A whip antenna should be secured at the tip to prevent injury to bystanders on trail runs. With a spring loaded base they tend to litterally whip violently especially if your going thru trees or brush. Even the heavy rocking experianced when crawlin' can get a whip going pretty good.
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Warning: Science content - a la the MythBusters's disclaimer...
A Chicken Band radio transmits in the 27 MHz band - IE the radio wave is 11 meters or 433" high. The plain old long whip like I use on the trail beater is 108" long or 1/4 wave length. With a proper ground plain, a 1/4 wave antenna works like a mirror to effectively radiate a 1/2 wave signal. Since CB's are limited to 4 Watts maximum transmitting power in the US, a CB doesn't have the best range - usually not more than 2 to 10 miles. Given an unobstructed line of site veiw, much longer comms are possible, and in certain conditions, the radio waves can skip off the ionosphere in the upper atmosphere and travel very long distances. If a CB is used with an illegal transmitter in the 100 watt range, world wide comms are possible if sunspot activity is high.
There are much better methods of communication available.
I made the upgrade to Amateur Radio last year. For a fee of $14.00 and a few weeks of study, I earned my Tech Licence, and the call sign KE7IXX is registered with the FCC. This allows me to use a specific range of frequencies - limited 10M, 6M, 2M, 1.25M, 70CM, 33CM, and 13CM.
I purchased a Yaesu FT-2800M 2M radio and 1/4 wave antenna for less than $180.00 bucks. A 1/4 wave 2M antenna is only 20" tall - that's very managable for trail use, and with a good ground plane I've had no problem with contacting other 2M users at ranges of over 50 miles. I had a chat from Mt. Union south of Prescott with a guy in Scottsdale last Friday via Simplex Radio. Simplex means no repeater was used.
Using a repeater opens up comms at very long range. I routinely use a repeater in Flagstaff that's linked to one on Mt. Ord north east of Scottsdale. That link lets me chat with people from Kayenta up on the Navajo Reservation, Wislow, Payson, Prescott, the Verde Valley, Phx, Mesa, Scottsdale and all way to Casa Grande.
The Internet Radio Linking Project opens up the entire world to 2M comms. I can use a repeater thats hooked into the internet to open other radio repeaters world wide. It's pretty cool to be able to make contacts like that.
Chris (BajaTaco) and Scott (Expedition's West) are enroute to Tuk, Northwest Territory, Canada., on the Artic Ocean via the ice roads. When they pass thru Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada., I'll be able to check on their status via IRLP node #1268. How cool is that!
Later
Mark
