Wilson 5000 vs Fiberglas 5/8 1000 & 102" Q's.

[Freightlinerbob]

A shop told me that a W5000 would transmit/ receive way better/further than my current single Fiberglass 1000, on my big truck mounted as high as it can be (13' 6")

If all else is equal, is this true?
Is so, why?

Is a W5000 as good as a 102" whip?

Also, remember when people installed 102" whips on the bottom right rear panel of their vans, right behind the tire?

Was that an effective mounting location, being half covered by the van's body?

 

[BOOTY MONSTER]

CB Radio Antennnas - Which one is right for you

CBRadioMagazine.com - Predator 10K Antenna Review

 

[roadrage]

There are always going to be variables, but if they were both mounted in the same location, a 102" shouldn't have a problem out-performing the Wilson.

The best mounting location in most cases is going to be center of the rooftop. The lower its mounted the less effective its going to be. Directionality is another factor to consider. If an antenna is mounted at a vehical's edge, it will be directional. You'll have better performance to one side of the van vs the other. Or it could be great front to back and bad to the sides. The roof isn't always an option, especially when you're talking about an 8 1/2' antenna. Sometimes you have to settle with a less than ideal spot. Just do the best you can, that works for your application.

 

[Freightlinerbob]

OK. Thanks for those links. Unless I've completely missed something, it comes down to this:

#1- 102" whip
#2- everything else....following very close behind

 

[The DB]

A shop told me that a W5000 would transmit/ receive way better/further than my current single Fiberglass 1000, on my big truck mounted as high as it can be (13' 6")

If all else is equal, is this true?
Is so, why?

For a given mounting location and equivalent tuning the longer antenna should outperform the shorter antenna. This is unless there is a problem with the longer antenna.

Is a W5000 as good as a 102" whip?

No, no shorter antenna will perform as well as a quarterwave whip. 102" is short btw, it needs a 6 inch riser/spring.

Also, remember when people installed 102" whips on the bottom right rear panel of their vans, right behind the tire?

Was that an effective mounting location, being half covered by the van's body?

No. It was as bad of a mounting location as you could have used.


The DB

 

[Needle Bender]

WTF is a Fiberglass 5/8 1000?

When I tested my Wilson 5000 against a 102" SS whip, the receiving station saw 3dB improvement on his analog amateur radio meter when I was on the SS 102". Both were mounted on the roof.

I rolled forward & back to find the sweet spot for each antenna and it ended up to be the same spot.
He was about 10 miles away.

My favorite mobile antenna is a 4' tuneable tip Firestik with the wire unwrapped to a simple 3-4 turn lazy wrap up to the tip connector and a Wilson 1000 whip shortened for correct tuning.

This performs exactly the same as the SS 102" yet remains more upright at freeway speed and doesn't seem to care when I hit everything there is to hit in the MF'N WORLD at 13' 4" to the tip.

I wrapped 12gauge copper wire around both the base (4T), and the tip connector (about 16T) then torch-soldered it with silver solder real well for additional strength for the brass tip connector.

I don't need to use a spring and it's been working great for almost 2 years with excellent receive gain over the 5000.



.

 

[oldslowchevy]

WTF is a Fiberglass 5/8 1000?

When I tested my Wilson 5000 against a 102" SS whip, the receiving station saw 3dB improvement on his analog amateur radio meter.
Both were mounted on the roof.
I rolled forward & back to find the sweet spot for each antenna and it ended up to be the same spot.
He was about 10 miles away.

....... uhhhh........ which antennahad the 3db gain?

which one gave you better receive?

 

[Needle Bender]

Sorry, bonehead move...

102" = both (like I'm currently using).

Fixed the post.

 

[Freightlinerbob]

WTF is a Fiberglass 5/8 1000?

.

 

[hotrod]

reguadless of size type or brand name the roof is and always will be the best
mounting location.i too have a van. best for a everyday drive around van
i found is a open coil antenna like workman sp-300,viper,10k,ect] mounted
center of roof.on a tri pad. a whip will work better on the roof but will
have a clearce of around 15-16 feet. yikes!!!BUT you can easily mount a 102 w/spring
on that tri pad if ya sitting still [hilltop dxing outta mobile]

 

[The DB]

Hotrod, I have to challenge your best possible setup's use of a magnet mount. Any magnet mount will make the antenna itself less efficient.

If you are using a tri-mag mount it is unlikely you are planning on removing it any time soon. It is definitely not a put up and take down as you see fit setup, so, why not use a proper permanent mount that will have a proper connection to the vehicle?

Also are you planning on removing the magnets every so often for proper cleaning of the area beneath it? Do you know what collects under those magnets and the effects that it can have on the vehicle itself?

I guess on the plus side it would distribute the weight of the antenna over a larger area, however, it also adds likely more weight than the antenna itself already adds.


The DB

 

[W5LZ]

It doesn't matter what the manufacturer calls it, that is not a 5/8 wave length antenna in any way. It's only 5 feet long, not 22 feet, so it can't be a 5/8 wave antenna. It's not even a 1/4 wave, 4 feet too short. Sorry, but the radiation pattern of an antenna is dependent on it's physical length, not it's 'advertised' length or it's 'name'. You can call your cat 'Rover', but it still ain't gonna bark...
- 'Doc

 

[Freightlinerbob]

Well, the manufacturer calls it a 5/8 wave, so that's what I'll call it. You call yourself "Doc" so that's what I'll call you even though you're likely not a physician.

 

[trailrider]

well let me say I don't know. but i did just read an article online talking about this exact issue. and according to the person writeing the article' he says yes because of they way they are made' they are 5/8ths wave antennas. sorry i can't give a link' but there is an article out there.

 

[W5LZ]

You're right, I'm not a physician and have never claimed to be. It's a nickname and user name, I've used it for over 20 years (given to me, I didn't ask for it). It's just like 'Freightlinerbob'. That doesn't make you a truck named Bob, does it?
The part about that 5 foot antenna not being a 5/8 wave antenna on 11 meters is factual. It might 'load' like a 5/8 wave antenna, but so does a 1/4 wave antenna, or a half wave antenna. That just means it's resonant and somewhere close to 50 ohms input impedance. It certainly doesn't produce a signal, radiate like a 5/8 wave antenna. If it did, why have an antenna 20 some feet long, or like an Imaxx for a base station 5/8 wave antennas?
If it works for you, does what you want it to do, then it's a good antenna. You can call it anything you like, but that doesn't mean it -is- whatever you call it.
- 'Doc