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Doughboy40
New member
Username: Doughboy40

Post Number: 9
Registered: 12-2007


Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 12:49 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I have a Solarcon A-99 right now that is about 45' in the air but it does not seem to perform the way i would like it to. I was looking at getting a new Maco Alpha V 5/8 Commercial ground plain antenna. What would any of you suggest for me to do Money is tight but I also want to be able to reach out and touch people also at least to receive from 40 to 50 miles away and talk at the same distance. I am out in the country and have no trees impeding my antenna. I am using a Midland 5001Z mobile antenna as a base right now until I can afford to get a good base radio. Also What is the meter and MHz for normal CB channels 1-40 IE: 27mhz and 11 meter or what?
Doughboy 54421
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Balasco
Junior Member
Username: Balasco

Post Number: 11
Registered: 5-2004
Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 2:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

No need to upgrade your antenna, just add a amp.,
say a 250, and you should get out fine
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Philuk
New member
Username: Philuk

Post Number: 4
Registered: 4-2009
Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 4:25 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Being out in the country myself (up in the Northumberland Hills in the UK) when I tried a friends Antron instead of a mobile ant on a groundplane I found people far away could here me fine according to other people reporting but the Antron was pulling in lots of noise and left me strugling to here the return calls? (not my radio this was tested on a SigmaIV at another location and was found to be fine) therefore I was thinking an amplifier with a built in pre-amp for receive may be the way forward, although I am looking towards either 5/8 wave or .64 wave (made from wire for my personal situation) to see if that improves things. There are many downloadable band plans and frequency charts which give you the frequencies and the respective meter allocations, here in the uk we use the RSGB site.
73s
Phil.
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Bruce
Senior Member
Username: Bruce

Post Number: 5021
Registered: 9-2003


Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 5:47 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Very unlikely a amp will go 40 - 50 miles unless your antenna is WAY up there.
On 6 since 66
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Doughboy40
Junior Member
Username: Doughboy40

Post Number: 11
Registered: 12-2007


Posted on Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 4:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks Balasco I have a 300 Watt old Loudmouth Tube amp but it does not seem to perform like it should either, it has been checked out by a tech in a radio shop and all is good with it. I am looking to trade it for a good home base unit though any ideas?
Doughboy 54421
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Marconi
Advanced Member
Username: Marconi

Post Number: 806
Registered: 11-2001


Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 10:56 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Doubhboy, except for the fact you claim in another thread that you A99 may be broken, there just is not much CB traffic except maybe in some local areas. We should be coming out of the worst of an 11 year Sun cycle soon and conditions should then improve.

I live in Houston and the traffic is dead here also, and that has nothing to do with how well my antenna works---I know it works.
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Flying_cloud
Junior Member
Username: Flying_cloud

Post Number: 11
Registered: 4-2009
Posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 11:30 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

here is a idea you could try raising the antenna up to 65' that should help what is your swr ?? if it is too high that will limit you
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Sitm
Intermediate Member
Username: Sitm

Post Number: 255
Registered: 1-2004


Posted on Friday, May 01, 2009 - 10:20 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I have a Imax 2000 at about 60 feet, plus the antenna heigth. I make contacts on a regular basis out to 50 miles, without power. Now when I flip the switch it makes the contact better and if I can't hear them well I turn on the pre amp. So dispite what you have heard, you can make good contacts with a vertical antenna out to 50 miles with your set up. You need to make sure you are using good coax, are grounded well and have a radio that has good recieve. Keep in mind that the station that you are trying to recieve at 50 miles away has to have a good antenna system as well. If they have their antron up ten feet on a pole leaning against the garage they will probably not be making contacts at 50 miles. Aside from purchasing new equipment like a radio/antenna, look at the other products here at copper electronics like quality coax, grounding systems and items to improve your stations operating abilities. You can shove 100 watts into a antenna that isn't grounded well, doesn't have good quality coax and it will not get out as good as a station pushing 10 watts with good antenna, coax and grounding. Giddie up.
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Georgeknapp
New member
Username: Georgeknapp

Post Number: 1
Registered: 11-2016
Posted on Thursday, November 10, 2016 - 11:39 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Have Stryker 10meter mobile transceiver tricked to supposedly 80 watts pep on a firestick11 base antenna 30" ground base of which there are 4.set up on second story screened in fiberglass overlooking small lake.can I improve this ?Running 1-1.5 sometimes more or less..
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Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833

Post Number: 2368
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Friday, November 11, 2016 - 1:03 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

George,

Yes! You can improve that greatly. First step is to choose a larger, more efficient antenna. The Antron 99 and the Imax 2000 are about the easiest antennas in the world to set up and use and get good results.

Either of those antennas will be a tremendous improvement over your Firestik.
Your radio 'Mythbuster' since 1998

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