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Mobile Antenna Recommendations for 05Ford F150

Member since Monday... doesn't get the answers he wants...starts ignoring people. LOL
It's not because he didn't give me the answer I wanted. It's his method of conveying his response. The fact he assumed everybody was going to say the same thing. And generally the inability to understand what I asked. That said I have people tell me daily things I don't want to hear, but they're not Richard craniums about it.

Can we put this little set back behind us and move forward? I just wanted some recommendations from people that have been active in cb.
 
Your parameters are hard to piece together for me. It sounds like you are in a parking garage most every day? Most antennas will flex enough to go over 8', but they wouldn't last long grinding on cement every day. If you are not going to go several feet above the cab, it's not going to work very well anyways. You cant have stealth and performance, and it sounds like you want both.

I just wanted some recommendations from people that have been active in cb.
This is what you are getting. It is a fact that you can't have a short antenna in a bad location and expect decent performance. Robb is correct, and darn near everyone here will agree.
 
Y You cant have stealth and performance, and it sounds like you want both.
I dont necessarily want stealth, I but a predator 10k is not an option. I don't drive into the garage daily. I dont want to deal with taking an antenna off the truck every time I might be driving somewhere it will be knocked off or having to lower it.

This is what you are getting. It is a fact that you can't have a short antenna in a bad location and expect decent performance. Robb is correct, and darn near everyone here will agree.
I would like to move forward from talking about him. Personally all of his responses has rubbed me wrong because he was assuming I wanted short stealthy antennas. I wanted honest recommendations without talking down to me.


Something like I use a Francis 5.5ft orange whip on each corner of the rear of the bed. Or Im using a wilson 5000 mag mount on the roof. Even like he said a Sirio is the best choice because they are effing awesome. Maybe something like this, I use a Sirio on a mag mount on a Suburnban and I havent had it come off yet. Something like that. That would have been better than his approach to my request.
 
I run ham radio out of my little S-10 and use the quad mag mount on the roof. For CB I just put the Firestik cb antenna on the mount and change my radio to the Uniden 980.
Would you consider putting a tool box in the bed of the truck? If you go with the breedlove pucks on aluminum box or a mag mount on steel box.
I run the SIRIO 5000 for Ten meters and CB 11 meters mobile if I don't have my ham radios with me. The antennas all radiate from the roof so there is no blocking by the body.
https://www.worldwidedx.com/data/photos/m/4/4373-1473024082-644ccca07869239f8abde03241ba169f.jpg
 
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Do you live in an old city with lots of low clearance areas or something? Just trying to understand your situation. I beat the heck out of things and have never had a problem with antenna height. I have even done parking garages with a 14'6" antenna and never held up traffic. Where there are parking garages, there are stoplights. Light turns red and I hop out and unscrew the antenna.

Having been down this road, I would slap a 4' antenna up and see what happens. If you decide you want better performance then try a 108" whip and compare it. Run the whip for a while and see what it actually hits and what problems arise from it.

Are you just running AM, or planing SSB also?
 
I have one of those older bed covers that has the rails on the top of the bed rail and uses button snaps to hold it down..
 
Mainly it will be for just local contacts when out spotting. Listening to the truckers when running down the highway and such.

There are a lot of places that use those stupid low hanging covers over the drive thru's and at the speaker they have the poles saying dont use if higher than this high. Plus its the Ozark mountains of Missouri many dirt roads and fire roads through the national forests around here.
 
Well... once we get the antenna choice out of the way we can discuss how to run the wires and how to connect them in the engine compartment . Right Undertaker ? Sorry I had to say it we hashed that around for a while !:eek:o_O:ROFLMAO:
 
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good day skylloga,
not sure why the miss understanding from Mr. Robb..his response was one of experience and fully understanding in antenna theory..he was mainly trying to help you in deciding in what antenna would work best for your circumstances..

its up to you to do your research and take good advice and come up with your conclusion or decision what works best for you..there are many different antennas that are very workable for your situation but it comes down to trail and error..you may not be happy with your first choice thus trying different antennas until you find the one that works best for your set up...as Robb mentioned any antenna less than 4ft will be less efficient..but maybe your not to concerned about efficiency but rather height only.

I have found in the many years of this hobby that a 4ft Wilson works very good as long as the top section is more than 50% above any roof line...otherwise you will be just seeing a high SWR due to reflect...

there are many options but ultimately It falls into your hands in what you decide in..
welcome to the hobby!
 
After re-reading my posts on this thread, I must apologize for my lack of tact. Thought I was giving him all the best 'heads up' that I could muster. I did want to welcome him to the universe of radio, and give him the skinny so he could get involved in understanding what radio is to those on this forum and get him acquainted with the issues he posed. Didn't come off as I would have wanted. Wanted to save him time, effort, and money. Sorry about that.
 
I have the Sirio 5000 mag on the top of my truck & also a UHF/VHF if front of that, I go thought drive thru's, slow down. I have a tree in front of my house I hit when I leave & then when I get home.
I drive down roads & tag trees a lot.
Never any issues, knock on wood, (see what I did there:ROFLMAO:)
If I go to a place that it will not fit I remove it, simple.
Pick an antenna & move on.
73's
 
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