Problem with CB antenna

[MusicScan]

Here is my set up

cobra cb radio
little wil mag mount antenna
indoors, second floor of house, near window

i placed the antennas magnet mount on a steel platform around 1.5 x 2 feet. It is near a window. I can’t put it outside. Since it is on the second floor, it is high up but indoors

my swr readings vary from 4 to 2.5. (Not good numbers). What can I do within the confines of where I have to set this up, to get better and acceptable swr readings? I have adjusted the antenna whip,s length by playing with the Allan key screw, but those are the best numbers I can get. Help?

 

[merlin]

You really need more area for a decent ground plane,, like the size of a car roof.
So little ground plane needs a longer whip to match. If yours has been cut down, it may not make it with your setup.
Another suggestion is don't trust the radio SWR meter, get a half way decent SWR meter with a good jumper cable.
If you can, attach some coper wire to your platform, say, 110 inches from the antenna to the ends of wires. run those wire horizontal to the antenna.
Unless you have metal in the roofing or like foil backing insulation, near a window won't matter much.
Cheers

 

[kc8kek]

You can run a couple (minimum 2, 4 at right angles to each other is better but probably not practical) radial wires, 9 feet long, at right angles to the antenna, attached to (ground plate?) might do the trick. Yeah it'll be a little directional in the direction of the wires (as well as up in the air, and who knows where) but might bring your SWR down enough to make contacts. Every indoor antenna is a compromise, but it might do the trick and it's a cheap experiment (lamp wire, speaker wire, whatever)

 

[ur20v]

I have my Little Wil on a 24×18 or so steel plate... in fact my entire antenna garden populates the plate. I mounted the plate to an old charcoal grille stand. Even with no elevation I've talked to Arizona and Texas, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and all kinds of places near and far with this setup. The radio chassis are bonded to the plate, and the plate is grounded using a ground rod and two 14ga copper wires from a length of Romex.

The antennas aren't in the same orientation and there's another one on there since this photo was taken, but you get the idea.

 

[RFI-EMI-GUY]

Worlds smallest antenna farm. Undoubtedly HOA approved. "these are just my skewers for the BBQ".

 

[a417]

Worlds smallest antenna farm. Undoubtedly HOA approved. "these are just my skewers for the BBQ".

They do need to be dried after cleaning, they might rust!

 

[ur20v]

Worlds smallest antenna farm. Undoubtedly HOA approved. "these are just my skewers for the BBQ".

No HOA, thankfully! But we're getting the house re-sided later in the summer and a new roof in the fall, so the *real* antennas are in the shed until I can scare up a tower after all the home improvements. This just keeps me mildly interested in the hobby for the time being.

 

[K5TUE]

i placed the antennas magnet mount on a steel platform around 1.5 x 2 feet. It is near a window. I can’t put it outside. Since it is on the second floor, it is high up but indoors

In addition to adding some lengths of wire as a counterpoise, you might want to look at the window frame and the screen. If either is made of metal, this will likely cause high SWR. Even if the screen is fiberglass and the window frame is wood or vinyl, it may have metal components in the frame. A wood framed window might have an upgraded aluminum storm window frame, for example.

After you add some wire, try moving it more towards the wall, and hopefully you don't have steel or aluminum siding or steel building studs.

 

[jhooten]

From my living in the barracks days (late 70s early 80s), https://shakespeare-marine.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/4050-b.pdf

It is a 3 foot tall half wave, no ground plane needed Marine CB antenna. Mine is not a B but it is over 40 years old and still works as well as the day I bought it. It spent a great deal of time sitting in the barracks window, then later was mounted to the fiberglass camper shell on the truck. Now it is mounted to the wooden wall of the garage

 

[W5lz]

Your antenna isn't the best in the world, it's a miniature of a full sized antenna. As such you can't expect it to perform as a "real one". Being indoors is also not the best place for it. When you're at a disadvantage you do the best that you can till you can do better. Don't expect miracles, they are few and far between...