UHF Aerials info

I have a GME 4018K aerial which has snapped off at the bottom of the black covering. It has done 190,000 k's on many rough roads so I am not really surprised that it has broken. I brought a non genuine replacement at Mobile Masters in Perth for $39. The bloke that served me was a mind of information which I did not know so I though I would share what I learnt. Non mental aerials are recommended for diesel vehicles as the vibration of a diesel engine adds to metal fatigue. The GME 4018K aerial come in two parts, the base which includes the spring which is metal, and the screw on top which is fibreglass. The top gives about 4.5dB gain and the base gives about 2dB gain giving a total of 6.5dB gain. He highly recommends this type of aerial for vehicles that cover a variety of terrains, that a general purpose. If your aerial breaks you may still get some incoming. However if you transmit with a broken aerial you are like to cause damage to the transmitter in your radio. This damage is usually repairable but you would have to take the radio out of your vehicle to get it fixed. He strongly recommends that should your aerial break that you turn off your radio immediately. I now carry a spare just in case, little weight and easy to poke in somewhere. I will take some photo's tomorrow.