Mobile Center Load Antenna question

[AudioShockwav]

Good info.

Antenna Cap Hat

73
Jeff

 

[unit_399]

Van Ordt marketed the original oil-filed antenna many moons ago. Like most other antenna manufacturers, they made some pretty outrageous claims about gain and performance. Actually a decent antenna. Trouble was, if you hit a low hanging tree branch or whatever, the plastic oil container would shatter and you could kiss the antenna good-bye.

- 399

 

[loosecannon]

399- that is the one test i haven't done yet!

I have however forgotten the damn thing was on there and driven into my garage on multiple occasions.
haven't broken it yet but i imagine anything that comes into direct contact with that center piece is going to destroy it.

the thing about this antenna is, it performs pretty much the same as my wilson 5000 did (as expected) and it seems to handle the 300 watts PEP that i regularly put into it.

for the price of a wilson 5000 i can buy four or five of these antennas.

thread hijack over.
LC

 

[1KT001]

 

[unit_399]

399-
I have forgotten the damn thing was on there and driven into my garage on multiple occasions.
haven't broken it yet but i imagine anything that comes into direct contact with that center piece is going to destroy it.
the thing about this antenna is, it performs pretty much the same as my wilson 5000 did (as expected) and it seems to handle the 300 watts PEP that i regularly put into it.
for the price of a wilson 5000 i can buy four or five of these antennas.
LC

LC -
Back in the day, the canister on the Van Ordt oil-filled antenna was made of polystyrene, and after prolonged exposure to sunlight became very brittle. The Truck Spec and Tram clones use polycarbonate (Lexan) plastic, and are really tough and long-lasting. I ran a Van Ordt for a while on my '77 Toyota Celica and liked it a lot. But after having a couple of them break, I switched to a 5' PAL Firestick. Experimenting, I found that the PAL gave me better range than the Van Ordt. Probably because it was a top load.

When I gave up cars, and started driving pickups, I switched to Francis Amazers and never looked back.

My current mobile is a 2003 Toyota Hilux "Hi- Rider" 4x4. I'm running a Cobra 138XLR, a TX-250 linear, and a Shakespeare LoranC 8' fiberglass whip antenna. This antenna is the closest thing to a Francis Amazer that I have found.

Living in Colombia, there is not much cb activity. Locally, there are about 20+ base stations and a few mobiles, but only because I helped set them up. My wife ratched-jaws with her lady friends every night. My Amigos love it because it keeps their wives out of their hair. My wife, Luz, still runs the Johnson base that you sent me. It's the best sounding base in our area.

Whenever I drive to Medellin (the BIG city) people stare at the 8' loran antenna on my truck. Because of the antenna, the Policia stop me and ask for my registration and proof of insurance. Then they ask what the antenna is for. I show them my Colombian CB License, and that's that.

LC, since you said that you hi-jacked this thread, I thought that I would hi-jack it too. Sorry everyone.

- 399