antenna help please

[jzmcpherson]

Hello all I am new to most of this but heres the deal
I just ordered the Tram 1411discone wideband antenna
i also ordered the PL-259 cable
question 1 is
If I mount antenna on a 1 in by 20 ft long galvanized pipe directly in the ground at bottom and strapped to chimney at top
Is this a sufficant ground and how deep in the ground should pipe be put
question 2 is
this antenna does both cb and scanner so is there a switch to split it or how can o hook both up to same antenna since it only has one hook up on it
Will only be running one at a time and did not want to keep switching back and forth
Oh and cb is standard Cobra 29 Classic LTD
thanks for any help

 

[mmckenna]

Hello all I am new to most of this but heres the deal
I just ordered the Tram 1411discone wideband antenna
i also ordered the PL-259 cable
question 1 is
If I mount antenna on a 1 in by 20 ft long galvanized pipe directly in the ground at bottom and strapped to chimney at top
Is this a sufficant ground and how deep in the ground should pipe be put

Depends on exactly what you are asking.
1. Are you asking if the bottom end of the pipe is far enough into the ground to keep it stable?
or
2. Are you asking if the fact that the metal pipe is partially buried in the earth is good enough for an electrical ground.

Answer to #1 is, "depends". Not enough info.
Answer to #2 is, That doesn't meet the National Electric Code requirements in any way to be an electrical ground.

question 2 is
this antenna does both cb and scanner so is there a switch to split it or how can o hook both up to same antenna since it only has one hook up on it
Will only be running one at a time and did not want to keep switching back and forth
Oh and cb is standard Cobra 29 Classic LTD
thanks for any help

There are two ways to do this. An easy way and an expensive way.
The expensive was is to have a diplexer installed in your equipment area. There will be two ports on the diplexer, one will be for <30MHz, and the other will be for higher frequencies (depends on the —exact— model…). You could connect the CB to the low port and your scanner to the high port.

The other way is to either install a coaxial switch or swap connectors.

You cannot have a transmitter and any other radio connected to the same antenna without some equipment in between. The RF energy transmitted by your CB would get in the scanner and very likely destroy the receiver.

Be aware that those discone antennas don't work well for CB. I know what the spec's say, but you'll solve a lot of issues by having two separate antennas, and you will enjoy higher performance from the CB.

 

[jzmcpherson]

OK yes sorry
was wanting to know about the grounding not for holding in place it will be strapped at 3 differnent levels
as far as cb I did not know that went by reviews
will not be running a amp just a stock 3.5 watt cb no mods and its just for local within a few mile range
was gonna do a switch or unhook which ever
got this more so for my Home Patrol scanner just liked though of cb also and I had one on the shelf
so i will need to run a ground line to it also

 

[mmckenna]

OK yes sorry
was wanting to know about the grounding not for holding in place it will be strapped at 3 differnent levels

It's a complex question, and there's not one answer that applies to everyone.
National Electric Code requires grounding. The mast should be grounded, as is the coax shield. If your mast/antenna is near the house electrical ground rod, you can use that in most cases. If it's not, you'd need to drive at least one 8' ground rod, and that ground rod MUST be bonded to the house ground rod.
Since it's complex, the right advice is to "consult and expert", and that doesn't mean some random guy like me on the internets.

as far as cb I did not know that went by reviews
will not be running a amp just a stock 3.5 watt cb no mods and its just for local within a few mile range
was gonna do a switch or unhook which ever
got this more so for my Home Patrol scanner just liked though of cb also and I had one on the shelf
so i will need to run a ground line to it also

Well, it'll work as a CB antenna, just don't expect miracles. A few miles might be a bit optimistic, but give it a try.
Swapping the coaxial connector between the scanner and the CB is the easiest way to do it.

 

[_sundown_]

For the switching just get something like this..

MFJ-1702 2 Position Antenna Switch

Antenna switch, HF/VHF/UHF, 2-pos.

www.gigaparts.com

For the grounding...

It'll require some diligent research to gather the right information and right parts to ground if this is all new to you. 8' in the ground is correct if you want to stick to "code." Take the time to do it right. Don't rush it and when you do install it do it only on a sunny day with no clouds.

 

[Ubbe]

The standard discones are usually designed to work at frequencies down to 90MHz. Then some have an additional vertical antenna element that are tuned to 35MHz but can be cut to higher frequencies. So no good match for 27MHz from a discone. To have a discone work down to 27MHz it has to be 4 times larger in size, or that top element has to be changed to one that resonance at 27MHz.

/Ubbe