Anyone painted a metal whip?

I bought a Wilson Short Load to replace the completely un-stealth 5' whip. It's an improvement, but I think it would look better if it was painted black. If anyone has done this, care to offer any tips?

Specifically..

- Preparation before painting
- Primer?
- Type of paint

And also, how to keep the little vinyl cap at the end on. It came with two. I put one on before I drove to work tonight and it's already gone with the wind - literally. :rolleyes:

I also thought of just forgetting the paint and using some long sections of black heat shrink tubing. I don't even know where to buy it that long or if it would be a good idea...

I painted the whip on a scanner antenna black. I got some very fine grit (don't know the number) sandpaper and gave it a couple minutes worth of light sanding to prep it. Wiped it clean with a clean, dry cloth. Then I sprayed it very lightly with Rust-Oleum metal paint until it was completely covered. Let it get tacky dry, then did another touch-up coat. I haven't had it crack or chip off. It's held quite well. Your results may vary.

Sounds like a plan. :thumb2:

I painted my maxrad black. I just wiped it down with some paint thinner and shot it with some rustoleum.

Been using the very same Wilson short load

Wilson Antenna - Short Load Adapter

on my Wilson 5000 for almost 4 years, why would you like to paint it, black or whatever, is not that it comes in red or white or yellow, but hey, maybe I don't care much about the color of a freaking short load antenna:laugh:

And never had any issues with that little vinyl cap, over 200,000 miles with the short load including in areas with lots of small trees, luckily the short load is very flexible, never broke at all and never lost that little cap, I think it's for stopping getting more static, if you lose it just replace it with anything similar you might have in the house or I guess you can find at any Home Depot or Lowe's store.

Chris

I'll bet a black whip would look good supercowpowers.

I got it painted yesterday. Yes, it looked good, but I still have to sort of start over again...

One of the reasons I got the short load was that I figured a shorter antenna would have less leverage, less wind load, and less weight so it wouldn't stress the mount and the roof as much. Turns out that the short load just uses thick single-width whips that aren't as flexible or light as the tapered stock whip that becomes thinner near the top, so it actually felt heavier at the coil than the 5' whip. :rolleyes:

I had a spare stock whip so I cut, off the top of it, a piece equal in length to the top part of the short load, and another piece a few inches longer than the bottom part of the short load to provide some ability to tune it. Now it's lighter and at least as flexible as the stock whip (because it is one), but I still need to tune it, paint it, and check the SWR again.

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Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

why would you like to paint it, black or whatever, is not that it comes in red or white or yellow, but hey, maybe I don't care much about the color of a freaking short load antenna:laugh:

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Because everyone seems to notice an antenna on the roof. Little kids, passing motorists, even the security guards at work. :angry: Black is less conspicuous. Also, the coil and the little matching thingy in the middle is black, so it looks better if everything is black.

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Originally Posted by supercowpowers

Because everyone seems to notice an antenna on the roof. Little kids, passing motorists, even the security guards at work. :angry: Black is less conspicuous. Also, the coil and the little matching thingy in the middle is black, so it looks better if everything is black.

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Holy crap, why are you so fearful man, for God's sake it's just a freaking antenna, whatever:confused::rolleyes:

When people see my antenna, a fully visible camcorder inside the car, GPS on the dashboard, limo tint everywhere except the windshield, got many times this one: are you a private eye, or bounty hunter, or undercover cop? I just :) and ;) and let them know to stay safe and careful out there, the more I'm different than the freaking majority the better I feel, of course nobody knows about my super stealth STI install;)

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Originally Posted by RoadWarrior/RW

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Originally Posted by supercowpowers

Because everyone seems to notice an antenna on the roof. Little kids, passing motorists, even the security guards at work. :angry: Black is less conspicuous. Also, the coil and the little matching thingy in the middle is black, so it looks better if everything is black.

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Holy crap, why are you so fearful man, for God's sake it's just a freaking antenna, whatever:confused::rolleyes:
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the more I'm different than the freaking majority the better I feel

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I've always been an anonymous sort of person. Especially when it comes to equipment that aids in me committing (let's be honest here) illegal activity.

Well I had to put it back together again with the actual short load whips. Even though I cut the bottom part a few inches longer than the original short load's, it still tuned too high. I would have had to cut a new piece off of the thicker, less flexible part of the spare stock whip and it would have ended up only about a foot shorter than the stock whip anyway.

No pictures now because it's too bright out.

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Originally Posted by supercowpowers

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Originally Posted by RoadWarrior/RW

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Originally Posted by supercowpowers

Because everyone seems to notice an antenna on the roof. Little kids, passing motorists, even the security guards at work. :angry: Black is less conspicuous. Also, the coil and the little matching thingy in the middle is black, so it looks better if everything is black.

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Holy crap, why are you so fearful man, for God's sake it's just a freaking antenna, whatever:confused::rolleyes:
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the more I'm different than the freaking majority the better I feel

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I've always been an anonymous sort of person. Especially when it comes to equipment that aids in me committing (let's be honest here) illegal activity.

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ILLEGAL ACTIVITY? Well, you're on your own buddy, I've never been, never will be involved in any ILLEGAL business, I guess if you're doing that kind of stuff you really need to stay low, very low, otherwise all anti-radar/laser equipment is perfectly legal in your state, I wish that was the case in my area as well!

Cops will call in "multiple antennas" when making a stop since they suspect that the driver may be running drugs. Yep, cops profile you for having any other antennas aside from a radio or cell antenna.

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Originally Posted by MEM-TEK

Cops will call in "multiple antennas" when making a stop since they suspect that the driver may be running drugs. Yep, cops profile you for having any other antennas aside from a radio or cell antenna.

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And you think that they are so blind while being right behind you not to see that CB stuff Wilson Antenna - Wilson 1000 you're running on top of your car? black or silver, they will see it from 1/4 mile away!!! C'mon man, we are adults here, right!;) Also if you have nothing to hide, about most of you guys except the VA ones, you have nothing to fear, I've been running my equipment for years now and you know that RDs are illegal up here, no issues whatsoever, on the contrary, cops start smiling at you when you see you're different... in a positive way:);) again, my own experience only!

Alright now. If I was involved in that kind of illegal activity I certainly wouldn't be posting about it here. Actually, I'd probably have nothing on my car and just drive as legally as possible.

Fact is that speeding is against the law, therefore anything that would attract the attention of law.. enforcement.. would be... disadvantageous.

I'm just trying to strike a balance that I'm personally comfortable with between CB performance and stealth. I already got the length of the whip down by 2 feet, and it's true that flat black paint reflects much less light than bare steel and is less likely to "catch your eye." It's still there, but just not as obvious, if that makes sense.

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Originally Posted by MEM-TEK

Cops will call in "multiple antennas" when making a stop since they suspect that the driver may be running drugs. Yep, cops profile you for having any other antennas aside from a radio or cell antenna.

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[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IPgbkg-AtQ]YouTube - bust[/ame]

I talked to this LEO for a good 15-20 minutes during this stop and he told me that my car looked like a "weed runner" because of the tint and extra antennas so he singled me out.

He told me that they were running "interdiction". Notice that they weren't running radar...

Yea, my antennas are black.

I was stopped and SEARCHED one time at a roadblock. Plus just a few weeks ago I was pulled over for "speeding". He said he clocked me at a speed I wasn't driving (I picked him up with the RD wayyyy before I got to him and was going UNDER the PSL. I heard him on the scanner call my tag in and said the vehicle looked "suspicious".

Once he saw I was just going to work he turned me loose...

Sounds like your tint caused most of the suspicion. That stuff looks great but seems to attract attention.

Yep.

Tint+CB antenna+scanner antenna+driving through heavy drug corridors=attention by LEOs:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by srtga

Yep.

Tint+CB antenna+scanner antenna+driving through heavy drug corridors=attention by LEOs:rolleyes:

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Imagine that. :D

Luckily most of my excessive speeding is done on the East/West routes. And a scanner wouldn't help me because of that OpenSkam BS.

I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't experience it pretty often. I log a butt load of miles a week though...

Most LEOs kind of deflate when they get a look at me. They USUALLY don't give me much flak but the car seems to get their attention.

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Originally Posted by supercowpowers

Alright now. If I was involved in that kind of illegal activity I certainly wouldn't be posting about it here. Actually, I'd probably have nothing on my car and just drive as legally as possible.

Fact is that speeding is against the law, therefore anything that would attract the attention of law.. enforcement.. would be... disadvantageous.

I'm just trying to strike a balance that I'm personally comfortable with between CB performance and stealth. I already got the length of the whip down by 2 feet, and it's true that flat black paint reflects much less light than bare steel and is less likely to "catch your eye." It's still there, but just not as obvious, if that makes sense.

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Don't worry big guy, it's nothing wrong being very coucious, some people are, others see things from a different angle, I hate when we are all the same, for sure I see things differently, each of us have a different background that makes us visualize life with different eyes, and again, nothing wrong with this, that's what a free country is all about, right?:)

You stay safe out there!:);)

Chris

Just finished the first commute with the short load. It doesn't seem to lose too much performance compared to the original whip. Distant conversations are a little harder to make out but they rarely provided me with information about law enforcement anyway. It's probably about halfway between a Lil Wil and the original whip.

I'm not too happy about the silly looking load in the middle, but my only other option I think would be to redo all my wiring for an NMO mount and put up something like a Maxrad 2700 which is still 4 feet tall anyway.

Anyway, threads like this are worthless without pictures...

I don't have tint, it's just dark out.
"Multiple antennas" :D (At least there's no tint or scanner antennas ;))
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a319/ryanms/rear.jpg

Front view - obviously.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...s/100_0677.jpg

Doesn't look like much of an improvement unless we compare it to the original, which was literally taller than the car...
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...s/100_0659.jpg

Here it is beside the original Wilson 1000 whip. I swear there's a bigger difference between the bare steel and black paint out in the sun.
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...s/100_0678.jpg

Respect for manning up and drilling that hole! :thumb2:

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Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker

Respect for manning up and drilling that hole! :thumb2:

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x2. You are one of a select few that drilled a hole, even though your not deep into the hobby (4 scanners, 2 CB's, each with 2 ant. in co-phase., etc.)

Reminds me that I still have to do mine. The interior is now gutted, so it's just time and hole saw.

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Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker

Respect for manning up and drilling that hole! :thumb2:

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I absolutely hated seeing the enormous magnet mount with the sloppy coax hanging out of it and the water leaking in the trunk, and I didn't like the idea of using a trunk lip mount and putting the coil at the very front of the trunk and under the roof line. I guess it works alright but I dunno... There also would have been no way I could have kept the antenna from hitting the roof with a trunk lip mount.

My goal is to keep this car to the point that a small hole plug in the roof wouldn't devalue it too much. :D Until that point, I'm much happier with a "proper" install.

It honestly doesn't look that bad with the weather cap on the mount, and I got a package of 3/4" hole plugs that only stick about 1/8" above the roof if I decide I need one.

Some people just think chrome is the devil

A black whip will give back a lower LCS (LIDAR cross section) which means $0.50 of spray paint could save you a $200 ticket. (Last I checked Wilson didn't make jammer heads in there center loaded antennas)

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Originally Posted by Motor On

Last I checked Wilson didn't make jammer heads in there center loaded antennas

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Interesting thought though! Back in the 70s, Robyn made an antenna that had a little grain of wheat bulb on the very tip that lit up when you transmitted. Then someone started marketing similar bulbs with loose wire leads on them to simply tape or solder into place on any metal whip. They were all the rage for a little while. It'd be cool to rig a modulated laser diode onto your antenna whip in similar fashion!

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Originally Posted by Motor On

A black whip will give back a lower LCS (LIDAR cross section) which means $0.50 of spray paint could save you a $200 ticket. (Last I checked Wilson didn't make jammer heads in there center loaded antennas)

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:bs2::bs2::bs2::bs2::bs2::bs2:
I will give $100 to anyone that can get a reading off a CB antenna. :rolleyes:

Its NOT possible!!!! I have tried multiple times

Rob, I am completely with you. I'm glad someone else can see through the line of thinking.

I am stunned that people like Stealth Stalker think that it is feasible, as mentioned in previous threads.

I didn't say it was feasible. I said it was an interesting idea.

Nit picking, but kinda sounds like you think it's a little feasible...

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Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker

I think the chances are extremely slim, but again, someone did mention this being a factor here at least once. That's why I make sure all my antenna whips are black.

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Oh, sorry. We were referring to different posts. My mistake. But, if you interpret "extremely slim" as meaning "feasible", then I suppose you're right. That certainly wasn't my intention. But the fact remains that anything is possible.

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Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker

But the fact remains that anything is possible.

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Sadly. :(

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Originally Posted by FoolishOne

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Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker

Respect for manning up and drilling that hole! :thumb2:

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x2. You are one of a select few that drilled a hole, even though your not deep into the hobby (4 scanners, 2 CB's, each with 2 ant. in co-phase., etc.)

Reminds me that I still have to do mine. The interior is now gutted, so it's just time and hole saw.

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Drill baby drill!

I did my trunklid... not as hardcore as the 'ol roof mount...

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Originally Posted by srtga

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Originally Posted by FoolishOne

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Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker

Respect for manning up and drilling that hole! :thumb2:

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x2. You are one of a select few that drilled a hole, even though your not deep into the hobby (4 scanners, 2 CB's, each with 2 ant. in co-phase., etc.)

Reminds me that I still have to do mine. The interior is now gutted, so it's just time and hole saw.

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Drill baby drill!

I did my trunklid... not as hardcore as the 'ol roof mount...

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Smart people only ruin things they can unbolt and replace. :laugh:

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Originally Posted by srtga

Drill baby drill!

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:lol:

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Originally Posted by crazyVOLVOrob

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Originally Posted by Motor On

A black whip will give back a lower LCS (LIDAR cross section) which means $0.50 of spray paint could save you a $200 ticket. (Last I checked Wilson didn't make jammer heads in there center loaded antennas)

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:bs2::bs2::bs2::bs2::bs2::bs2:
I will give $100 to anyone that can get a reading off a CB antenna. :rolleyes:

Its NOT possible!!!! I have tried multiple times

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x2!

I'm not sure if I'm being overly technical, but I think LCS (LIDAR cross section) would NOT be a factor with regards to laser being used to measure speed.

The only important "cross section" for LIDAR would be the area where the laser beam hits. Unlike radar, laser doesn't 'paint' the entire vehicle. So unless the laser beam is targeting on the whip, I don't think it matters what color/material the whip is made up of.

That said, given the cross section of a whip, I would agree that trying to get a laser reading of a CB antenna is impossible.

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Originally Posted by Stealth Stalker

But the fact remains that anything is possible.

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So I need to account for the possibility of flying pig dropping down on the officer shooting laser

Honestly Rob its not possible. Then you look at a Lidar gun beam divergence that any punchthrough could be gotten off of the CB antenna.

So to even imply that its remotely possible is :lol: .

All I can say is do what Stealth Stalker said, And you'll be good to go!

Your best best is to lightly sand the stainless with some medium grit sandpaper and then mark the tuning area (which goes down inside the antenna mount) by taping just above it then tape off that entire contact area and dip the antenna into varethane. It is a rubber coating like what you find on tool handles ie: pliers grips, etc. The more times you dip it, the thicker the coating becomes. Unlike paint it won't crack or chip and can be slid on and off the antenna if you desire. Change colours etc. I think you will find it will last longer and look nicer overall. A small long wall paper pan to lay the antenna into is best. Then only a small amount of varethane is required to submerge the entire antenna less the taped off portion. If you use a cheap plastic wall paper pan you can poke the antenna through up to the point where the taped off section is, Be sure to keep it low to prevent filling the pan with varethane material.

I hope this helps

haans :)

Well that's something I've never heard of before. I already had it painted for a few weeks and it seems to be holding up but now I know what to try if my paint job starts failing.

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Originally Posted by haansgruber

Your best best is to lightly sand the stainless with some medium grit sandpaper and then mark the tuning area (which goes down inside the antenna mount) by taping just above it then tape off that entire contact area and dip the antenna into varethane. It is a rubber coating like what you find on tool handles ie: pliers grips, etc. The more times you dip it, the thicker the coating becomes. Unlike paint it won't crack or chip and can be slid on and off the antenna if you desire. Change colours etc. I think you will find it will last longer and look nicer overall. A small long wall paper pan to lay the antenna into is best. Then only a small amount of varethane is required to submerge the entire antenna less the taped off portion. If you use a cheap plastic wall paper pan you can poke the antenna through up to the point where the taped off section is, Be sure to keep it low to prevent filling the pan with varethane material.

I hope this helps

haans :)

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