roof to make another adjustment as soon as I touched the antenna I got shocked not a lot but enough that it felt like almost 110 house current. Remember for when I was somewhere around 5 years old. Do I want a antenna inside my home no. If you expect to run a power amp behind the radio all I got to say is hope you don't have kids and you or they are not standing to close. Something to think about. Just that little bit over 4 legal watts made me remember to double check the mic key ring was all the way down and the mic not keyed.