Ok some might think this is a dumb question but here it goes. What is the best shortest mobile CB antenna? I know that the longer the better range and stuff but what do you think the most efficient shortest antenna is?
Using the Sirio pl145 magnet. Hitting limbs going out my paved road. About 3 miles worth. It's over 12' tall on my truck. The antenna is tough you hit 1 low enough it don't give.Gotta agree with all the above. Height is might. How are you running the antenna as a mag mount I suppose? And what magnet are you using? Hopefully the PL145 mag mount by Sirio and not something like a Wilson 5000 mag mount as they wont hold the performer 5000 up as well as the Sirio PL145 mag mount will. You didn't mention this in the post. Just curious. I ran a Sirio performer 5000 on top of a work van that was almost 9ft tall and I used the Sirio mag mount. It never came off and I hit a lot of stuff with it. How low of stuff are you hitting? On a regular vehicle or even a regular truck you should not be hitting too much stuff I wouldn't think unless you're out in the sticks and the trees hang low. But like said, try to stay as tall as possible as the shorter you go the worse the performance will become. JMHO. Hope you get it resolved.
Agreed short antennas are a waste unless you live in a area where you have to deal with low hanging tree limbs, or you don't want to draw attention to your vehicle. Antennas can "Electrically 5/8 in wavelength" and not be any where close to that in physical size. I don't believe you will get the receive gain from the "Electrical 5/8 wave" but phase shifting using capacitors and inductors would make it seem like a 5/8.Five feet or less is a waste of both time and money; especially money . . . don't buy into that BS that says 'it is a 5/8 wave' - nooooo way . . .
I don't like anything for mobile use other than a steel whip, or a fiberglas whip (like the old Francis Amazer). a top loaded antenna such as...- 399
I think to try and apply a blanket statement is going to be hard. What might be good for my best short antenna may not be yours.Ok some might think this is a dumb question but here it goes. What is the best shortest mobile CB antenna? I know that the longer the better range and stuff but what do you think the most efficient shortest antenna is?
Antennas can "Electrically 5/8 in wavelength" and not be any where close to that in physical size. I don't believe you will get the receive gain from the "Electrical 5/8 wave" but phase shifting using capacitors and inductors would make it seem like a 5/8.
what many people refer to as a top loading coil is really a capacitance hat which will increase radiation resistance.
The so called mobile CB 5/8 wavelength antennas are not actually electrical 5/8 wavelength antennas. An electrical 5/8 wavelength will have a very high X (reactance) at the feed point just like the full length 5/8 wavelength antennas. Because of this they would require additional matching just like the full length 5/8 wavelength base antennas which they do not have.
A top loading coil is not a capacitance hat, and works very different than a capacitance hat. As a matter of fact, how the two different devices work is exactly the opposite of each other. A coil, which is an inductive load, no matter where it is on an antenna including the top, will lower the feed point impedance, and thus radiation resistance, at resonance. A capacity hat, which is capacitive load, will raise the feed point impedance, and thus radiation resistance, at resonance. There are antenna designs that use both a capacity hat and a top load immediately below it as a means to always getting that so called "perfect" SWR...
The DB
... I would also like to add that the higher the load is the MORE efficient the antenna becomes not less.....