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cb antenna question

Discussion in 'CB Radio Forum' started by skman, Jul 18, 2015.

Page 1 of 2
  1. Jul 18, 2015 #1
    skman

    skman Light Load Member

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    Please forgive my lack of knowledge in the subject but I have a question about cb antennas.
    I was getting a lot of static and had to turn my squelch way up to get it to stop. After looking closely, I noticed my driver side antenna had cracks in the coating and I could see the copper coiling around it.. So I bought a new Francis 4ft antenna. And it fixed my problems. My squelch is turned low and I can hear people in truck stops or in a traffic lineup very well.
    Here's my question:
    I have two antennas. The old one that is still on the truck is a Firestick and the new one is a Francis. But those antennas are only rated for 100watts (i think). I only have a stock CB....what kind of range do you typically get with a 100 Watt antenna?

    Long story short....if I change to (for instance) a 5000 Watt antenna...will it help my range? Or would I need to get my CB tuned up first?
     
    skman, Jul 18, 2015
    skman, Jul 18, 2015
    #1
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  3. Jul 18, 2015 #2
    taxihacker66

    taxihacker66 Road Train Member

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    Concrete jungle.
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    No i dont belive Changing antenna's from 100 watt to a 5000 watt will give you more range. Tuning your cb and antennas will possible get you
    a little more range. b
     
    taxihacker66, Jul 18, 2015
    taxihacker66, Jul 18, 2015
    #2
    rabbiporkchop and skman Thank this.
  4. Jul 18, 2015 #3
    Bout Z

    Bout Z Light Load Member

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    An antennas power handling has nothing to do with range. A longer antenna will improve range. Run the longest antenna you can get by with.
     
    Bout Z, Jul 18, 2015
    Bout Z, Jul 18, 2015
    #3
    darthanubis, handlebar, rabbiporkchop and 1 other person Thank this.
  5. Jul 19, 2015 #4
    Xcis

    Xcis Medium Load Member

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    Bridgeport, Pa
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    Bout Z is completely correct. The power rating for the antenna indicates the maximum power you can put to the antenna. Since the OP [original poster] is not using an amplifier, that power rating is meaningless.
    .
    .Your best choice for an antenna is one that has a loading coil but those are costly. Otherwise get the longest antenna length that you can get by with as Bout Z suggested.
     
    Xcis, Jul 19, 2015
    Xcis, Jul 19, 2015
    #4
    skman Thanks this.
  7. Aug 5, 2015 #5
    rabbiporkchop

    rabbiporkchop Road Train Member

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    Any antenna shorter than 9 foot @ 27.185mhz has a coil of some sort and has nothing to do with cost.
    ie: oil filled cheap antenna @ most truck stops for $26.00 compared to 9 foot whip @ $30.00
     
    rabbiporkchop, Aug 5, 2015
    rabbiporkchop, Aug 5, 2015
    #5
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  8. Aug 9, 2015 #6
    mike5511

    mike5511 Road Train Member

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    Ray in Memphis told me awhile back that when he used to do the Key Down competitions he always used the 7ft SkipShooter antenna. He said it did better than a steel whip. The old Francis Amazer was a good one too.
     
    mike5511, Aug 9, 2015
    mike5511, Aug 9, 2015
    #6
    darthanubis and rabbiporkchop Thank this.
  9. Jan 13, 2016 #7
    rabbiporkchop

    rabbiporkchop Road Train Member

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    On my radio the Francis Amazer will hear hear better than the steel whip but on your radio I don't think you'll notice a difference.
     
    rabbiporkchop, Jan 13, 2016
    rabbiporkchop, Jan 13, 2016
    #7
  10. Jan 13, 2016 #8
    clausland

    clausland Road Train Member

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    I run an old Cobra 148, hooked to an old K40, it works, but, what are your thoughts about the K40 vs the 102" steel whip?....
     
    clausland, Jan 13, 2016
    clausland, Jan 13, 2016
    #8
  11. Jan 14, 2016 #9
    delta5

    delta5 Road Train Member

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    Ohio
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    Although length is important, SWR and ground plane are critical. The more sheet metal you can connect to the antenna mount, either through the mirror bracket or ground straps, the better off you will be. Just don't run a wire from the antenna mount straight to the frame! That may cause the wire to radiate instead of the antenna. You must involve as much sheet metal as possible in the ground plane. That is a big problem with these late model fiberglass composite trucks. I spoke to one of the engineers that designed the Wilson antennas. They are well aware of this problem, but there are no easy solutions.
     
    delta5, Jan 14, 2016
    delta5, Jan 14, 2016
    #9
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  12. Jan 16, 2016 #10
    mike5511

    mike5511 Road Train Member

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    The longer the antenna the easier it is to overcome the problems with these newer trucks.
     
    mike5511, Jan 16, 2016
    mike5511, Jan 16, 2016
    #10
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