Outer Limits 4x4 Board

As title says. What is the best DB rating to get on a ariel. I seem to get less range then alot of the blokes in the local club with my ariel (Dont know the rating). But if i was to replace it what would be the best to do so? Also this isnt about brands of radios or what! Just for pure info on ratings!

Cheers fellas

brand then ratings.

I have a RFI industries 6.5db elevated feed and so do a few others i know and these work very well over different terrain

Depends on what sort of terrain you are talknig.
High DB for flat terrain, Low Db for hilly terrain.
6.5Db is a good mid range for a mix of everything

depends on what sort of driving you do, a low gain ariel is best for hilly country where 4wd will be on angles, and i high gain will be best for long distance but flat country



damn black screen, the top pic is range from top, the bottom is side view

blue is zero gain, red is high gain, you can see the more the gain the narrower the "beam" or "coverage"

I see! So around the 6 db would be a good in between areil? As i drive all sorts of terrians and go all sorts of places! Does hieght and thinkness of ariel and the material it is made of come into play as well?

height can, thickness is more defined by construction and may not affect performance.

Stainless steel whips are very durable for knocks, scrapes and bumps, but suffer from metal fatigue after long trips over corrugations. (its funny watching half your aerial snap off and hit your windscreen driving down the highway). Fiberglass stay upright at speed well and take corrugations, but you dont want to be hitting trees with them (or mcdonalds drive-through). RFI also make a poly pipe one which seems ok. All the fiberglass and poly ones are just a protective outer holding up a radiating element inside, whereas the stainless whip is the radiating element.

Sam

Cheers for that! Any ideas of good hieghts to go too! I dont want a big wankers one! But would just over the hieight of the roof be a good point to start at?

I have a RFI industries 6.5db elevated feed and so do a few others i know and these work very well over different terrain

x2. Works very well in all conditions, even here in FNQ where we have lots of mountain and rainforest cover.

the one i got is
http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... cts_id=635

ariel doesnt have to be same brand as your uhf? Probly sounds like a dumb question but i work in the marine game! And we match VHFs' with the same branded ariel always! Mostly becuase others dont fit!

Barno111 wrote:ariel doesnt have to be same brand as your uhf? Probly sounds like a dumb question but i work in the marine game! And we match VHFs' with the same branded ariel always! Mostly becuase others dont fit!

Nope - standard end plugs on all normal UHFs. Have a look at this one as well:

http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... ucts_id=56

Little bit more expensive but gives you two aerials that screw onto a standard elevated feed base. One is 3dB (good for small convoys and hilly terrain) and the other is 6.5dB (good for open road chatter). I generally leave the small 3dB one on mine as its unobtrusive around the city, works well in small convoys heading out on trips and isn't as tempting as the big one for idiots to flog it or break it when parked.

Prestigecom are brilliant with their service too - bought mine when I was in Adelaide and it arrived in the post 2 days later.

There is an ariel called MAXISTICK by uniden. I believe it is 4.5 db and it is very flexible and strong. Most TJM stores should carry them plus others. Very popular. 1.2m tall. Used to sell out all the time. Upto $150 each.

Cris

The best allrounder that I've got is the GME AE4705. It's a 1.2m fibreglass. Been on the car for years and years without breaking. It's always been the best performing in the bush whenever I go out, and likewise in the open the AE4706 2.1 isn't ever bettered.

http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... cts_id=693