2mtr Fiberglass uhf antenna

Post by **rumchaser** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:08 pm

Are these any better then the smaller ones or are they just for
"Wank factor "

And has anyone had any problems with them getting destroyed hitting branches and shit in the bush ?

Post by **bogged** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:12 pm

rumchaser wrote:they are just for "Wank factor "

Correct.
but it could be argued, in what conditions.

And has anyone had any problems with them getting destroyed hitting branches and shit in the bush ?

only ever known 1 bloke to have one and it shattered going into a carpark.

Post by **Gonzo** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:13 pm

95% wank.

A high db gain antenna is only useful in really flat open terrain. In hilly area's they will be pretty useless for anything but inter-convoy communications...

Post by **rumchaser** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:16 pm

Thats what i thought just saw them cheap on ebay and was wondering .
What do you guys use ?

Post by **bogged** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:18 pm

Something like this
http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... be0350dd36

buy a good ariel, it will make ALL the difference..

Post by **Gwagensteve** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 2:21 pm

About a 400mm long stainless whip with a spring base.

I'm sure it has terrible performance (I haven't checked the SWR once the spring base was added) but it's the only antenna I haven't been able to break.

A bunch of guys in the club ran the massive fibreglass ZCG whips 15 years ago and they ended up driving around the whole time watching the top of the antenna to try and no break it.

They failed.

Steve.

Post by **Slunnie** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:01 pm

rumchaser wrote:Are these any better then the smaller ones or are they just for
"Wank factor " And has anyone had any problems with them getting destroyed hitting branches and shit in the bush ?

I've got the GME AE4705 1.2m 4.5db and GME AE4706 2.1m 6db

The 1.2m is the one that stays on the car and it is strong. In the bush it just flexes out of the way when it hits stuff. The tx/rx is excellent in the bush and I don't believe that I've heard an aerial that works better.

The 2.1m I tend to only use when touring on the plains and likewise I don't believe that I've heard a better transmitting aerial in that environment. These are also strong, I've never had one shatter at all and I've had it flexed back to the windscreen before (sprung base). The worst I've had is for the black plastic cap to come off the top when it slides under a tree.

IMHO, out in the plains the 4706 is a really good aerial. In the bush you'll find it a royal PITA as it hits everything. The 4705 is better in the bush anyway despite being shorter.

Post by **lolergram** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:52 pm

What about doubling the tougher antennas as flag poles?

2 birds with one stone or not a good idea?

Post by **Gwagensteve** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:03 pm

bogged wrote:Something like this
http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... be0350dd36

buy a good ariel, it will make ALL the difference..

These are very good.

As an aside though, Everyone get hung up on the "what if" scenario of needing to talk to someone 1000000000km away if you have an emergency, but really having some crazy setup is a pain most of the time. IMHO just like tyre choice, you only need a little bit more than eveyone else is running to have a good time.

Example- Most of our club guys use handhelds. I have my junky bent up stainless whip and I'm happy.

However, Ive run GME 6dB whips in the forest around melbourne and you get flooded with noise- every wanker in melbourne carrying on for hours about nothing - when the other cars in the convoy hear none of it. Sometimes the signals are so strong you can't squelch them out.

My Dad (an amateur radio operator, and electronics engineer with a background in radio and television) ran one of Bogged's linked aerials above, but generally ran a tiny 100mm tall whip on the gutter for 99% of the time. All that grunt, especially on RX, was more trouble than it's worth when all you want to do it hear the car 500m away.

The best antenna for me is the one I can't break. Performance is a waaay distant second.

In the outback - no worries a massive whip might be cool, but I likely couldn't break one of them out there either if there's nothing to hit it on.

Just my 2C

Post by **Jaffa** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 6:17 pm

I used to sell the GME aerials, the AE470x series perform well, the problems with them are that you cant tune them, they ALWAYS end up breaking, they are made of thin but very rigid firbeglass. They will put up with bending back under a branch, but when they fling forwards again, if they hit something solid they will break/shatter. They can also trap water inside the shaft and cause corrosion.

My personal fav that I run on my cars and recommend to almost everyone is the Polar 4.5db aerial. Its ground independant, spring base with a stainless mesh covered firbeglass whip. You can safely bend the spring part completely back on the bonnet and the whip itself you can bend a full 180* back on itself. As an added bonus tey are made in Australia (they look very similar to the GME AE4018K1)

You will probably have to go to a proper radio shop to get one, a few years ago they retailed for around $120

Post by **Slunnie** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:34 pm

lolergram wrote:What about doubling the tougher antennas as flag poles?

2 birds with one stone or not a good idea?

I do that. It's not the tallest but its ok.

Post by **bogged** » Mon Jan 12, 2009 7:45 pm

lolergram wrote:What about doubling the tougher antennas as flag poles??

goto fishing show, buy a telescopic 'w0g pole' fishing rod for few bux, and use that.. nearly everyone on the Robe trip I ran did that. and being telescopic they fold down to 2-3ft long

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2mtr Fiberglass uhf antenna

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