kas1263
Member
What kind of low profile CB antenna cold I use for this unit? And, is there a mounting device I could use to slide the unit in and out of my vehicle?
Low profile CB antenna for BearTracker 885
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mmckenna
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"CB antenna" and "Low Profile" are two things that are sort of mutually exclusive.
Antenna length is dictated by frequency. You can cheat by using short antenna with loading coils, but then you get a really inefficient antenna. Since CB is limited to 4 watts AM on this radio, you are already at a disadvantage in most cases. Using a severely compromised antenna by wanting "low profile" is just going to make it worse.
Also, low profile means different things to different people. If you mean short, you are out of luck. Sure, you can buy them, but expect really awful performance. You can't take a frequency that is looking for an 8 1/2 foot long antenna and hook it up to a 2 foot long antenna and expect it to work well.
Normally a decent base loaded CB antenna is going to be about 4 feet long. Ideally, you would want a full 1/4 wavelength antenna, about 108 inches long, but that's too long for most practical mobile uses.
There are a lot of antennas out there. A few of them are actually pretty good. My favorite has always been the Larsen NMO-27. It's a commercial 2 way radio antenna, not a consumer grade antenna. They'll cost a bit more, but the one I have is 20+ years old and still works great. Just had it on my truck for a 4000 mile round trip run to Texas and back.
As for the mount, you can look for one of the old "slide mounts" that were popular in the 70's. Not sure if anyone is still making them, but you could search on it. I know I've seen a few on e-Bay. Problem is, they were designed for CB's only, and thus only have one antenna connection. That would mean you'd have to connect the scanner antenna separately. Not a big deal, but something to consider.
Antenna length is dictated by frequency. You can cheat by using short antenna with loading coils, but then you get a really inefficient antenna. Since CB is limited to 4 watts AM on this radio, you are already at a disadvantage in most cases. Using a severely compromised antenna by wanting "low profile" is just going to make it worse.
Also, low profile means different things to different people. If you mean short, you are out of luck. Sure, you can buy them, but expect really awful performance. You can't take a frequency that is looking for an 8 1/2 foot long antenna and hook it up to a 2 foot long antenna and expect it to work well.
Normally a decent base loaded CB antenna is going to be about 4 feet long. Ideally, you would want a full 1/4 wavelength antenna, about 108 inches long, but that's too long for most practical mobile uses.
There are a lot of antennas out there. A few of them are actually pretty good. My favorite has always been the Larsen NMO-27. It's a commercial 2 way radio antenna, not a consumer grade antenna. They'll cost a bit more, but the one I have is 20+ years old and still works great. Just had it on my truck for a 4000 mile round trip run to Texas and back.
As for the mount, you can look for one of the old "slide mounts" that were popular in the 70's. Not sure if anyone is still making them, but you could search on it. I know I've seen a few on e-Bay. Problem is, they were designed for CB's only, and thus only have one antenna connection. That would mean you'd have to connect the scanner antenna separately. Not a big deal, but something to consider.
RFI-EMI-GUY
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You might find a DIN type bracket that will accept the radio. Also check marine supply houses
Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
rumcajs_tr
Member
Regarding the antenna, try this one:
https://www.president-electronics.us/CB-Antennas/Magnetic-Antennas/New-York
Works extremely well (considering the length)
Best regards,
Ondrej
kas1263
Member
Thank you all for your responses. Now to wait for the bugs to get fixed, then it's a go.
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