Whip length.....

All of them are what is considered a loaded antenna meaning that there is a coil of some sorts that make it into proper electronic length as you know.

So the diameter may or may not matter, it all depends on the design of the entire antenna.

 

Sounds to me like they tried blowing smoke up your ### hoping to "sucker another trucker" in. You were right to walk out.

 

I think that you where right to get out of there. A fatter whip will make an antenna more broadbanded.

 

Predator competitions have more coils so a shorter whip can be used. If there are less coils a longer whip is needed
http://predator10kdiscountantennas.com/info.html

 

I've been running Predator's since 2002 and IMO they are one of the best coiled antenna's on the market.

The "Competition" Predator the guy was trying to sell you does have a slightly thicker whip than the other Predator 10K's which can make it tune maybe slightly shorter,(maybe a fraction of a inch) but what makes the Comp-10K tune short is mainly the number of turns in the coil... If anything, the thicker stinger might make it slightly more broad banded, but not enough to really notice

The guy you spoke with sounds like he's at least familiar with the product, but you have to remember he's basically a "Car salesman"...He don't make the antenna's and maybe getting his info a little twisted around.

There's several versions of the Predator 10K...single coil, Comp-coil, dual coil, "SW" dual coil (SW stands for short-whip) and the 30K which uses a aluminum rod for a stinger. There's also one called the "Bad to the Bone".

All are available with different lower shaft lengths, anywhere from 6" all the way up to a 27" shaft.

IMO if your mounting the antenna on a mirror bracket, the 12" shaft, is the way to go...Roof mounts the 17" shaft, and if your mounting to a toolbox in the back of a pick-up or to a bed rail, the 27" shaft will work.

As for which 10K, it depends on how tall of a antenna you can get away with running.

The single coil 10K tunes the tallest at around 7'...the dual coil, comp-coil, and "Bad to the Bone" all tune about a foot shorter.

The "SW" dual coil tunes the shortest at around 5' or less and was designed mainly for guys to use on mirror bracket mounting where they may have height issues...

That said..."Height is Might" which is why the 102" whip is what all other antenna's compare to, but in real world conditions, not everyone can get away with running a 102" whip on the roof, which is why we have coiled antenna's... SO...IMO, if you can get away with running a 7' antenna, get the Single Coiled Predator 10K, and you won't be sorry...

by the way...each Predator 10K has a Lifetime Warranty, so if anything should happen to it, all you do is call Kale at the number on the antenna, and he will fix ya back up.

no BS...just the facts.

 

Making an element thicker does change the length required to achieve resonance so the guy at the shop was telling you the truth. But the effect is not very large, as an example:

12 GA wire is resonant at 210.21 inches long
at 1/4 inch diameter 208.83 inches
at 1/2 inch diameter 207.6 inches long
at 2 inches 203.6 inches long
at 6 inches thick it shrinks to 198 inches
all those length measurements are including the counterpoise "total dipole length"
so divide by two to get an approximate of the "whip length".

 

Hello JJD, never noticed you are a member here before.

Now to the question at hand, JJD is dead on ( don't get a swelled head ) go with the Predator 10-K double coil short whip. It was designed for trucks and tunes shorter that any of the others. Ran one for years with only one issue, had a low frigging tree that busted it off right at the mounting stud. Called the builder Kale and told him what had happened and he sent me a new shaft for free, now that's customer service. Now I run his new 30-K in the center of my headache rack and keep the 10-K as a spare in case of more nasty antenna eating trees. LOL

 

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