CB Anteanna for my 92

[flyingwolf]

Ok well I have two choices here. I live in an partment complex that is strict on having anything outside the windows or hanging in the windows. So I have a cb anteanna that I can stick out the window and sit in the corner and it is well hidden from veiw but directly in the line of the tower I monitor.

Question. Right now the ant is setup upside down and pushed a bit into the crappy plastic siding they just put up. Will it being upside down bother the reception at all.

Would I be better off with my stock ant?

I have been using the CB ant and I have seen no noticable difference in the reception.

What are the pros and cons of using a CB ant agaisnt the Rubber Duckie if just scanning and close to the towers.

 

[bwhite]

You probably won't do much if the CB antenna is a mobile antenna because they depend on using the metal surfaces of your vehicle as the ground plane. You will probably notice some improvement if it is an antenna meant for base use, but, seems that I heard that they need to be in upright position, but, if it is in the inverted position you might do OK.
Try a base antenna in your closet or just a long-wire antenna.

 

[flyingwolf]

Yes the ant is upside down. I seriously think the long cable streched across my ceiling going to the aluminim framed wondow is what is giving me the good signal.

I may just go with an ant streached across my ceiling in a pattern and tuned up right. Will probably work better.

Now as for the CB ant needing a ground plane. Would I b able to use an old pc I have lying around with nice steel sides to stick the mag mount ant to? Plan to use its 12 volt to power the CB anyway so I was thinking ya know. Would it work as well if it is just sitting on the mantle or would it work better mounted to the pc sitting on the mantle :?

I am reading alot on this subject but from the guys who know its nice to hear an answer.

I always usually go the "try it and see" route.

Thanks for the help.

 

[merlin-7]

What frequencys are you trying to monitor? If its just am, try your bed springs.
Shoot try them anyway...

 

[KB8UYC]

Since you are using a scanner for police and fire scanning, a CB antenna is going to do nothing but hinder your recieve ability. CB antennas are tunned to 27 MHz.......unless you are monitoring that band, I would suggest that you look for a nother type of antenna....something that is wide band that you can put up. Try a discone and put it outside at night and pull it back in when your done....

Eric

 

[TeRayCodA]

The 12v power out of the PC supply is not exactly the right type of juice.
This was covered in another forum.
I was thinking of building a power supply from some PC supplies that I have,but the fellows on the other forums thought this was a bad idea.
anyway,it could work? Let us know!

 

[flyingwolf]

Ok well a bit of an update.

For the scanners (a pro-92 and a pro-28) I am using one rubber duckie standard ant and one nice long peice of wire. I monitor a range of freqs from 39.800 all the way up to 800+ So I do need a good multi range anteanna.

As for the power supply. It is from an older model server. Plenty of sheilding from rf interference ans has plenty of juice. The actual output is 13.8 volts so it matched perfectly.

I will soon be grabbing a nice power strip/conditioner from a freind of mine who also has multiple 12 volt power supplies. I get great range on the CB as I am at the top of the hill in my area. All the antranna's around me I have line of site on. So scanning for me is a breaze. I can even pick up downtown cincinnati ( ~20 + miles from me line of site) all 5 districts.

Thanks for all the info and help. Were you serious about the bed springs cause I have an old box-spring here that isnt being used. And how would I go about hooking that up. Or is this a joke on a newbie?

 

[KOK5CY]

cb antenna for a scanner

anyone ever thought of using a empty coffee can . turned upside down there is your ground plane . ive did it a few times and it'll pick up pretty good

 

[flyingwolf]

Well I have been using the CB ant for a bit and I can say it is no better or worse than the stock ant.

I have been getting much better reception with it when I actually set it on the very edge of the window on the slightly magnetic aluminum siding on the buildidng. It is supposed to be aluminim but seems to be more of a low grade metal than anything else. Either way it gives me better reception. The biggest differenc eI hear is from CVG airport. It is behind me through two apartments with walls of aluminum studs.

Living in this place is like living in a faraday (sp?) cage. Ni signals get in or out unless you stick something out the window.

So yea it does help with reception across the board but not much more than what I am probably getting from having the wire running across my ceiling.

Now out of curiosity. Why would I need the ground plane.? What purpose does it serve and is there a plae I can go to read about it?