Cobra HGA 1500 Hga1500 36 Inch Magnetic Mount CB Antenna Heavy Duty Magnet, for use In Cars, SUVs Recreational Vehicles 300 Watt Power Handling Capability

I purchased this Cobra antenna as an upgrade from the stock antenna that came with my Retevis MB1 radio, which was serviceable but very basic. This Cobra antenna considerably improved my TX and RX (I’m just pushing a standard 4W from my CB) and overall it just performs better. It is fairly easy to tune (if you’ve never tuned an antenna, it’s easy to do but research how to do it to get it right) and the magnet really sticks well. The latex boot is a great idea to protect your car.Originally I got this antenna missing a piece - the mast was gone, but Amazon coordinated a swift replacement. Nice work, Amazon.

Just as described, product works well

I bought this unit to work with a new Cobra CB radio. The radio was junk but this antenna is great. The magnet is very strong and the whip is well made. Has been in use for a while now outside every day and has not corroded or changed its electrical properties. Was easy to tune and the latex boot on the bottom works to save your vehicles finish. The only reason I rated it down was the latex type boot on the bottom, it is starting to fall apart. Some other types would have a giant sticker on the bottom, others would leave it open to the elements. This "boot" is a great idea, but it would have been better to make it thicker or out of better material. Overall this looks like an antenna that will actually last a while and hold strong. I am not expecting perfection since magnet mount antennas are only for temporary use anyway. Get an older CB radio with actual components inside, (no surface mount garbage), and add this antenna for years of use.

Good quality and value for money

Right out of the box, I put the whip all the way down in the base and tested it out. This is on the roof of a crew cab pickup. It was 1.25 at channel 1 up to closer to 2.0 at channel 40. I took 1/8 of an inch off on a bench grinder and ran the wire under the seats to the CB and measured the SWR again. This time I was at 1.5 on channel 40 and well below 1.5 from channel 30 on down to 1.25 at channel 1. That's excellent. I could pick up some conversations out on the interstate about 7+ miles away even though I'm down in a valley.

This antenna is pretty decent for the price. It does perform fairly well, I was able to talk up to ~1.5 miles away on the open road (measured using Google Earth and two separate vehicles) and receive from maybe 2 to 3 miles away (some trucks I could hear before I could talk to them, even though they were running barefoot) so the performance is pretty decent.The build quality is very nice, the plastic feels durable, the whip is made of stainless steel and painted black, the antenna is flexible, but has a base and a mid load coil. the actual plastic base where you insert the antenna ALSO has a coil in it, in addition to the one visible on the antenna. This is what dampens the effectiveness of this antenna to poor performance ranges.The antenna comes tuned for channel 1. I have two of these antennas and BOTH where tuned for channel 1 out of the box. You will HAVE to cut about 1/2 inch of the antenna (good luck) before you get the antenna tuned for channel 20. It does tune fairly easy though. Once tuned, I received SWR readings of 1.6 on channel 1, 1.8 on channel 40, and 1.2 on channel 20. Cutting this 1/8 in SS whip is no laughing matter. Use bolt cutters. Good, bolt cutters. It actually damaged my cheaper bolt cutters, rendering them useless.As for the power handling capability. This antenna should not be used on amplified CB radios or used with linear amplifiers. The base load coil (the one in the plastic at the very bottom, not the visible one on the whip) will get warm and you will feel it mildly warm if you touch it after transmitting for 30 or so seconds. It may say 100 watts, and it does handle that much, but you will not actually get that much radiated power because you're going to be losing half if not more of that power to heat and dielectric loss because of the cheap base load coil. If you go over 100 watts, you're playing a game of "when do I want to short my antenna". I deducted two stars for the heat problem even when just using a CB that swings a little large. Yes, you're better CB radios that may swing ~18 or so watts will actually heat this antenna pretty good. For kicks I tested it with a 12 watt dead key and swing of 50 watts, and it sure did get hot. Thermometer read about 90 degrees Fahrenheit, with surrounding air at 55 degrees, at night. You have been warned.Besides the fact that the base load coil is markedly cheap and hardly handles 100 watts safely, the construction quality is excellent, the plastics do not feel cheap, the whip feels sturdy, the coax is 18 feet long, RG-58/U flexible, the PL-259 plug on the end is decent quality. Easy to tune, easy to use. The magnet holds strong even going 75 MPH. Not ugly, and easily hidden. However, get the Wilson Little Wil if you can, it can actually handle more power, and doesn't get warm, plus, it works about 200% better than this one and is only an extra foot and a few inches of antenna length.

This antenna works great and is very easy to install. Simply stick it to the top of your truck and run a cable through a window/door jamb, or through the floor. Make sure to invest in a SWR meter and use that meter when calibrating your CB radio/antenna setup. Don't be afraid to use a hacksaw to remove 1/4 inch of metal at a time from the antenna itself to reduce SWR. I ended up removing almost 2 inches of material from the antenna before achieving an SWR of 1.2 on channel 1 and 1.3 on channel 40. Plus, if one has to drive in a low clearance parking garage, you simply pull the antenna off the roof.