UHF Antenenna
Submitted: Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 00:02
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andyroo
I know there is extensive reports about these but it has just left me confused. I am probably looking at 2 different antennas. The main use is probably more hilly kiind of country as i am located in
Perth Hills. It will also be a bullbar mount.
What do you guys think of the RFI CD5000 which is a 5db antenna or the other one im looking at is the Explorist 3 & 6.5db GI 4WD Antenna Package.
Both are at Prestige communications.
Advice would be great as i am new to all this.
Thanks
Reply By: Sand Man (SA) - Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 01:45
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 01:45
Because you are looking at a bull bar mounted antenna, I would suggest you look at the GME brand on Prestige's Web site.
The RFI Explorist is listed as being 900mm long. This may be a bit short for a bull bar mounted antenna. You need to get the top of the aerial above the roof line of your vehicle for optimum performance.
Although a little more expensive the GME 4705 4.5db 1.2m or the 4706 2.1m 6db would be good choices.
The 4700 model range of aerials are all interchangable on the spring base, so you could have a shorter antenna for city use and a longer antenna for country use.
For hilly kind of country, the 4705 with it's 4.5db attenuation would probably be my first choice.
The longer 2.1 metre 6db antenna may give better performance in flat country.
That's my thoughts anyway.
AnswerID:
282030
Reply By: Member - Olcoolone (S.A) - Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 07:29
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 07:29
I would go a good quality 6Db antenna on the gaurd, I hate antennas mounted on the bull bar because if you mudge into a tree or bushers you have a chance of damaging a antenna or of you run off the road, when away we quite often nudge into bushers or lut the bonnet under low branches to make it around corners and turning around.
Im sure if they made a uhf antenna 6 meters long and 10 inches thick they would sell like hot cakes.
I would not worry tomuch about changing antennas for differant terain as you may only gain a bit of performance.
What are you going to do stop every 15 minutes because the terain has changed and change the antenna?
It your money and if you fell better by having a big antenna mounted on the bull bar do it!
We use a GME 6Db out of the GME 6 / 9 Db kit mounted on the gaurd.
The GME antenna we use is also ground independent.
If you are after the best performance drill a hole in the middle of your roof and mount it there.....I didn't like the idea either.
Regards Richard
AnswerID:
282034
Follow Up By: stocky - Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 07:33
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 07:33
AE4705 on the bar or RFI CD921/931 on the guard :-)
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Follow Up By: Member - Olcoolone (S.A) - Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 08:01
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 08:01
Not a big fan of elevated feed antennas but all our service vehicles have them mounted on the gutter.
Have a look at the GME AE409L antenna.
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 14:21
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 14:21
Doesn't commomsense say to buy the aerial that suits the most used terrain, in this case hilly High Country, therefore 4.5db is optimum.
There are no issues whatsoever with a spring base antenna on the bullbar, we have been using them in the High Country for years.
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Reply By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 11:56
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 11:56
The best place for a uhf aerial is in the middle of the roof, almost everything else is a compromise. What do you want to use the uhf for ? If you just want to get from one end of a convoy to the other then the smallest cheapest will most probably do quite
well. If you want the greatest range then you can pay a lot more dollars but only get a few km extra. In my opinion it's not worth paying heaps more for just a few km. I don't like eating other peoples dust so keep a few km back when travelling in a group. My aerial is the smallest 'rubber ducky' you can get and I get about 10 km range no trouble at all. In hills and mountains everyone is closed up considerably so short range coms is normal and the small aerial works
well. Several of my friends have rather expensive aerials and they don't seem to get much more range then I do.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Robin Miller - Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 12:49
Thursday, Jan 17, 2008 at 12:49
Yep same here Kiwi , the best is also the cheapest if you can install it in the roof centre.
As per others, if it can't be in the roof centre get at least part of it above the roof line.
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Follow Up By: Member - Bucky (VIC) - Friday, Jan 18, 2008 at 07:45
Friday, Jan 18, 2008 at 07:45
If I had the b#@llls, I would drill a hole in my roof.
Definately the best place for a UHF Aerial , and only about $25 ,, thats it.
Suppose I could side mount this one on my roof racks, but then I would have trouble getting into my garage.
All about compromise, but whatever you do, make sure that you earth things properly, as with all the coatings on vehicles, its hard to do the Earth thing
well.
I found out the hard way, and noe I run earths back from everything to the battery ,,,Gr8 way to make sure that it all works
well
Cheers
Bucky
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Follow Up By: Member - Kiwi Kia - Friday, Jan 18, 2008 at 08:16
Friday, Jan 18, 2008 at 08:16
I some times use a magnetic base on the roof of a vehicle with a small rubber ducky aerial (as used on the hand-held). There does not seem to be any appreciable difference in performance compared to a bull bar mount. A bull bar mount will give slightly better performance in the forward direction when transmitting but again I have never seen any real difference between expensive and cheap aerials. I suspect that there is a lot of marketing hype with uhf aerials. The range of these radios is so short that a 10% increase (in real terms) in performance is still only going to be 1/2 a km or so in range !
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