connex or galaxy

I love it when I see these ###### truckers with their antennas tilted forward... LOL

 

Explain what is wrong with running on the flat side? I dont personally do it myself, but know some who do, and would like to hear your knowledge on what is wrong with it.

 

My info comes from the phone conversation I had with one of the engineers that designed the Wilson 1000 antenna. "Bullhorning" your antennas does nothing but screw up your radiation pattern. These antennas were designed for and should be mounted vertically. They want the lower part of the antenna standing straight up, not tilted forward.

 

And yes, they are very aware of the problems that these new trucks are having with grounds. The antennas need a good groundplane to operate against, and these isolated fiberglass bodies are terrible for cb antennas.

 

I do it just to avoid low branches and things radio still gets out from here to waaaayyyyyyy over there. But I only run a single so half bull

 

If you can stand find one, just get a 99v and call it a day. Get it peak and tuned (by a someone who knows what they are doing) not a wack job that clips the limiter and turn your tea pot. Get a good antenna like a wilson or 10k and have the SWR's set low as you can get them. if you can get them down to 1.0 thats great, but anywhere from 1.0-1.5 will do. Then call it a day. FYI....you can have the best radio in the world, but if your antenna system not right.....it won't matter.

 

The signals from and to antennas move in a plane, and are referred to as polarized. For a radio path to work best (transfer the most signal from the transmitter to the receiver), the polarization of both antennas has to be the same. Crossing the polarization of the antennas between the two (one's flatsided, or "horizontally polarized", and the vertical is, well, "vertically polarized") is similar to taking two sets of polarized sunglasses. Put one set on, hold the second set in front of you, and look at something through the lens of the second pair. Now rotate the second pair, and as you get to 90 degrees away, the image darkens.
That's because the light going through the first set of lenses is polarized in one direction, to cut glare by allowing light in just one plane to enter. When the second pair is rotated, you're making an "+" pattern for the light to get through. The only place where the | and the - intersect is one point.
Same with radio signals. And the amount of loss is one that can be calculated: 20dB of loss, equivalent to just 10% of the available signal being received.
Vertical polarization is usually chosen by base stations interested in talking to mobiles, or to other base stations that talk to mobiles. It's also more susceptible to man-made electrical noises.
Flatsiders gain the advantage of somewhat quieter background noise, so it's usually used for DXing. Horizontally polarized mobile antennas for frequencies as low as CB are mechanical nightmares to mount and tune, assuming you even have the space for them.
Tilting your mobile antenna will compromise your signal somewhat, kinda like when the sunglasses were only partially rotated. Depending upon how efficient your antenna is, the loss you get may or may not be offset by the efficiency of the antenna. In other words, a shorter, properly tuned vertical antenna might very well outperform any of the longer whips if the longer antenna is tilted far enough to clear obstacles. The signal out of a mobile installation can be measured and compared by a competent tech with a field strength meter and an open test field.
Also, assuming a decent ground plane and correct install, etc., the pattern of strongest signal from a vertical antenna can be thought of as a donut (Mmmmm.....donuts!) that's been slipped down over the antenna, with a large majority going towards the horizon in all directions from the antenna. Think of what happens to that donut's direction if you tilt your antenna forward: the signal to the front is aiming down into the highway in front of you, the signal off the sides is towards the horizon (but still partially cross-polarized from either vertical *or* horizontal antennas), and the signal off the back of your antenna is shooting up into space.
There are always trade-offs in any installation. The one that works best for you is the right one.
-- Handlebar in NC --

 

Depending on your distance between stations, it has to do with "rf polarization".
Handlebar is correct.
GF

 

I dont think you are going to get good performance with a mobile whip tilted forwards...

 

When running down the road at 68 mph, my antennas are always bending backward toward the stacks. I have them bullhorned just slightly so that they are mostly vertical while running down the road. It also keeps them from getting close to the stacks which tends to raise the SWR just slightly.