ok so i just got a dual CB antenna setup and i was wondering when i tune them with the SWR meter do i tune them both at the same time or tune each one individually? Ill post picks like tommorrow night after i get off work. Thanks.

 

oh and i have 2 3foot FireStick ll's.

 

um.....2 wont help.....

 

I am no going to help you...you have a bull bar...shesh....



lol...acully from what i gather from a few people they have never had good luck with duals on a ranger because of how close they are. if you are having range problems try just running 1. just a thought

 

i'm runnin 2 dual firestik II's off of my rear bumper and i'm gettin 10-12 mile range on the highway and 6-7 city miles with my unmodified cobra 29 with no amplifier...

just tune them both at the same time and you'll be ok...

i also suggest that if they are spring mounted have someone pull back on them slightly to imitate their position as you are going down the road...

 

true, but they don't really hurt either!!!

granted it's more aesthetics, but if he gotta deal like mine off of e-bay, i payed for 2 that were brand new what you would normally pay for 1 brand new, and i got the $15 dollar springs for each one and the 18' co-phase 75ohm harness...

couldn't pass that up

 

i had duel wilson 5000's on mine but the mounts kepted bending and the only place i found i liked to mount my radio is were my cup holders where then i realy didnt like it cause i didnt have cup holders

i never really cared for the fire sticks fiber glass snaps to easy but there cheap so there not a big deal to replace

 

cool thats all i needed to no, Thanks!!! ya they were on sale and i couldnt resist lol.

 

 

Actuall i just mounted them today soi havnt even wired them yet i just wanted to no how i should tune them. And quit hating on te bull bar just cause u arent cool enouph to have one. lmao j/p

 

On the BIG rigs... the reason why they have them mounted on either side of the vehicle is that having one would make their receive and transmit very directional....
To take full advantage of the co-phase design.... the antennas need to be more than 6' apart. Mounting the antennas behind the cab as many people do shields the receive and transmit signal which decreases the performance dramatically.
As for receive and transmit distances.... properly grounding the antenna along with a quality antenna such as the Wilson 1000 or 5000 will provide you better RX/TX distances than spending a lot of money on a killer radio...
IF you really want to talk a long distance... there is no replacement for the HAM license and having a 2 meter radio....

OR 4x4

 

lol i had that set up now im running a single whip antenna. works bout the same. When running duals they must be atleast 7-8ft apart to work properly

 

He is absolutley correct on the antennas. I used two for astetics on my 01 but I only hooked up one of them it worked really good. Now I have a magnet mount wilson that I only use when I go on vacation or off-roading. I use to have a 102" permanent mount whip but I gave that to Interceptor.

~HJ

 

Either way it will look good. I know i use to have em. Good luch with em!

 

It's unfortunately that in general, the most efficiant and best performing method is also the ugliest. Thats why I like UHF, I can put a 6" antenna dead center on my roof and it works like gang-busters! With CB being 27Mhz, the wavelength is huge and therefore the antennas are huge too.

 

good point. That sounds good

 

Yes, and what would you get with ONE properly tuned antenna?

If you did objective testing, you'd find there is no real benefit.

You don't get "something for nothing". Antenna gain is acheived by interactions which tighten or "focus" the pattern which requires proper phasing and spacing -- neither of which you are acheiving. You are fooling yourself.

Simply splitting the signal between two antennas accomplishes nothing -- but it looks cool and even I like the look. Performance wise though, it's not worth the expense.

 

oh i fully agree with you john...i just happened to find this deal on e-bay, and i could not pass it up...2 for the price of 1 with a bunch of expensive goodies for free!!!

all i'm getting at is that short of driving an 18-wheeler or using UHF/VHF duals won't really hurt your set-up...they definitely won't help performance without spacing them properly, and placing them properly, (ie. one on the front bumper and one on the back bumper mounted above the crest of the cab)...

but for my application, since i'm still 14 years away from retirement from the Air Force and 20 years from buying my own rig, i'll settle for the aesthetics and my range that i have now....all personal preference when it all boils down i guess...

 

Yeah, I agree. It doesn't matter to me if folks do it -- I just get a bee in my bonnet when someone says they get like four times the range or something, lol!

And as I say, it does look good -- but then I like antennas, lol! Some people might not agree...

 

Nothing beats the companies that claim you can get 12 mile portable-to-portable range with a $25 FRS toy walkie-talkie at a 1/2 watt UHF.

 

FireRanger,

The ONLY way that FRS radios could TX that far is if both people using the radios were line of sight on 4000' mountain tops with no obstructions.

OR 4x4

 

John,

You have a PM.

OR 4x4

 

Oh I know. Thats actually similar to the analogy I use when someone says that to me. I tell them they might have a prayer of going that far if you are in the Nevada salt flats and one person climbs up a 2000' radio tower. Advertising at it's greatest.

 

AND -- it's very similar to the "performance claims" of aftermarket automotive parts: everyone seems to think they will get 15 HP or whatever when that number comes from ideal conditions on a much bigger engine, lol. We believe what we WANT to believe when it comes to stuff like this...

 

John,

OH SO TRUE !!! Most of the performance claims are in a laboratory environment with IDEAL conditions.... Generally IF a manufacturer makes a claim of 15 HP it is actually closer to 7-10 HP. The installation of several performance parts ARE NOT accumulative.... Meaning the installation of 4 items that are each advertised to give you a 10 HP increase... WILL NOT give you a total increase of 40 HP... More likely about 15-20 HP.

OR 4x4