Sirio performer 5000 PL

The end of the antenna is covered in a protective plastic tip..The Mag 145 PL is the magnetic base to which the antenna attaches. It came in its own box and has a male adapter that sticks out the top for the antenna to screw on to. It also has a run of around 13 feet of RG-58 coax that comes out of the unit and is ready to hook up to your radio. The magnetic base is around 6 inches in diameter and is fairly substantial. It comes with a rubber boot that fits on the bottom and helps prevent the unit from scratching the paint on your vehicle. While the unit is larger than the Wilson 5000 base, it also has a lower profile.

 

In the image below you can easily see the size difference between the Sirio (left) and the Wilson (right). Aside from the size the other major difference to note is the coax length. The Wilson 5000 comes with around 17 feet of coax while the Sirio 5000 only comes with 13 feet. This was a major complaint for me when mounting on an SUV where my entrance point for the coax was at the back of the vehicle. The coax wasn't long enough to run all the way to my SWR meter which is mounted in the center console. For smaller cars or different routing methods it's not a huge deal and you can of course change the coax if you have some soldering skills, but for some people the short length might prove an annoyance.

 

 

 

 

Sirio Performer 5000 PL Antenna

(Tested with Sirio Mag 145 PL Magnet Mount Base)

 

If your Christmas bonus is burning a hole in your pocket and you've been looking at buying a magnetic mount antenna, you might just want to read this article before pulling the trigger.

 

As a long-time fan of the Wilson 1000 and 5000 magnetic mount antennas, I've often recommended them to CBer's as one of the best solutions for a temporary/permanent install and performance-wise they beat just about every other magnetic mount antenna on the market. In addition to how well they work, they also look about as unobtrusive as you can get when you have a 64" steel whip and base load type antenna on the top of your vehicle.

 

While I still think the Wilson 5000 is a great antenna, I've recently had my head turned by the Sirio Performer 5000 PL, and after reading multiple positive comments on CB forums I decided to purchase one for myself. This article is a review of the Sirio 5000, but also a comparison with the Wilson 5000, since it has been a proven industry standard for so many years.

Purchase and Unboxing

 

The first thing you need to realize about buying a Sirio antenna is that there is only one main company distributing them in the United States, H & Y ELectronics.I've purchased from them numerous times over the years and while I've never personally had any problems, I've heard some horror stories. Their website is a little dated and some of their product descriptions aren't great but they've always delivered what I've ordered so I personally don't have any complaints. If you want a Sirio antenna they are the only player in town so be ready to purchase through them.

 

On their website I purchased the Sirio Performer 5000 PL with Mag 145 PL (listed as item number P-5000_MM). The cost is a little pricy at $93.95 + shipping so this is probably a $100 to $110 antenna shipped depending on where you live. The antenna arrived in a long box and inside were two separate packages, the main antenna and the magnet mount.

 

The antenna comes with a couple of different pieces that are used in its assembly. The main piece is the largest and is the section upon which the steel whip is inserted. The next piece is the bottom section which connects via a screw with a long bent handle. There is also a black rubber seal that is placed between the bottom section when it is attached to the magnetic mount base.

 

The end of the antenna is covered in a protective plastic tip.

 

The Mag 145 PL is the magnetic base to which the antenna attaches. It came in its own box and has a male adapter that sticks out the top for the antenna to screw on to. It also has a run of around 13 feet of RG-58 coax that comes out of the unit and is ready to hook up to your radio.

 

The magnetic base is around 6 inches in diameter and is fairly substantial. It comes with a rubber boot that fits on the bottom and helps prevent the unit from scratching the paint on your vehicle. While the unit is larger than the Wilson 5000 base, it also has a lower profile.

 

In the image below you can easily see the size difference between the Sirio (left) and the Wilson (right). Aside from the size the other major difference to note is the coax length. The Wilson 5000 comes with around 17 feet of coax while the Sirio 5000 only comes with 13 feet. This was a major complaint for me when mounting on an SUV where my entrance point for the coax was at the back of the vehicle. The coax wasn't long enough to run all the way to my SWR meter which is mounted in the center console. For smaller cars or different routing methods it's not a huge deal and you can of course change the coax if you have some soldering skills, but for some people the short length might prove an annoyance.

 

Part of the reason the magnet on the Sirio is larger than the Wilson is that the antenna is longer, but also because the base load section is slightly taller than the Wilson. This means more weight is distributed higher up the antenna than the Wilson and under top highway speeds it does have more force working upon its surface.

In the picture above I tried to demonstrate the difference in height between the two units. It's a little hard to see the base sections in the photo but you should be able to see that the Sirio base load coil extends higher up than the Wilson and that the overall length is longer than the Wilson.

 

To compare the profile of the antennas further I've posted two more pics below comparing the base load section of the Wilson vs the Sirio as seen on top of a vehicle.