That G-Whip Pro Mobile Antenna Revisited

A while ago, I wrote about my early experiences with the G-Whip Pro Mobile antenna.

I haven't changed my mind about this being a well-made, well-performing antenna at a reasonable price.  But there are a few things that I think make this a less-than-ideal antenna, at least for me.

Much lighter and seconds in switching bands, I'm now using monoband whips.

Firstly, the top section of the antenna, which is removable so as to allow the addition of coils, is prone to bending, apparently being made of brass or similarly soft metal.  This leads to a need, though infrequent, to bend the metal back into shape.  Not a big deal, but rather annoying and it does eventually become a kinked, rather than just bent rod!

Secondly, the need to change coils is a big drawback.  Because you have to remove the whole antenna from the mount to change the coil for a new band, you may as well remove the whole antenna and replace it with a dedicated monoband whip.  This is all the more sensible because, with the G-Whip, you also have to make a record of the top whip adjustments for each band, which don't always work out as expected due to small movements in the magmount position, environment and so on (although that will also happen with other antennas.)

The advantage with the G-Whip is that you need only carry three small band coils, rather than three entirely separate, full antennas in the car. 

The G-Whip is also quite heavy and very stiff for almost all its length; on a magmount, it has enough momentum on a rough track to pull the magnets off the roof, allowing the mount to slide.  OK, if you are going to rough it often to that degree, you'll use a more permanent mount, but even a potholed farm track at slow speed was enough to yank the mount recently. Remember also that a more permanent mount is more likely to be attached to a lower part of the car, such as a towhook or bar, with the consequent loss of about 3dB in gain, according to experienced mobile users.

So, the G-Whip is a good antenna, but I have decided, after a few short months, to ditch it and buy a set of lightweight monoband whips that can simply be screwed off when the band conditions change, and a new band popped back on in seconds.   It eliminates the need to change coils, remember where the spanner is, get the book out to recall the right whip length, struggle with a tape measure and, finally, get back on the air.

Price wise, a monoband whip is just under £40, so multiply that by three and you end up with much the same price as the G-Whip with three coils.