Fav Antenna

[Duck Commander]

O yea 316 you got it right its most definately a 10K world

[SlimJim]

I was passing thru Dallas about a week ago, and a booming voice come across the radio. Finally a red pick up passed me and had a 10K mounted on the roof of his truck. I can't remember what he said he was pushing, but that 10K was def putting it out there...

Out of all the antennas I have tried, the Viper I run now has done the best job. Might have to give the 10K a try one of these days.

[triple7wva]

im running a big davemade 1/2 wave right now. i wanna add a second one but i cant find one anywhere. so i guess ill be ordering 3 10k's here soon,2 for my truck one for my little car....J.S

[MOONSHINER]

I think 10k is my vote. IMO, it looks better, better rx as well.

I run a 102" because I have so much low hanging trees and such around these pineywoods. I run it w/out the spring and still have flat swr's. I have never noticed any swr change going down the highway though...

[Roper]

I had to say the 102 you just cannot beat them IMO

[djrebel236]

Which antenna do you prefer
Wilson 1000
16% [ 27 ]
Wilson 5000
26% [ 43 ]
102"
17% [ 29 ]
MR. Coily
2% [ 4 ]
Predator 10K
25% [ 42 ]
monkey made
5% [ 9 ]
stargun
0% [ 1 ]
55 antennas
2% [ 4 ]
bozo made
2% [ 4 ]

Total Votes : 163

Looks like the Wilson 5K is better then the Predator 10k.
A friend of mine let me his Monkey-made for a weekend to check it out to see if i liked it, and i didnt.
Ive always liked Wilson Antennas...Dj

[JerryH]

Do they use money, or do they still trade plets, and such for items at the market!!!! JK, LOL

Just wait, according to the US economists, our "pelts and your dollars are going to be of equal value by this fall.

That's going to encourage me to spend a lot more of my money across on your side of the border! :D

[Ghost Rider]

Wilson 5000 because it tunes great will TX/RX with the best of them. And it won't break and fall apart when you hit a branch or two. The 10K would prolly do better in a world with no trees lol.

!!!!!!!!!!!Its a WILSON 5000 for the real world!!!!!!!!!!

[digus]

Yea, plus the 10K is just so damn conspicuous - That's my problem with it at least...

[dilligaf]

Hi all,Over here in the sunny UK we have an italian antenna called a SIRIO....(I expect that will be edited) I have the s i r i o hp 4000,it is 2 metres long but i have worked all round the world on it on ssb.I also have the well rated predator 10k 27" single coil,which i am waiting to put on one of my vehicles.I am looking forward to see how they compare...then i can see if it is really a 10k world....

[oknaz]

I'll stick with my WILSON 5K since it'll tune the 1st time ...My 10K won't tune lower than a 1.5 for some reason ...Even tho i'm running any heat except what's inside my galaxy it'll do just fine till i get my other radio

[Mentor3006]

I have to chime in to speak up for the 102" whip crowd. I have NEVER had a problem getting a 102 with SWR, sitting still, or going down the freeway at speeds in excess of legal limits.

There are a LOT of detractors of the 102 that spent a (I am going to censor myself here rather than have it done for me) load more cash on their 10Ks and Monkey Mades, but to be blunt, nobody has been able to prove either of these antennas work any better, they simply look cool, cost more, and are MUCH easier to break on overhead obstructions.

Coils = signal loss. How do you avoid signal loss, GO WITH A STRAIGHT SHAFT ANTENNA. Hmmm.... Which antenna gives you 1/4 wave without coils (half wave actually, but the other quarter is the ground plane...) The 102 whip! Why is simplicity, and durability so hard for people to accept?

Sure my 102" leans back a bit at highway speed. It doesn't impact SWR one bit (1.1 flat, Radio Shack meter, and Dosy meter). So AFAIK that argument is pure hogwash.

My 102 talks pretty much wherever I want it to talk with no problems. (skip from Gulf coast to Canada with no heater far enough for you?). So complaints about RX and TX seem to be null and void. Friend of mine shooting skip that night could only hear me, not the Canada station with his 10K.

Okay what's left? Okay, given that the 102 is a real pain in the tail in parking garages. Or is it? I LOVE the looks I get from parking attendants as the antenna scrapes and bangs along their ceilings. I HATE parking garages anyway.... And it's not like it will hurt a 102. Try hitting an immovable object with the tip of a 10K...

Now I am NOT saying that the center loaded coil designs aren't good performers, but a lot of the claims made by folks RE: the performance of coiled antennas just don't hold up to well established antenna theory. A coil based antenna, ANY coil based antenna, in theory is going to have poorer performance than a straight shaft.

[EarthQuake]

Don't waste yer money on any other kind of antenna!

IT'S A 10K WORLD!!!

[MOONSHINER]

I have to chime in to speak up for the 102" whip crowd. I have NEVER had a problem getting a 102 with SWR, sitting still, or going down the freeway at speeds in excess of legal limits.

There are a LOT of detractors of the 102 that spent a (I am going to censor myself here rather than have it done for me) load more cash on their 10Ks and Monkey Mades, but to be blunt, nobody has been able to prove either of these antennas work any better, they simply look cool, cost more, and are MUCH easier to break on overhead obstructions.

Coils = signal loss. How do you avoid signal loss, GO WITH A STRAIGHT SHAFT ANTENNA. Hmmm.... Which antenna gives you 1/4 wave without coils (half wave actually, but the other quarter is the ground plane...) The 102 whip! Why is simplicity, and durability so hard for people to accept?

Sure my 102" leans back a bit at highway speed. It doesn't impact SWR one bit (1.1 flat, Radio Shack meter, and Dosy meter). So AFAIK that argument is pure hogwash.

My 102 talks pretty much wherever I want it to talk with no problems. (skip from Gulf coast to Canada with no heater far enough for you?). So complaints about RX and TX seem to be null and void. Friend of mine shooting skip that night could only hear me, not the Canada station with his 10K.

Okay what's left? Okay, given that the 102 is a real pain in the tail in parking garages. Or is it? I LOVE the looks I get from parking attendants as the antenna scrapes and bangs along their ceilings. I HATE parking garages anyway.... And it's not like it will hurt a 102. Try hitting an immovable object with the tip of a 10K...

Now I am NOT saying that the center loaded coil designs aren't good performers, but a lot of the claims made by folks RE: the performance of coiled antennas just don't hold up to well established antenna theory. A coil based antenna, ANY coil based antenna, in theory is going to have poorer performance than a straight shaft.

i have to agree!!

[LordDragr]

wow coming on 2 years and my post has still been kicking around helping out.

sniff I'm so proud. lol

[BADGER305]

Well, when you ask a loaded question like this, there will never be an end to the controversy. Each application is different and various antennae work better or worse for each person's set-up. I imagine this argument has been going on since about 1958 and I see no end in sight.

[Mentor3006]

Well, when you ask a loaded question like this, there will never be an end to the controversy. Each application is different and various antennae work better or worse for each person's set-up. I imagine this argument has been going on since about 1958 and I see no end in sight.

Kind of like going to a car enthusiast board and asking if you should buy a Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Nissan, or Toyota...

EVERYONE will have their own opinion (BUY FORD!) but that is what makes this a great country. We have the freedom to choose.

[samskip]

Base Antenna Shakespeare ABS-1600 True 5/8 wave big stick ....... This antenna still amazes me by what it does on the airwaves. It busts pileups while the feed point is only 7 feet off the ground.

If you can find one, they are rather rare, GRAB IT! They stopped making them because the cost of production with materials and being hand made was actaully causing Shakespeare to LOSE money ! High quality antenna!

[Fat Albert]

How did I miss this poll?

Over all best preforming antenna was the Predator 10K, 27" shaft Dual Coil antenna. Tuned flat across all 40 channels, on mfj. 100% Match efficiency, X=0 on all 40 channels...

Also tested were the other Predator 10K configurations, like the Single Coil, the 22", 17", 12", and 9" shaft's...All did well, but the 27" tuned the best.

Maybe I'm stupid, but on Clay's site the only 27" I could find is a single coil... who has the 27" dual coil???

Thanks!

[Lonnzo]

FatAl, Radioactive is also a 10k dealer, notice on the predator10k dot net site the phone number is same as Radioactive. I asked Mike about
the 10k vs. the 5000 and he said the 10k would be more work to mount and tune. Also the total height of the 10k was 7' or so as opposed to 6' for
the Wilson. Everywhere I've read shows a negligible difference in performance between the two at best; there seem to be guys who swear by both of them.
I'm going with the 5000 because of less bulk/ease of install, and the fact that I don't want it to look like I've got a Davemade 24 pill in the truck

[jessejamesdallas]

How did I miss this poll?

Over all best preforming antenna was the Predator 10K, 27" shaft Dual Coil antenna. Tuned flat across all 40 channels, on mfj. 100% Match efficiency, X=0 on all 40 channels...

Also tested were the other Predator 10K configurations, like the Single Coil, the 22", 17", 12", and 9" shaft's...All did well, but the 27" tuned the best.

Maybe I'm stupid, but on Clay's site the only 27" I could find is a single coil... who has the 27" dual coil???

Thanks!

Cowtown Antenna's (maker of the Predator 10K line-up) decided to quit making the Dual Coil 10K's with the 27" shaft last year...Mainly because the Dual Coil set-up, just has too much wind drag, and causes problems with the shaft breaking at the base...This is why now, it's only offered with the Single Coil's....

Now what you can do, is order a Dual Coil 10K, with whatever shaft you want on it, and then also order a 27" shaft...Then just unscrew the shorter shaft, and put on the 27" shaft...

This is the neat thing about the Predator's, is they can be fixed or changed around, just by unscrewing sections of the antenna...Everything on the 10K is replaceable...

[jessejamesdallas]

FatAl, Radioactive is also a 10k dealer, notice on the predator10k dot net site the phone number is same as Radioactive. I asked Mike about
the 10k vs. the 5000 and he said the 10k would be more work to mount and tune. Also the total height of the 10k was 7' or so as opposed to 6' for
the Wilson. Everywhere I've read shows a negligible difference in performance between the two at best; there seem to be guys who swear by both of them.
I'm going with the 5000 because of less bulk/ease of install, and the fact that I don't want it to look like I've got a Davemade 24 pill in the truck

Most of this is true...to some extent...Both are good antenna's. And the height issue you mention sounds about right, if you are comparing the Single Coil 10K to the Wilson 5000...

As for as the "Tuning" go's, as long as your trying to mount the 10K on the roof, you shouldn't have any more problems tuning one, than you would one of the Wilsons, also going on the roof.

As for as "Negligible Difference's" go's, That's one of those deals where you just have to use both, and then decide for yourself! There are post's after post's on this from die-hard 102" Whip owners that decided to give the 10K a try, and then re-tired their trusty Whip for the 10K because of how well it received distant stations...As well as Wilson owners.

That being said, like you mentioned, some antennas draw allot of "Un-wanted" attention...and the 10K may do that! Plus, guy's that do allot of "Off-Roading" may be better off going with something like the 102" Whip....So it just boils down to which antenna serves your needs, without compromising performance...

[whipsnapper]

Looks like the 102 is inching past the Pred. 10K. Watch out Wilson 5000, the old dog's chasing you down. Why don't some of you new-to-the-102 crowd chime in and let's take over the lead.

102 is still where it's at. Performance, price, and you know, height = might. And all that jazz.

[super20dan]

55 may claim to be an antenna expert but he shure is a lousey cb tech. every peice of equiptment i have seen him "fix" has benn repaired incorrectly. he lives in the same city as i do

[4600 Turbo]

How did I miss this poll?

Over all best preforming antenna was the Predator 10K, 27" shaft Dual Coil antenna. Tuned flat across all 40 channels, on mfj. 100% Match efficiency, X=0 on all 40 channels...

Also tested were the other Predator 10K configurations, like the Single Coil, the 22", 17", 12", and 9" shaft's...All did well, but the 27" tuned the best.

Maybe I'm stupid, but on Clay's site the only 27" I could find is a single coil... who has the 27" dual coil???

Thanks!

Cowtown Antenna's (maker of the Predator 10K line-up) decided to quit making the Dual Coil 10K's with the 27" shaft last year...Mainly because the Dual Coil set-up, just has too much wind drag, and causes problems with the shaft breaking at the base...This is why now, it's only offered with the Single Coil's....

Now what you can do, is order a Dual Coil 10K, with whatever shaft you want on it, and then also order a 27" shaft...Then just unscrew the shorter shaft, and put on the 27" shaft...

This is the neat thing about the Predator's, is they can be fixed or changed around, just by unscrewing sections of the antenna...Everything on the 10K is replaceable...

That's about right you can configure them in a lot of different ways.

I had one configured in a three coil design. with the larger coil in the center with a 27" shaft it tuned to 68" on a mirror mount. It looked unique. :D