Ground plane question

[SmileySixguns]

I normally keep my CB antenna (Tram 3500) mounted to the center of the cab of my pickup. If I added an aluminum cap over the bed, and moved the antenna back to the rear of the cab, would the cap improve the ground plane or would it just not make any difference because the cap is aluminum?

 

[mmckenna]

I normally keep my CB antenna (Tram 3500) mounted to the center of the cab of my pickup. If I added an aluminum cap over the bed, and moved the antenna back to the rear of the cab, would the cap improve the ground plane or would it just not make any difference because the cap is aluminum?

Aluminum doesn't change the fact that it's a conductive material and will act like a ground plane. I run permanent mount antennas on top of aluminum body Ford trucks.
The magnet, obviously, will not stick to the aluminum directly.

The gap between the back of the cab and the shell, will make for a wonky ground plane. You are better to either keep it centered on the cab roof, or mount it (permanently) in the center of the shell.

 

[SmileySixguns]

Aluminum doesn't change the fact that it's a conductive material and will act like a ground plane. I run permanent mount antennas on top of aluminum body Ford trucks.
The magnet, obviously, will not stick to the aluminum directly.

The gap between the back of the cab and the shell, will make for a wonky ground plane. You are better to either keep it centered on the cab roof, or mount it (permanently) in the center of the shell.

Alrighty. I’ll probably just keep it as is then since I wasn’t planning on keeping the cap on all the time either. I just reconfigure as needed lol

 

[niceguy71]

Alrighty. I’ll probably just keep it as is then since I wasn’t planning on keeping the cap on all the time either. I just reconfigure as needed lol

I've had good luck with that antenna, I have a couple little sharpie marks on my roof so I can pull it off and set it in the bed going through the car wash... but it's worked well, as I can move it couple inches side to side and front to back and the SWR doesn't get effected very much... I'll be interested to hear what happens with the cap?

 

[slowmover]

RF Bonding cap to bed, then bed to cab is a lot of work that maybe will help. I’d have a fancier antenna system before I thought it worthwhile.

 

[SmileySixguns]

I've had good luck with that antenna, I have a couple little sharpie marks on my roof so I can pull it off and set it in the bed going through the car wash... but it's worked well, as I can move it couple inches side to side and front to back and the SWR doesn't get effected very much... I'll be interested to hear what happens with the cap?

When I was a child, my Grandfather had a cap on his truck. He worked for the trucking division of Westinghouse, so he used his CBs all the time at work, and when we traveled to Lake Erie to go fishing. I can remember the CB in the cab, but I can’t recall any details of his antenna whatsoever. His first was the Cobra. Because of the style of the channel dial, I’m almost certain that one was 23 channels. And then he got the Craig that has 40. He gave them both to me many years ago. I have and use the Craig, but I’ve been searching for that ole Cobra since last year and I can’t find it anywhere.