2 meter firestik 5/8 wave
10-05-2011, 02:07 PM
#1
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2 meter firestik 5/8 wave
got the 2 meter 5/8 wave from firestik today. i wanted to go with the firestik so i could just unscrew it and use the same mount and cable for cb.
well ,while the firestik cb antenna i have is around 1:2:1 the swr reading on the 2 meter antenna out of the box reads over 5.
i know it has to be shortened as they come electrically long but i never saw an antenna this far out of range out of the box. im wondering if its defective its so far out of tune.
im using the cooltech gate mount . no spring no disconnect...
what have others seen out of the box as far as initial swr with this antenna ???????????????
worst comes to worst ill start cutting it down but like i said i never saw an antenna so far out of range to start.
well ,while the firestik cb antenna i have is around 1:2:1 the swr reading on the 2 meter antenna out of the box reads over 5.
i know it has to be shortened as they come electrically long but i never saw an antenna this far out of range out of the box. im wondering if its defective its so far out of tune.
im using the cooltech gate mount . no spring no disconnect...
what have others seen out of the box as far as initial swr with this antenna ???????????????
worst comes to worst ill start cutting it down but like i said i never saw an antenna so far out of range to start.
10-05-2011, 07:24 PM
#2
What ?
I take it you are not a HAM.
- CB is HF (High Frequency) 26 -27 MHz
- 2 meters is VHF (Very High Frequency) 144-148 MHz
In short, the antennas are not interchangeable. If you attach the 2m antenna to a
2m radio, and the coax is 50 ohms, the SWR should be well within the 1.1 to 2.0 range
and if the antenna is tunable, you should be able to get it below 1.5. If you attached the
the CB radio to a 2m antenna, all bets are off.
- CB is HF (High Frequency) 26 -27 MHz
- 2 meters is VHF (Very High Frequency) 144-148 MHz
In short, the antennas are not interchangeable. If you attach the 2m antenna to a
2m radio, and the coax is 50 ohms, the SWR should be well within the 1.1 to 2.0 range
and if the antenna is tunable, you should be able to get it below 1.5. If you attached the
the CB radio to a 2m antenna, all bets are off.
10-05-2011, 07:41 PM
#3
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Originally Posted by mathjak107
well ,while the firestik cb antenna i have is around 1:2:1 the swr reading on the 2 meter antenna out of the box reads over 5
10-05-2011, 07:48 PM
#4
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10-06-2011, 12:00 AM
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exactley, im using 2 different radios and 2 different firestik antennas . i have no interest in cb 99% of the time . my main rig is my icom 2200h. i use cb rarely when going with friends or the kids on trips.
there really is no reason to run 2 antennas full time so i figured i would stay with a 3/8 stud mount and make it easy by using the firestik 2 meter antenna and their 4 ft cb antenna and switch off when i want to use cb.
i guess ill start to try cutting the firestick down and see if i can get it into range, it just blew me away seeing it so far out of range on 2 meters especially when their cb antenna was damn near spot on out of the box.
in 20 years of being a ham and trying different antennas typically 3:1 is the worst i have seen out of the box but this is clear off the charts in the 5 plus range.
there really is no reason to run 2 antennas full time so i figured i would stay with a 3/8 stud mount and make it easy by using the firestik 2 meter antenna and their 4 ft cb antenna and switch off when i want to use cb.
i guess ill start to try cutting the firestick down and see if i can get it into range, it just blew me away seeing it so far out of range on 2 meters especially when their cb antenna was damn near spot on out of the box.
in 20 years of being a ham and trying different antennas typically 3:1 is the worst i have seen out of the box but this is clear off the charts in the 5 plus range.
Last edited by mathjak107; 10-06-2011 at 12:06 AM.
10-06-2011, 10:24 AM
#6
Things to consider
At any one time, I may have a:
- Yaesu 857D connected to a Diamond NR770HNM0B dual band antenna
- Yaesu 7800 (or a VX-6) connected to a Larsen glass mount, dual band antenna, and
- Cobra 75 CB connected to a Firestik II, four foot antenna.
I am into CERT and we tend to use more than one freq at a time. But I digress
I just finished reading about the Firestik 2m (model 2M-4) Actually, it sounds pretty good,
- But, it is 48.2" long. My Firestik II is 48" long. Might be difficult to tell apart. They may have shipped you a mislabeled antenna or a CB antenna by mistake.
- Next I would connect the coax with antenna to an antenna analyzer. I use a MFJ-259B. This
will answer your SWR and resistance questions in about 5 seconds.
- Last gasp. SWR/Power meters cover specific freq ranges. Some are 3 -30 MHZ, some are
1.8 to 150 MHZ, some are 150 MHz and up and, some cover all HAM bands.
What's your call sign?
W6PBR
- Yaesu 857D connected to a Diamond NR770HNM0B dual band antenna
- Yaesu 7800 (or a VX-6) connected to a Larsen glass mount, dual band antenna, and
- Cobra 75 CB connected to a Firestik II, four foot antenna.
I am into CERT and we tend to use more than one freq at a time. But I digress
I just finished reading about the Firestik 2m (model 2M-4) Actually, it sounds pretty good,
- But, it is 48.2" long. My Firestik II is 48" long. Might be difficult to tell apart. They may have shipped you a mislabeled antenna or a CB antenna by mistake.
- Next I would connect the coax with antenna to an antenna analyzer. I use a MFJ-259B. This
will answer your SWR and resistance questions in about 5 seconds.
- Last gasp. SWR/Power meters cover specific freq ranges. Some are 3 -30 MHZ, some are
1.8 to 150 MHZ, some are 150 MHz and up and, some cover all HAM bands.
What's your call sign?
W6PBR
10-06-2011, 02:42 PM
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the 2 meter antenna is much thicker than the cb firestick so its the correct antenna. yes i use 2 different swr meters as the hf ones dont work on vhf/uhf.
i just got the quick disconnect today so ill try it tomorrow and see what that does to the swr.
i got a feeling the issue is this.
the cooltech gatemount can be mounted in 2 positions. if you put it on the typical way with the stud base on top you get maximum jeep clearence but in my case i cant fit in the garage .so i reversed it and the stud base moves down about 7-8 " ....
although at hf frequencies the antenna closeness to the bracket running parallel doesnt matter i think at vhf it does.
ill try reversing the bracket over the weekend and see if that cures it.
call is n2uta
i just got the quick disconnect today so ill try it tomorrow and see what that does to the swr.
i got a feeling the issue is this.
the cooltech gatemount can be mounted in 2 positions. if you put it on the typical way with the stud base on top you get maximum jeep clearence but in my case i cant fit in the garage .so i reversed it and the stud base moves down about 7-8 " ....
although at hf frequencies the antenna closeness to the bracket running parallel doesnt matter i think at vhf it does.
ill try reversing the bracket over the weekend and see if that cures it.
call is n2uta
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10-06-2011, 05:29 PM
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the 2 meter antenna is much thicker than the cb firestick so its the correct antenna. yes i use 2 different swr meters as the hf ones dont work on vhf/uhf.
i just got the quick disconnect today so ill try it tomorrow and see what that does to the swr.
i got a feeling the issue is this.
the cooltech gatemount can be mounted in 2 positions. if you put it on the typical way with the stud base on top you get maximum jeep clearence but in my case i cant fit in the garage .so i reversed it and the stud base moves down about 7-8 " ....
although at hf frequencies the antenna closeness to the bracket running parallel doesnt matter i think at vhf it does.
ill try reversing the bracket over the weekend and see if that cures it.
call is n2uta
i just got the quick disconnect today so ill try it tomorrow and see what that does to the swr.
i got a feeling the issue is this.
the cooltech gatemount can be mounted in 2 positions. if you put it on the typical way with the stud base on top you get maximum jeep clearence but in my case i cant fit in the garage .so i reversed it and the stud base moves down about 7-8 " ....
although at hf frequencies the antenna closeness to the bracket running parallel doesnt matter i think at vhf it does.
ill try reversing the bracket over the weekend and see if that cures it.
call is n2uta
10-06-2011, 06:59 PM
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I have been having grounding problems on the Wrangler with the Firestik and my ol' trustworthy K30 antenna. Too much plastic on the Jeep. Make sure you are connected to the vehicles ground plane with a large gauge wire. You might not be connected well enough through the bumper or gate mount now. My SWR drops from 4+ to 1.2 with a good ground.
10-06-2011, 07:14 PM
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That's pretty huge when it comes to swr...
From everything I've read on here over the last few years, I doubt I'd put a Firestick anything on one of my rigs. Oh and btw......I've heard of them being bad right out of the box too. No thanks....
From everything I've read on here over the last few years, I doubt I'd put a Firestick anything on one of my rigs. Oh and btw......I've heard of them being bad right out of the box too. No thanks....
Last edited by AK4Dave; 10-06-2011 at 10:29 PM.