Antenna for a van

[crackerjohn]

Hi:

I have a van and my Wilson 1000 keeps hits trees and I just got a job and need to park in a ramp garage.
Someone told me that there was a company that makes an antenna that fits in PVC pipes on the roof in the 800 MHz but that's horizontal not vertical. Can it be used on CB frequencies with longer wires?
Someone else told me you can stretch some wire on the roof rack about an inch above the roof rack. Again, that’s horizontal not vertical.
How about inside the van with a dipole wire goes up and down like a “w” on the left and right windows?
Does anyone have any info on a design and how many feet the wire should be?
Thanks,

Crackerjohn

 

[TheSpaceMann]

How about installing a 9 foot whip that you can pull down and clip when encountering low clearance?

 

[oldcb]

why not try a bumper mount antenna?............

 

[jonwienke]

I have a van and my Wilson 1000 keeps hits trees and I just got a job and need to park in a ramp garage.
Someone told me that there was a company that makes an antenna that fits in PVC pipes on the roof in the 800 MHz but that's horizontal not vertical. Can it be used on CB frequencies with longer wires

Everything you're suggesting is a bad idea.

An 800 Mhz antenna design will not work for CB.

Having a horizontal antenna will work poorly for CB. If the antenna is parallel to a nearby metal surface, you'll have a weird directional radiation pattern, and high SWR, possibly high enough to damage your radio. This applies to a horizontal antenna on the roof, and a bumper mount on a van, especially if the wind can blow the antenna so it touches the body of the vehicle.

A horizontal antenna also means your signal will be horizontally polarized, and will not be received well by everyone else with vertical antennas.

Wilson antennas are designed so you can unscrew the coil & whip assembly from the mount when you need low clearance. I would recommend doing that before you enter the garage.

 

[Oldme]

I have an E450 based RV.

I use a front fender mount and a 4' Everhardt STT
fiberglass antenna.

Even with the 24' box behind me it works well.

 

[jonwienke]

And what is your SWR?

 

[Oldme]

I just added a heavy spring as I had some "branch" problems on my last trip.

The antenna has an adjustable stinger and after readjustment
I am at 1.1:1 to 1.3:1 on a new SWR meter from Radio Shack.
Everhardt STT Super Tiger Full Wave CB Antenna

The bracket is like this one:
Hood Channel CB Antenna Mount for Vans - CB Antenna Mounts - CB Antenna Accessories - CB Antenna -

I have it mounted forward just as the left fender slopes downward.
I also added extra screws and not just the fender bolt to make sure I
had a good ground.

I did not do the extra grounding bonding that some people do.

They have several mounts to choose from.

 

[JayMojave]

Good Posts from Jonwienke and Oldme:

I have used a Wilson 1000 or 5000 on Vans and RV's / Motor Homes using a side mounted L bracket just below the top surface by a few inches, of the top of the RV or Van allowing the 5 Ft whip to be flexible and not shaving off the antennas base part. And it worked quit well.

In the early 70's a good friend of mine ( Crazy Frank ) had a older 1960's Ford Van and a small cheap antenna. We replaced the antenna with a 102 inch stainless steel 102 inch whip and a spring mounted right in the middle of the Vans Top. With the use a of a Palomar Pulser Amp, at 22 watts out, that thing really got out. Especially parked on top of a near by Mountain or Hill.

Having coffee one cold and windy morning all the distinguished CB Radio enthusiasts were present and accounted for, a hearty breakfast and a hot cup of coffee, over CB Radio stories and such was always a very enjoyable time for me. We all left, and took off our separate ways. Frank monitoring a
Police Scanner, chased after some buglers trying to escape to freedom from the Police in hot pursuit going up (Tujunga Canyon Ca) we could hear gun shots in Franks audio when transmitting....

A La Crazy Frank...

Jay in the Mojave
ice Scanner