CB FireStik II antenna length

[cbielat]

Hey guys,
I'm looking at putting a CB set up together. In regards to the length of the antenna, I plan on going with a 2 foot FireStik II and mounting it on either side of the tailgate above the tail light. I see that the 2' has a rating of 300 watts and 3' is a rating of 650 watts. I know the higher the antenna, the better but I can always move the mount higher to achieve better reception. Is anyone running the 2'? How good is the reception with the 2'? [MENTION=50186]adio3x[/MENTION] I believe you have a 2' if I am correct. How is it working out for you as well as the Diamond K400 mount?

 

[NJshadow93]

Hey guys,
I'm looking at putting a CB set up together. In regards to the length of the antenna, I plan on going with a 2 foot FireStik II and mounting it on either side of the tailgate above the tail light. I see that the 2' has a rating of 300 watts and 3' is a rating of 650 watts. I know the higher the antenna, the better but I can always move the mount higher to achieve better reception. Is anyone running the 2'? How good is the reception with the 2'? [MENTION=50186]adio3x[/MENTION] I believe you have a 2' if I am correct. How is it working out for you as well as the Diamond K400 mount?

I'd personally recommend the 3' firestick since you can tune it by hand by turning a knob rather than cutting or stretching wire.

 

[cbielat]

I'd personally recommend the 3' firestick since you can tune it by hand by turning a knob rather than cutting or stretching wire.

I'm pretty sure all of the FireStik II's have the tunable tip.

 

[adio3x]

The 2' is great especially if you're going to mount it high up on the gate with the k400. I get great reception & other people hear me perfectly. I tried the 3' before I settled with a 2', and it being up that high on a spring mount, it tended to sway a lot while driving. The 2' just sits there. Hope that helps.

 

[Nyc-Runner]

I have the 3' fire stick too and the top is tunable.I've only used it a couple of times but so far it's worked great! Ideally you want the antenna to have 6"-12" of clearance over the roof to get the best reception.

 

[cbielat]

The 2' is great especially if you're going to mount it high up on the gate with the k400. I get great reception & other people hear me perfectly. I tried the 3' before I settled with a 2', and it being up that high on a spring mount, it tended to sway a lot while driving. The 2' just sits there. Hope that helps.

Your 2' has the tunable tip as well, correct? I'll put a spring on mine as well.

 

[cbielat]

I have the 3' fire stick too and the top is tunable.I've only used it a couple of times but so far it's worked great! Ideally you want the antenna to have 6"-12" of clearance over the roof to get the best reception.

With that hatch mount, I'll be able to move it up or down for the best reception I'm thinking.

 

[MStudt]

Firestik II has an adjustable tuneable tip. While the original Firestik is tuneable, it is quite a bit more work to tune it. Also, half of the antenna mast needs to be above your roof line. If you don't have half above you're going to lessen your range. You can look on Firestik's site and it'll tell you the watts and range per size. While 2' work, unless you're mounting them on the roof or within 1' of the roof. They don't do you much good. The 2' Firestik's are best used in pairs. I wouldn't go anything less than a 3' if you're mounting it high up. Here is a picture of my set-up. I'm using a 3' Firestik II with a medium duty spring. I've got a little over half above my roof line.

 

[cbielat]

Firestik II has an adjustable tuneable tip. While the original Firestik is tuneable, it is quite a bit more work to tune it. Also, half of the antenna mast needs to be above your roof line. If you don't have half above you're going to lessen your range. You can look on Firestik's site and it'll tell you the watts and range per size. While 2' work, unless you're mounting them on the roof or within 1' of the roof. They don't do you much good. The 2' Firestik's are best used in pairs. I wouldn't go anything less than a 3' if you're mounting it high up. Here is a picture of my set-up. I'm using a 3' Firestik II with a medium duty spring. I've got a little over half above my roof line.

Thanks for the info, Mike.

 

[NJshadow93]

As long as you have a good spring, the antenna will hardly move at all, even at highway speeds or hitting bumps in the road. My 3' doesn't noticeably move at all under normal driving conditions or off roading (unless it hits trees of course). I got my spring at radio shack, it was the only one they had and it's beefy. I'm pretty sure even if I had a 4' antenna it wouldn't move either. 3' is the perfect height IMO for 4Runners in terms of both aesthetics and function.

 

[Nyc-Runner]

Amazon kid! I ordered everything from there except the hatch mount

 

[snivilous]

Rules of antenna sizing:

1. Don't have more than one unless you want to look like a douche.

2. Size matters. :bigok:

 

[fo' runnin']

I have a 4' firestik II and love it.

 

[cbielat]

Amazon kid! I ordered everything from there except the hatch mount

I've been looking on there.

 

[adio3x]

Your 2' has the tunable tip as well, correct? I'll put a spring on mine as well.

Yep!

Depending on where you mount it, the 2 is fine. Mine is well over 6" over the top of my rack.

As long as you have a good spring, the antenna will hardly move at all, even at highway speeds or hitting bumps in the road. My 3' doesn't noticeably move at all under normal driving conditions or off roading (unless it hits trees of course). I got my spring at radio shack, it was the only one they had and it's beefy. I'm pretty sure even if I had a 4' antenna it wouldn't move either. 3' is the perfect height IMO for 4Runners in terms of both aesthetics and function.

Your's is mounted low though. If we had a 4' mounted up on the gate, it would move like crazy on the hwy. I had a 3' mounted up on my gate with a heavy duty spring and it would bounce all over the place.

 

[Bouts]

Rules of antenna sizing:

1. Don't have more than one unless you want to look like a douche.

2. Size matters. :bigok:

Oh oh...Dual band U/VHF on one side, and a 108" HF on the other.....guess I'm a douche!!!! lol...I'm so embarassed.......

 

[fourwd1]

A 2' antenna is going give you a minimal range.
At CB frequency (27 MHz) a 1\4 wavelength is 9', so compressing it to 2' makes it very inefficient. If you just want it for short range comms on the trail it will probably suffice.

Mounting the antenna is also very important. The antenna requires a large area of sheet metal to act as the second half of the antenna (ground plane). That is why dead center on the roof is the optimum spot (but not always practical).

Mounting it off center (bumper, etc) also skews the radiation pattern.

 

[cbielat]

A 2' antenna is going give you a minimal range.
At CB frequency (27 MHz) a 1\4 wavelength is 9', so compressing it to 2' makes it very inefficient. If you just want it for short range comms on the trail it will probably suffice.

Mounting the antenna is also very important. The antenna requires a large area of sheet metal to act as the second half of the antenna (ground plane). That is why dead center on the roof is the optimum spot (but not always practical).

Mounting it off center (bumper, etc) also skews the radiation pattern.

I'm only going to be using it for the trails so I don't need the long range. From what I'm gathering, as long as its a bit over the roof, I should be good.

 

[MStudt]

I'm only going to be using it for the trails so I don't need the long range. From what I'm gathering, as long as its a bit over the roof, I should be good.

This link will tell you everything you'd ever want to know about antennas. There's a reason why Firestik is the best out there. Just make sure at least half is above your roof line and you'll be fine on trails with a 3'.

 

[criera]

I'm no radio expert but fwiw I run a 2' well below the roof line and it does just fine for off-road trail use. Picks up wx channels fine in the city. I can tell that the long range suffers but I don't care about that. I had a 4' but got tired of hitting my garage header every day.