[matt91112011]

Hi guys,

I've read the tech article. Good info but still don't entirely get it.

Im about to buy a GME TX3100, because it's really small and I have no idea where I'm going to fit one. I'm also told that the quality of the unit doesn't matter so much as the aerials.

I'm looking on http://www.prestigecom.net.au for my aerial.

I know that I need two different types. I'm going to mount them on the bullbar.

Could someone pick the two aerials for me. I don't know how much I actually need to spend per aerial, but let's so no more than $150 per aerial unless I really need too.

Thanks guys



Matty

[steak_knife]

That one!!!!!

[steak_knife]

http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... ucts_id=97

I have & love that one, awesome range on the h/way & nice clear close up..................& spring mounted!!!!!!

[royce]

Why do you think you need 2 antennas?

Stekky's is a good choice, the AE409L is also a good one

Honestly the theory of antenna gain and so on means little in a car cause there are so many other effects, any decent one well fitted will get you all the range youll want

[Scrawny]

steak_knife wrote:

http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=337&products_id=97

I have & love that one, awesome range on the h/way & nice clear close up..................& spring mounted!!!!!!

Got one of these too, good all rounder. Good price too!

[Gwagensteve]

I've spent a fortune on UHF antennas over the years and broken them all. You're only talking car to car - in most cases you could stick you head out the window and yell, and if convoy procedure works you never don't need to use a radio at all.

I'd get he cheapest steel whip you can find on a spring base. Something like a GME AE4017 on a GME AS001. Use a spring base so if you really whack it on something if bends out of the way. It will screw with your SWR but you'll have better SWR than a broken antenna

1/2 the guys in the bush these days have handhelds so it's not hard to have more performance than that. A huge 9dB setup is just a vulnerable PITA.

Steve.

[Scrawny]

I've got one of these on my work van cos it's gutter mounted

http://www.rfi.com.au/downloads/wireles ... 0-CD51.pdf

[zooky08]

I don't like the Gme one that comes with the tx3100.
Doesn't pick much up and I bent kt on it's first trip out

[Moag]

I just ordered a GME TX3100 UHF and was tossing up between

a flexy one on the roof

and some whiskers for the bull bar like this to make it easy to judge the hight of the expensive lump of glass on my roof.

Ended up going with this.....

What do you think?

I went for ZCG because there're just up the road from were i was born,
and got a custom AM/FM antenna from them in the early 80s when he was a back yard shop. The product was perfection and He's customer service was awesome back then, so can't help myself.

[alien]

what steve said is right IMO - i had an in-car CB and antenna on the front bar years ago, but it was cumbersome compared to my handheld...

my handheld is just a GME TX680 (3 watt) - but its served me very well. And i cna get out of the car and keep talking on it which is very handy for spotting people from a distance etc.

A lot of people don't like the battery thing with handhelds, but on a recent trip down south with some mates we had radios between cars - the others were using cheaper uniden 2watt radios that run on 3 AA batteries - their batteries died after around 2hrs of chatting, the replacement batteries have seen about another 3hrs chatting and have dropped to 3/4 already... my GME with its rechargable battery lasted that whole time and still was reading as "full power" when i got home.

[Gwagensteve]

ZCG are very good, and those elevated feed bases are great. However, fibreglass whip antennas I find pretty vulnerable, and the spring weighting on the elevated feed base really needs to be suited to the length/weight of the whip used.

Lots of cop cars use elevated feed bases with tiny steel 1/4 wave whips on them so they aren't vulnerable.

I don't like gutter mounts at all - they just don't last for the driving we do.

Steve.

[pyrohamish]

this is what i have...not really any comments on performance only talk less than 100m
http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... ts_id=1850
or this seems like it could be good
http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... ts_id=2116

[Scrawny]

Gwagensteve wrote:

I don't like gutter mounts at all - they just don't last for the driving we do.

Certainly not ideal for 4wd's, I agree, but works well for vans that only do metro driving and lack any other decent mounting points.

[MacDaddy]

I got one of these -
http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... ts_id=2222
It has an elevated feed, ground independent base, and has 2 x Antenna's, a stubbie 3db, about 15cm long, for short range or hilly area's, and a taller 6.6db, 90cm, for longer distance on flat ground/highways... its the best off both, works well for me...

[matt91112011]

Thanks for the help guys

I think I might go with this one http://www.prestigecom.net.au/index.php ... ts_id=2222

If they break ah well, haha.

Cheers

Matty

[Scrawny]

You can replace the top half if you do end up breaking it off.

[Rusho]

Scrawn wrote:

I've got one of these on my work van cos it's gutter mounted

http://www.rfi.com.au/downloads/wireles ... 0-CD51.pdf

I like these also

[Moph]

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

This package had good reviews when I bought mine and I've been happy with its performance. Has stubby 3db aerial for hills/convoy and 6.5db for trips and chatting to truckies.

[matt91112011]

Checkout the flex haha

[Moph]

They were some seriously nasty corrugations ... hence the photo

[bakerboy]

I'm running the same one as macbear, albeit a Benelec branded unit, and it's fine, normally chuck a longer 6db on when I head up to lano. Can't comment on range as a comparison between handhelds and in car as I have an unfair advantage