Review on FireStik IBA 5 Indoor Base Antenna by Jason Vigil

It works, but it's not a plug and play solution. You MUST tune the antenna EVERY time you tune it and/or use the tuner, preferably as soon as possible first, THEN line up and tune the tuner. NO cuts like before. You turn a screw in or out of the tip of the whip to change its electrical length and therefore resonance. This can be done manually but first you MUST have an SWR meter on your radio and possibly a tuner to get it in tune. INSIDE It is VERY sensitive to objects around it, including you, window grilles (!), wiring, floor lamps, metal-bladed ceiling fans, or a nearby motor. etc. Also, it's REALLY meant to be used on the first floor, the second pushes it. As a result, an attic installation only needs to be one floor higher. Radial bars are flat bars that are 30 inches long. The 30-inch length isn't electrically tied to a traditional radial or counterweight, but it's better than nothing. An attic is obtained when the attic is fairly clean, there is practically no metal, and you cut the wires to extend the radial parts to something useful. At this height, if you can make it, 8-1/2 feet at a time is ideal, lay out four of these in an X-like pattern starting from the center of the clamp bracket that holds the components together. Run the wires straight, this is important, at a 90° X angle. Suddenly he'll behave MUCH better. They have less noise, much easier to set up, better reception, MUCH better transmission (local) because the beam angle drops. I've done this several times and it really works. What you have done is create a 5/8 wave vertical ground plane antenna with a 1/4 wave radial antenna. At this height, a true 1/4W radial will suffice. The length is 102 inches and you get very good bandwidth over 28MHz and well under 27MHz. This setup was so well in tune (1.2:1) that I didn't need a tuner and took it out of line! Just cut the radials right, put them in right, and adjust the length of the whip. It's a lot of money. Do it on the 3rd floor I think. Cut 2 inches for the second floor and another 2 inches for the ground floor. DO NOT exceed 102 inches even if you go higher. You can try lining up the radials with or between the irons (also crossed at 90 degrees) and see what works best. It can be VERY subtle and something you won't notice without a few days of listening and Qso's. Good luck, but bring an SWR meter!