Metal CB base antennas

[Larry1275]

They were all fantastic performers and contrary to some CB bloggers who appear to downrate them all the vintage monster skyhooks improved my mileage over the generic mid size ground planes. My first glasspack antenna the Shakespeare Big Stick didn't impress me, too much noise. I heard the Imax and the Solarcon have the same issues with noise over time. Too bad it's illegal to have metal CB antennas nowadays. Yet for 10 meters it's okay. Hmmmmm.

For structures, the highest point of your antenna must not be more than 20 feet above the highest point of the building or tree on which it is mounted, or 60 feet above the ground. There are lower height limits if your antenna structure is located within two miles of an airport.Apr 13, 2017 ...The SPT-500 is 22 feet long thats why i'ts not legal for CB uses.or mount it on side 60 foot tower lower it down on side of tower 2 foot mark...it will be ok .....get it

 

[prcguy]

Around 1979 I was living in a two story house with a large chimney and had 21ft of 3" square steel tubing attached to the chimney, a short mast above that then the 22ft long Hy-Gain Penetrator on top. I made a custom strap mount for the chimney using 3/8" steel cable and one strap was at the roof level and the other 6ft higher on the chimney to spread out the load. The top of the Penetrator must have been about 70ft in the air with no guys. It was beautiful.

One day I was looking out my window as a brown Ford sedan with blackwall tires and small hub caps pulled up, got some optical equipment out of the trunk and started pointing it up and down my antenna and mast. Then they put that back and got some test equipment and headed to my front door. It was the FCC and I was getting a house call.

After they inspected my station, and that's a whole story in itself, the pink ticket arrived a few weeks later and nothing was mentioned about antenna height. I did have to pay $50 for not using my call sign over a 1hr conversation they recorded, which was the main reason for the visit.

For structures, the highest point of your antenna must not be more than 20 feet above the highest point of the building or tree on which it is mounted, or 60 feet above the ground. There are lower height limits if your antenna structure is located within two miles of an airport.Apr 13, 2017 ...The SPT-500 is 22 feet long thats why i'ts not legal for CB uses.or mount it on side 60 foot tower lower it down on side of tower 2 foot mark...it will be ok .....get it

 

[trentbob]

For structures, the highest point of your antenna must not be more than 20 feet above the highest point of the building or tree on which it is mounted, or 60 feet above the ground. There are lower height limits if your antenna structure is located within two miles of an airport.Apr 13, 2017 ...The SPT-500 is 22 feet long thats why i'ts not legal for CB uses.or mount it on side 60 foot tower lower it down on side of tower 2 foot mark...it will be ok .....get it

Around 1979 I was living in a two story house with a large chimney and had 21ft of 3" square steel tubing attached to the chimney, a short mast above that then the 22ft long Hy-Gain Penetrator on top. I made a custom strap mount for the chimney using 3/8" steel cable and one strap was at the roof level and the other 6ft higher on the chimney to spread out the load. The top of the Penetrator must have been about 70ft in the air with no guys. It was beautiful.

One day I was looking out my window as a brown Ford sedan with blackwall tires and small hub caps pulled up, got some optical equipment out of the trunk and started pointing it up and down my antenna and mast. Then they put that back and got some test equipment and headed to my front door. It was the FCC and I was getting a house call.

After they inspected my station, and that's a whole story in itself, the pink ticket arrived a few weeks later and nothing was mentioned about antenna height. I did have to pay $50 for not using my call sign over a 1hr conversation they recorded, which was the main reason for the visit.

So I started in CB in 65 when I was 12 and my dad applied for the license. We got a hand typed letter rejecting our application because we only put one radio down instead of two and got the usual lecture about it's not for hobby it's for business and base to mobile family Communications. Reapplied and everything was okay.

I remember the 20 foot rule, I remember that your Transmissions had to be brief and to the point to allow someone else to use to channel. You had to use your call letters on each transmission unit 1 to unit 2 excetera excetera.

Enforcement by the FCC of the rules was pretty strict then. Of course we just chatted away, my friends and I, just like everybody else

I just can't believe that now you can't do just about anything you want and nobody cares.

I think the FCC has given up on citizens band and enforcing any kind of rules a long long time ago.

I truly believe we should just do whatever we want with antenna installations as long as it's safe.

Just my opinion

 

[WB9YBM]

They were all fantastic performers and contrary to some CB bloggers who appear to downrate them all the vintage monster skyhooks improved my mileage over the generic mid size ground planes. My first glasspack antenna the Shakespeare Big Stick didn't impress me, too much noise. I heard the Imax and the Solarcon have the same issues with noise over time. Too bad it's illegal to have metal CB antennas nowadays. Yet for 10 meters it's okay. Hmmmmm.

I suppose you could get a ham antenna designed for 12M or 10M & just re-tune it...

 

[JayMojave]

For structures, the highest point of your antenna must not be more than 20 feet above the highest point of the building or tree on which it is mounted, or 60 feet above the ground. There are lower height limits if your antenna structure is located within two miles of an airport.Apr 13, 2017 ...The SPT-500 is 22 feet long thats why i'ts not legal for CB uses.or mount it on side 60 foot tower lower it down on side of tower 2 foot mark...it will be ok .....get it

Yeah that might have been the rules, but no one cared or flowed them. A 20 or 30 foot push up mast was used in thousands of CB Antenna installations, and even more of the Penetrator 500 and now SPT-500 Antennas are used. Hy-Gain rated the Penetrator 500 5/8 wavelength ground plane antennas at being able to take 1500 watts of power. The same amount that the Ham Linear Amplifiers were putting out at the time. Talk about getting out and shooting skip YEAH! There were many old type 60, 80, and even 90 towers out there that have been taken down from TV Antenna use like in a trailer park or such. We Put up the Yagi and Quad Beam Antennas, and the 5/8 wavelength antennas on these tall towers all the time, and worked great. The higher the better.

Modifying a 5/8 wavelength ground plane antenna to meet the 20 feet length is just plan dumb. One needs to get out!

Jay in the Great Mojave Desert

 

[stingray327]

I would be happy again if I could get a brand new Super Penetrator CB base station. That antenna really got out there.

 

[stingray327]

Yes, remember those. Weren't the made by Avanti? Maybe I am thinking of the Starduster.

I started out with a back-of-set center loaded whip that got me a out maybe a mile or so but that was back in '75 when everyone had a CB in the house and car. Next was the "Big Stick" that was roof-mounted thanks to the kindly landlord. Don't remember it being prone to noise but didn't know any better back then .

Does anyone remember the antenna that was a non-rotatable beam consisting of three vertical elements spaced 120 degrees apart that you switched electronically?

Any antenna that's longer than my house scares me..

Nice to hear all your comments of CB way back when. Check AmericanRadioHistory website for old CB mags.

PDL2??

 

[stingray327]

One thing for sure is that CB base and mobile radios cost alot less today than back in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Cobra was the most popuLAR brand as I remember. The real expensive radios with little to no features were the PACE and Johnson Radios and they cost alot. Both of those brands were made in the USA perhaps that's why they cost alot back then. I would get a SSB/CB base or mobile today but I don't know what is currently available. I still have my RAdio Shack TRC-456? It's a 40 Channel CB/SSB mobile running a K-40 magnet antenna. But I haven't used it as it has been in the closet with my Turner +3 base station microphone.

 

[spongella]

One thing for sure is that CB base and mobile radios cost alot less today than back in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Cobra was the most popuLAR brand as I remember. The real expensive radios with little to no features were the PACE and Johnson Radios and they cost alot. Both of those brands were made in the USA perhaps that's why they cost alot back then. I would get a SSB/CB base or mobile today but I don't know what is currently available. I still have my RAdio Shack TRC-456? It's a 40 Channel CB/SSB mobile running a K-40 magnet antenna. But I haven't used it as it has been in the closet with my Turner +3 base station microphone.

Yes sting, my Midland 23 channel SSB cost $300 back in the 70's, now you can get the Uniden for about half the price.

The Turner mics were very popular back then, especially the amplified ones.

 

[JayMojave]

I would be happy again if I could get a brand new Super Penetrator CB base station. That antenna really got out there.

See:

Hy-Gain

Hy-Gain was bought out by MFJ, they have reintroduced the Penetrator 500 calling it the SPT-500. Will probably need a antenna analyzer to tune the antenna on the CB Band, as I believe its supposed to be used on 12 or 10 meters, as the CB band is 11 meters. I would assemble the antennas per the instructions and adjust the vertical element to get to the CB Band. Many have done it.

Jay in the Great Mojave Desert

 

[bpittman]

Back in the late 70's my first radio was a TRC-433 with a used 1/2 wave aluminum vertical with 3 ground radials. Not sure of the brand. Then in the middle 80's when the cycle was high the shack had a modded HR-2510 and 3 element beam with the old aluminum vertical on top. The good ole days.

 

[prcguy]

They run about $150 new, how many do you want? I got one recently and I shopped around and paid close to $150 with shipping.

I would be happy again if I could get a brand new Super Penetrator CB base station. That antenna really got out there.

 

[prcguy]

I worked at a major CB store in the 70s and we refused to sell the Browning line because it was not a very good radio and it cost too much. The Tram D201 was better but far from the best. I remember arguing with the famous Air Force General "Chappy" James who was a CBer and came to our store to order a D201 and I tried to talk him out of it. That didn't go well and he was in uniform at the time but I still refused to get him one.

The absolute finest and highest performing radio I have come across was the CPI line of radios starting with the CP300 then the CP400 then the CP2000 base. We sold those and I owned one for many years. We also thoroughly tested all antennas we sold and dropped many popular types because they didn't perform well.

If you could afford the Cadillac and Lincoln of CB radios you were rich.

View attachment 78151

View attachment 78152

 

[BloodandRoses]

I have the Sirio Tornado all metal antenna and it works great!!

 

[prcguy]

I recently installed a Sirio 2016 for a friend and was impressed with the quality, workmanship and how well it performed.

I have the Sirio Tornado all metal antenna and it works great!!

 

[MrColad]

I have the Sirio Tornado all metal antenna and it works great!!

I recently installed a Sirio 2016 for a friend and was impressed with the quality, workmanship and how well it performed.

Sirio Tornado 27 Base Antenna | Copper Electronics

Sirio Tornado 27 Base Antenna

www.copperelectronics.com

 

[prcguy]

This is the one I installed:

SIRIO 2000 series

5/8 λ ground plane, Omnidirectional, 26.4 ... 28.2 MHz Tunable, Systems: 10m-HAM

www.sirioantenne.it

Sirio Tornado 27 Base Antenna | Copper Electronics

Sirio Tornado 27 Base Antenna

www.copperelectronics.com

View attachment 78155

 

[Trebleplink]

www.cbtricks.com/ant_manuals/avanti

View attachment 77937

As someone who has made a living designing and modelling antennas for the last 30 years, let me comment on the astroplane design.
This is essentially a top-loaded sleeve dipole. It will have (neglecting minor conductor losses) 2.1 dB gain over isotropic - the same as any other vertical dipole. The X on top is capacity hat loading, resulting in a shortened overall structure. The bottom skirt forms "the other half" of the dipole, or the "coaxial sleeve," decoupling the metallic mounting pole. It's a vertical dipole. The X could be done away with if the overall height was lengthened to a half wave.
No magic here - it's an honest antenna, but as so frequently happens with antennas marketed to consumers, the unique appearance can make or break economic success.

 

[russbrill]

They were all fantastic performers and contrary to some CB bloggers who appear to downrate them all the vintage monster skyhooks improved my mileage over the generic mid size ground planes. My first glasspack antenna the Shakespeare Big Stick didn't impress me, too much noise. I heard the Imax and the Solarcon have the same issues with noise over time. Too bad it's illegal to have metal CB antennas nowadays. Yet for 10 meters it's okay. Hmmmmm.

It's not illegal to own a metal CB antenna.. However, it is illegal to market a metal omni - directional CB antenna to the public.

 

[russbrill]

Yes, I had one in about 1975. In a test side by side with various antennas it was close to, but a little down from a Shakespeare Big Stick and noticeably worse than a Radio Shack or Hy-Gain CLR-2 19ft 10in 5/8 wave. A Hy-Gain Penetrator was a lot better.

The Hy-Gain Penetrator is a .64 wave antenna, that' why it has a little more gain than the 5/8 wave...