Official 2nd Annual Red River Gorge Meet (Slade, KY)

I say just let them sort it out. It's time my boy learned not every puppy dog wants kisses. Life is hard.

 

Works with me. She won't just go around biting people or anything, she just wigs out sometimes when people bend down over her and try to touch her, which, to be fair, is a typical reaction for dogs to have since thats a 100% dominant gesture in puppy land.

 

She be okay with Polly? I can't leave my dog at home when playing in the woods with strangers from the Internet

 

@MedlinAround I have a quick connect for the antenna that can be yours for a TRD Nation shirt

 

She'll be fine, she gets along well with other dogs

 

Cool. Polly can be passive aggressive toward intimidating dogs, so I wanted to be sure. She loves lil dogs though

 

ALL antenna's require some tuning for optimal reception. ALL of them.....That's why they are all made to be tunable......(with the exception of SOME 102" whips) Firestik II's (Firestik I has been off the market for over 10 years) are no more or no less dependent on tuning than any other antenna. Lil Will's no LESS or no more so than any others....One key difference is, Firestik II's do NOT require tools to tune. They have a threaded tip that is adjustable with a bare hand. (No tools required) Newer technology in antenna's is to make them more easily tunable without much fanfare and/or use of tools.

ANY antenna system will send/receive better at greater distances relative to it's overall height. RF signal is "line of sight". The taller the antenna, the better it's chances of receiving a signal in marginal reception conditions. This is the purpose behind some people using 102" whips. (All shorter antenna's have approximately 102" of total length when you include the windings. That equals the length of a 102" whip)

It is almost a given that you could set SWR on a roof mounted antenna, then move that same antenna to the hood/cowl area and the SWR readings would change, often dramatically. SWR is not a constant regardless of antenna location.

As far as SWR meters...Many of us carry them in our tool box in our trucks. I have one. Everett has one. Matt has a really good one....I'm sure many more have 'em. It takes just minutes to accurately tune an antenna. Not only will the radio last longer, it will perform better with Standing Wave Ratio set accurately. Once set, you're good to go. 99% of the use my SWR meter has had is tuning antenna's for other people.

Your Lil Will MIGHT be "well within range", or it might not....No way of knowing without using an SWR meter. Just because "it works", that's no indication that the SWRis within proper settings, and no guarantee your radio won't be damaged over time. And it MIGHT be in range at lower numbered channels, and a mile off at higher channels (or vice versa) as it typically the case. The purpose of setting SWR is to get high AND low channels within proper operational levels. And the likelihood of a typical Lil Will NOT needing to be tuned is no better or no worse than that of a typical Firestik. I've tuned quite a few antenna's for people. I have yet to EVER see one that was good to go straight out of the box. That would simply be a one in 10 million shot in the dark.....

Some antenna's need to be shortened to set SWR.....Just as often, they need to be extended (lengthened)

I actually carry a 2nd antenna under the back seat of my truck. I've got a 4' on most of the time. It performs noticeably better in open country (out on the highway). The "spare" under the seat is a 3'. It takes up such a little space, I keep it there just in case....The difference of the extra foot makes a huge difference in send/receive distance. My radio is 28 watts. (CB's are sold at a maximum of 4 watts) With the extra foot, I've been able to talk to other drivers as far as 40+ miles in good conditions. With the 3', it maxed at around 16 or 17 miles. Both antenna's are tuned to my radio. If I decide to use the shorter one, it's a simple matter to switch....Just thread out the longer, and thread the shorter one in it's place.

I'm not criticizing the Lil Will, a lot of people are happy with them.....But I would HIGHLY recommend hooking it up an SWR meter at some point. But there is a purpose and a value in having a longer/taller antenna. That purpose and value may only be realized dependent on how/when you use your radio. More often than not, mine is used when we're travelling on interstate highways...ie At much greater distances than is typically the case with truck to truck in the woods.

Just talking from truck to truck, in relatively close proximity, you can get away with murder....Even a poorly tuned radio will usually transmit a few hundred yards.

 

Cincy convoy, what's the plan? Matt and I were talking. Since some of us come from either side of 75 and north, maybe we meet at Woody sander Ford just off the Mitchell exit? 8am?

@mwc273 @tacabode @Jibbs
@Lt_Dan

 

everything is still up in the air for me. but i will be going into work on friday. i'm not sure what time i'll be able to leave... i have lots of holiday time next weekend though so i might be able to work something out... again, all up in the air. just count me out of the convoy. i know how to get there

 

Is Brandon closer to Cincy than RRG?

 

Rogey dodgey

 

Got some useful use out of the CB this morning, other than wheeling comms.

 

Holy shit, I didn't mean to trigger anyone. The man was asking for antenna recommendations, and I made a recommendation. I've obviously put a meter on my antenna to verify. Since the consequences of an untuned antenna can be destructive to your CB if you transmit with it, that's a no brainer. Also, at no point did I say it was useless to get a longer antenna (although there is such a thing as 'too long', but unless you're mounting a military grade antenna array on your truck, that doesnt matter.)

 

Not "triggered".

Never said or read "useless" either....

Just expressed my opinion(s)

 

No

Exit I normally take for work was clogged up and got verification of what was going on. Exit ended up being closed entirely, still had to sit in traffic though.
So it didn't "save" me, but made it suck less

 

Everett and I metered my setup and foudn out the quick connect was making it too tall.
I've since put on a proper ground, and it's not a magical change, but made a difference. Probably needs tuned again after the ground was put on.

 

So...it's a nut sack contest? lol

 

http://mentalfloss.com/article/15965/worlds-biggest-balls