HurleyBoy

I have a Uniden Pro510XL CB Radio and all i need is a antenna...can you guys tell me the best fiberglass antenna is on the market cause i want one that would be nice to have when im up in the mountains and i get stuck and i need to radio for help and to be able to reach someone that is on the other side of town with no problems

doink

the consensus here i do beleive is anything firestik a number of the members here are running them and i hear nothing but good things from them. personnally, i am running a wilson antenna (not sure of the model number) but it is one of many that truckers can use on their mirror mounts where they dont have a good ground. hope this helps. adios!

The4runner

I hear that Firestick is a good antenna to get but there might be other ones

turboale

I have heard nothing but good things about the firestik too and thats why I should be getting mine in the mail tomorrow or the next day. Do a search, I made a thread not too long ago about them and mounting options too.

HurleyBoy

the firestik sounds good but i couldn't find anything on their site on what range they get....does anyone know or do you got to guess?

AznSky

range really depends on the environment that you're in. If you're on a really tight trails with a lot of trees all around you, then you're signal will obviously not be so good. But if you're in a clear open area, you will have excellent signal. I forgot but I read somewhere that if you're on like a total straight open road, you can get up to a mile long? Don't quote me on that, as I have mostly just used my firestik on the trails where all the trucks are pretty much in close distance.

HurleyBoy

well i never figure on the closed areas making the range shorter....i also thought with a good antenna you can get up to 3 mile range? correct me if needed as i am only guessing this and also where is good place to mount them? me personally i don't like it being mounted on the hood i think it looks ugly there and same goes with being on top of the truck and on the front bumper so i was thinking of mounting it on the side of toolbox on the driver side or in front of my tool box behind the rear window...now are those good places to put one or no?

rwmorrisonjr

Several things:

-What kind of truck do you have (I'll assume a pickup since you mentioned a toolbox)?
-Where are you using it (I know you said mountains, but where?)?
-How tall of an antenna do you want?

People here have many different antennas and mount locations, from the hood to the roof to the bull bar. All is personal preference. If you want maximum distance, the roof is the best place to mount your antenna. I have my K40 permanently mounted through the roof for the best ground and reception. Many have them on the bull bar in front with a quick-disconnect to prevent theft and allow use of parking garages & such.

Follow this link to Firestik's tech guide for all the info you'll need about cb's, antennas, installation & tuning:

http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs.htm

Hope this helps.

HurleyBoy

1. i have a 94 Toyota Pickup

2. I'll be using it in the city and light offroading in the mountains (I live in Washington in a city called Port Angeles...soon to be living in Tacoma/Puyallup in December)

3. i want one that is nice and long but not like a mile long lol. Hope that helps.

Albuquerque Jim

Go to a truck stop CB shop. These guys use them for a living, they know what's best.

HurleyBoy

i would ask my father since he drove logging/chip truck for the most part of his life but he died in 1995 may he rest in peace...he was a good man.

AkitaDog

iTrader: (1)

Here is a link to the wilson antenna site with some info on their antennas to help in your selection.

Wilson Antenna

BajaTaco

I have been to Port Angeles...

In my opinion, the Firestik or any semi-ridgid fiberglass antenna is not so good for backcountry travel unless you are mounting them somehow in a way that they will be protected from trees and brush. They just don't flex much. If you add a spring at the base, they still don't flex any better, they just flop around with the only point of deflection at the base where the spring is. The flopping around is annoying when you are on bumpy/twisty roads.

I really like the K40 superflex for the trails.

As far as using it to talk across town or in an emergency - you shouldn't really expect that from a CB. They only transmit with 4 watts and the signal is not very effificent. Considering where you live (even after you move) you really should consider checking out the ARRL http://www.arrl.org/ , (look under the "licensing" button near the top of the page) taking the test, and getting a mobile HAM radio. It's not as hard as it seems - and you will enjoy it alot more for communication out there on the Olympic Peninsula. Especially if you need to contact someone in a pinch.

fr03

I like the hood channel mount and quick disconnect from Firestick.
I mounted a 3' firefly on this and I get great reception. btw the mount and disconnect is stainless so it will never rust!

BajaTaco

I haven't tried one, but it looks to me like the Firestik "Firefly" is a flexible type that will yield to trees and brush (looks like the "RoadPal" will also) as opposed to the regular ol' Firestik ridgid fiberglass units (Firestik and Firestik II). Am I correct?

turboale

I just got my firefly tonight but I just got back from class and I haven't gotten a chance to pull it out. I too didn't like the way the hood mount looked so I went with the "moulded" side mount as I don't like to see wires. I'm going to mount it on the corner of the bumper on the back side though so it won't get ripped off while 4x4ing. I'll let you know about how flexible the fire fly is when I get home but I know it was designed to have less wind resistance so you could mount taller masts on weaker mounts.