Customer Reviews

"Little Wil" Wilson CB Magnet Mount Antenna

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Pros:
- Very strong magnet attaches firmly to the vehicle
- Narrow whip poses little wind resistance (see importance in the text below)

Cons:
- Nothing compares to the 102" whip (any junk CB station will sound like the most expensive electronics work of art with a 102" antenna, but a whip of this length is not feasible on a regular passenger car).

This antenna is reasonably long for a four-wheeler (passenger car), and still not too long for low ceiling garages and similar spaces.

The truck drivers have been my best friends from the moment I realized how helpful they can be on the CB radio waves and nowadays mainly for security reasons I refuse to drive on a highway without a CB station. I have a number of them and a number of magnet mount antennas. One of them was almost as long/high as this one, but was wider and had a weaker magnet, so one very windy day while I was driving quite fast on the highway the wind blew it off my roof (and kept me wondering for 10 seconds how on earth it can hail on a sunny day, till I stopped and saw that the antenna was hanging by the wire and flipping left and right across the roof of my car). After that experience I used a much shorter, about 10" antenna which can never be blown away, but its reception and transmission abilities are pitiful. Little Wil antenna has the best value for me because of its combination of length, magnet strength and narrow profile for low wind resistance, and its thin and very flexible whip can get through even lowest garages.

If you want to buy a CB, anyone radio will do for normal everyday use. However, the antenna makes or brakes you. After frustratingly buying several smaller more discreet antennas, I purchased the Little Wil. I prowled the internet and it seems near unanimous that the Little Wil is the best and smallest low-price antenna you can buy and still get the performance you'd expect out of a CB. The antenna is around 3 feet, which, while not tiny, is not big by CB standards. Properly tuned, this antenna will get you several miles of communication. I travel daily in areas where cell phones don't get out, so this was a good investment for me.

This was not my first CB antenna (also you should see my review of my Midland radio--I explain tuning the radio/antenna). Before I bought this antenna I read all the reviews and they were top notch, but the "Little Wil" did not "look" like a CB radio antenna I was used to seeing. I thought it should have that coil in the middle of the antenna to get some good signal--what a mistake that was!! I could not do squat with that other antenna, so I broke down and bought the "Little Wil" and once I tuned it to my Midland CB, I was getting SWR readings of under 2.0 for channels 1-40 (I estimate the meter read round 1.5 - 1.75 for channels 1-40). With my Midland radio & this antenna I am reaching people 20+ miles away CLEARLY. Also, the wire that connects the antenna to the radio is long, and of decent gauge, and the magnet that sticks to your car is STRONG. I can't recommend this one enough--don't make the mistake I did I judge a book by its cover--this is one awesome little CB antenna once properly tuned.

strong magnetic hold and easy to mount anywhere on truck and car. no more fiddling around with swr meter

Okay, so this isn't a 102" whip. This isn't the end-all of antennas. This is a very competent, low-profile, removable, high-quality antenna.

How I tested this: I was in my pickup truck with a (4 watt) Midland radio with a Wilson 1000. My wife parked on a hill about 200' above the valley with a 10 year old hand-held Cobra radio (4 watts) connected to the Little Wil mounted on her Corolla. We were on channel 22 and I started to drive away from her. We were loud and clear for 4 miles!!! At 5 miles we were still communicating.

For what it is, I had to rate it 5 stars.

This antenna has served perfectly for my use in a pickup as I travel. Makes my cobra work and sound great. Attached by a magnet that does not move.

For CB antennas Wilson is one of the best brands. I can pick up signals and transmit for miles with even their entry-level "Little Wil". This is one of the best antennas for a car, since it's not that tall and the magnetic mount works flawlessly even at high speeds. It's still a lot taller than most of the poorer quality radio shack ones, but if you don't care about looks it's one of the best options for a car application.

SWR on this was not really good above 2.1, I tried to find bigger whip and ended up in replacing the whole antenna because that was suggested by Barjan LLC distributor. The second shipment from Wilson had defective cracked unit and ended up in replacing that too. In this process I spend almost double the cost of antenna. Wilson Little Wil cost me $68. During my hassle I found K-40 Antenna from local CB shop, I purchased that too and amazed by its performance. SWR was flat across all 40 channels, out of the box.

I use this with a Cobra 29 WX/NW/ST, and SkyThumper Mic, I have the Little Wil antenna on the top center of my 2003 Explorer.

Reception is great, but transmitting, you will be hearing them more than they hear you. I'm already looking to move to up to a Wilson W1000.

Also, I didn't buy off Amazon, who ever is selling for $85 plus $20 shipping is a rip off.. this is a $35 antenna at my local truck stop, $40 online at other sites. don't buy it for more than $40

I bought the little-wil antenna to use on the roof of a toyota yaris, connected to a Cobra 18 in-dash radio. I used the built-in SWR meter on a Cobra 29 to tune the antenna.

The whip on these antennas is left a little long intentionally so that they can be tuned by cutting off the end to shorten the length. This is part of the installation process. Out of the box, the SWR read higher on channel 40 than channel 1. This is normal, but it means if you do not adjust the length of the whip your transmission will be better on lower channel numbers than higher ones. You can use it this way as long as the SWR is not much over 2 on the highest channel.

The antenna comes with instructions on how to adjust it. It is best to follow those instructions and ignore other reviewers who talk about moving the whip up or down in the holder. If you have to do that, the whip is too short. The correct way is to cut a small amount from the end of the whip and retest. The instructions say to cut 1/4" at a time, but I was more careful and cut about 1/8" each time.

You cannot easily cut this steel with a hack saw. You will need a cutting tool capable of chopping through an 1/8" steel whip. I had a pair of bolt-cutters that easily did the job. After you cut it, the edge will be jagged and sharp. It is best to use a file then and remove the sharp edges. The steel is hard and it does not cut easily. If you do not have the tools to do the job properly, it may be easier for you to take it to a CB shop, where it will only take a short time to do it. Or you could just use it "as-is". Wilson designed it so that it was close enough to use out of the box, but enough extra length to fine-tune it. But it is always best to test it to be safe. Some of the other reviews show that if you do not install the antenna and cable properly, you can get high SWR's.

To summarize, here is what you need:

- SWR meter if your CB does not have one built-in
- Bolt cutters or heavy snips. Some pliers might have built-in cutters but this is not easy to cut
- File or bench grinder to remove sharp burrs after cutting

I removed almost exactly 1/4" from the whip, and then the antenna was perfectly tuned. This means that the SWR was the same on channel 1 as channel 40. The middle of the frequency range between 1 and 40 will then be optimal, which means you are tuned for the best transmission on channels 19 and 20. It just so happens that the frequency on channel 19 (27.185 MHz) is what most people use, which is why you tuned it this way.