just bought a grant with extra channels, looks real nice, just hope its as nice when i get it. i plan on running a k30 antenna just because i work construction and i'm around tree limbs all the time. is there anything i should do first is that antenna ok. i just saw one today where the guy had the antenna mounted on the lower part of the mirror bracket so the five foot antenna was only two foot above the cab. good/bad idea. let me know coz i hope to get everything running for monday.
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just bought a grant xl
- Thread starter brash
- Start date
Not a huge fan of short antennas. True, they make it easy to miss trees. But that is about it for their positives. You may have a problem getting a decent SWR across 40 channels; these antennas are notorious for not being able to do that w/o having a high SWR at ch's 1 & 40. YMMV; but I doubt it.
Better off with a mag mount Wilson 1000.
But if that is all you have; better off to put it on the roof - the highest point.
The part of the antenna that effectively radiates is the point above the roof. Otherwise, it won't work nearly as well. Putting a Wilson 1000 on the roof should be OK with most trees and still work quite excellent.
Better off with a mag mount Wilson 1000.
But if that is all you have; better off to put it on the roof - the highest point.
The part of the antenna that effectively radiates is the point above the roof. Otherwise, it won't work nearly as well. Putting a Wilson 1000 on the roof should be OK with most trees and still work quite excellent.
I agree with Robb. My first antenna was a K30 mag mount. It works pretty good for what it is. When I tuned it it was amazing how much I had to trim before my SWR was balanced (over an inch). The best you'll see with the K30 antenna is probably going to be about 1.6 on 1 and 40 and 1.2 on 19. I have tuned about 4 of them between 6 cars/trucks and it seems pretty consistant.
The best place for the antenna is going to be on the roof. Especially being a base loaded antenna, that coil should be up above any surounding metal or it will have negative effects on its performance. Many of the mirror mounted antennas you'll see are top loaded fiberglass or the center loaded truckers. Even with the top loaded antennas, for optimal performance 2/3 of the antenna should be above the roof. Also, unless they are co-phased, the system will be directional. For proper co-phasing you should have a minimum of 9' between the antennas. So unless you are driving a rig or dump truck, you won't get proper spacing on a pick-up. You'd be better off with 1 antenna on your center roof.
Now I told you that my first antenna was a K30. I bought a Wilson 1K. I know it is 62" (26" taller than the K30). Bt the stinger is flexible enough that branches shouldn't be a problem unless you are driving fast. I am off road with my truck enough and I don't have much of a problem with it. After 3 years of driving with it and whacking branches, all I've had to do with it is solder the static ball because it was rattling a little. Even when I had my K30, I had to dig it out of the bed of my truck a few times when a low branch took it off the roof.
The best place for the antenna is going to be on the roof. Especially being a base loaded antenna, that coil should be up above any surounding metal or it will have negative effects on its performance. Many of the mirror mounted antennas you'll see are top loaded fiberglass or the center loaded truckers. Even with the top loaded antennas, for optimal performance 2/3 of the antenna should be above the roof. Also, unless they are co-phased, the system will be directional. For proper co-phasing you should have a minimum of 9' between the antennas. So unless you are driving a rig or dump truck, you won't get proper spacing on a pick-up. You'd be better off with 1 antenna on your center roof.
Now I told you that my first antenna was a K30. I bought a Wilson 1K. I know it is 62" (26" taller than the K30). Bt the stinger is flexible enough that branches shouldn't be a problem unless you are driving fast. I am off road with my truck enough and I don't have much of a problem with it. After 3 years of driving with it and whacking branches, all I've had to do with it is solder the static ball because it was rattling a little. Even when I had my K30, I had to dig it out of the bed of my truck a few times when a low branch took it off the roof.
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For what you want and need an antenna to do a K30 or Lil Wil should work fine. All you need to do is place the antenna and then set the SWR.
Is the Wilson 1000 or K40 better, sure. Given your needs you might just have to roll with a K30 and see what range you get.
Years ago I kept a K30 as a spare, I could slap it on the side of any door on my car and get a 1.8 SWR with it. You should be able to tune it up just fine.
BTW, I hope your Grant works out well for you. They are really good performers. Awesome receivers. If they are properly aligned, they are very clear and crisp radios.
From reading your post it sounds like you are in a commercial vehicle of some sort. I don't know of any class 8 trucks with a metal roof. All of them run fiberglass these days, so if that's your situation, a roof mount is not going to work for you.
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