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Low Clearance Antenna Suggestions?

C

COLTON_CJF

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May 20, 2023
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Not sure if I'm supposed to ask this here, but some of the cb sites are finicky so I wanted your input on a low clearance antenna for my application. I've had this cheap mag mount for awhile and dealt with it to much and it's time to go for a permanent mount. I need something I can set and forget that is under 3ft. I'm having a rough time finding something that looks durable and rugged, all I'm seeing is fiberglass brands like Firestik and cheap overseas stuff. I'd much rather have a piece of steel connected to a spring or something similar, my antenna whacks branches and goes through it. Thanks!
 

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Any antenna less than 3 feet is not going to work very well, for the simple reason that 1/4 wave at 27 MHz is over 8 feet! So anything less than that is a compromise.

That said, I use a 3 foot firestik on a fender mount on my Toyota SUV and it works well enough that I can talk back to my base station over about a 10 to 15 mile radius running FM mode at legal power output. So it works well enough for my purposes and would be an improvement over what you are using now.
 
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Here's a low profile antenna, however it's not cheap.

AudioShockwav

Thread 'Here is a intetesting Antenna to think about'

Ok, we have some great threads about different antennas here, so I want to throw something different out here to talk about.
Anyone ever run one of these?
super-sinner-rv.jpg
The The Joe Gunn Super Sinner RV Antenna.
https://www.jogunn.com/antennas/mobile-rv/
They claim both vertical and horzontial with 1 feed line.
What do you guys think?
Eddie, have you seen this one?

73
Jeff
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And the DDRR

Shadetree Mechanic

Thread 'DDRR Antenna Loop (Directional Discontinuity Ring Radiator)'

I think this is the kind of antenna that Motormouth Maul has on the top of his jeep. It seems to be too close to the steel roof but I guess that's how it is supposed to work. Can anyone explain what this is and how it works or point me in the right direction? Thanks!

http://alphaxray.info/ax05-dual-ddrr-cb-radio-antennas.html#.XHKpKpXsZLM

Dual-DDRR-Antennas.jpg
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73
Jeff
 
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BC Coyote said:
Any antenna less than 3 feet is not going to work very well, for the simple reason that 1/4 wave at 27 MHz is over 8 feet! So anything less than that is a compromise.

That said, I use a 3 foot firestik on a fender mount on my Toyota SUV and it works well enough that I can talk back to my base station over about a 10 to 15 mile radius running FM mode at legal power output. So it works well enough for my purposes and would be an improvement over what you are using now.
Click to expand...
I agree with BC, most mobile antennas less than 48" are super lossy, they will show a good match as far as SWR, but not very effective.

What kind of vehicle is it?

Possibly a loaded longer antenna mounted lower on the vehicle and keep the load above the roof?


73
Jeff
 
I never could get the DDRR to model well, even if I used the double variant of it and mounted it in any number of locations.

The Super Sinner would be great if most of what he wants to do is DX. It is horizontally polarized. There is a bug in both Nec2 and Mininec programs that appears to give this antenna vertical polarization that isn't there along with the horizontal polarization, so some people, including Joe Gunn claims (or at least used to claim) it was vertically polarized... I haven't tried it in Nec5 yet.

Keeping the antenna short really doesn't do you any favors. In that case, in a mobile environment, you have the two biggest killers of antenna performance working against you...

In the end, whichever way you go I hope it ends up meeting your needs.


The DB
 
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Short antennas are such a compromise, but you have to do what you have to do! I have ran a K30, Lil' Will, and 3 foot Firestick in the past. I had the best luck with a Lil' Will, but from what I understand, the newer ones aren't made nearly as well. The K30 was the same size, but bandwidth was really narrow.

I'm assuming you have to park in a garage and need the short antenna for the clearance. It is a pain to get in and out of the vehicle to remove a mag mount. More details on what vehicle you have and what your situation is would be helpful for us to provide more suggestions.
 
Very helpful, thank you all. @AudioShockwav It's a Ranger. I suppose next best place would be to install on rear left bumper for a proper antenna. Sounds good. Also besides the radio and antenna, is it just the coax, mount, and stud to purchase?
 
I ran a Predator 10k single coil on a 27" shaft on the driver side rear corner of the bed for years on a 01 ranger.
They make Stake mounts that fit in the stake holes, I used half of a standard mirror mount bolted to the inside of the rear rail.
It was on a Hustler stainless quick connector so I could quickly put it down for drive thru or parking.

73
Jeff
 
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I got the same year. I have not heard of those quick disconnects that sounds like it could be very useful
@2RT307 yes, in the picture the top whip isn't original, the original was much thinner and over time snapped above the center load coil (twice) from going under parking garage and other places. Eventually I tapped and dyed my own thicker rod even though its a $20 mag mount haha.
 
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