my 2 bobs about aerials
Submitted: Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 14:44
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Kiwi & "Grenade"
Had bought one of those real skinny wire like 6 & 9db uhf aerials quite a while ago (its the same as buckys), set us back $140 or so. Its one of the ones where you need an allen key to add the bits to it.
Well, moral of the post....dont bother with them, but I knew that anyway when Nathan bought it - told him he should have spent the money on a cowboy aerial (fat white posts) instead and that it wont last long - they just arent durable (like
Bucky found out - snapped on the corrigation).....now Nathan wants to blame the uhf itself and wants a new one with the removable face.....that aint hte problem!!
Anyway....my $50 job that I bought from autopro about 7 yrs ago has always been our back up and is now becoming our full timer! Its a little wippy type but she has coped a thrashing over the yrs being on my soozy for most of its use. She is tough thats for sure and we used it on our trip a couple of yrs back and gave the best reception out of all the ones we took and tried......its a long thing, black with red wire wrapped around it
So another moral of the story - let a female pick the aerial (and hte car for that matter!) and nothing will go wrong....let a man do it and issues are raised!!LOL!!
Laura
Reply By: Member - Ivan (ACT) - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 14:52
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 14:52
My personal feeling is that it's as much about the spring mount that the antenna sits on, as the antenna itself.
I had a few antennas on a cylindrical spring mount (ie it was the same diameter for all of the spring) - antenna used to shake rattle and roll and I went through three or four of them.
Changed the mount to one of the cone jobs (bad description) - where the top and bottom of the spring is still the same diameter, but the middle of the spring is probably 1.5 - 2 times that of the top and bottom. Antenna still has some flex, but has stopped 'going off' - and the only antenna I've had to replace was for one which got knocked off.
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Reply By: Sir Kev & Darkie - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 14:58
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 14:58
The GME one on Darkie is probably better than a thick fibreglass one.
Although Jo reckons a short stubby one the rack is better, true story I just spoke to her on the phone.
Cheers Kev
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331427
Follow Up By: Kiwi & "Grenade" - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 15:06
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 15:06
a mate swears by his on the roof...has those little short black things - can hardly see them....runs all his
farm vehicles with them on the roof.....even out in the sticks rescuing 4wds and horses on the cross country stuff he gets better reception than anyone else!
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Follow Up By: On Patrol & TONI - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 18:59
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 18:59
I'v only got a short one (antenne that is), and it does the job nicely thanks, no one in our club with the BIG antenne's has a much better range. In fact in the mountains
mine seems better.
Have you ever seen a big UHF antenne on any govt vehicles???? Granted they work on 35Watts, but they still have a given range so that a big one is not needed.
Position is more important as far as I can tell.
Cheers Colin.
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Reply By: traveller2 - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 15:18
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 15:18
Yes the little black ones with the blue tip in the middle of the roof work the best for most uses. Not as good for longer distance but is close country work
well.
The hardest part is putting the hole in the roof for the base, drilling a 1/2 inch hole in your new pride and joy.
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Reply By: DesF - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 15:53
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 15:53
Hi, I have had one of those GME 409 with one can( 6db) for about 12 years mounted on the bar ( no spring base ) of the subaru ( Simpson etc) and now on the Pajero and have not had any trouble, I found with the 9db can on it seemed to whip a lot and only seemed to work better along the road ( flat area's) , the 6db works much better in general. also have a black 4db wire ( with coiled section in the middle). mounted on a magnetic base and I think that is better than the stronger ones on the bar, when we went away in the car , same radio and used the roof ariel , it seemed to get a stronger signal??
Cheers Des.
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Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 15:55
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 15:55
Short rubber stubbie on a gutter or roofrack mount has been all I've used 95% of the time for the past 10 years - unbreakable and they work fine when mounted up high. Cost about $17.
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Follow Up By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 17:43
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 17:43
Got my rubber duckie from Dickie Smith when they were going out of them - only $6 so got a spare as
well. Never had any trouble and use them on two vehicles.
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Reply By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 16:24
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 16:24
Had one of those "real skinny wire like 6 & 9db uhf aerials" for a while now too, about 8 or 9 years.
Mine is mounted on a Z bracket next to the bonnet.
No spring mount.
Had a problem with it on corrugations too, it kept loosening at the base of the wire where it went into the aerial base.
The whole thing used to vibrate like mad on corrugations, and I was tightening it up every few 100k.
The aerial itself used to have a spot that used look like a blur with the vibration frequency.
Put a heaver Z bracket on, about 2.5mm, instead of the 1.2mm whimp of a Z bracket supplied and it is a lot better now.
Yeah, seldom use the 9db, and when I do it bends over witht eh wind so much wonder if it is worth it. Put a bit of fishing line from the top of the aerial to the bullbar and it stands up straighter now.
Glad I have the 6db s/steel whip though, a fibreglass aerial would have been wiped out by branches a long time ago, like the am/fm aerial, it only lasted about 5 years and two rebuilds.
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Jimbo (WA) - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 23:22
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 23:22
G'day all - just a general tip about the wire ones we're all refering to. I've put heat shrink on
mine to dampen out "the blur" factor that OldPlodder is talking about and it works a treat.
Mine's lasted about 5 years now with no problems if loosening etc
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Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Friday, Oct 24, 2008 at 09:19
Friday, Oct 24, 2008 at 09:19
Thanks, good idea.
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Reply By: Muddy doe (SA) - Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 23:36
Thursday, Oct 23, 2008 at 23:36
I am another that uses just the short black stubbie antenna on a roof rack and it gets me much the same range as others in the club convoys. Just occasionally Roachie (who has a bigger antenna - but then what else on his truck is not "bigger") can be talking to someone at distance that I cannot hear but generally he too is asking for repeated transmissions so is at the edge of his range.
Depends what the bloke at the other end has got too of course!
Stubbie is 3db which is good for hilly and forest as it sends out a nice fat signal but I also carry under the passenger
seat a 9db wire type one about 900mm long which is supposed to be great for flat plains type work. takes only seconds to swap over and it does seem to make a bit of difference.
Never noticed it vibrating on corrugations but then it is up on the roof so is pretty hard to see! The heat shrink idea sounds good.
Muddy
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Reply By: Shaker - Friday, Oct 24, 2008 at 00:00
Friday, Oct 24, 2008 at 00:00
Mine also snapped on corrugations, GME gave me a credit on a different (white broomstick style) aerial.
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Reply By: Member - Bucky, the "Mexican"- Friday, Oct 24, 2008 at 06:26
Friday, Oct 24, 2008 at 06:26
Laura
Never had much luck with UHF aerials.
Problem is the person putting aerial in.(ME !)
Either I am missing an intricate part of intelligence, or, am lacking in the total understanding of just simply how to mount an areial.
Anyway I keep trying, and for what it's worth, I somehow keep going back to the el-cheapo" ones, ( like the one that Roachie taught me how to rewire, at his place last year) They just work.
IT goes, and I don't really care if I break it, as I have another spare, in the shed. So can just bolt it on, with the addition of a lot of mumbling or swearing.
I might get one of those big ones for our
Canning Stock Route, next year ( just 9 months away now ), to give a little better range, and to act as a flagpole, but I haven't really made up my mind yet.
The problems in life ...
Cheers
Bucky
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Follow Up By: Kiwi & "Grenade" - Friday, Oct 24, 2008 at 15:14
Friday, Oct 24, 2008 at 15:14
yeah I like them for the flag pole thing too but I sure do wish we stil had my 10 ft extending fishing rod that did the trick in 06.....this yr we used conjoot (speeling???)....flexed too much...we had the bundy flag bouncing off the dunes behind the trailer!
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