Krackin k40!

[lemmychatter]

Has anyone had any issues with the k40 antenna plastic cracking? i know most are gonna say the wilson 1000 outperforms and i wont argue with that,,but what i like about the k40 is quick disconnect. however ive read a few posts and reviews that clain the plastic base cracks. anyone? thanks!

[1 ADAM 12]

I do not own a K40 but I have read many good things about them. I do remember reading that after a few decades of being in the sun the plastic may begin to crack...but I have actually seen no proof.

[dime196604]

Mine started to crack on the coil, but it was only hairline cracks not very deep, mine was 20 years old I got it for ten bucks, then I got a Wilson 1000. Every time I unscrewed the coil from the base i would have to readjust my swr, some time it shot up to 3+ swr. So I just ordered a brand new k40. I like em much better then the Wilson they just can handle as much power like the Wilson's can, but I think the k40 pick up much less noise and have flatter swr or a wider range

[lemmychatter]

i have heard the same swr problems with wilson too. not sure what would cause that. i think im gonna go for the k40 because you really cant beat that quick disconnect feature. Thanks!!

[Z-MAN]

I had a trunk mount K-40, one of the best antenna's i ever owned. Not only it was easy to match, it handled a 2-pill very well. And when mounted on a truck with a mag mount, the quick disconnect is great for parking structures.

[tulmkr]

The best part of the k-40 is the quality whip,the quick disconnect, and ease of adjustment. The worst part of the k-40 is the weak magnetic base, and cheap coax they use. They will not handle more than 500 watts safely, and when they go bust, so does your amp. I find them to be a decent around town antenna that works pretty good with smaller amps, and have used them for years. They are certainly nothing you want to "key down" with, but they are pretty quiet.

[dime196604]

Yup. I just had to return my k40 cuz it had cracks right out of the box, but its from a sponsor here and they are replacing it for no charge, even free return shipping. If you can find a weather cap for the k40 base you should let me know. Every place I look says its discontinued. I need one to go through the car wash.

[galaxy95Tman]

I love my k40! I got a wilson 1000 and went back to the k40! Nice and quiet and disconnects easier!

[MDYoungblood]

Yes I had that problem with the K40 I had on my Altima, the load got a crack at the bottom about an inch long and the load would get water in it. I even tried to seal it but it didn't help. I sold it for parts and reinstalled a faithful Antenna Specialist Big Momma.

3's

Greg

[silvereagle1]

there is a company on e-bay selling the black weather caps. the company is in the uk but if you use pay pal they will convert the currency. i ordered 4 afew weeks ago. recieved them in about 8 days. it might be a good idea to stock up on them while you can still find tem. when you go to e-bay just type k40 weather cap in the sesrch window. hopefully he still has a few. good luck finding them.

[str8stroke]

Stupid question here, but why do you need a weather cap? Are you taking it off to prevent theft? I never take my antennas off. I even keep a spare in the trunk just in case of thief or damage.

[KP68]

The weather cap is supposed to prevent water and dirt from getting into the connector when the antenna isn't screwed in. The only time I unscrew my antenna is when I pull my car into my garage or if I have to make a quick trip to the store.

[silvereagle1]

It's always good to have a few on hand in case you decide you need them later on. But yes I keep a weather cap on my car when I go through periods of none use.

[chassis221]

Has anyone had any issues with the k40 antenna plastic cracking? i know most are gonna say the wilson 1000 outperforms and i wont argue with that,,but what i like about the k40 is quick disconnect. however ive read a few posts and reviews that clain the plastic base cracks. anyone? thanks!

Ive been using a K40 58" whip since the mid 90s. At that time I didn't know of any other antennas, lol no internet. I was running a cobra 148gtl at that time.
Ive always used the magnet mount. So some years back I purchased a Wilson 5000 because of all the hype, and I just couldn't get the swr as low as the K40. about 1.3 or lower all across 11meter band with the K40. I had the Wilson on my car for about a year then I started having issues with the SWR. So I switched back to the faithful K40. I also have to say that the whip on the K40 is almost twice the thickness of the Wilson 5000. The K40 magnet stays on at speeds over 100mph. The quick disconnect is a great feature too. I run about 150 watts into the K40 now. The coax just runs in the rear passenger door and ive never had any issues with the K40 coax. So my K40
has been around and in use for almost 20 years with no issues! I give a thumbs up.

[K421]

Changing the subject slightly. Hope you don't mind. I have a new K40 magnetic base antenna (brand new). The radio is a Uniden CB SSB with AM/USB/LSB. It has it's own swr meter and calibration functions. The problem I am having is the swr is only 1.0:1 all across the channels. I cannot get any info from the Mfg or the store that sold me the K40. Looking for help here. I would appreciate any input.

Thanks
Buster

[MDYoungblood]

Hello K421,
Welcome to the forum. Most of the built in SWR meters are not the most accurate way of setting the SWR, a good external meter or antenna analyzer should be used. Using it in a pinch is okay I guess. When adjusting the SWR the meter has to be calibrated for each channel you are checking. If the meter is not moving at all then I would venture to say there is a problem with it and most likely not right. You should get your lowest reading on channel 19 or 20 and the ends of the band ,1 or 40 should read slightly higher with the antenna you are using.
As a new member to the forum could you write an intro and post it in the "Welcome to the Forum" topic, thanks.

3's

Greg

[K421]

Thanks for your input MDYoungblood. Calibration was done on all channels before swr was checked. Also I bought another meter and it only showed 1.1:1.
Not familiar with welcome to forum or what kind of intro is needed.
Thanks again for your input.

Buster

[MDYoungblood]

If the external meter is reading 1:1 across the channels and the radio is receiving and transmitting properly then I would leave well enough alone. You can write an intro and post it hear, [Please login or register to view this link] , just write what you want, this way other members can say "Hello".

3's

Greg

[silvereagle1]

Changing the subject slightly. Hope you don't mind. I have a new K40 magnetic base antenna (brand new). The radio is a Uniden CB SSB with AM/USB/LSB. It has it's own swr meter and calibration functions. The problem I am having is the swr is only 1.0:1 all across the channels. I cannot get any info from the Mfg or the store that sold me the K40. Looking for help here. I would appreciate any input.

Thanks
Buster

I've had two 980's and both of them do the same thing. My latest one shows 1.0 on ch 1 and 1.2 on ch 40. If you turn the power down in the 980 it will effect the meter a little bit also.

-- Tuesday, 20 May 2014, 10:36 AM --

[K421]

Silver Eagle, thanks for your reply about the 980's. My SWR's are only 1.1 and 1.0. I would normally be very happy with this except that I think that I may not be transmitting very well. I have difficult time getting replies, and when I do, they are only 1/2 to 1 mile away. Is this normal for this radio/antenna configuration?

[silvereagle1]

The best way to tell rather your radio is getting pretty good range is see if any base stations are on the air early in the morning. Sometimes older guys will be on the air around 5:00 AM when the airways are clean and free of noise. That is a good time to get a real radio check. depending on the conditions your 980 may not make it the 1 mile down the road. Also the other stations need to have a good set up as well. I believe if you'll find some early morning stations you'll be pleased with the results. Worth a shot. For what it's worth the k40 is a very good antenna in my opinion. I used k40 back in the 80's when they were owned by American Antenna. Then when I got back in it this time around I bought a few more k40's. I believe in them. The only reason I'm not running one now is the sirio 5000 peaked my curiosity.

[K421]

I really appreciate your input on the K40 and the early morning radio checks. Can I only expect a mile range on this set up? Guess it''s time to look into linear amps. I had 3 watts showing on an external swr meter. Do you have any input on linear amps?

Thanks for all your input.

[silvereagle1]

My 980's only showed around 3 watts from the factory too. They don't have much swing either. the RM KL203 amp matches up well with the 980 in my opinion. It's a fairly cheap priced amp too. It's around 100 watts total output power on AM.

[K421]

Thanks again for the good info. The amp sound like a good idea. Would more amp capacity be compatible on the 980/K40?

[silvereagle1]

K40 is supposed to be rated at 500 watts. I've also read that 250 is what is actually recommended. I've used my KL503 on the k40 without any issues. It puts out around 240 on AM. If you get an RM amp I'd turn down the AM power just a little bit. Not too low though because the 980 will show RF fail when turned down below a watt and a half. I've got mine set at 2.