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One and done
- Thread starter Ziploc
- Start date
You'd be surprised but there isn't much performance difference between all of those for most people. If you're going to hit any low hanging branches the 10K could be an issue. I ran a 10K on a hardmount for a while but went to a Wilson 5000 mag just for looks and ease of use. Of course I run less power now than when I had the 10K, it did tune really well for SWR.
10K is very broadbanded, and good for more power. Other ones bend cause it's just the whip and less likely to break on low hanging objects.
10K is very broadbanded, and good for more power. Other ones bend cause it's just the whip and less likely to break on low hanging objects.
Whatever is closest to your maximum clearance
With maximum length
Vehicle-centered.
Or a GR-45
With maximum length
Vehicle-centered.
Or a GR-45
I had a mirror mount Wilson 2000. Switched to a Preditor 10K 6 inch shaft. Same shaft as the Wilson. I noticed no difference in preference. I did like the look of the Preditor.
Unless power was an issue, I would go with the Sirio 5000 or the Stryker. If you like the look of the larger Stryker coil with its blue light, go for it. Otherwise I like the lower profile Sirio. It's also built really well using rubber "O" rings to seal the top and bottom of that coil. The 10K will probably be too much wind load on a typical mag mount. Unless, you use the one with three magnets in a triangular pattern. Stay clear of the Wilson since its connections are now soldered together by the same high school electronics class, that MFJ uses. The mag mount on the Wilson is not sealed well at all. Within a year everything under the magnet will start to rust and rot out. Including the RF connections.
I agree. The choice here has more to do with power handling abilities, looks, and quality of construction, than it does with performance or signal strength.
Best results? Avoid using a mag mount.
To be fair, that is determined by the power being used and the capacitor surface area the magnetic base forms with your vehicle roof, as the other plate. Avoid any mount that does not have a conductive foil layer between the magnet and the surface of your car. Sometimes that can be hard to tell because the silver foil may be covered over by a thin layer of darker film. However, if you can see bare magnet, skip right over that mount.
The larger surface area on the tipple magnet mount, makes it able to handle more power without much loss in the capacitive coupling. This is not to say that a direct ground plane connection isn't better. Just that most applications that are not extreme high power, can use a magnet mount without noticing any lost performance.
I had the same issue when I first put my Sirio magmount with my Sirio 5k. Didn’t put the foil decal and it caused SWR havoc. My bad cause I didn’t read the instructions. When I did apply that foil decal the SWR dropped like a stone.
If the foil is gone, you have lost most of the ability for the mount to capacitively couple to the metal of the car. The thin plastic film some put over the foil is not so important other than to prevent scratching of your car.
Mag is okay for infrequent use.
A few days versus months.
Coax gets beat up. On roof and thru window.
“Accidents”
And, water/dirt magically get under magnet.
Bad local climate just accelerates problem.
A permanent mount is a vehicle upgrade where the rest of the install is “best effort”.
Running off a cigar lighter or tapping fused circuit just kills what a decent antenna offers.
OTOH, if the whole of the radio installation is done over a series of steps, the mag mount is then a nice back-up to own once permanent mount finished.
A few days versus months.
Coax gets beat up. On roof and thru window.
“Accidents”
And, water/dirt magically get under magnet.
Bad local climate just accelerates problem.
A permanent mount is a vehicle upgrade where the rest of the install is “best effort”.
Running off a cigar lighter or tapping fused circuit just kills what a decent antenna offers.
OTOH, if the whole of the radio installation is done over a series of steps, the mag mount is then a nice back-up to own once permanent mount finished.
