I need a CB radio antenna

payback462

payback462

Joined
Nov 2, 2001
Messages
667
ok, so i won this Cobra CB radio and of course now i have to buy a frickin antenna for it, and i know less than nothing about CB radios, they were WAAAAAY before my time.
So what kind of antenna do i need, and where can i buy it online?
any and all help is apreciated!

heres the radio i got:
http://www.shopcobra.com/product.asp?sku=1755973
 
I'd take the path of least resistance and just go to Radio Shack. Not only could you eye-ball the right kind, but a friendly inventory biatch could answer questions and sell you any and all needed wire and connectors.

I was just there buying rechargeable batteries. They had everything.
 
Wilson makes an excellent flexible fibreglass antenna. You can bend it in almost a 180 degree arc and it won't break. Great for 4 wheeling. (make sure you get the flexible one, not the regular fibreglass model).

If you want a whip style, the K40 and Wilson are both excellent as well.
 
payback462,

First off, I wouldn't recommend Radio Shack for antennas. I went in there once just to see what CB products they carried and what they have is crap, IMO. I was also NOT impressed with the sales rep that answered(well, he tried to) my questions about their products. The ONLY item that I would buy from there would be their 102" steel whip CB antenna(about $12), if you can't find one at a local CB shop in your area. You could also look in any local truck stops that may be in your area too.

Am I an expert? No, but I am a truck driver and have enough experience with CB radios and antennas to pass on some advice to you. Wilson does make great antennas, both fiberglass and steel whips, if you're prepared to spend some $$$. They're not TOO expensive, but I prefer the old reliable steel whip (102"), mainly because the fiberglass ones can break if you're not careful. They can take alot of punishment, and the top of the antenna can be tied down if you need to, for low clearance areas.

Whatever antenna you decide on, be sure to ask if it can be tuned. By "tuned", I mean that the antenna will need to be connected to an SWR meter in order to achieve maximum output and reception for your CB. The CB shop should be able to explain in detail with this procedure. One more thing, when someone asks you what length of coaxial cable(cable from CB to antenna) you would like, I recommend an 18 foot long coax. This may seem like more than what you need, but it helps with the transmission and reception. How it works, I'm not sure exactly. This was some advice given to me by an old friend who is no longer with us. His advice has worked great for me.

You can check out CB antennas, power microphones, other CB radios, etc., at www.copper.com

Hope this helps you out...Good luck. :D
 
Firestik makes a great antenna. I ahve used one for a few years now and never had a problem.
 
alright, i think im gonna go with a K40, only because some of the places i freqeunt 4wheelin get all pissy about whip antennas flyin around the place.

but i think i might wait till i get my new bumper to decide, cause i dont want to have to buy two mounting brackets, cause i just KNOW its not gonna fit on both.

damn radio!, wish I'da never won it, now i gotta pay to get it hooked up and waterproofed to:mad: :rolleyes:
 
Firestik is a great choice, and would be my first choice. But, if its going on that 4x4, then I would go with something a little more flexible.

**I just read your last post, so I am not telling you anything that you don't already know.***
 
thanks for all the help!! what would i do without you guys?


oh i know, i would be sitting on a wallet stuffed with all the cash i saved from not buyin TOYS!:D
 
Just a small point - the K40 is still pretty darn whippy, albeit it isn't 102" long. Excellent antenna though. Works well mounted on the lip of the hood near the windsheild.

I'd be happy to help save you all this aggravation - feel free to send the offending device to me, I can always use a spare ;)
 
As one of probably many of BF.com's resident HAM operators, don't forget to use an SWR Meter to test your system when installing any new antenna with a CB-radio, 10m, or 2m/440-radio. Many folks simply expect plug-and-play operability, when nothing can be farther from the truth.

Too high a SWR ratio, and at best you're operating inefficiently (with consequent much reduced range) or at worst you're going to harm your radio.

Also, remember that a small antenna using a ground plane (i.e. mounted in the center of your car's metallic roof) can/will often outperform the largest bumper/tail-mounted whips.

I wish I could give more detail, but I'm a little rusty on my radio theory...

73's DE KG6AHU
 
i was reading about that whole SWR thing, confusing stuff:confused: but i kinda get the idea.

i understand the ground plate thing too, but i have a soft top:)

anyways, i dont need that much range, id say at the most id need a mile range, all i ever use it for is to communicate with other vehicles on the same trail.
 
payback-

Think of getting the right SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) as "batter hitting the sweet spot"--rough analogy I know--but a bad SWR would be like connecting each and every time 6" above your hands--ouch! Too high an SWR reading (meaning the frequency is at odds with the length of your antenna) and you can literally fry your radio (especially those of you with "Export-CB's" running in the 35W+ range!--and you know who you are :) ). That's why the SWR test is usually performed in the middle-range of whatever frequencies you may be using (a sort of compromise).

Re: Range requirements. I understand most off-roaders only need a mi. at most to chat with those in the caravan--but you never know do you when an emergency might require a bit more reach in the backcountry.

That being said, I too use Wilson K-series whip IIRC on my Wrangler (mounted to the spare stop). The SWR reading with my Texas Radios 949 is exactly 1.5:1, so I've got lots of reach with my radio running so efficiently at full power. The non-metallic Jeep hardtops would not function as a ground plane anyway for a center-mount antenna.

I've found CB essentially useless here in Calif. on the highways these days--as there are few users. All the truckers have moved to the commercial 10m bands, and everyone else uses cell phones.

So, I run a Icom 2800H 2m/440 HAM radio, and with repeaters can reach Nets running over 100 mi.

Hope that helps.
 
What would be a good CB antenna for my old '72 Mustang? I had an old magnetic mount I used to stick on the back near the trunk for long trips. Eventually, the plastic base cracked. Plus, the set screw for tuning the antenna got corroded to the point it was totally frozen - hell it's over 20 years old!

My main concern is I don't want anything that screams CD RADIO since I live in LA and actually drive my car in town. In other words break-ins, vandalism, and crime are major factors.

Also, I just got my car painted :) so I'd prefer not to scratch up the paint the way a magnetic mount eventually will. Radio performance for me is secondary. I want to keep my car stock, so I don't want to be drilling a lot of holes in the body. Are those AM/FM/CB stock or power antennas worth looking into?

I just bought an old Chicken Shack sideband unit I'd like to try out. And I do miss chating to the truckers while driving. They always know the good places to get gas and food.

Bruise
 
Originally posted by K Williams,
Which is better for normal usage? The Cobra 29, 25, or 148?
Click to expand...

I suppose that it would be up to your own preference on this, K.. The 25 and 29 are classics, and each provide a reliable workhorse of a CB radio. The 148 has that single sideband that will give you more CB channels than the regular 40 that are on the 25, 29. I don't think that you could go wrong with either the 25, or 29, unless you'd want the extra expense on the 148.

BTW, the Soundtracker option was something that I didn't find too appealing. If you decide on either the 25 or 29, I'd recommend to look for one that says "Classic" on the box. ;)

Originally posted by Bruise Lee,
What would be a good CB antenna for my old '72 Mustang?
Click to expand...

If you don't want to drill any holes, Bruise, or take a chance on messing up the paint job on your classic Ford with a magnet mount antenna, I'd recommend the combo antenna(AM/FM/CB). I have a friend of mine that put one on his family van and he's very happy with it. The reception radius on the CB isn't that great, from what I understand, but for at least a couple of miles, you can chitchat with truckers for info, bear reports, etc..
 
Originally posted by KBR
If you don't want to drill any holes, Bruise, or take a chance on messing up the paint job on your classic Ford with a magnet mount antenna, I'd recommend the combo antenna(AM/FM/CB). I have a friend of mine that put one on his family van and he's very happy with it. The reception radius on the CB isn't that great, from what I understand, but for at least a couple of miles, you can chitchat with truckers for info, bear reports, etc..
Click to expand...
Here is some info I dug up from the FireStik Antenna Company:

"3-WAY (AM/FM/CB) ANTENNA
Compliments of Firestik® Antenna Company Technical Support Team

Copyright © 1996 Firestik® Antenna Company

Can you use one antenna for AM/FM and CB? Absolutely! But if you have even the lowest level of expectation as to how you want your CB to work, you need to shop wisely.

Back in the late 70’s a couple of manufacturers decided that they would connect a little electronic device to their AM/FM antenna and sell it to people as a 3-way antenna. On the surface, that appeared to be a pretty good idea. You wouldn’t need another antenna and thieves wouldn’t be able to tell that you had a CB in your vehicle (CB’s were being ripped off at a horrific pace). Unfortunately, CB operation with the set up was a huge disappointment. The reason is clear (to us).

The design of a "receive only" AM/FM antenna doesn’t really contain that much design at all. The biggest hurdles are the way you want/need it to mount on the vehicle, how tall you want it to be, and what do you want it to look like. If you scanned the antenna for primary and shadow resonant frequencies, you might have a hard time trying to find one that fell into either the AM or FM bands. Why? Because it just isn’t that important to "receive only" radios. As a matter of fact, if you broke the antenna off of your vehicle you would probably still receive the major stations in your area. Granted, it may not be as good as when you had the antenna but you could still use the radio. And, if you had a metal coat hanger you could twist up a workable antenna in a few minutes.

Transmitting antennas (such as CB) are required to be resonant (design frequency that matches the radios output frequency) in order to operate. If they miss the mark somewhat you probably wouldn’t recognize the difference while in the receive mode. However, CB’s are also transmitters. In order for the antenna to absorb the radio’s energy it must be, within a fairly small bandwidth, on frequency with the radio. Failure to meet the transmitters needs means poor performance at least and damaged equipment at worst. Accordingly, in the 3-way antenna business, all design functions must first take into consideration the needs of the transmitters. Unless of course you don’t care how well the CB performed.

When a CB antenna doesn’t resonate in the general frequency ranges of the transmitter, the energy that cannot be absorbed by the antenna is reflected back into the transmitter. High reflection results in highly heated components that will eventually fail. So what did the designers do? In order to protect the radios from going up in smoke they added a circuit in the antenna lead that would bleed away huge amounts of the radios power. What would you think of a tire business that sold you tires that would explode over 40 mph so they removed half of your spark plugs to control your speed? In effect, that is what WAS being done to the antennas in those 3-way set-ups.

If you want a 3-way antenna, start with the CB antenna. Get a good one! Then pick-up a tunable 3-way splitter (like our AR-1A). First, tune the CB antenna without the splitter in line to establish a set of reference points. Next, put the splitter in-line (connected to the CB, the AM/FM radio and the antenna) and recheck the SWR. Make any fine adjustments for the CB antenna with the appropriate adjusting device on the splitter. And finally, tune in a local AM broadcast station in your area and tweak the AM adjustment on the splitter to get best reception.

Finding an AM/FM look-a-like 3-way antenna today is a difficult task because the marketplace sent them packing after discovering the poor performance they deliver. However, if you end up with a disguise CB antenna, just don’t expect it to work very well. With your expectations set low, you won’t be too disappointed."

Bruise
 
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