Next Level Mobile Antenna Test. CB radio11m, HAM Amateur 10m
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- Опубликовано: 6 окт 2024
- Enthusiastic Steve Next Level Mobile Antenna Test
Hello, I am back with a test that many of you have asked me to do.
After making a previous video on Mobile CB antennas where the legend K40 antenna surprisingly beat many other great performers to come out as the top performer I have been asked how does it compare with the Stryker A10?
A relatively new antenna, its only been around for a few years, is it any good? Is it worth the money? Is it any better the the K40? or is the K40 still the king of antennas?
I find out in this test.
A big thank you to "Chris" who loaned me his Stryker for the test.
Please consider subscribing and clicking the Like button to assist my RUclips channel. Please share my video and take a look at the previous ones on my channel.
All the best, enjoy radio. Regards
Enthusiastic Steve
I have the A-10 and it's awesome to me.
Been using it almost 3 years now with zero issues .
Through a Uniden BearCat 880.
In Southern New Jersey , USA
K40 for me , class antenna
I thought the transmission from the Stryker also sounded cleaner than the K40.
This is by far the best comparison video on a product that I’ve seen in a long time!
@@bd79831 Thank you.
I wonder how much better the A10 would be if it wasn't siphoning energy to drive the blue LEDs? The LEDs are a gimmick and require energy. I rate the LEDs on this antenna right up there with echo and talk back on the useless scale.
cant beat the K40 bought it in the seventies ...and i,m STILL using it and the processor mike ....awsum stuff ...
70's?? Holy balls 😮 had no idea it was that old
Nice job. I've been involved in CB and Ham since the late 60s. I had good results with the K40. Not as good as a full 1/4 wave whip, but still good performance.
Nothing beats the quarter wave stainless steel whip. With base loaded antennas, the longer the stinger, the better or get a Hustler 11 meter coil with the long mast.
worked Alaska and most of Europe with the A-10 from my truck this cycle 25 !
I love the K-40
The fact that the striker does not have a permanent mound like the k forty I like to k forty better
None of these base loaded antenna's beats the classic 102" stainless whip on a spring. Try an A-B comparison on a mobile at a given distance to a base, you'll see for yourself.
I've never had Stryker but I have had two k40s which I have made contacts to the state of Washington and talked to S Whales from Southeastern Ohio.
Way back in the later 1970's I worked at a CB shop here in the states. That gave me the opportunity to test a lot of antennas for mobile use. The K-40 was a very close second to the best antenna (in my tests) which was called an Ugly Stick (not related to the Shakespeare by the same name.) It appears the current Firestik is the same design as the old Ugly Stick.
That is a great name for an antenna. In the USA i have seen some great antennas, one of my favourite looking ones was one that looked like a snake body. We have nothing like that here in the UK, we actually have only a few proper cb radio suppliers left. All the best and thank you for your comment. Regards Steve
The modulation sounded stronger on the K40
Ok, thanks. I'll put the Stryker sra10 antenna permanently trunk mounted on my 2011 Crown Victoria police interceptor. Thanks
[offtopic] That K40 microphone @02:55 was a beast, and no battry needed. Got power from a condensator that loaded from the radio-power when you switch to receive. That one, and the Turner +3b were the top ones. [/offtopic]
73's NLD
another great video!! thank you for doing these... I do wish you could see how far they would go... go to the edge of signal... 5 miles perhaps and see what they can do..... for me I love my K40 I have the magnet mount also and when I go into a parking garage or a car wash or just not going to use it for a couple weeks I put on the little weather cap and the truck looks normal again.... also that comparison was pretty close... 70 inches tall on the Stryker and 60 inches on the K40 .. if they do about the same I'll take the shorter one... my K40 has been off roaded for many years and whacked everything under the sun and always bounces back and looks new.
I’ve been using the A10 on my Silverado with my 955 and it’s a very quiet antenna!
Ive got the 102in whip on my Ford f150 and wilson 1000 mag mount on my Honda car. 102in whip is the best I've ever used for mobile for sure! I'm in Washington state and have talked to the UK with ease! The wilson 1000 same thing but seems a bit tougher go. Both great antennas in my book but may get the Stryker to see if its any easier. One thing i do know is they are 100 bucks more than the wilson so I'm hoping it's quite the improvement! I should mention i talk on sideband the most and some AM. I've got FM on one of my base stations but rarely hear anyone there!
Thank you for the comments, i would think carefully before spending all that cash on the stryker expecting a big improvement. Yrs it is a good antenna but not a 100 dollar improvement. A change of coax to the wilson to a better quality one would probably give a better improvement if looking for that edge. All antennas you mention are very good, in my test the stryker was better, it is a solid antenna but the cost is the only negative. Many thanks, enjoy the hobby. Regards Steve
@@EnthusiastSteveM6WVV Thanks for the advice and your right I'll probably stay with the wilson!
This is a blast from my distant past, 40years worth, I had the K40 on my truck with my Midland AM CB radio back in the day! I brought it based on that ad! I don't miss the cb days at all I was always frustrated. As an Extra class ham I understand antennas and radio's a lot batter. 73 KN6ZVI
I have had a 102 inch antenna on my vehicle since 1996. It does a great job, albeit rather ungainly. But it fits my zombie apocalypse-like vehicle. It just looks appropriate on it. I question the use of the LEDs on the antenna. It seems it is using the rf energy to light the little blue lights. I guess if someone is running a 250 watt, and above, mobile amplifier, the light will not matter. But running amplifiers is bad. You can die a gruesome death and leave a radioactive corpse.
You can take the light in the A10 out, you can also replace it with an amber light
Thanks Steve , great video mate , SR-A10 it is mate
Yeah the blue lights are a bit of a gimmick 😅 and also in the Netherlands you are not making friends with the police 😝🤦🏻♂️ but it is easily covered with a piece of PVC pipe or some ducktape!
The best antenna for cb is a 2 metre Diamond NR22L for VHF ! No it's not April 1st , the Diamond NR22l is a 5/8 over 5/8 on vhf , however it's pretty much 1/4 wave on cb , or more so on 28mhz . This is a very expensive vhf antenna that is a high performer on 145mhz , but outstanding on cb/28 mhz . Beats the wilson2000, sireo 4000 and 5000 , modulator , springer.
We did the test over water peterhead to Aberdeen 20 odd miles many years ago . You can still buy the Diamond nr22l . And once again no it's not the first of April.
This is a well kept secret by select hams and cbers , there might be a bounty on my head for reveling this powerful knowledge.
Great information Rob, their are some surprising antennas out there, the old dv27 antenna makes a great mobile antenna for the 4m band. Thank you for the comment, regards Steve
I've had a Stryker for at least 3 years. Haven't really been using it much lately but it was on top of a pickup. Started to move it somewhere else and it looked like something was moving inside where the little windows are for the (annoying) LED's. It was half full of water. Keep an eye on ya'lls if you have one.
I can't help but think that coax and PL259 won't take anywhere near 10KW, thanks for showing them
Agree, but that the manufactures claims!!!
Great video steve would be good to also see a recieve comparison of the two 👍
As antennas are reciprocate, they should be equally as good on rx as tx, but yes a test to prove that would be an idea. Thank you regards Steve
Would stick an good old modulator on there for a test against both or a sirio 5000
You can contact stryker and they will send you information on how to disable the lights if you need to..
I had a K40 mounted on my tool box in the bed of my Dodge Dakota. I never did any real test with it but it seemed to work ok. One problem I ran into is that the antenna would vibrate loose from the base. I don't remember how many years it was before this started happening because I kept that set up for 20 years. On my new Dodge 1500 I'm using a Lil Wil mag mount on the roof. Setting the SWR on the Lil Wil the best I have is 1.8 on ch1 and 40 but ch 20 is at 1.1. I've been thinking about the A10 but I also don't care for the blue transmit light.
Yes that blue light is a real nuisance, here in the UK the police have blue lights, if operaring radio mobile you are going to get pulled over for impersonating a police vehicle. Despite that they do work well, but think i will stick to my k40 and my old texas 1800. Thank you for the comment. Regards Steve
Good video Steve very interesting going to look at a way to cover the lights on the Stryker thanks for the mention
You are welcome. Thank you
Black fingernail polish
Are the lights out there's vids about on doing it
You can always remove the lights
i use tha wilson 5000 imo its better than all👍
did you know Stryker bought out Wilson , thats why lots looks the same
that Stryker does hold water through time so seal it well
I’m sure the folks at Stryker put a lot of effort into making the antenna light up. I’d guess blue is to signify electricity. But, since it can get you into actual trouble in some locations, maybe they could redesign it with different colored lights.
Super video, subbed.
Great video!
Thank you, regards Steve
Wow channel 6 comes in loud over there!
Yes we get it loud and clear when conditions are right. Regards Steve
The original K40 had grease in the swivel, the thickness of the needle??, and that decided the test and this K40 is cheaper made,? Stay with the 40! ALSO WHERE ON the roof did you place it, EXACTNESS! And then wind drag with snow/ ice made a difference ,so i imagine in USA the A10 would gather MORE ice and slide, as my 40 did. Lastly who needs glo lights on the mount, and being spotted makes a big difference in concealing on HW's from the Bears..hes got ears also !!
@@burkena it was a real world non scientific test but placed mounts as close to the same position for both. I am restricted as have a large glass sun roof. I mount them on the rear corner, this gives me gain over placing in the centre (if that allowed, cannot with the glass) this gives a rf lobe with gain in that direction. Had 70 miles across the sea from this setup. I am not a lover of the neon lights, blue is the same as our Bears and would soon attract attention. Regards Steve
@EnthusiastSteveM6WVV
Respectfully again..instructions for K40 required center roof for a Equil ground plane.. you should know that.also that alone would improve the frequency actions. Like people said here the New K40 isn't same as my old K40 agree..and the test were almost identical so, even then, I again would go K40, stateside the snow/frost would build enough to the unit to cause it to slide and even dislodge, as mine did in New York..at 60mph Yrs ago..that other unit has no chance of stability in foul weather gathering ice.. Good Luck..
remember when a mobile says it can handle over 1000w ,you BETTER MAKE SURE the coax can handle thoes watts ,because every mobile antenna only use crap coax that cant handle more the 300 to 500w
I too would like to see an RX comparison. I don't like the idea of the blue LEDs "stealing" RF energy that could instead be radiated. It reminds me of those silly yellow lights people put on the end of their CB aerials in the late 70s....each to their own I suppose! Thanks also for the review mate.
They should perform the same in rx as antennas by design are reciprocal. But would be a good test. Yes i thought that also about the lights, they are getting their power froom somewhere, and in this case the emitted rf. Turned off, disconnected it could improve the tx performance. Ty for the comments, regards Steve
Take the light off. Unscrew the base and you will see a small green disk with the led light on. Just remove the green disk and the light will be gone.
Because you are a old codger......
It may say K40, but it's not the same as the original. Poorly built copy of a great antenna. Shame such a great American made antenna became a cheaply make foreign knock off.
Agree the early versions were beter made, this one is better than current versions, its over 20 years old. Regards Steve
Glad i did keep mine, it's new from the nineties.
Glad I still have my original from 1977. Unfortunately I lost the "weather cap" which used to cost about $1.50. Now they are considered vintage and are priced around $15.00 - IF you can even find them. Easier to just put the mag mount in the back seat !
At timestamp 3:10, there is a picture in a magazine on the left side of the screen showing a 2-element quad that has one wire on one element and two wires on the other element. Please tell me what that antenna is! I saw one on a house when I was young and always wondered what it was! I presume one wire for vertical and one for horizontal.
I believe it was a moonraker quad beam for 11m band. Never noticed th 2 wires before, presume onevis the driven element, where the coax attaches, the other the reflector and the other square a director. A shortened beam. Probability around 16ft across and over 8ft long. They did a 4 element one as well i believe.
Thank you for the reply @@EnthusiastSteveM6WVV The one I saw had two coax cables, so assumed a dual polarity. Do you happen to have that magazine still? May I please trouble you to email a picture of the full ad?
@@ModelA ping me your e mail, i will go through the mags to find it later and send pic.
@@EnthusiastSteveM6WVV Name is Paul
@@ModelA i have messaged your Facebook page.
K 40 IS GOOD IF WE ARE STILL. WHEN MOVING THE WHIP BENDS TOO MUCH WHICH COMPRIMISES THE SIGNAL.
The LED can be removed easily.
The difference could be just SWR
It could be but i had checked vswr prior to test. On another day, different conditions results maybe different. I used the 2 antennas over a few days and the stryker was consistently producing better results, just wish you could turn off those led lights!!! Cheers for the comment. Regards Steve
Discover it with tape
Hrmmm... did you take the time to tune both antennas to their best? What were the SWR readings for both on channel 20? Either one can be made to win by tuning the other one "off" just a bit.
Yes both were tuned to a 1:1 on my vswr meter. I except this is not a scientific test but a real world one. On a different day a different location the results may differ but since the test the i have used both, results are very close, either antenna give good contacts. Just wish the stryker was cheaper and never had blue leds. Ty for your comment, regards Steve
The quality and construction of the K-40 antenna has gotten really bad. I think they have been sold several times in the last 18 years.
For the price difference, I am not impressed.
tenho uma antena K40 antiga parada a ninhares de anos uma duvida que tenho a respeito desta antena ela tem um capacitor em serie com a bobina? pois ao medir a continuidade da bobina ela aparentemente esta aberta de duas uma ou ela esta com a bobina rompida ou tem um capacitor em serie.
Nao tenho certeze se ele tem um capacitor contanto que voce consiga um bom vswr ele funciona surpreendentementre. Regards Steve
I would choose the K40 over the A10 any day. The design of the A10 looks like it was built with Legos. Did children design this? I would be embarrassed if I had that on my car.
The earlier k40's are better made, the stryker is solid but let down by the fact you can't turn off the led lights!!! Magnet is very strong but agree the design is not to every ones taste. I use a k40, one from the early 90s. Works well. Regards Steve
wonder how those would compare to a wilson 1000 love the videos steve
Cheers John.
@@EnthusiastSteveM6WVV cheers good sir, i have been into radios for close to 40 years and just got back into it again. i really like that megawatt antenna, would probably do good on my quad 6 i just purchased. i have a wilson 1000 at the moment
Well Steve your videos using the k40 have lured me into purchasing one for my pick up truck. I bought the trunk mount antenna and the magnet base for it. That antenna is a performer. I have usually been a Wilson guy but your vid’s have convinced me to try the k40
@@mines513 stay with Wilson
@@waltsmith6515 you know it’s funny you should say that because I just put my K40 back on my mobile. For me it outperforms both my wilson 1000 and my Sirio 5000pl
danke für den Test, ich benutze weiter meine K40 😉
love my Firestick 3footer
Didn't the sirio 4000 win the mobile antenna text
No the k40 came out on top, something i did not expect. I have used the k40 a lot since and it does give some good dx, against all my beliefs that a tank whip or texas 1800 should easily do better.
First !
Stature is a synonym for height. 😂
Can you make a comparison between the Stryker and the president colorado antenna? I'm looking for the ultimate performing mobile antenna.
So no difference then
Small amount, but for some that crave the best that little difference means a lot. Real world you are rarely going to notice it on air. But they both perform well, its down to personal choice, looks, cost etc. I still prefer and use a texas 1800 even though i have seen it does not perform as well as either of these two. Regards Steve
You never set the SWR.
I did off camera 👍
@@EnthusiastSteveM6WVV
Great vlog. I demand a redo LOL
I have ran The Wilson 5000 it's an older version
@@Michael-ri2eh Yeah Steve better tighten up. I'm running the w5000 too. How does it fair?