1/4 wave whip for a base station

[lu81fitter]

I am thinking of putting a CB up at home just to tinker with and talk to local people in my area. Can I use a 102" whip on an old satellite TV mounting bracket with good results? Do I need a groundplane/counterpoise? Or is there a better solution for a base antenna? I don't want to put up anything very large.

 

[mmckenna]

You'll need a ground plane under the antenna for it to work/tune up correctly.

easily done, just stretch out 108" of wire 120º apart.

Your 102" whip on its own will probably be too short, they expect to have a 6" spring on the base to make it full 1/4 wave.

 

[lu81fitter]

So if I have a whip that is 108", that will work. Is it possible to use a vertical counterpoise under the antenna instead of groundplane radials? The old dish mount is on the side of the house. Nothing to support radials.

 

[mmckenna]

So if I have a whip that is 108", that will work. Is it possible to use a vertical counterpoise under the antenna instead of groundplane radials? The old dish mount is on the side of the house. Nothing to support radials.

If your whip is 108", then it should be pretty close to resonate on the CB band.

Running a counterpoise wire straight down will make a vertical dipole, and it likely won't be 50Ω. Having it closer to a horizontal position will bring it closer to 50Ω. You may want to run the wire for the ground plane along the eaves.

 

[wjm1129]

You can run wires at a 45 degree angle and anchor them on the ground with stakes and rope.

 

[lu81fitter]

I don't want to anchor the groundplane wires with stakes and rope. If I mount the wires to the eaves, it would be in a 90 degree pattern, as the mount is on the side of the house on a corner. Nothing to anchor in the other 2 directions. Are there other options for a vertical of some sort?

 

[mmckenna]

Are there other options for a vertical of some sort?

You can do a 1/2 wave antenna. Does not -require- a ground plane, but works better with one.

 

[lu81fitter]

You can do a 1/2 wave antenna. Does not -require- a ground plane, but works better with one.

I was thinking you were going to say that. It's probably very tall though.....

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I had one liken this back in the day. Worked well.

3-radial CB Base Station Antenna – GROUND PLANE | Inmak

www.inmak.eu

 

[prcguy]

90 degrees or anything close will work fine. A strip of 3 or 4ft wide chicken wire 18ft long with the whip in the center would work well.

I don't want to anchor the groundplane wires with stakes and rope. If I mount the wires to the eaves, it would be in a 90 degree pattern, as the mount is on the side of the house on a corner. Nothing to anchor in the other 2 directions. Are there other options for a vertical of some sort?

 

[lu81fitter]

I live in a nice neighborhood. I don't want to cobble something together with chicken wire or rope. If it can't be done in a somewhat professional manner, then I will move on to other things. This is not a high priority. It's a tinkering project. More or less just something to be fun, yet maybe a learning experience. But if I put the time and effort into doing it, I would like to do it right. It looks like I may have to move on to other things. I thank you gentlemen for your input and your time. If there are other ideas, I would certainly entertain them.
And by the way, no offense to any ideas presented here. They are all valid options. Just not something I'm willing to proceed with. I was here asking people that are more knowledgeable than myself for ideas.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I live in a nice neighborhood. I don't want to cobble something together with chicken wire or rope. If it can't be done in a somewhat professional manner, then I will move on to other things. This is not a high priority. It's a tinkering project. More or less just something to be fun, yet maybe a learning experience. But if I put the time and effort into doing it, I would like to do it right. It looks like I may have to move on to other things. I thank you gentlemen for your input and your time. If there are other ideas, I would certainly entertain them.
And by the way, no offense to any ideas presented here. They are all valid options. Just not something I'm willing to proceed with. I was here asking people that are more knowledgeable than myself for ideas.

I had this antenna in a respectable neighborhood and no one complained about how it appeared. I did get blamed for all the interference!

 

[prcguy]

I've never lived in a respectable neighborhood, so my house looks like a hobo collection of aluminum and fiberglass.

 

[lu81fitter]

I meant no disrespect to anyone. I just like to keep things somewhat professional. To RFI-EMI-GUY, it says that antenna is about 3.5 m . How long are the radials?

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

I meant no disrespect to anyone. I just like to keep things somewhat professional. To RFI-EMI-GUY, it says that antenna is about 3.5 m . How long are the radials?

About 108 inches. The vertical is a bit longer due to the mounting bracket. From the ground it does not look too intrusive

 

[K5TUE]

If you just want to talk locally, and prefer to keep the expense and installation profile to a minimum, then buy a Tram 1499 CB base antenna. They work surprisingly well, out to about 5 miles or so, and they dont need a ground plane.

Amazon.com: Tram CB Base Antenna : Electronics

Buy Tram CB Base Antenna: Radio Antennas - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

If you want GOOD performance, a lot more range, and are willing to pay for it, then buy yourself an Anton 99.

Base CB Antennas from Solarcon & Firestik

Neither of these require a ground plane and can be somewhat stealthy depending on where (and how high) you install them.

 

[arudlang]

In trade for some reduced range you could look at NGP (no ground plane) antenna kits, like this one: https://www.amazon.com/FireStik-FG4648-B-No-ground-plane-antenna/dp/B000X3EOPG

It has its counterpoise in the special coax included with it, so no radials are required. They don't have the range of a whip with an actual ground plane but they still work. There are some other options you can Google as well. You can add more coax with a connector but you must use the piece they give you as the first portion of coax connected to the antenna, as it has a measured amount of wire in it connected to the antenna base to give the effect of the ground plane you (and Fiberglass boats and RVs) are lacking.

That's the limit of my knowledge but just googling that term (NGP/no ground plane) in your antenna search will show you more info and more options/brands.

 

[wjm1129]

You could also build a t2lt antenna. Guys in England use them and claim to work great.

 

[lu81fitter]

These options look appealing. Especially the Firestick indoor model. It says it can be used outdoors so I'll probably look in to that. I know it will not be optimal, but it really isn't optimal on a vehicle either. Thank you everyone for your input. Now to find a decent SWR meter and a radio.

 

[oldradioguy2010]

I used a 102" whip, mag mount with a 6" spring.
Then got a 4x4 metal jbox and cut approximately 100" conduit for the ground plane.
I did cut it for 10m. Loaded up with 100 watts.
Less than 2 swr.
Give that a try.

DW
So. Cal😎