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Disguise CB antenna

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radioman2001

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Back in the 70's a smart kid, 14 years old I believe (or his dad) came up with an inginoius disguise CB antenna that mounted inside the cars rear window. It was a small enclosed can about 1 in cube, with an internal capacitor for SWR adjustment, and a piece of wire about 3 ft long. It was very directional, which is OK, since you really wanted to only hear what was going on in front or back of you, and I had one, but now I can't find it. I am setting up my new Charger and already have a few antenna's on the back,and was looking to use it since for the most part I just listen anyway. Anybody remember it, and is it still available?

And the reason I didn't put this thread in the CB section, is it probably would never be viewed. LOL
 
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Halfpint

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Back in the 70's a smart kid, 14 years old I believe (or his dad) came up with an inginoius disguise CB antenna that mounted inside the cars rear window. It was a small enclosed can about 1 in cube, with an internal capacitor for SWR adjustment, and a piece of wire about 3 ft long. It was very directional, which is OK, since you really wanted to only hear what was going on in front or back of you, and I had one, but now I can't find it. I am setting up my new Charger and already have a few antenna's on the back,and was looking to use it since for the most part I just listen anyway. Anybody remember it, and is it still available?

Sounds like at `slot' tuned, or tuned slot antenna (It's been quite a while since I've seen or messed with one so I don't quite recall the absolutely correct name.), antenna Three feet of wire sort of sounds to be in the right range for CB. (The last one *I* had experience with was used on several of the Casper, Wyo PD's undercover cars and the `element' used in that situation was shorter than that.) Now... *If* that is what your buddy's was it was probably tuned for both just a few `channels' and also specifically for just the vehicle it was mounted on. On top of that, while back then it may have seemed to be a `kick butt' antenna, it really wasn't all that great and on top of the limited freq range it also had a very limited transmit range basically just barely useable to car-to-car and if they were lucky barely able to get into the system repeater.

Now having said all that I do have to say that *if* one *really* wanted to be stealthy it *did* provide that. Even using 24ga `magnet wire', or even worse a chunk of one half of a 22 - 24ga `zip speaker wire' it was pretty much almost impossible to see during the daytime and even harder at night. {VB GRIN!} Make it with some 34 - 38ga `Magnet Wire' and remembering not to hit with too much power it *was* impossible! (All bets are off concerning `invisibility' day or night if you hit it with too much power! {GRIN!} The resultant initial `glow' preceding the `flash' usually gave it away, not to mention that then one was `back to square one' communications-wise. {CHORTLE!}) BTW I *did* notice that you had said that you were primarily interested in it for listening. But, it is also how, in the `heat of things', quickly one can forget that they were only going to use it just for listening and grab the mike and start transmitting only to see and smell the resultant burned up wire. {SNICKER!}

Just an `Olde Fart's' 2¢ worth.
 

radioman2001

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I've made my share of disguise antenna's in my day, from the old tissue box, 6X9 speaker antenna (which was a slot tuned antenna), and the curb feeler antenna. To me the design was more of a tuned circuit for a quater wave antenna. Never opened the can, but I suspect it had a coil in it like a loaded low band antenna would have, then a vari cap for tuning the length of wire to match the transmitter. Worked well enough for CB, was very directional, could get about 5 miles which is all you really needed when traveling the highways, because of too much radio traffic in the day. Now as I am talking about this I realize the antenna may have gone to the junkyard with a car I wrecked one late night, from wiping out where a truck load of gravel had spilled on a road called snake hill. I have no intention of transmitting, I was going to use it as a 30-50MHZ monitor antenna for my FD.
BTW I may have found out more about who the inventor was, I googled and found a J. David Bryan Sr. Sounds about right based on the information in his obit.
 

byndhlptom

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disquise CB

A lot of the conversion vans of the 70-80's had a CB antenna that looked like a luggage rack. they usually wrapped around the sides and the back of the roof. You could spot them by the wire pigtail that went through the roof. Many of todays' 4door SUV's have big enough roofs to mount one. You probably could scrounge one from a wrecking yard if new ones are not available...... Probably not the best antenna, but then it's CB!

tom
 

KB0VWG

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Lyford, Texas
The Insider

Back in the 70's a smart kid, 14 years old I believe (or his dad) came up with an inginoius disguise CB antenna that mounted inside the cars rear window. It was a small enclosed can about 1 in cube, with an internal capacitor for SWR adjustment, and a piece of wire about 3 ft long. It was very directional, which is OK, since you really wanted to only hear what was going on in front or back of you, and I had one, but now I can't find it. I am setting up my new Charger and already have a few antenna's on the back,and was looking to use it since for the most part I just listen anyway. Anybody remember it, and is it still available?

And the reason I didn't put this thread in the CB section, is it probably would never be viewed. LOL
The unit is called the insider
I have one of these havent really used it to much or have tried tuning it, It is in good condition for its age the label is a little faded the sticker says its patent pending . It has 2 screws for tuning I assume The wire that is on it is about 3 feet or more, Dont remember the length of the wire for 27 mhz. My Dad and Brother had a lafeyette cb store in the 70s so Pm me if needed.
Michael
kb0vwg
 
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skyslug

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California from Ohio

I used an Insider in the front window of a van in the late 1970s. It was tuned to 10 meters. Talked to California from Ohio with it on SSB and 10 watts using a CB converted to 10 meters. Oh, the good old high sunspot number days; he says with longing in his voice...

Gold Line made one that looked just like it called "Secret Sam" also. I'm getting ready to put a brand new (NOS/New Old Stock) one on Ebay.
 

prcguy

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The original was called the Intenna, not the Insider and was marketed through a company the kids father worked for which I believe was Microwave Associates or something similar. I installed about 50 of them in the mid 1970s and they were a PIA but most worked surprisingly well.

The matching device did make the vehicle into a slot antenna as mentioned previously and I still have one of these things buried in my garage somewhere.
prcguy
 

prcguy

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I found the antenna but its the later "Insider" and not the original "Intenna" Both consist of a series and shunt compression trimmer capacitor in a little custom box with plastic side caps which are missing on mine.
Oh, the memories of installing these.
prcguy




What a find! Pictures? Internet searches can be stubborn sometimes. :(
 
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lrh270

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was looking to use it since for the most part I just listen anyway


Why not just put the CB channels you want to listen to in a scanner (assuming you have one in the Charger)???
 
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