CB Base antenna for a Camper Trailer

[63Sprint]

Some of you responded to my questions about an antenna mount for my pickup and the answers were very helpful. Thanks.

Well, my wife spoke to me and she feels that a base antenna for the camper trailer takes priority over the truck antenna. I feel she made some very good sound points and decided to agree with her. Yes, she is the boss when it comes to cooking, groceries, supplies and…the camper.

So, what I’m looking for is an antenna that will work as a base station in the camper trailer. The antenna has to be mobile.
I’m thinking that it can be installed on a stand with a 10 foot pole that can be taken down and stored when we’re going to our next destination. Or, possibly mount it on the rear bumper. A pole can be mounted on the bumper and near the peak of the roof to get the antenna a few feet above the roofline. This also has to be able to be broken down when heading to the next destination. I would probably prefer a free standing antenna away from the camper trailer.

So, is there a decent Ground Plane antenna that will work extended only ten feet in the air? Or, a decent No Ground Plane antenna that will work extended ten feet in the air?
Im trying to get the best reception and broadcast with these limitations.

My price limit is $300.00

Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[niceguy71]

take a picture of the camper.... does it have a ladder in the back??? I think any base station antenna works even on a 10 foot pole???? I don't think it would be too difficult to put on the camper??? so if you can carry a Antron 99 ..it comes in a 6 foot long box, easy to carry and screws together pretty quickly... if you can carry a 10 foot fence top rail on the top of the camper or on the floor ( slide it in and out of the camper through a window?).... when you got to the camp site you just screw the antenna together, clamp it to the pole.... put the bottom of the pole on the ground, walk it up, lean it up against the camper....and attach the top area of the pole to the ladder or to the side or back of the camper? ... I would think you could screw one of these Amazon antenna brackets or something similar ( see link) to the side or back of the camper and leave it on there???? run the coax to your CB and to the area where the antenna will be so you can just connect the coax, check the SWR and your done in about 20 minutes... a 17 foot SOLARCON ANTRON A-99 CB BASE STATION ANTENNA on top of a 10 foot pole will be 25 feet to the tip of the antenna.... should work ok???
I don't have a lot of knowledge, on base antenna's and have never set up a base on a camper.... so I'm sure someone else will correct me if I'm wrong but I don't see why it wouldn't work???. and this would be under $300. for the antenna, coax and 10 foot pole and bracket...... I see people attaching the A99 onto a fence and it works ok for them.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B4X1SDYG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

PS if you can't carry a 10 foot pole... ... the top rail fence pole has one Male end that plugs into the next top rail fence pole... so you could cut it in half and when you're at the camp site plug the two pieces back together.

 

[K5MPH]

I like the A-99 its a very good duty antenna, you also could check out the Tram 1499 its shorter and more easy to setup or the Sirio Thunder 27 all these antennas will work for CB radio.........

 

[niceguy71]

I like the A-99 its a very good duty antenna, you also could check out the Tram 1499 its shorter and more easy to setup or the Sirio Thunder 27 all these antennas will work for CB radio.........

I heard those little 3 foot antenna's didn't work more than a couple miles if that? and the SWR is always terrible??? do you have one K5MPH??

 

[K5MPH]

I heard those little 3 foot antenna's didn't work more than a couple miles if that? and the SWR is always terrible??? do you have one K5MPH??

Yeah they dont get out far I was thinking more on the way of putting it up and taking it down for transport I would rather go with the A-99 ......

 

[niceguy71]

Yeah they dont get out far I was thinking more on the way of putting it up and taking it down for transport I would rather go with the A-99 ......

if they worked it would be nice... but they never work... the coax is the ground plane and you have to have a minimum of 50 feet to work at all...... people say they work with a 100 feet of coax ....somewhat ... but where in a camper park are you going to roll out a 50 or 100 feet of coax????? ... you can't coil it up
I trust this guy and enjoy his video's... he got 2.5 miles before the signal was terrible... and his antenna was on the top of a garage so probably 15 to 20 feet tall.... not going to be that tall on a camper??... they did get 4 miles but it was terrible!!! and this is one of the only video's I've seen that got over two miles with that little 3 foot antenna.... so I think anyone buying the tram 1499 or workman B101 is just throwing money out the window

 

[63Sprint]

Thanks for the replies. They are helping. Hope to get more.

I’ve been thinking of the Maco V 58, Solarcon Antron A-99 and the Tram 1498. They are very nice antennas and will work well for my needs.

I was watching a clip where someone took a 102” whip antenna and purchased a ground plane kit. He mentioned that it has his base antenna for years. And, it worked fairly well. This might be something to consider looking into some more. If it will work fairly well, it would be a might be a good place to start since I already have a 102” whip lying around.

Thanks again

 

[hazrat8990]

Since you already have the 102" whip, you could use that pretty easy. If you want to do a ground mount, all you need is something to make it stand up straight, and string out anywhere from 4 to 32 radials. Another option would be to build your own ground-plane kit using 4 of the 102" whips attached to a metal plate that has an L bracket and U bolt. Mount your existing antenna to the plate, and mount that to a piece of top rail, or painter's pole.

 

[niceguy71]

just a thought,
I know you were also looking for a way to get your 102 whip on the mobile.... those big 102" whips are a pain they are so tall and sometimes difficult to get working correctly.... the Siro 5000 performer, Stryker AR10 are supposed to be great antennas and I love my Tram 3500.... they work without a lot of set up......but if you put any of these on your tow vehicle... it would make a fine mobile antenna..... I have sadly never gone camping.... does the tow vehicle stay on the camper? can you park the tow vehicle next to the camper?? if so, you could buy a 20 foot RG8X coax .... use a barrel connector and run the coax to the camper. I think that would work pretty well and kill two birds with one stone if you add a cb in the tow vehicle....... then again would the big aluminum camper throw off the antenna??? best place to broadcast is in an open area... not next to a tall aluminum camper so maybe it was a bad idea

 

[63Sprint]

Been re-reading everyone’s reply and private messages and would like to thank everyone again for their input. For now, I’m thinking of taking the 102” whip with a 4” spring along with a HD 3 magnet mount and place the antenna on the roof of the pickup until I decide what the next antenna purchase will be.

What do you all think?

 

[hazrat8990]

Good idea, unless you have a newer Ford since magnets only stick to real trucks!! If you go that route, be sure to put down an old t-shirt, pillow case, or piece of a bed sheet, so you don't destroy your paint.

Magnet mounts aren't ideal, but do work.

 

[prcguy]

I’ve done a lot of camping in a travel trailer and have used many different CB and other base antennas. My current setup has a clamp on trailer hitch adapter on the trailer bumper then a trailer hitch mount fold over mast adapter. I carry several 5ft aluminum military mast sections that fit into the adapter on the bumper and I can easily go up 20ft to the base of the antenna.

I would avoid CB antennas with ground radials as that can be a lot of assembly to do in the middle of nowhere. Something like an A99 works ok or the larger Imax2000. Basically whatever will come apart easily and stow in or on your trailer.

 

[63Sprint]

prcguy,
Thanks for the antenna advice.
I was thinking of the Maco v58 or v5000 but a simple pole antenna makes more sense.
Possibly the Solarcon Max Optimzer. I believe it replaced the IMAX 2000.

 

[63Sprint]

I just read that the Solarcon Max Optimzer is about 25’ long. Possibly the Solarcon A99 would be easier to work with since it’s 17’ long.

 

[prcguy]

This is very similar to the bumper mount trailer hitch I put on to use the trailer hitch antenna mast holder. I’ll try to find the mast holder.

https://www.amazon.com/VOWAGH-Receiver-Adapter-Continuous-Compatible/dp/B0B3J3LB7Q/ref=sr_1_6?crid=6B1MAPP7DUHT&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.P6IoV4dqiFf3y26Nsw7TzCac_alNNiFIx9z0_-MGr2j4u3BPbbDWyMI9mfoteNS4aAJ4B0hpHjAltaxtwPeOCBVj201bDgHG_eVMldDTeHTXFLd6VXvM-dO_IG7SLRfFnKrT34GIgc6_zelJpWjkn5yYdIhK0iuOTB3rGiD9KE-VCkBPpvPw0zH8OQOE5rkb8oQCuixKROe34whY-2lKbcHSc5PjDKsvh9vpe2kk7VctSOYGQ_fxgBskoaZoQcdT1KmCwMqlvz6xxWKzKXasmfNTmu8eEjd4dNU212rFHe8.WlIzgQioWS_S2cgc4AOlMdxKk708PLeGw4xfqZSTRiw&dib_tag=se&keywords=Bumper%2Bmount%2Btrailer%2Bhitch&qid=1711678389&sprefix=bumper%2Bmount%2Btrailer%2Bhitch%2Caps%2C162&sr=8-6&th=1

 

[prcguy]

Here is a fold over trailer hitch mount mast holder similar to mine but mine is a little heavier duty. This one should work ok.

https://www.amazon.com/SKYMIRO-Foldable-Flagpole-Universal-Receivers/dp/B09PTTZ968/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1DIY11FD0O2CN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.h4sRDkS6g1yPG6s4bQ8y_dK3_cMcs1aCuhfjzq9N5NtrTqvLcn0d7GJYCjiOU9ZTFB3xd09EJ7GXvi-K5jHLJMNMU5JSSxWJB64r70jg0BNOMY0CuTQt_S5Qji6cUpnZu_qEU0pr0O0KD7JZPzxaVUVicuv13n7TzwtpdosdXimWu45vhosBJyDI5pS1bPTtdLI_JE1VtRgOQSkoaaij8XIwAoHeG34Sea3V7lWvWRo.JUDvVxshzvhn507hIdTNZUhoBjmYPiwUetmJJmbDF2c&dib_tag=se&keywords=trailer%2Bhitch%2Bantenna%2Bmast%2Bmount&qid=1711678577&sprefix=trailer%2Bhitch%2Bmast%2B%2Caps%2C163&sr=8-6&th=1

 

[63Sprint]

Took the time over the weekend and thought about the base antenna. Since I have a 102” whip antenna, I’m going to give it a try. Looking into a mag base so the antenna can be placed on the roof of the pickup. Since this antenna will be removed when the truck is going to be used, I don’t need a HD triple mag base.

A question I do have is: Since 6 inch long barrel springs seem to be non existent, I can make a 6 inch base extension out of 3/4 inch 6061-T6 aluminum rod or 304 stainless to get the antenna to a true 108 inches. Would this be worth the effort?

Or maybe someone would know where a 6 inch spring can be purchased.

The reason I’m going to try this route is:
#1 cost
#2 already have the whip
#3 need to look into zoning and rules at campgrounds.

If the campgrounds allows the use of 1/2 or 3/4 wave vertical antennas, I’ll purchase one.

I’ll be looking into purchasing a permanent one for the home in the future. I would rather put the money into the permanent antenna.

 

[prcguy]

Took the time over the weekend and thought about the base antenna. Since I have a 102” whip antenna, I’m going to give it a try. Looking into a mag base so the antenna can be placed on the roof of the pickup. Since this antenna will be removed when the truck is going to be used, I don’t need a HD triple mag base.

A question I do have is: I can make a 6 inch base extension out of 3/4 inch 6061-T6 aluminum rod or 304 stainless to get the antenna to a true 108 inches. Would this be worth the effort?

The reason I’m going to try this route is:
#1 cost
#2 already have the whip
#3 need to look into zoning and rules at campgrounds.

If the campgrounds allows the use of 1/2 or 3/4 wave antennas, I’ll purchase one.

I’ll be looking into purchasing a permanent one for the home in the future. I would rather put the money into the permanent antenna.

Try the whip on the mag mount and see what the match is, it could be ok. Otherwise a 6” spring is fairly cheap. A single magnet will not have much capacitance to ground at 27MHz and will suffer some performance degradation. You should supplement the magnet surface area or hard ground the mag mount.

I’ve been to lots of campgrounds and the only antenna restriction I’ve seen is prohibiting wires in trees. They really have no say on whats attached to your vehicle or camper that goes straight up.

 

[63Sprint]

Would a triple magnet work better?

 

[63Sprint]

Would you know where I can pick up a 6” spring?