CB Base Antennas 101 Part 1: Cheap Antennas

[@wyatt7425]

Just been in to CB for a few months now all your videos have been extremely helpful man thank you so much

[@mikewalsh511]

A simple wire dipole in a tree served me well for over 10 years. Super easy to make. Cut your coax connector off on one side and strip it back. Solder a 9 foot piece of wire to the center conductor and another 9 foot wire to the shield. Electrical tape those connections and string it up as a sideways "T" with the center conductor side going up and the outer conductor going down.

[@hfvhf987]

and put a choke on the feedline to stop RF coming back down the outside of the braid on your feeder.

[@jesseobrien5864]

@@hfvhf987 what's a choke

[@josephwade3241]

Been trying to make it work in my head to make a antenna like you are describing, but feeding it thru a 8ft. Hollowed out marine antenna I know I would need a foot sticking out, but would this work if I mounted it to the rear fender of my suburban without a ground plane?

[@josephwade3241]

Would the barn doors and the lower half of the dipole radiation of the rear of my truck cause swr issues?

[@mikewalsh511]

@@josephwade3241 yes it likely will cause swr issues. Go with a roof mount antenna as close to the center of your vehicle as you can.

[@knoxduder]

Keep the great content coming! Everyone needs it now more then ever. The two-way has been booming since the pandemic.

[@tinasouthern6927]

Yeah I got a Cobra 29 XL and and I and I got a ground plane kit and I got a hundred to inch whip antenna not to die how to get out very little but I can hear very little to no other way to get to tell me what

[@Skidderoperator]

After these hurricanes, we need coms even more.

[@bobsbarnworkshop]

Before I had a steel roof on my house, I bought a mirror mount, put on a 102" whip, tapped 4 holes around the grounded mirror mount, made a couple metal bars to mount it on the middle of the roof on the top of the ridge, and stretched out four 102" ground plane wires which laid down the roof (creating the "droop"} and screwed the ends of the ground plane wires through rubber grommets at 90 degrees apart. Worked great! it was almost invisible too so the wife was happy! If I remember the SWR was almost perfect on all channels too!

[@johne.lewisiv1177]

I have been on radio since I was 16 and now I am 53, everything you were saying was saying was true as I have set up up radios stations too. Thanks for the update.

[@k5wxp22]

Love it, man. Great advice. I started when I was about 12 with a magnet mount Radio Shack mobile antenna on a pizza pan and an old car battery. Rig was a Browning "Brownie" 23 channel with volume and squelch. It introduced me into the great world of radio that I am still playing in.

[@brianmccown6464]

This is what I just started into cb with never thought about a pizza pan tho. But I'm gunna try it !!

[@chetsjug]

My first base antenna was a Kraco center load magnet Mount stuck on top of our water cooler or what people call a swamp cooler in the Southwest.it was the perfect 4 x 4 ground plane for that silly 24-inch antenna.I got out a good 10 Mile in Los Angeles area which was plenty at the time it was so crowded after the 1977 boom.

[@Killapeelz]

Greetings sir, I just want to thank you for putting out such quality content. I've been interested in radio for a few years and I have a cheap walmart setup in my car, but I've always wanted to go bigger and better, and your videos have helped me more than I can explain and given me a much better understanding. You explain things in a simple way that makes sense to people who are unfamiliar with specifications and technical terms, and you teach without skipping over information I otherwise would have missed. Thanks to your videos I finally made the decision to get a base setup and put an antenna on my roof (this video and the one previous giving me the idea of a whip with a ground plane kit, and the knowledge to make it work). In summary, you played a huge role in inspiring me to pursue radio, and I thank you. Now I just need to convince my friends to join me:)

[@Dallas-Rife-UDX-347-Tennessee]

How did I miss this last year ? The good news is , this popped up in my suggestions 👍👍 Good video 🇺🇸🇺🇸 , holler at you later Erik

[@buddycarroll9641]

I use a roof mount magnetic mobil antenna (Wilson 2000) mounted 0n a LARGE metal Pizza pan with four pieces of wire connected to the pizza pan to create a ground plane. It works phenomenal.

[@FarpointFarms]

That would work with those runners. Good idea!

[@bigchief9129]

I appreciate all the knowledge you share.I am still pretty fresh to CB radio. I enjoy watching your videos. Sometimes I will watch a video on a specific topic, go do some research and then rewatch the same video. It really helps my understanding of both research and the videos. Thanks again,keep up the good work. I always say unshared knowledge is wasted experience.

[@snakeman2506]

i made mine out of a fishing rod and some copper wire, i have talked Melbourne to Sydney. and i love it

[@HerbWalker]

GOOD Job, Yea I was just telling him, that some of the UGLIEST rigs sometimes work WELL. LOL Peace & Chicken Grease , from Texas!

[@snakeman2506]

yeah i have seen some antennas that look worse than Tracy Grimshaw and work great. thunder from down under.

[@jacklowe3788]

@@HerbWalker Hey there "Rock Brother" ha-ha I recognized you - Funny I was just thinking about Ayers Kaserne as my metal Picture just arrived to my rural area in Blue Ridge Mountains where the Postman sometimes needs 4-wheel drive to get mail in -I fool around w/ old CB's & found this Guy's Channel - Really like his down to earth demeanor & Good Info. - Anyway Howdy Herb! The Rock - 3/36TH INFANTRY '83-'85

[@snakeman2506]

@Semi professional hillbilly yeah im probably gonna rebuild it soon so i might do that.

[@m.9243]

Same here! A telescopic fiberglass rod with some 6 mm, 18 ft insulated wire in a helical fashion around it works wonders! I use a Yaesu antenna tuner to bring the SWR right down to almost 1:1 and have QSOs from Sydney with New Zealand, New Caledonia as well as the very north tip of Australia! Experimenting is the name of the game.

[@swampfox5329]

Awesome video and it's about time that you started this series. I am really looking forward to the next video.

[@FarpointFarms]

People have been asking about it forever, but it's just too much to cram into one video.

[@woodwose1158]

Excellent video Eric. Looking forward to part 2👍🏻

[@whipbone]

i loved it too

[@hillbillynick2000]

Way cool! Thanks, I was just thinking about this exact subject. I have a 35' tower for my scanner antenna and a 102 whip that I was thinking about running up there. Perfect timing.

[@jayzsphotography6]

I have the 102" whip on the top of my shed and have grounding issues, you just taught me what I needed, thanks Eric.

[@FarpointFarms]

Glad to help

[@hamandcheese25]

I’ve been watching quite a few of these videos after picking up a Uniden 980SSB for the ham shack. A very simple easy cheap antenna nobody talks about is a dipole. We use them in amateur radio and work 1000’s of miles on 10w.

[@KP11520]

Had a Shakespeare "Big Stick" back in the day. (1970s) About as good as it gets for a good performing omni-directional base station antenna. Had the base at 30' off the ground! Top was ~48 feet. Wish I still had it!

[@FarpointFarms]

Thanks for sharing!

[@hatchetjackphillips]

A buddy of mine looked into using a 102” steel whip for his camper on hunting and fishing trips. after he figured what it would cost to set one up, it was cheaper to buy a A99. It takes about 45 min to setup. The range should be outstanding on the ridge where we camp during hunting season.

[@mrfrank4583]

Very helpful information... This Man has quite a knowledge base. Very impressed.

[@w.rustylane5650]

A very good introduction to CB radio antennae. I used to have a base station when I lived in the Atlanta metro area. Sold all my CB equipment when we moved to Tennessee. I still have my parents' old CB equipment: modified J.C. Penny's and Sears phase locked loop 40 channel single side band radios, SWR meters, Davis freq counter, linear amps, etc. Just don't have an antenna. All of our radios were modified to go above channel 40 and below channel 1 in order to get away from all that noise and bullshit on channels 1 through 40. We used to hang out on channel 60 on the upper side band. Never liked AM radio with all that 10-4 good buddy bullshit. Side banders use Q codes which I liked a lot better. Our radios also had a transmitter mod tied to the clarifier so that when you tune someone in on the clarifier the transmitter would go with it. That way we could talk between frequencies or to those who were oft times off frequency. I always ran my Fluke freq counter on my base station so I'd know where I was (frequency wise) to stay just below the 10 meter HAM band. I talked to more HAM radio operators than CB radio operators 'cause most CBers didn't have modified radios. I sure miss those days in the late 70's and 80's and my base station. If I had an antenna I'd put up another base station. Guess I could climb a tree and put up a folded dipole. But then I'm now 69 and don't climb trees anymore!

[@AdaptationActual]

Hey man love your videos! I had a few questions. With the setup you described (102 whip and ground plane kit) do you need to run a ground wire into a copper pole in the earth as well to physically ground the antenna? Also any recommended coax cable lengths for this setup or does it not really matter? Thanks so much!

[@cowboycandyvending1574]

this was in the mid-to-late 90s then I upgraded to an Antron 99 and I bought a hundred foot of thick coaxial cable and I mounted that and it was just wonderful

[@alalan3735]

Used 9 feet of wire on a bamboo pole! Works with radials or a CB tuner! ;)

[@MRWALLEYZ]

Yessir Erik..TYVM--Going to enjoy the learning before throwing money at it all😀

[@FarpointFarms]

Good!! Go for it!

[@mitchdenner9743]

Back in the day we all ran mobile base stations. A cobra148gtl, some rg8u leading up to a big stick, or super big stick strapped to the chimney. Tripp lite 3 0r 5 amp 12 v power supply and either a 575m6 power mike or a d104 lollipop. Ahh.. the good ol days.

[@theaveragejoestinkeringand4407]

Right now I’m running a SIRO new tornado base antenna. It’s pretty similar to an old super penetrator. I still have my Imax on the other side of the house and an Antron on the garage. I’ve been really impressed with this sirio new tornado. I think it may have a slight edge over my IMAX. My recommendation is if you’re going to get into the hobby try and at least find an Antron 99 There’s another antenna called a patriot I believe it’s a half wave that’s a fiberglass base that you can get for around 40 bucks. Just like anything else you have to pay to play. I say go ahead and pony up the money and get an antenna because you will always be able to sell it to another cber. Good used Antanas always sell like hotcakes over the air. I just remember when I was a kid getting into the hobby it was pretty disheartening to hear people that she could not talk to and I got to the point that I almost gave up. Luckily there was a cber that was close to me That gave me some pointers and actually traded with me and I got a bass Antron antenne. If you have to make an antenna I would definitely go with making a wire antenna for temporary purposes but don’t expect much performance from it. Spend your money on a good antenna and some good coax a cheap radio that’s tuned properly will do fine. At least that way you can come into the hobby and make some contacts and start enjoying it right off the bat.

[@TheDudeVT]

Hey Eric I'm definitely liking this series! Thank you for this series! I do have a work man b100 base antenna hooked up to my house with 100ft of rg8 coaxial cable. It's currently hooked up to a Cobra 142. But I think the antenna sucks. I could have a bigger antenna and plan on getting and Antron 99 but the wife won't let me most likely. The steel whip ideas great. But my advice is to go with a better base station antenna then the b100 I can barely be heard and I have it mounted at the peak of mg rook on a 4ft length of pipe. Hope that's helpful. Talk soon Josh

[@arconeagain]

Good job Eric, I was hoping you were going on the quarter wave route. It's also worth mentioning that if they have the space, quarter wavelength wires dropped away as the ground plane will much improve the performance. It's all about efficiency, you are trying to minimise ground losses. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a quarter wave by the way, it is by no means a lesser antenna than other end fed monopoles. It can out perform them because of take off angle and efficiency based on the fact that there is no matching network. I would advise to use a decent ferrite choke on these antennas though. And phasing yes! People don't realise the capabilities of phasing with vertical polarisation, especially it you are concentrating on one, two or even four directions.

[@John336NLT]

Good videos, enjoying the antenna series

[@davidcooke7744]

Hi I started with a mobile whip on a biscuit tin.

[@higherself9261]

Great info, Im going to start my first base kit now. Want to see the range from my mobile setup.

[@jakemichael8586]

my first base antenna was a 102 whip a mirror mount and a steel pipe as a ground plane. used rg 58 coax as feed line! next I made a inverted v dipole as i was more interested in dx and not the local talk. made the dipole 5/2 wave thats right 5x 1/2 wave or 86.6 ft. dipoles on the odd 1/2 wave harmonics have gain above a stranded dipoles. feed point is around 100-200 ohm. used 75 ohm rg6 tv coax as i got a free 300 feet from the cable tv co cut it to a odd 1/4 wave to lower the impedance to around 50 ohms worked vary good worked a lot of dx. the antenna had reception in all directions do to having a lot of lobes like a flower. used aluminum electric fence wire as a antenna wire. rg 11 has low loss that is the same or better than LMR 400! if one uses even 1/2 wave pieces one will get a low swr. do sum research the 75 ohm rg11 can be used for ham/CB use. any way the point i am making is you can get on the air cheap. i never had the money for pre made antennas and coax so i read the arrl hand book and figured out that 75 ohm cable will work if it is the right length.

[@johnmckinney1493]

I have a antron with the ground plane kit. It rocks.

[@FarpointFarms]

The greatest bang for the buck out there!

[@aerialheights5680]

@@FarpointFarms Actually, the *Proton99* beats it by a bit, is less expensive and is about a foot longer. Almost, and I mean *almost* keeps up with an older (good) Imax.

[@David-jd5lp]

Dipole works well. I started in 1976 wired to my parent chimney. Worked for about 5 miles.

[@georgerippeeiii976]

My first base antenna was a center loaded, half-wave dipole my dad and I made. Super directional, tuned to channel 20 with great SWR across all 40 channels. We strung it 15-20 ft off the ground between a tree and the back of the house. It was pretty long but to this day is still one of the best performing antennas I've used.

[@thaddeusmcgrath]

Do you know of any links a new comer can better understand? I remember a friend having one long ago in his back yard and would love to take a try at creating one.

[@treedance1]

I have the 102" whip with a coil seperate as an an on with RG8 mini low loss coax running into the back yard. I use a President GRANT2 premium cb radio and have gotten miles on the setup mentioned.

[@MrJohndeere3720]

i have a workman b100 antenna & its been working good 4 my needs but i do plan 2 upgrade 2 a imaxx 2000.

[@alalan3735]

Good choice!

[@jmsmaxwell]

My first antennas was a Radio Shack 102" steel whip mounted on my car. I graduated to a Radio shack 5/8 wave antenna and still have it. Can get almost zero swr out of it but I am still using an Avanti Full Wave antenna that I bought back in 1973. Still gets almost zero swr and works great for my purposes.

[@crosisofborg5524]

The AV-101 Astroplane?

[@shabornafallah7625]

Man u just helped me a ton I'm gonna go with the 102 whip with a ground plane kit 10 ft pole on my roof thanks

[@hfvhf987]

Just bought a 1/2 wave "silver rod" for £30, really good, esp for the price. It's not even close to the build quality of the ones back in the 80's and 90's but it works perfectly and has an SWR of under 1.5 on all 80 euro channels.

[@Zkpe02]

I’ve been using CB radios since 1963 and just the last few years I turned to GMRS radios.

[@huntingdemons9039]

Thank you. You are so great. I was wondering how to get into base stations without buying a $200 antenna

[@Equiluxe1]

Best CB antena that I ever had was a military surplus one cut down for 11 meters.

[@randyrichards5647]

Ok where do you find stuff like this? I've been looking military surplus radio stuff and not finding anything.

[@Equiluxe1]

@@randyrichards5647 I got mine at a military surplus auction, came along with a base for bolting to a vehicle and a whole pallet of other bits most of which I sold on.

[@cowboycandyvending1574]

a buddy of mine gave me a old vintage CB linear still in the box so that gave me a wonder and I came to this page to see if the 102 whip was still King.I guess back in the day late 90s Wilson 1000 was pretty good too.

[@tgc5201]

And back in the day there was the FRANCIS AMAZER - a 102" fiberglass antenna that really amazing!

[@Shakez76]

Man times have changed. Steel whip on ebay is now in the $70 range....on to the diy antenna video!

[@FarpointFarms]

Ugh... inflation is awful, I am really hoping for some deflation soon

[@RogerBrenon]

That's a rippoff joke,

[@tgc5201]

Shipping on 1 102" whip vis UPS, USPS or FedEx is ridiculous! If you can find a dealer who buys a carton (6 or 12) at a time via freight shipping, you might be able to get a good buy on 1.

[@67JD110]

Great video lots of information!! I have a shed to cabin home so it's got metal siding and a metal roof. I was wonder if I bought the ground plane kit could a use a 4 foot fire stick antenna with it? I will be using a 980 ssb radio with it.Thanks!!!

[@rgrimm3173]

Looking forward to seeing this series too.....thank you!

[@GG-vx7gi]

Great video. Where do you get the ground plane kit? Looking to use a 102" whip as a temp 10 meter base antenna until I get my general license. Hoping to use on CB, and 10m as my hf radio has an internal tuner. Powered up my old Realistic Navajo base from 30+ years of hibernation and hoping get on air with it again.

[@ChrisdeHaan]

I’m prepping to build a 2m/70cm JPole I have made a dipole CB antenna and got decent results but that was at a house I was renting. Now that I have my own house i am going to put the dipole up semi permanent and building a “shack” in the corner of my shop.

[@thevacuumtubejunky9774]

You will find that the J-pole is a poor performer and somewhat directional. If you plan on building a dual band J-pole I would refrain from that idea. Don't get me wrong ,the J-Pole does work but building a separate antenna for each band will give you better results. I recently built a 8 element Yagi for 440mc using an old tape measure for the elements, believe it or not, it put my 440mc J-Pole to shame in both transmit and especially in receive, I stumbled across the idea here on KZbin, use an old tape measure or pick up a cheap one at Harbor freight, I promise you'll be very pleased with the results. Kind regards, Eric Dee.

[@WhiteCavendish]

Question: would it work to take a sheet of metal, like say for example a big cookie pan, drill a hole in the center and screw the base of your antenna through that in order to make an ultra cheap DIY ground plane?

[@wescarpenter1615]

How about with a metal roof on a house? Would a magnet mount work?

[@spectrexiii5529]

I had strange anomalies when trying to set up my first base using Antron 99 and even Maxx 2000. The closest local 10 miles away said I'd come in, but would come in weak. I then noticed SWR would shoot up during times of the day consistently. I assumed that was due to moisture or temperature changes. For instance, at night it would shoot up. Or, if I tune the antenna at night, during the day it would shoot up. Needless to say I was annoyed and never figured it out lol

[@rich4u1973]

This video was a little too late for me. I started making a base station and bought the tram 1499/ B100 just a few days ago. I'm gonna try this for awhile, and get the whip next. Great videos!!!

[@Bootyhunter1971]

How did you make out with the B100??

[@NoHandleNameScrewTube]

Thumbs up nice video. That was a fun lesson for me six months ago building four 1/4 wave 10 gauge ground wires and angling them down at the right degrees for near perfect 1.0 swr sometimes. The quarter wave picks up more weather stations in the 162 range also. My other favorite is the president Texas 7/8’s wave 83 inch whip with my added spring and I put a 6 prong trucker star radial on it from amazon and hello California redwoods to Georgia skip on 80 watts and a weather station 120 miles north in Oregon. I am sure now the fuller wave allows better performance. It will handle 7,800 watts peak and I want to do tests with two co-phased next. Dual gain

[@TheOfficialCatass]

I had to chuckle, when I first started into the hobby, I had a Galaxy 919 as my base radio. I had an extra Wilson Lil Wil that I stuck in the gutter and was able to talk to several local cb'ers with the furthest being 30 miles away. But, sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

[@FarpointFarms]

Yup! Sounds like you dodged a burnt up final, but who knows sometimes the magic is that you'll get a good SWR when it shouldn't be possible.

[@TheOfficialCatass]

@@FarpointFarms Oh, the SWR stayed low. It never went above a 1.5 between my taking the antenna down and putting it back up. I'm working on getting a Connex CX-4600 Turbo as a base set-up, now. Browsing the ol' KZbin machine for antenna & tower ideas.

[@fordman2805]

I really like your videos. I’m retiring next year and I want to set up a little shack upstairs. I’m a licensed ham and I want to set up a 2m rig and a C B base station .to save money I would like to mount my antennas on the same pole. One under other.they are both vertical antennas. Do you think it will work ok? the base of the 2m will be just above the roof peak. And theC B antenna will bellow that.

[@rogerwebb2058]

Good info! Thank you for sharing. Very helpful!

[@adambatchelder4121]

So I was looking at ground plane kits for the 102 inch whips and unless I'm seeing it wrong it looks like they attach to the hot side not the ground so technically not a ground plane right? But they seam to help anyway.

[@josephwilkins3982]

Excellent video! Was wondering if I could use a Wilson 2000 ant. for a base ant. mated to a converted 10 meter set up. If so do I need a ground plane?

[@1crazynordlander]

Thanks! I am really looking forward to this series.

[@waynedoomad2573]

Great video Eric just got my new uniden pro 505 XL cb because watching your channel, any recommendations for a base antenna

[@9mmARman]

Always look forward to your videos. Another live chat coming soon?

[@FarpointFarms]

It will be the last weekend of October if possible. I will let everyone know as I get it figured out.

[@eaglepointtactical8532]

i have a workman b-100 on a 10 foot pole on my roof, 3 floor house. the cable it about 60 feet more or less. its pritty sweet, i didnt expect it to be as good as it is. definetly not as good as an Antron! but hey for 30 bucks....im using it on a cobra 148gtl philippines that i use as a base. i have it hooked up to a batt with a 1 amp trickle charger made by stanley, i prefer the batt setup insted of a power supply because i can use it an emergency coms when the power goes down. i plan to upgrade it by adding another batt for extended use....soon

[@FarpointFarms]

Sounds like a great setup! Love the old 148's Cobra was king of the hill back then.

[@blazinSpike]

Awesome video. I use the 102" whip antenna setup

[@mothman-jz8ug]

Many homes in my area are now being built with metal roofs, and nearly all roof replacements are metal. Moreover, metal roof and metal buildings are used for barns, shops, everything imaginable. This metal, BTW is routinely grounded. MY QUESTION: Wouldn't a good mobile antenna mounted on such a roof work as good as (or better than) in a vehicle?

[@tgc5201]

YES!

[@loganmacgyver2625]

I have a magmount on my house connected to a piece of grounded metal. And i madea 1200km contact with it

[@izzydizzy1115]

Logan MacGyver, how big of a piece of metal did you use and what kind of antenna? Please help as I'm trying to find something to use at my house. Thanks

[@loganmacgyver2625]

@@izzydizzy1115 I had a sirio 145 and just asked my dad to weld a T shape from some scrap metal he found

[@greggould4275]

Quick question! I wired my 75' long RG 213 Coax through conduit ut to a backyard shack where I will mount the solarcon A-99.Cable length is ok, but, for a bit more height and reach, I wanted to know if I could add about 10' more RG 213 Coax to the COAX have laide that would plug into the A-99. Mainly, have you ever known of any long-term static issues if you DO 'add on' a segment of cabling, rather than just keeping with one cable? Is it possible to add like 10' and still keep a good clean signal, or, is that connection going to add any noise?

[@FarpointFarms]

So, Yes, it's OK to add to a cable. There is a bit of loss in those connections though. Each connection is supposed to rob some of the transmitted energy. That said, with the cost of wire these days, I'd go with it and see if there is any improvement with the new amount of height.

[@wallyjackieturgeon3070]

Thanks for the info, looking forward to the rest

[@joegoldsmith5235]

Used a astrobeam ground plane anti. Ran a teaberry which was cranked to max. Dead key 7 watts. Was running a 500 watt eagle. Dead key 900 watts. Modulate up to 1100.

[@sziltner]

Back in the DAY...WAY BACK......running legal power. Hygain CLR-2 Running more power. Avanti ASTRO Plane Still had more fun WAY back then, than I have since in all my 40 years of ham radio.

[@tgc5201]

Same here! I agree 100%.

[@slimpickins9124]

Nice, this answered my question exactly.

[@shelby131]

im an electrician. This is way more complex then i anticipated!

[@FarpointFarms]

It can be, once you know what to look for, it is not too bad

[@EJJ123]

Could you use the 102 steel whip with the ground plane inside My house is 40 ft to the peak I have such high wind in my area regularly 80mph+ I don't really want to put anything on my roof I have a closet on the second floor I was looking at a fire stick IBA 5 I think it is but I think the legs are going to be too large to stand on top of the closet I was wondering if the 102 with the ground plane might work better cuz I could mount it up off the top of the closet

[@FarpointFarms]

Try an Antron A99 mounted horizontally would be a better choice, maybe you can put it in the attic

[@madcarew.3256]

in uk in the late 70s on AM I had a Skylab C.B. antenna and could cover most of Birmingham That long ago can't recall rig maybe Midland or wattage but Happy Days cheers

[@clydeosterhout1221]

I have a metal roof on my 140 year old house. The metal roof over my front porch is pretty flat. Could I just stick a 102 inch whip into a 5 inch mag mount base? I am currently using the mag mount antenna that my wife bought for her Pinto back in 1978. The SWR is pretty good (1:3) but it is 40+ years old, and it is time to get something newer!

[@FarpointFarms]

Yes! That roof will act as a great ground for that antenna.

[@MrJaz8088]

LFA Quads are small in Boom length and the best front to back

[@JUGGERNAUT606]

Hey Eric, we have a 40' steel shipping container we use for storage. Do you think that would make a good ground plane to mount a 102" steel whip to?

[@treedance1]

You could just do a steel pole at a certain length to act like ground.

[@JUGGERNAUT606]

@@treedance1 but wouldn't the 40' steel container act as a groundplane like a vehicle would, as long as I put a grounding rod or 2 in the ground?

[@treedance1]

Pretty much I wouldn't see how it wouldn't work like that.

[@FarpointFarms]

Yes, that is all you will need. Mount it near the center of it and you will have one heck of a setup!

[@JUGGERNAUT606]

@@FarpointFarms Thanks

[@Scottua]

Would I be able to use a mobile antenna on a metal building that’s well grounded? Would the structure of the building act as a ground plane?

[@FarpointFarms]

The building would be the ground plane

[@turboomni848]

Subscribed and enjoy your videos and knowledge. I always wanted a SSB base station but wonder if my location is worth the effort to do so. Any tips if it worth it or not?

[@regularfather4708]

I just threw up a 102" homemade dipole on my ridiculously rural home near the top of a hill. The metal roof, nearby power lines, trees, and my wifi are all working together to ensure I can barely get past my mailbox with dx. Sadly I think modern technology is going to mess you up more often than simple location. I may need to shoot a 1/2 wave antenna way up past the tree canopy in order to get much.

[@OFLHLGZ28]

What about an indoor CB antenna? The Firestik. Ever heard of it? Wonder how good it would be? I’m considering it because I’m unable to put up an outside antenna myself….. and have no idea if there’s anybody in my area that would do that. I can’t seem to find anybody involved with CB in my area. I’d love to put up an Antron A-99 but I don’t have any mast to put it on.

[@FarpointFarms]

Look at the Tram B-100, the firestick will not work for you

[@OFLHLGZ28]

@@FarpointFarms​​⁠ can you explain why it will not work? CI read about it and it sounded like it should for me.

[@OFLHLGZ28]

@ what do you think of the CB100 CB Base Antenna,18ft

[@user-hj5sx6wr5t]

Do you have any videos on fiberglass antennas? I have a Barjan 2 ft 500 watt i plan to use on my truck. My radio is a Cobra 75 wx st.

[@FarpointFarms]

I do not, but I'll keep an eye out for a couple to test.

[@chrisquick7160]

I'm a college student living in a small rental house and thinking about attaching a 102" whip on one of the plumbing vent pipes sticking out of the roof (so I don't have to drill holes and piss off the landlord, haha). Where would you recommend I get a ground plane kit like the one you mentioned in the video? I'm hoping to get a CB radio club started up on campus, and a base station would be good for me to help run the club. Thanks!

[@FarpointFarms]

Yes! unless the roof is metal, get that ground plane kit and you will be good to go! Great idea trying to start up a radio club. They were very big back in the day.

[@chrisquick7160]

Thank you so much for your response. Maybe I'll see ya sometime on skip. Have a good one!

[@bobsbarnworkshop]

tech question, if I mounted the 102" whip on the top of my barn (with a steel roof, would that make a good enough ground plane? The steel roof is screwed together, so it should be one solid steel plate

[@NBWildcat2011]

I had a similar question. We are looking to put one in at our shop which is a tall metal building to be able to talk to our drivers on CB. I was curious if the metal building would help or hinder. His comment about the metal trailer roof makes me believe it would be beneficial.

[@bobsbarnworkshop]

NBWildcat2011 well I believe that mounting the antenna above the roof with ground plane horizontals radiating out of the base of the antenna insulated from the roof would be best. An SWR meter will help tune and optimize the antenna

[@MaddConnekRecordz]

I found this old cb that works I was wondering whether I could use a regular tv uhf vhf outdoor antenna to use with the cb provided I change the connector.

[@FarpointFarms]

No, you must use a antenna that is made for CB to be able to transmit without damaging the radio.

[@MaddConnekRecordz]

@@FarpointFarms ok thanks, was just curious.

[@HerbWalker]

I put a 102 whip on my roof...…..Took two 108" copper cables and built a 45 degree ground plane. Talked all over this town with it, :)

[@FarpointFarms]

A DIY ground plane kit! love it. I was lucky when I had my 102 as a base. the old 70's mobile home I lived in had a metal roof and it worked like that of a car. Loved those days.

[@HerbWalker]

Yea in West Texas our A/Cs are metal box swamp coolers on the roof and that will work too. Before I put my A99 back up that 102" worked great with that 45 degree angled wires, but Boy ,she was ugly as sin. LOL I wish I could get a picture to ya, some would look at it and say THAT will never work but it did and good too. :) NjoY Your videos brother The 'Boogeyman" stalking folks on 19 /14 AM :)

[@Stevestefano85]

Got the exact same antenna set up you do can easily talk 30 miles any day of the week

[@aerialheights5680]

You made a Starduster.

[@johnwheeler9088]

What would be the length of coax needed for the 102 in steel wip att good swr? Thanks for your info on this.

[@johnwheeler9088]

Sorry this is going to be for a bace att.

[@FarpointFarms]

18 feet is perfect, 50 works pretty good too!

[@johnwheeler9088]

@@FarpointFarms Thank you for the information have a great 4th

[@davidseinen3483]

I love your content. I’m getting a lot more involved in CB radios now and I have some questions that I haven’t really seen answered on KZbin yet. If you’ve already done a video on this, please let me know. I’m trying to understand the difference between a 1/4 wave antenna and a 5/8 wave antenna and what would be best for me. I have a mobile setup. Additionally, what’s the importance of an antenna analyzer vs just using a standard SWR meter? Thanks! I hope to hear back.

[@Dragon1165]

Thoughts of a magnetic mount antenna on a metal roof

[@FarpointFarms]

Yes, that does work. As long as there is a metal ground plan, these mobile antennas will work.

[@Dragon1165]

@@FarpointFarms kinda figured the roof may act as the ground plane, like on a car roof, maybe like a 102 whip magnetic mounted

[@shelby131]

wouldn't a ground rod 8 ft long be a good ground plane kit, or is the ground plane about more surface area than a rod?

[@FarpointFarms]

No, A ground and a ground plane are different. Grounds help reduce lightning strikes and noise floors. Ground planes are large areas of metal that reflect the signal back up or out so that it doesn't go down into the ground or up into space instead of right out at a 90 degree angle.

[@two2wisper]

Learned a lot from this!

[@brianyetzke5970]

Did you ever do a video on cable lengths for a vehicle

[@Mikey196601]

I have the 102” whip antenna and a mast and the bracket to secure the mast to the side of my garage, where do I buy the exact ground plane kit model and something to mount the antenna to the mast

[@FarpointFarms]

They are on eBay right now. I can't post a link, but search for it and they pop up.

[@Mikey196601]

@@FarpointFarms sorry, two more questions, does this ground plane attach to the mast or does the antenna screw into it, second how long does each plane have to be or does that matter

[@rustyshackleford9066]

Do cb/ham radios like the AT-6666 require a different antenna? I don't have my ham license. But want to use the Quad 6 as a base station to jump into the cb side. It would be nice to have a dual use antenna. My thinking there, is that, when I do get my ham license, I'm all set to go. Thank you!

[@jesseobrien5864]

Do you have a video on how to setup to 102inch steel whip APT antenna

[@FarpointFarms]

On a car? Yes, As A base? No. Sorry!

[@jesseobrien5864]

@@FarpointFarms where can I buy the ground plane kit. Looked everywhere

[@JohnnyRebKy]

I'm totally lost about base station antennas. I've always used a mag mount on the truck and left it at that. I want a base station in my metal barn. I'm thinking about sticking a magnet mount antenna on the metal roof since that's all I know. It should act as a ground plane just like the truck roof ? They sell a triple magnet mount and even quad magnet ( 4 mags) to hold a 102 whip. I may try that

[@jordanjacobs2440]

I have a metal roof on my house. What do u think I can do with my 102 inch whip? The metal roof should be a great ground plane

[@terryschwartz6437]

Can I use a magnetic Wilson 1000 as a base antenna on my house which has a steel roof. I would assume my steel roof would be the ground plane.

[@FarpointFarms]

Yes that will work. I had that on my older mobile home with a tin roof and it worked great.

[@terryschwartz6437]

Thanks so much for replying. We are about due for a cigar review!,

[@mrdx777]

By the time you pay for a 102 inch whip and that ground plane, you could get a brand new Tram 1498. While it isn't the best base antenna, it will work much better.

[@FarpointFarms]

Agreed!

[@DavidWright3101663156gilbert]

Hi I'm a newbie with mobility problems so I have spent alot of money buying a decent rig, SWR meter, patch cables, and a Sigma Boomerang loft antenna as I live in a top floor flat with an attic or loft. I have a mobility worker who used to be an engineer but knows nothing about CB radios but he is handy with tools and unlike me can get into the loft. Now this boomerang aerial comes with a fixed metal mount which I thought I could mount it to my wooden loft rafters...because the eBay seller said it did not need a ground plane. So my mobility worker just temporally mounted onto a block of wood to move around the attic to see the best position/orientation but the SWR was higher than the Set position on the meter! Could you please advise me what I need to do to correctly mount the antenna in my attic so I can get the lowest possible SWR. I am living in the UK but you just seem a nice guy who wants to help and advise. Even though I am on a higher mobility benefit I don't really want to spend more money on another loft aerial unless I have to as I have spent over £100 on the rig and all the accessories including the Sigma Boomerang 'loft' aerial. Sorry it's such a long comment!! I just want to be able to talk to people other CB users.