Wilson 5000 antenna?

[jvencius]

Since the VFD down in Rampy's neck of the woods is going to something other than VHF radios for fire dept use, I can't really see me dropping cash on a VHF radio that won't do me any good in 3 months.

For the trip down to Cheyenne, however, a well-tuned CB would be nice to have since there's pieces of road on the way there that don't have squat for cellphone reception and I DEFINITELY need a new antenna. Here are my question(s):

Is anyone here using a magnet-mount Wilson 5000 CB antenna?

If you are using that antenna, is there a provision to detach the cable from the mount so if I were going through a carwash, I could detach the base and put it inside the truck while the cable stayed out? I'm thinking about running the cable out through a wee little hole in the trim around the center brake/cargo light so it would be difficult to put all the cable back inside the truck.

Is there any other make of CB antenna in that price range that I should even consider (keeping in mind that Minot doesn't have squat for hands-on research)?



More questions to follow, for sure...

 

[CHPMustang]

I know TBAR has a Wilson 5000 on his truck but he roof mounted for better performance over the magnet Wilson 1000 he had.

The only disconnection provision is unscrewing the antenna base coil from the magnet then placing the weather cap on the antenna threads otherwise the Wilson's magnet mount is extremely strong and recommend against repetitive removal from the paint surface.

The coax will feed thru a notch on the third brake light base fine,many satellite Radio users run the wire in similar routing.

If you're going to be using the CB/antenna setup once in a great while the magnet mount Lil Wil actually performs quite well against other antennas I've tested

Bill

 

[rvassar]

Mag mount antennas usually perform reasonably well compared to other shortened antennas because they have a good ground plane. But they're still quite a compromise from an electrical standpoint. Nothing beats a full length 1/4 wave whip.

I always manage to scratch things with a mag mount as well....

Rob
KC6OOM/5

 

[Tbar]

The mag mount is going to eventually make a mess of your paint. Dirt and debris gets under the magnet and starts working as an abrasive on your paint.

You can see it in this pic.

If you drill the hole for the Wilson 5000 you will have superior range and reception. When not using the antenna it unscrews and a nice weather proof cap goes in its place.


Tbar