UHF Aerials?

[dklyne454]

Hey guys,

I'm possitive that this topic would have been covered before, but a search through the first 10 pages of search didn't bring up what i was wanting to know.


I have a UHF, it is a GME, not sure what one as it is in the car, i am at the computer.......

anyway. i thought i should get an aerial for the thing, and went to DSE to get one, kind of assuming that the person there "might" know what they were talking about

Anyway, as i asked questtions about each aerial, they simply looked it up in the book and read out the product info basicly.


So..... I ended up walking out of there with a 9 db wire arial about a metre long with a coil in the middle of it. did i make the right choice?

I will have one more trip at glasshouse before i hit the road to move to melbourne, and most of my usage will be for long distance trips between here and there, and the occasional trip to skene, dandenongs.... in vic.


Please help.




"Disclaimer" if you are not interested in this topic or have nothing useful to say, dont post crap, pictures of popcorn or other useless info.
Cheers

[DavePatrol]

if you are manly going to be useing it on freeways than you got the right one.
hers a pic to help you




cheers scott

[tas80]

G'Day
Not familiar with the areas you mentioned and what sort of terrain you will encounter.
As a general rule an aerial with a 9DB gain will provide a very good range but the signal it transmits will be quite directional making it ideally suited to longe range communications over flat terrain.
A 3DB antenna will give a much shorter range, but its signal will be over a wide area as opposed to the long narrow signal from the 9DB antenna. If you are driving with a group in hilly or bush terrain the lower gain antennas may suit you.
A 4.5DB 600mm antenna only costs $18, so it is not very expensive to carry both and change over as required
Hope this helps

[Moph]

I got a 6.5 / 3db RFI Explorist combo from Prestige Communications. 6.5db whip for highway use; 3db whip for hills. Interchangeable whips with a single base.

Very happy with it. RFI are reputed to be one of the best in terms of reception quality, and certainly quality of construction is great.

9db would be great on the Nullabor. Not so if you're on undulating land, less so if its at all hilly.

Not real sure about where the terrain you drive sits with that, but suspect a 4.5 - 6db might be the go for your usage.

[dklyne454]

Thanks for the replies fella's.
Sounds like it might be worth fitting the 9 db one, and then getting a 3-4.5 db one that will screw on to the same mount as the one i got. That way i get best of both.

[Slunnie]

I think the problem with the 9db wire aerial is that it has a narrow transmission pattern, but if you're using it on a car then the aerial will deflect with the wind and throw the pattern out of its optimal transmission range.

I'm not sure what the DSE aerials are like, though I have nothing but praise for the fibreglass GME ones. I run the 4700 series setup, with the AE4705 1.2m 4.5db on it just about all of the time, I've also got a AE4706 2.1m 6db which I tend to use when way out west or central Aus etc - touring. These dont flex, they take a beating and they transmit very very well. My wire AE409L I think it is which is a wire 6/9db just gets carried as a spare now and will still fit into the 4700 series spring base.