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View Full Version : Cobra High Gear power whip antenna review by TALLMAN



Tallman
11-05-2013, 08:57 AM
Notice: I changed the magnetic mount to a much stronger unit. The antenna blew off of my car when a wind gust knocked it over at 70 mph on the highway. Model I used is MM-4401 4 heavy duty magnets on a solid steel frame.

The first impression I got when I opened the package was that this is just another clone of a brand name antenna that looks very similar.

That's where the similarity ends. I know for a fact that this antenna had never been installed before and I am the first owner. I own one of the “Brand Name” antennas and have been very happy with it's performance and reliability. I bought this one to use with my Galaxy DX-959 in a new mobile for an up coming road trip.

I am a very fastidious when it comes to antennas and SWR adjustments. A little extra care here means the radio won't damage the finals during long term use and the transmitter is making maximum use of the 12 Watts P.E.P. allowed.

The antenna tuning process went like this:

1: Wash and dry the area where the mount was going to be used.

2: Install the mount and the quick connector for the antenna.

3: Hook up all of the radio wires and coaxial cables to the radio, swr meter and antenna.

4: Check the SWR at channel one, channel forty, and then go to channel twenty to fine tune the SWR.

The last part of step four was not required. No adjustment was required, at all. The highest SWR I observed during the test and tune up was 1.5 to 1 and at channel twenty there was no movement of the indicator needle. I removed the SWR meter and the jumper and checked the SWR with the DX-959's internal meter and it agreed with the external meter.

One reason I bought the quick connect is because I also operate on the 10 meter band and just by changing out the whip I can run my HR 2510.

Since I started this review I have decided to use this one for my 10 Meter radio. It appears that this antenna has a fairly broad bandwidth and the SWR looks really good over the entire 10 meter band. from 28.00 MHz to 29.600 it is flat using the setup I have.

I feel this is a worth while investment and the flexibility suits my needs to a tee.

Would I recommend this to a friend? Absolutely, and I will buy this model again, if needed.

Link to photos of the antenna installed.
http://www.cbjunkies.com/threads/1063-Pictures-of-the-Cobra-High-Gear-antenna?p=8475#post8475


Here is my antenna setup as tested: hyelectronics.com/4-1_2-FOOT-POWER-WHIP-WEB-SPECIAL/productinfo/POWERWHIP45SPEC/ (http://www.hyelectronics.com/4-1_2-FOOT-POWER-WHIP-WEB-SPECIAL/productinfo/POWERWHIP45SPEC/)

H&Y part number antenna= POWERWHIP45SPEC

H&Y part number Magnetic mount= MM-401(Not recommended for highway use)

H&Y part number Magnetic mount=MM-4401

H&Y part number Quick Connect= QD-1 (http://www.hyelectronics.com/hd-stainless-steel-quick-dis/productinfo/QD%2D1/)

Your results may vary according to your specific conditions. (http://www.hyelectronics.com/hd-stainless-steel-quick-dis/productinfo/QD%2D1/)