Monday, October 7, 2013

Firestik K1A/K4A/K8A

After purchasing the Boztec mount I decided to purchase all the other firestik components that were listed on the Boztec site. This made installation much easier than using the old coax cable that was somewhat short. With the 18' cable I was able to pass it from the back along the side of the rear seat and run it through the channel along the door. I then passed it underneath the front seat and out through the hole where the air bag sensor connector goes through. I was able to place the extra 3' of coax into the center console where I had the CB.  The other side of the coax went into the firestik k1a connector which was easy enough to mount and tighten to the boztec mount. The spring then went on top.  After installing, I thought about buying a quick release so that I could easily take off the antenna whenever I wanted to. It added about 3 more inches to the stack of connector and spring. Once everything was connected, I hooked up the SWR and saw that there was no reflection whatsoever for ALL channels. The power output of the CB was also a full 4 Watts. I think using the quick disconnect raised the antenna enough above the roofline to optimize transmission without any reflections. I was impressed with this setup.  Next, I might buy an SSB/CB combo unit. I've seen quite a few nice ones out there with some having built-in SWR.

Update - After 3 years of keeping the antenna on the FJ, it looks like the quick release does not work anymore since the internals had rusted.  I could tell from the rust coming out of the small circular pin on the outside.  I have read that others have had the same problem and that they use dielectric grease after purchasing in order to keep it from rusting.  I think if Firestik had used stainless steel internals it would still be working.  So now it's just an extender to the antenna and I have to use a wrench to take it off, which is pointless for a quick release.  Everything else seems to be aging well without rusting and the FJ is kept outside all the time.  I didn't even have to tune the CB after a couple of years that it was unused and disconnected.

CB antenna stack - Boztec mount, connector, spring, quick disconnect, 5' antenna. 

No comments: