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write your own review of the Hustler CGT-144 Collinear Trunk Lip Mount Antenna.
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W4JPS
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 2, 2012 11:31
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Good Collinear for 2m
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is a good gain mobile collinear for 2m, no doubt! You absolutely cannot beat it for the price.
The trunk-lip mount is not as great IMHO, but would work where salinity isn't an issue, and I would still probably use it again.
I ran this antenna on an '88 Olds Delta 88 and it worked very well for years in Myrtle Beach, SC.
The trunk-lip mount began to rust underneath that nice grey plastic mount cap and eventually the ground / bond between the set screws and the trunk deteriorated unbeknown to me.
This isn't really a design flaw more than it is a user maintenance issue. I never regularly checked the VSWR and paid for it.
The system still performed well, so I thought until I sold the car. There was obviously an impedance mismatch and the final PA in my FT-2500 now transmits in the 20-30W range because of it.
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K1DA
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 6, 2011 06:48
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good antenna but BIG
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have several of these from back when rf power on 2 was expensive. They worked very well. Recently I wanted to inprove my aircraft band scanning setup so I retuned one for the aircraft band. The lower section has enough extra length but the top whip doesn't have enough length to be a 5/8 on 130 MHZ so I made one from SS whip stock. On the Hustler "base station" mount I now hear a control tower and ADIS which were in the noise with a 1/4 wave cut to 130 on the same mount. I'm probably right on the edge of the design limit but it works.
Only downside for mobile use is that with a very sharp pattern, if it bends too far over at high speed the pattern tilt is into the road in back and up in the air in front. You might have to tie some thin monofilament from the antenna to the car to keep it upright.
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AE5J
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 5, 2011 18:39
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Unbelievable!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is more of a durability/longevity report. I bought 2 of the CG-144's for use on different vehicles when they were first introduced many years ago. Because they were so tall, I had to take them out of service. Unbeknownst to me, my XYL found them in a storage shed, thought I might use them some day, and put them outside leaning on a fence. I didn't see them and they eventually got buried under about 6 inches of dirt/grass next to a leaky water faucet.
Yesterday I found both of them (with a shovel)and figured they were gone. I decided to take them in and clean them up. Shined up pretty well - except for the coil housing. I thought I would try one for grins and see if it still worked. Amazingly, the SWR was like when it was new and I could easily hit a repeater 40+ miles away with the antenna at 6 ft.
Here is the unbleievable part. These antennas had been buried for more than 7 years! While I don't recommend you try it at home yourself, it does speak volumes for build quality.
73 - Pete
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W5JH
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 17, 2011 09:17
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Well Built - Great Gain
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Like most of the reviewers have stated, this is a great antenna. It is big but you can't get the gain without being big. The thing I noticed is that this antenna requires a very good ground. I could not get the SWR down to an acceptable level until I improved the ground. I added 3 #12 copper wire radials to my gum drop mount and the SWR was great. My antenna is mounted on the rail of my pickup truck and even though I had cleaned all the paint from around the 5/8 inch hole, the ground was still not good enough. I added a single radial and the SWR improved a lot (1.3:1). Three radials really improved the SWR. It now works better than any 2 meter mobile antenna I have ever tried.
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KE5D
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 20, 2010 13:20
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Works Good
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have seen these antennas for years. I mounted one on the trunk of my 97 Sentra. I have gained another 40 miles (was 80)of coverage over the 5/8 antenna. I looke to see why such an increase would happen. The 1/4 collinear part does not give it that much more gain. I modeled the antenna using EZNEC and found that it focuses the radiation at the horizon much better than 1/4 wave or 5/8 wave. Nick
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N4DBM
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Rating: 5/5
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May 22, 2010 14:42
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Works on 10 Meters also.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Should have put this in my previous review. I saw where someone else wrote this about the antenna working on 10 meters, and it does. Since it is not a DC grounded antenna, the slight inductance in the phasing coil acts as some loading on 10 meters and the feed point impedance looks like a 50 ohm quarter wave. Every vehicle installation varies, but with my CT-144 mounted thru-hole on a toolbox, on 2 meters cut for 146.000 MHz even, the 10 meter match is right at 28.300 MHz and has well below 1.5:1 SWR from 28.100 to 28.700. I have made many contacts on this antenna on 10 meters. Buy an HF/VHF diplexer from Comet or Diamond, and no need for an antenna switch! Similarly, buy the G3-144 base antenna and have a 2M/10M dual band base. It's the same antenna.
73, N4DBM.
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N4DBM
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Rating: 5/5
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May 7, 2010 04:18
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The best.. PERIOD.
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Starting out knowing it may be a litte lengthy..
Hustler antennas are my favorite. I like dealing with the company and their products are proven over decades and made in the U.S. They are a good old school company and I really believe their sincerity and motivation to produce good products comes from the desire to make us "hams" happy.
I got the CG-144, which is the antenna ONLY (no mount) from Universal Radio for $31.95. You can hardly buy a Larsen 1/4 wave for that! $31.95 is a fantastic deal, first of all, for the antenna.
The CG-144 is a 5/8 wave over a 1/4 wave. It is the exact same antenna as the G3-144 base station, only a little thinner. It accepts 3/8 x 24 TPI threads, and mounts are relatively cheap and can be bought for $10 - $15 at CB stores.
The performace is EXCELLENT. Of course with the physical size, it should be. It's just over 7 feet tall. The VSWR is flat up and down the band. Gain over a 5/8 wave is very noticable, gain over a 1/4 wave is nearly the difference between uncopyable and full quieting.
The quality and appearance is great, too. Overall as you can imagine, I am very, very satisfied with this antenna.
I looked for a high gain 2M mobile for a while, and when comparing prices and quality, I looked at some of the Comet and Diamond manufacturers.. Over $90 for a comparable sized/gain antenna from those guys! I'll stick with the Hustler product line, a good American company with fair prices Thanks again Hustler for the fine antennas.
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N0FPE
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Rating: 5/5
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May 2, 2010 15:16
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damn good
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Probably the best monoband mobile antenna out there. I can hear things when others sitting right beside me cant. as far as a trunk lip mount..I would have to pass, just to much antenna for that kind of mount in my opinion. I use a nice heavy ball mount.
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KC8Y
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Rating: 5/5
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May 2, 2010 06:01
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excellent antenna
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had & used the CGT-144 (with the radial grounds) on a mast (about 15-ft high) for over 15+years, and it surely rates more than a 5...
This setup has always given me EXCELLENT results
in all types of weather (we have in NE OH), and it's NOT been weather-proofed at all...I use 15-watts and a base-radio on 2-meter FM
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W8AAZ
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Rating: 5/5
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May 1, 2010 17:20
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Proven over decades
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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First off, this one is not on a vehicle, it is on a mast at home. My Comet dual bander needed new coax. I did not need the dual band function and wanted less of a comprimise on 2M. I got a NOS in-package Hustler for like 18 bucks on ebay. Another payout for the mast mount radial kit from R&L, they had it discounted. So I saved alot of money on it. Tuned it up on a short mast. This requires cutting of the heavy thick stainless lower section. Hard to cut, be prepared. Very hard to cut with a hacksaw. Had it almost perfect match on the mockup. Weatherproofed it and put on the same mast the Comet was on. Well when I got it up the SWR is now just under 1.5 but the curve seems the same so it must be random factors. It seems to be outperforming the Comet though. Not by huge margins but visible improvements and a better report on simplex from a regular station. If you have one lying around unused, get the radial kit and have a viable gain home station that is a bit less visible than the fibreglass antennas and lightweight to boot. I have used them and seen them for decades so they got a rep that you cannot deny. Just watch out for a tight center pin on the coax conn. on the radial kit. Might need some working in to get it connected. Mine fits like really tight which must be good. Take the time to weatherproof it real good.
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