CB 102" whip with radials, Am I ok ?

[garikfox]

Im new to this CB stuff, I just want to know If im doing things ok so far. (From what Ive read on web.)

This is for a base installation. I have no ground plane here.

1. Got a 102" RS whip

2. Mount

3. 18ft Coax pl259 i think

4. 4 x 120" copper strand(s) (For Radials) about same AWG as middle of a TV/Cable Coax.

5. Attach these 4 x Radials to the 4 nuts on the CB mount.


Did I do good ?

 

[iMONITOR]

Do you have an SWR meter? If so, hook it up and check it.

 

[garikfox]

10-4, It's built in to the TRC-447, I'm hooking up the ANT now

I'll, be back

 

[garikfox]

Do you have an SWR meter? If so, hook it up and check it.

SWR = Ch 1 - 1.85

Ch.40 - 2.0

is this Bad ?

 

[prcguy]

Try shortening the radials to about 108", you can cut them down a few inches at a time to see if there is any improvement. Are they mostly horizontal or do they slope downward?
prcguy

SWR = Ch 1 - 1.85

Ch.40 - 2.0

is this Bad ?

 

[garikfox]

Try shortening the radials to about 108", you can cut them down a few inches at a time to see if there is any improvement. Are they mostly horizontal or do they slope downward?
prcguy

If there 102" already how do i get 108" ??

 

[garikfox]

WOW !!, I heard a guy on Ch 6 Im so excited !

 

[zzdiesel]

I used a 102" whip at an apartment I lived in. We couldn't have outside antennas. They had steel four steel lines mounted on two poles for clothes lines. I used the clothes lines for the plane. I ran wires from the antenna mount to the four lines. I had about the same SWR as you. I moved the wires back & forth over the four lines. Through trial & error; I got the SWR's down to 1.1 on channel 14 (my stand-by), and about 1.6 on channels 1 and 40. That rig worked fairly well for what it was. Some of the CB'ers had to come by to look at it. They never dreamed something like that would work as good as it did.

 

[zz0468]

SWR = Ch 1 - 1.85

Ch.40 - 2.0

is this Bad ?

Could be better, but that's QUITE usable.

 

[n4yek]

Im new to this CB stuff, I just want to know If im doing things ok so far. (From what Ive read on web.)

This is for a base installation. I have no ground plane here.

1. Got a 102" RS whip

2. Mount

3. 18ft Coax pl259 i think

4. 4 x 120" copper strand(s) (For Radials) about same AWG as middle of a TV/Cable Coax.

5. Attach these 4 x Radials to the 4 nuts on the CB mount.


Did I do good ?

If there 102" already how do i get 108" ??

You stated in your first post that they were 120", just cut them if they are.
By shortening the length of the antenna, your lowest swr reading will move up to higher channels, this is what you want to do.
I would put my CB on Ch 20 and do all your SWR readings when you cut, this is the middle of the CB band and should make it
good for the rest of the band.
An swr of 2.0:1 or less on your CB is fine, but if you can get it lower, 1.5:1 swr or lower would be great.

 

[garikfox]

Ok Weird, I gatherd the radials together my SWR went up .8 lol

 

[n4yek]

Ok Weird, I gatherd the radials together my SWR went up .8 lol

OK, here is something to make you think....
Gathering them up in one place will make you antenna slightly directional in the direction that you have them laid out. So if you have them laid out that ALL are pointing to the north, then your transmitted signal will be stronger to the north.
Physics of radio freqency suck don't they....

 

[garikfox]

Hey guys, I got New awesome results !!

The problem was my ferret cage was to close to the whip.


SWR - Ch. 1 = 1.1

Ch. 20 - 1.2

Ch. 40 - 1.3

I did good didnt I ?!!

 

[iMONITOR]

That's excellent!

 

[garikfox]

That's excellent!

Thx !, Im really stoked i did it, lol, I cant believe it works so well.

 

[Allan_Love_Jr]

OK, here is something to make you think....
Gathering them up in one place will make you antenna slightly directional in the direction that you have them laid out. So if you have them laid out that ALL are pointing to the north, then your transmitted signal will be stronger to the north.
Physics of radio freqency suck don't they....

:lol: