How would you set-up a mobile antenna for use as a base antenna.

[DJPerson]

I am trying to use my hand held CB as a base unit. I would like to use a mag-mounted 2’ Firestick antenna as a base antenna so I could use it on my alternate car when needed. I have already lost an antenna from my truck. So this base antenna set-up would provide a spare antenna if needed. I am not worried about the range. I live on a hill overlooking my small town. The wife says "NO MORE RADIO STUFF!" so I got to keep it cheap.

 

[Viper43]

Wives??? lol..... anway I wouldn't use that as a base antenna. You can get cheap base antenna's at a ham show and you'd be better off. Make sure whatever you do it's well grounded which is one reason NOT to use the antenna you mention as it would be difficult to properl ground.

 

[DJPerson]

My other wives have gone their own way, I couldn't support them anymore
My truck is getting very acceptable reception and it is insulated from the road by the tires. I figured that I could put a mag mount on a sheet of steel, (would stainless steel work? How big of a sheet would it need to be?) And being that the antenna is on the side of a small hill and on the second floor, it would get better reception than the truck. It would only be out when I was using it so I don't think I need to worry about lightening or grounding. The CB runs on batteries.

 

[bob-the-scanner-man]

The metal sheet needs to be at least 2ft x 2ft, or more if possible. I had a setup like this a few months ago, and had an old mag mount on a steel bucket which I had on the roof of my shed(radio room). It was more trouble than it was worth, swr was all over the place, the wind would get a hold of it and blow it off the roof, etc., but it did work. Finally I got an Antron 99 and haven't had any problems.

Personally, I'd get something that is meant to be used as a base antenna. Check ebay.

 

[BonziBuddy]

I have a Wilson 500 mounted on a 4' by 4' piece of aluminum.

It works. I live in a area where CB traffic is dead. so it's only a waste of space now.

 

[silent463]

personally me myself i would get a mobile unit and use that as a base because it's easier get an ac to dc convertor or an old car battery and get about 100ft of coaxcable and get everything you would need to get that atenna up in the air my father once told me the higher up the better off you will be but sometimes you will shoot alot of skip whcih is good i have a 5 ft mobile antenna with a 75 ft post i made out of exaust pipe and ran the cable down the middle of the pipe and into my house/car and i can sit there all night talk talk to some people in tulsa oklahoma if you have any questions let me know and ill do my best to help

 

[TheJerk]

To correctly use a mobile antenna, you need a counterpoise...in other words, a second antenna facing the opposite direction. I have a horizontal dipole made from two 102" whips, it works very good. MFJ manufacturing actually makes a bracket to make a dipole out of two mobile antennas.

And if you are crafty, you could MAKE a dipole out of nothing but a length of 14ga wire and some rope/string.

 

[ZigZag747]

The metal sheet needs to be at least 2ft x 2ft, or more if possible. I had a setup like this a few months ago, and had an old mag mount on a steel bucket which I had on the roof of my shed(radio room). It was more trouble than it was worth, swr was all over the place, the wind would get a hold of it and blow it off the roof, etc., but it did work. Finally I got an Antron 99 and haven't had any problems.

Personally, I'd get something that is meant to be used as a base antenna. Check ebay.

Funny thing...one day I was messing around with different metal materials and my mag mount in the garage and the wife asked me if I could take the trash out and in the trash was an old 2ft diameter pizza pan...not really knowing what type of metal it was made from I stuck my magnet next to it and it stuck...so I decided to take it out back in the field and grabbed my handy portable marine deep cycle battery I use on my camping trips and hooked everything up and set the pizza pan antenna on a 12 foot "A" frame ladder and checked my SWR reading...1.4-1.6 across all channels! I believe the ladder helped out with the SWR cause I couldn't get the same readings after placing the Wilson "Pizza Pan" antenna on a wooden park bench...so don't forget your metal "A" frame ladder next time you get on the air...haha. I have also tried using an old file cabinet and an old swing set...all worked but the Pizza Pan on the ladder was the coolest...

 

[nightman1]

Mack sure you connect 2 bits of wire to the metal plat about 102 inches and spread them out to get a good ground plane

Sent from my PMT7177_3G using Tapatalk

 

[PrimeNumber]

I have a Wilson 500 mounted on a 4' by 4' piece of aluminum.

Well of course. Everybody knows that a CB antenna belongs on top of a 4x4!

I have *still* got to get around to installing that Cobra 19 into my F-150. Maybe this weekend. Been putting it off for way too long.

 

[PBman]

Would stainless steel work?

NO... A magnet will not stick to stainless steel.

 

[helvis]

I am trying to use my hand held CB as a base unit. I would like to use a mag-mounted 2’ Firestick antenna as a base antenna so I could use it on my alternate car when needed. I have already lost an antenna from my truck. So this base antenna set-up would provide a spare antenna if needed. I am not worried about the range. I live on a hill overlooking my small town. The wife says "NO MORE RADIO STUFF!" so I got to keep it cheap.

Wife says "no more radio stuff". I say to her, " no more shoes"

 

[teufler]

she is liable to say, "no more natures entertainment". Males and hobbies, we have to maintain a fine line.

 

[TheSpaceMann]

Why bother with a mobile antenna, when you can build an 11 Meter ground plane for just a few bucks? Some bell wire and a 2x2 piece of wood or plastic PVC pipe would do the trick!

 

[BrettL]

Hey someone replied to a 4 year old thread. The person that started this thread has only 6 posts. The person that replied to it and got it back going has 1 posts. This thread is humorous. Magnets do stick to certain stainless steel without the presence of nickel. If my wife told me no more radio stuff then she may not like my next hobbies. Never thought anyone would use 75ft of exhaust pipe to put up a 5 foot mobile antenna and also hook it to their car.

By the time you scavage for plates and wires for ground planes mounting non-ground mobile antennas on houses or buildings and so forth you could have found a Antronn 99 used for around $25-$40 bucks.

I do have my antenna on top of my 4X4 but its a 108" 2 meter antenna.

If the guy lived on top of a hill then a mobile would have been fine to keep the radio stuff out of the house away from the wifey. Get an adapter for the hand held for the 2 ft mobile antenna. Just don't walk around in the house as you would without it. Then the wifey would really get mad at all the what knots and pictures being broken. What if you poked her eye out?

 

[larry80]

The stainless steel would work, for this I guess the bigger the better. Check your SWR reading, if you’re satisfied with it, then your good, no need to buy additional base antenna.

Regards,
Larry S.
Blog - Bittele Electronics

 

[BrettL]

I like exhaust pipe idea................with a fire stick mounted at the top/ Ha Ha !

 

[n5ims]

The wife says "NO MORE RADIO STUFF!" so I got to keep it cheap.

Wives, almost as bad as an HOA when it comes to the radio hobby.