CB Base Antennas Part 2: Regular Pole Base Antenna Setups.
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
- It's finally time for part 2 of the 4 part series on base station antennas. This time we cover the antenna setups that you will most likely find in use around the world. The single 1/2 wave, 5/8th wave or .64 wave antenna.
These give base station users an affordable way to reach the world from the comfort of home without the need for expensive towers, rotors, and high dollar beam or quad type setups.
Enjoy!
Living up here in the wilds of eastern ontario canada, decided to get back into CB, started to do my shopping. Thanks for getting my interest back.
I've got an a99 up about 30ft down here by Windsor Ont. The antenna has been through 2 ice storms,and multiple wind storms .I can talk skip and local no problem, not running an amp or anything.All I can say is get the best coax possible the 213 would be my choice.
Glad I could help!
He miss' a point here of a GREAT product when talking about coax. He talks about line loss aka: RF. Their is a solution here for this concern and as stated coax is a factor - but the use of a LINE ISOLATOR solves 95 % of his thoughts for line loss. These can be installed any where in the coax line and have same effects.They are available in a large range of power rating and band widths depending on your needs. Available on E bay. A coiled coax choke will serve as well - however these RF Isolators are a better choice. 73's.
Wow I had no idea CB's were still going! I was heavily into it in the 70's & 80's when it was huge. Still have all my equipment which is a Tram D 201 base, D-104 and a 250 watt linear amplifier. I ran an Astro plane antenna which was one of the best at the time and tlaked all over the world. The radio was modified to put out about 10 watts and was also modified to have a lot of extra channels. This was before 40 channels came out and I could go way below channel 1 and way above. The Tram is a tube radio and at the time a Cobra am/ssb base station would cost about $150, the Tram was $850. The absolute top of the line in those days was the Browning at a cost of about $1200!
Sounds like one heck of a setup!
I like your video. I got on CB when you had to have a license and be over 18 years old. LOL KNJ-3578. I was a kid so it was my dad's call sign. Anyway I was on for 50 years and got into ham in the 90's. I had an Antron 99 and it worked really well on 10-11-12 and 17 meters. One day (because I had an antenna tuner) I tried the A-99 on 2 meters and It worked fine WITHOUT my antenna tuner! It must have flipped into some kind of harmonic and resonated on 2 meters. It's a great antenna and if you leave the ground plane thing off of it, it works better and you can get better skip. In other words, I didn't want my signal pulled to the ground. As soon as you said "noise floor", I knew you were a ham. I miss the local town talk we all had every night in the 70's and 80's. I think I'm going to get back into it watching you and others. I'll get and HF set but I do want a good CB AM and SSB in there to talk local. (I hate repeaters. simplex for me always.)
I like this guy. I'll bet his friends that signed his yearbook are very happy that he indeed stayed cool.
Thanks! I'm pretty laid back, I guess that shows up on camera too.
Yep, I have the Solarcon 99 up about 60', get 35 to 45 miles local comms easily, and when skip is rolling I have talked all over the country, and into Canada and heard stations in spain and the Bahamas. Great antenna for around 90 bucks!!
My first base station antenna was the Antron A99 but after buying the Italian made Sirio Gain Master I was blowed out of my mind Yes the Sirio Gain Master is an awesome antenna who would get you anywhere! I highly recommend the Sirio Gain Master!!!
Good to know. I've always loved my A99. After 23 years, I finally bought a new one, and I am still amazed by the quality.
I've had many of these different vertical antennas, the CLR2, Antron, Imax and a couple of beams over the years. The big difference between the A99, Big Stick and really any antenna about 17 feet in length, is they are 1/2 wave antennas. The Imax, CLR2, Maco V5/8 is they are all 5/8 wave antennas. They generally have a matching coil inside to get the 50 ohm resistance and matching needed to get good swr. The wave form of a 5/8 will generally perform far better than the 1/2 wave antennas. If you can afford the extra few bucks for a 5/8 wave antenna I would highly recommend it.
wonderful to know a guy like this is out there doing a Hobie of mine!!! enjoyed this video!
22' 2" is the perfect 5/8 length of tubing.
You can't have a full wave because the positive 1/2 wave cancels the negative 1/2 wave.
The Proton99 is the best antenna you showed, better price than an Antron99 and longer for better performance, plus it basically keeps up with the Imax.
I too in corbin Ky am getting back into c b. Was in the 1070’s strong. Talking every where. Truly miss it all.
Marvin Terrell
Glad to have you back!
I have had my solarcon 99 for two years and i love it, its a good little antenna
Durable, and not too expensive. That's what makes the A99 a winner for so many years.
Exactly
The Antron/Solarcon A99 is built in Holland, Ohio, which is quite close to my office during the day. American made!
Your correct Erik regarding coax cable. Coax is the main artery, if you plan on buying a nice base antenna, that new base antenna will be useless unless you purchase some quality coax which usually costs as much if not more than the antenna itself. The longer the coax run, the higher the signal loss due to resistance. RG-213/Lmr-400 has alway been my choice because it offers a high velocity factor and lower loss at just about any HF frequencies, and Lmr-400 is also preferred for VHF/UHF frequencies as well.
Another thing to keep in mind, if your planning to use other sorts of equipment in conjuction with your transmitter (amps, linears, antenna tuners, swr meters) try to use the same coax as your primary transmission line even though the coax is measured at "50 ohms" (52 ohms real world measurements) having different types of coax jumpers like RG-58 here, RG-8 there, RG-8X for that, it can reak havok on your SWR's and your transievers final drive.
Can you explain for me why jumpers with different coax can reak havoc?
RG213 has the same velocity factor as RG58, 66%. Slight differences in coaxial impedance is going to do bugger all. For example, do you know what the input and output impedance of your solid state amplifier is? Do you think it's exactly 50 or 52 ohms? The effect you're talking about is likely caused by the quality control of amplifiers, as the jumpers are acting as coaxial transformers.
After your review, and several hours of research, I purchased the Uniden Bearcat 980 SSB along with a Sirio GPE27 5/8 wave antenna. I could not be happier with this setup. I've been out of the CB world for around 3 decades and it's been good getting back into it.
Glad I could help, and WELCOME BACK!
What type of coax did you use? Also how did you ground the antenna?
@@santiago101100 Hey Santiago,
I used 100' of RG8X coax and I'm getting a 1:1 SWR on channel 40 and 1:1.1 on channel 1. I grounded the antenna with a copper coated steel rod drive 6' into the ground with 10 awg solid copper wire to the antenna.
@@huletbaker3362 one single 10awg wire right? How dis you connect it to the antenna?
@@santiago101100 Yes, one single strand. For grounding, when I connected the coax to the antenna I used a hose clamp and clamped the wire tightly to the connect and then used a clamp to tightly clamp the wire to the grounding rod.
all credit to this Guy; 1981 I ran a Midland rig on a 9ft dipole in the uk...wish this channel had been around then. All the Good numbers to you Buddy. THANKS....
I run a Super Star 158EDX radio base, she has 12 bands of freqs.
(450+ channels)
,..and I put my Antron 99 up on a 10 foot top rail fence post, mounted it in the ground , up against a metal clothes line "T" bar and that rascal talks all over the place. The DX is VERY good too.
We frequently talk to Florida/California/Oklahoma & Missouri out here in the desert! :)
BoogeyMan /West TExas
Nice spot with great line of site I'm sure! Sounds like a great setup.
Great presentation marvin Terrell
Thanks!
A99 was 17ft and worked great that was my first one with 5/8 cable with a 25ft tower then I switched to a rci ranger and beams and went back to the A99
It's the best overall antenna for CB radio out there!
Liked that, a lot, in the UK we had the same two types of loss cabling , interestingly their catalogue reference was RG58 for the thin ( mobile set up), and RG8 (for Base station application ). And the wave patterns of a half wave were radiating an equal circle, as opposed to the then 5/8 radiating a tighter elipse, all the way up to a 7/8 ( which l ran , an Avanti Sigma IV) had a radiating pattern of throwing the signal out, at almost a horizontal elipse.
6Db gain is really healthy for an omni, it would only be a beam/quad/ stack setup, that would really improve that.
I hear you I had a silver eagle 120 tower and a lot of power Loved it hear you soon speedy handle.
Right on!
I use a PDL2 which to my understanding is a full wave antenna. Nice tight little package for what it does.
I'm not familiar with that one. I'll check it out!
@@FarpointFarms They "Avanti PDL 2 AV-122" aren't made anymore. Mine is over 40 yrs old! lol...
I'll be waiting for the homemade stuff.
I'm glad I found part 2. Left a comment in part 1 about my CB history. All I need is an antenna to put up another base station in eastern Tennessee.
Do it, This area has a lot of local chatter.
I posted this on another RUclips channel, but your antenna video makes it relevant to post here.
Some years ago, I made a pair of inverted vee, half wave dipoles for myself and a friend, each quarter wavelength was 109 inches. Wood poles were used as the center support. As each leg is brought to a 45 degree angle, the SWR will approach 1.1:1. If the match is high, just move the legs wider or closer to adjust it. Cost for us to build these antennas was about $5.00 each, (or less) and they worked just fine. If you have the space, you can make these antennas longer. The rule is that each leg should be an odd number of quarter waves in length. If you have the height and space to make each leg three quarter wavelengths long, the antenna will actually have some gain. I always adjusted the SWR with the radio set to channel 20. If I could get a 1.1:1 match on 20, then the match would be good out to channels 1 and 40. We lived about five miles apart and communicated with no problem, especially on sideband.
I have a Galaxy DX 2547 along with a Cobra 29 LTD Chrome I have set up here I run the 213 coax with antron 99 it's about 25 ft in the air from bottom but you're absolutely right I was always told your antenna and your coax is 80% of a good talking radio. 👍 I can listen to the east coast, NY. City, Maryland, Vermont. And I've been able to talk to Central Texas all skip of course. And I'm sitting in West Central Oregon. And I just had my base station tuned in a line for a kl203 lennier just a little one hundred Watt .don't want it too get too ridiculous. Lol
Sounds like a great setup! I lived in Eugene OR for a while. Nice state, but man, there are some issues with the cities for sure. It's a shame, because the state is so pretty and vast.
@@FarpointFarms I live about 50 miles north of Eugene right off of I-5 by Jefferson Oregon up on top of a hill. Yes the city's have major left-liberal issues . I was born and raised just south of Cleveland Ohio so I'm definitely a conservative. Most of the people out here seem to come from a different planet but the state and so beautiful and great fishing and camping. Thanks for the reply hope you have a great day I will keep watching your videos about you setting up your new antennas and the radios, you do a great job. thank you for the videos.
I’ve been using the A99 since 2014, just recently bought the maco 5/8 but haven’t gotten it up yet, can’t wait to hear the difference and how it performs!
Please check back and let us know!
There will be a big difference. Antron 99 is a pieace of shit antenna.
About 12 yrs ago I got a V5/8 Maco. Great antenna. I had the RG8U cable. And with some help got it in the air about 50 feet. About 3 yrs later I go out side and look up at the antenna and the top section in bent at a 45% angle. Not sure if an airplane hit it Or some big dodo bird tried to land on it. So I got the guys back together and we repaired it. Only this time where the tuning ring is we upgraded it. The one it came with is really cheap made. Once repaired it worked better than ever. I got one of those Texas Stars 667 amps. Sent it and another amp to Sparky's C.B. Shop for repairs. For almost 2 yrs they Never replied to the emails and when I called they told me the tech is not in. So beware of these people.
So my antenna has been in the air for 9 yrs or so with no problems. Until, not so long ago, I turned on the radio and got nothing. I go out side and look up at the antenna and the whole top section is gone. The ground plane is still there and part of the tuning ring. The part we upgraded looks to be still there. I found the rest of the antenna some 50 feet away on the ground. Not sure as to what happened. The guys always said that C.B. stood for, constantly buying and that seemed to be right. Some day I may get back into this but I will have to find a C.B repair guy who knows what he is doing and be someone I can trust.
Thanks. My interest is starting.
Great video Erik! Here in the UK I run an antenna called a "Thunderpole 5" which looks very similar to the Solarcon A99. It's a well made great performing 18ft antenna and £20 cheaper than the A99. ps love your outro music
Thanks!
The primary function of a ground plane, at least one that is a quarter wavelength in length, is to improve ground efficiency. It provides the return currents and screens out the lower ground. This is of particular use for an antenna low to the ground and or if you have a lossy ground (poor soil conductivity). A few other notes: 5/8 is a fraction. A full wavelength on 27mhz is about 36ft. Those are not N connectors, they are PL259s, very different.
You can make your own IMAX/improved A99 by taking the top section off of the A99 and replacing it with a 108” stainless steel whip. The threads are correct 3/8-24. That’s what I have.
I've heard of this modification, but haven't ever tried it.
There’s a definite improvement over the stock A99. I had one of those for about 15 years at one house, then made the modified one and have had that up for seven years now at this house. Slightly better SWR across the band and on 10m, and ever so little more gain. Cheap and easy modification!
Did you trim it to the top section length or leave it? Isn’t it 102” without the spring?
Glad this series is continuing! I just lost my astroplane antenna 2 months ago from an ice storm. actually going out to the backyard today to see what I can't make work until summer! Probably hodge podge a 102 whip, see if I can get her tuned in.
U should call up some cb shops and see if u can peace back that anntena its a good anntena I wish i owned one
@@jordans516 yeah that thing was awesome it was brand new still in original packaging from 1980. not a bad idea i can probably find something in the northwest suburbs of the Chicago area
Good luck getting it up and running again.
A-99 is made in Ohio. I've got a Maco M-105C but honestly, for price and ease of installation you just can't beat the Solarcon A-99. I've been using one since back when Antron was making them. '83 I think.
Thanks for reignighting my hobby from my childhood
Good video 👍 , glad to see you on the air and back in action .
The station is up and running great. Talked with someone in Maine for about 5 minutes on the new radio Sunday night. First LD Skip with it!!
Farpoint Farms
Good to hear man !!! Can’t wait to see some videos of the ole workhorse in action . 👍👍
I have a VQuad and I max 2000. Both work great!
Very nice!
Yesterday I made contact in France and today Italy, RCI 2950 and an Antron 99 @ 30ft. Antron 99 is the best cheap antenna.
Thanks, Erik. Lots of good info.
Glad it was helpful!
Cubical quad is the way to go. Best 10m antenna I ever had was a two element quad. Made it from plywood, ubolts and bamboo fishing poles for spreaders. Loops are good for suppression of man made noise.
Well thank god i found you man.... i havent used a cb in years so i finally got 1 thinking it was as easy as switch it on a talk! My god how wrong was i!!lol... but thanks to you iv have it going and learned so much from your videos... thanks dude!
Topic suggestion:
If you haven’t already covered it, I would be curious about some methods you may be using or considering for lightning protection for antennas and equipment.
I'll do it! I've talked about it in other videos, but never made a standalone one.
A fullwave vertical would be about 36 feet or 11 meters, to tall and besides the impedance would be to high to match.
Now days cable and satellite dishes have largely made home TV antenna towers obsolete, but in their day 40’ towers were common. With a tuner they make fine verticals. For the easiest match the vertical element should be an odd number of 1/4 wave lengths. Radial length is not critical but should be at least 1/4 wave length. As the post mentions, a metal roof and a 1/4 wave length vertical antenna work well.
Very helpful, thanks for posting.
Glad to sir!
I've had mirror mounts screwed to the fence in the backyard.
with coil & whip antennas along with 102" whip antenna with the separate coil which I've had decent receive/transmit with RG8 mini Low Loss Coax.
Sounds like a neat setup.
@@FarpointFarms well I've been able get miles so works pretty well.
I took my imax down and put up a Sirio 827 it’s a very well made antenna. It works great considering the hole that I’m in.
Hi Erik! just getting back into cb still have my president madison and just bought a uniden 980ssb and a a99 antenna i had a super scanner antenna and loved it the electronic beam worked great. when i get set up i will try to make the trip to you my handle is slim jim talk later Jim in New Hampshire.
Welcome back!
Hey man I came across your channel last night. I hit those buttons and put your vids on auto play, had a few of the couple hour videos played by this morning when I woke up. I'll be watching more! I'm really interested in getting into radios and even trying to get my ham tech license. Thanks for the info!
Welcome!
I've had an Antron, and a Imax, but now I run a Sirio Vector 4000. It is a fantastic antenna. Far superior.
I've never owned one, but if the Max2000 ever goes down i'll look into it.
@@FarpointFarms , the Sirio Vector 4000 is basically a copy of classic antenna from the 80s called a Avanti Sigma 4.
Erik, I have seen quite a few videos on reusing a Satellite Dish for free internet, and free WIFI, I have even seen videos of guys turning them into Parabolic Mics! Have you ever looked into using one and making a CB or Ham radio antenna from one of them, or if it's even possible to convert one for that kind of application? Love your videos, keep up the good work, you're well like up here in Canada!
I've just purchased the Solarcon/Antron 99. Weather stopping me putting it up
That was great. lots of great antenna's still made. some sold as HAM antenna's but tune CB . they make a 3/4 wave CB antenna. 27 ft long. The company that made the radio shack cross bow antenna is still in business and has a current version still sold in 2024. Maco has new oner but still made . the Ringo Ranger antenna is still made. I have the AR6 6 meter HAM one. the CB one is sold as a HAM 10/12 meter antenna now. The coax I buy now is either ABR coax/ M & P made in Italy or MIL spec like RG 214 or RG 58C/U . That RG 8X is great for CB . just get a good brand . may look the same but it is not. same with RG 213 . be careful what you buy. lots of junk coax being sold. copper cost some $$ now. hyper inflation .
Thanks for the info. I'll have to check out the Radio Shack antenna.
Thanks again! This is a good review for me. I gotta get on all this coming this spring. I have an 8ft ground rod, picking up ground wire soon. I'm still looking for a A99 but I did pick up a 102 inch steel whip in a trade! Might put it up in the trees next to the house. I have 100 ft of rg8 coax but I have 2 barrel connectors so I could add to it or get all new still undecided. Have a few radios so all good there. But I gotta get that workman B100 down that's terrible! A little Wil works better than that thing lol.
Thank you for the great videos! Keep them coming!
Josh
Glad to hear your setup is getting closer to perfection. That 102 is worth a good bit these days as they can only be found on-line. I just wish modern cars had a spot on the bumpers to mount them, but they are all plastic! Good luck with the A99 search too!
@@FarpointFarms
Do you think I should go through the trouble of putting up the 102 whip as a base antenna? And thanks man I'm slowly getting there. The say good things come to those who wait.
I'll keep you posted.
Talk soon
Josh
Thanks to your knowledge I have it setup!!
I spent a couple decades in Charlotte, North Carolina one winter.
Great video Eric, look forward to the next vids 📹,👍
Top stuff
I use my Solarcon 99 for cb and 10 meter. 1.3 swr on 10 meter and 1.4 swr on 11 meters. Works great for both. Built a dipole for 2 meters.
Are you getting a lot on 2 meters where you live? My area is dead.
@@FarpointFarms Yes, the Wilmington repeater stays fairly active.
Hello Eric, I installed a cb radio with different sirio antennas, by my dear ones. I tuned them with my SWR meter and they not too expensive in Europe. In case of emergency we can have contact.
Glad to hear it!
The Antron/Solorcon/I-Max is a capacitance loaded end fed dipole.
Can you do a video on grounding rods and how to install them ???
Sure! It will have to wait until spring as the ground is frozen now.
@@FarpointFarms kool...thanx...I can wait...I have a president Madison & a trc 457...I don't want to fry them
G'day Erik, nice video...as usual, hope the Rangers being well used! I ran a radio shack 5/8 wave and .64,wave base antenna in the late 70s.... Worked the world! Strangely enough if your on top of a hill best off using a 1/4 wave antenna as the radiation pattern will reach below the level your transmitting at... The lower angle of radiation of a 5/8 wave means most of your signal goes out over those stations below you. You may want to look at wire antennas too... Easy and cheap! Just need a balance or tuner.... Had a mate near me who had a 6 element quad.... He regularly spoke to mates in the US, unfortunately he passed away 10 years ago, but the antenna is still up! Looking forward to the next video..... Cheers, Anthony
Thanks! I am loving it so far, I just wish the skip would pick up this week so I could really see how far it will reach.
Anthony Goodridge Hi Anthony I live on a hill do you think the Starduster 1/4 wave by Siro would be a good option over a 5/8 wave
Started out with a IMAX then switch to a starduster... Now have a 4 element beam on the flat side
. And a maco v element on the vertical
The next video I make will cover those crazy quads and beams. I would love to own a monster like that, but unless I hit the lottery there is no chance of that.
how do u have your v set up in the L position or are the v straight up
Good video on antenna's....I still have A99 on my garage, been up since !998, pretty durable antenna, it's not white anymore though, looks kinda greenish...lol.
Ha! Mine too. It's a light moldy green but it doesn't seem to effect performance.
I had an 18ft vertical with a horizontal 3 element yagi under that on a 20ft water pipe with a highly modified Johnson Viking 4740 26/27 mhz am/ssb car cb.
Excellent, thanks.
Glad I could help!
Please make a video on how to modify a CB antenna for 6 meters amateur radio!!!
Hi Eric, obviously another great video…. I’m pretty much a newcomer to this, my Dad ran quite the rig in the days and as a young kid it was fun to watch. I think watching your videos have inspired me to get back into it. Recently I found a Cobra 142 yep watching another one of your videos 😎. So I’m on the fence of antennas, leaning toward the Maco v-5000. It’s Aluminum and I think will fair a little better with the sustained wind we get. My question to you is one that has a lot of varying opinions and that is grounding. I’m using 30’ of 2 1/2” galvanized steel pipe connected to the wall of my shop and is also set in concrete, yes I’m thinking I will add a ground rod and ground the mast but what about the coaxial cable? I’m planning on using LMR-400 and will need to use about a hundred feet.
I would certainly ground the setup with a separate ground rod! Every bit of protection helps!!
I've noticed no difference with ground plane kits by experiment. I jumped up to IMAX 2000 from A99. Now, I need to get a new mount going. My option is dig a deep hole in the ground and stuff a long steel pole in concrete, unless that doesn't work for my 2000 lol
213 or lmr 400 if your gonna do the work do it once a NJ d right. Got me a starduster from the 70s never seen the airwaves. Saving it for one day . Hey farm point do upholstery peace
Sounds good!
Isnt that Maco a clone of a Wilson 5/8 out of the late 80's? I owend one. It blew straight of my roof during a gail. Never found it again. Best 73's from Belgium. OPEJ 722.
It sure does look like it, that must have been some storm never to see it again.
The bright side is some person was all excited if they found it
I have a question that Ii hope isn’t too stupid.
If I get a Base antenna can I attach it to a tree next to my house or will the tree itself interfere with reception/transmission? It would be an easy way to get the height and also it wouldn’t be so obvious to the casual observer.
I love your learning from your videos. Thanks in advance,
Rolf
If you can put the antenna where no parts of the tree are touching then it will be ok. It the tree branches touch, it will most likely cause interferance
Thank you for the video very informative.
You are the best, friendly and casual, interesting and knowledgeable videos. (unlike Mr. Smart-ass "NotARubicon") Would you cover, if you haven't yet, antenna's for best SSB use)
I wouldn't get confused with attenuation and shield coverage when it comes to static. Besides, RG58U has 95% coverage, RG213U has 97%. Hardly worth worrying about. Most of the static is being received from the antenna, unless you have a serious SWR or common mode current problem. Anttenuation or cable loss has little to do with it because it attenuates all signals, it cannot discern between the signal you want to hear and static. And btw, RG59 is 75ohm.
the quarter wave from Radio Shack
starduster was a good one my dad had one and we had a a 99 and then we run a home hade one for years
I'm going to try the homemade setup this year, but I've seen a few that worked really well.
Antron 99 still made in USA 🇺🇸 purchased one a few weeks ago. Very sorry but I’m disappointed with the performance. I can’t get the swr below 1.5 my old silver rod I have was 1:1 but I heard how good the Antron/Solarcon was so I got one what a bummer big mistake. Great video.
So i know this is a base station video but would getting a better cable help with the static noise im getting in my vehicle?
Hi Eric...thanks for your instruction videos. I'm about to install a Tram 18ft base station antenna. Thee perfect place for this antenna already has a satellite dish installed. If I use good cable, for about a 15 foot run, plus the 12 feet off the ground, will I run into trouble if I install my base station antenna close to the dish?
Peace
Lawrence San Diego CA
It should not be an issue.
a super scanner, fifty feet in the air and a cobra two thousand was my best set up
So the noise floor, is that what I'm hearing on my mobile unit as I speed the truck up and slow down? I'm hearing the radio static out with the fluctuations of the engine. I can turn the squelch and block it but then I can't hear folks talk. 🤔 I think I'm learning stuff, thanks man!
How is the Uniden 980 working out?
Thankyou for getting me interested in cb. Been using the mobile setup every day and finally setup the Bearcat 980ssb in the work van and it it much improved over the uniden 505. Anyways, you spoke of signal loss on incoming signals with cheap cable, do you also lose SENDING signal with cheap cable? Does it "leak' both ways? Still learning....
I do this for my mobil setup in my rig.. the coax n antennas are more than the radio 😂
Remember that ... when you use A METALLIC MAST, THIS IS ALSO ANTENNA (reins of supports, etc) ... and the coaxial itself if it does not have wave traps😟 (traps are useless, if the coaxial is next to the mast) . If you do not include the MASTS, SUPPORTS, ground, etc, in the designs of antennas by PC, there is no use "the fantastic studies of antennas By PC" 👍
Just wondering? What hot connection is the best, red wire from the CB in my truck.? Direct connection to the truck battery, the 12v Power plug in my truck, or the fuse box is the best? Thanks!
You'll want it fused for sure. I go to the fuse box on my setups.
@@FarpointFarms Thanks! Someone said to the battery Both Leeds? Less static? Thanks!
QUESTION
Do you have to tune a Solarcon A99 differently between 10 and 11 meter?
Well, sort of. If you want it perfect, yes. If you want it close, tune it to 1 and it should be OK on 10
Hi Erik. My question is I only need like 25 feet coax because I am in a studio up about my garage is the length of your coax affect your SWR or is it just the length of the antenna? Seems like I remember back in the early 70s people were saying something about 6 foot increments.
Is that still true? I really don’t know I’m trying to get back in to CBs I don’t know you’re still on here because this video is three years old. Hope to hear from you. Thank you from Joe in Vermont.
Yes, and no. If put I. 9 foot lengths. The swr meter will read correctly. If not, you may end up with good swr, but wonky readings.
Howdy, I've got a new Solarcon 99 antenna to put up. Getting ready to reactivate Old Base Station, Come On.🎙️
Welcome back to the hobby!
Me too! Haven't been on the air since 1994. Looking to get back into it.
Yes everyone, c'mon I want more people to talk to. Get those base stations on the air. The hobby isn't dead at all. It's in a revival. Be a part of it.
Yeah, come on with it. We're doing it in my city in Texas got 30 people now.
Just got mine up this week!!! Wavin' a hand from NY!
Just saw this video after commenting on another of yours! Great Stuff! Thanks a lot for laying out basic components. I have a Uniden 520XL, and will likely start my station in hoe with it (since I have it already). Im gonna buy RG213 cabling, and run it out to a backhouse, and mount the antenna on the backhouse. I might get the The 'Maco' (sp?) Antenna (gonna see what I can find, but, longer range is my goal). Just a couple of questions... lets say I added HAM to my setup later - would I kind of run a CB and Ham through a switch of some sort to choose which goes live on the Antennae? Would I need a separate setup for a HAM radio setup? That wouldn't happen for a while, but, I figure, as long as I am setting things up from scratch, if I CAN do so thinking of the future capabilities, why not start from the initial setup (and add a HAM radio down the line when I'm licensed and ready)
While you can make a setup that uses a shared antenna cable, you will soon find that it's more trouble than it's worth.
@@FarpointFarms You had mentioned your Antron is a good 20' off the roofline. I know the antenna itself is about 17'.. I am installing mine this weekend, and had a question - I thought about mounting the 'support pole' so that the bottom of the A-99 might be about 15' off the ground (so, at its tip, it would be about 32'-ish) I figure this way, I could always climb onto the shack's roof (which is about 10' from the ground) and still be able to easily reach the tuning rings near the antenna base should I need to adjust them. Does hat sound like good height calculations for a really good range? I am up in the mountains, but, in a meadow clearing, so, its not dense forest for maybe a 1/4 mile radius around my house, maybe alittle more.
Just curious about lightning arrestors or grounds on an A-99... Or is a ground part of the system?
I ground the antenna, the mast and the radio as well. Thankfully I've never had a hit, but this is what it's there for.
RG8X has 95% shield coverage just like RG58U. RG8X is less lossy, but not by too much, 2.1db per 100 ft at 50mhz versus 2.9 for RG58. Nothing to get your knickers in a knot over. The other major difference is power handling. At 30mhz RG8X is rated at about 280W average compared to the 'mil spec' RG58U of about 400W. That's huge. The last thing worth mentioning is that insulation or dielectric that you talk about. 8X has that foam dielectric which isn't great for soldering, especially when a novice tries to install a plug. Too much heat and the whole run is compromised. RG8X is crap cable, I don't know why it is pushed so hard in the US. I wouldn't even use it for a patch lead, I'd use RG58 over it any day of the week.
I just got into it bc of my gpa I got a new cb and a 30 inch antenna and a swr but my house is 2 stories a bunker house but the top part is 35-40 feet high but should I still get a better antenna
With the height of that antenna, you should be fine.
my adopted daughter put one of therse up for me. just above the roof. I would like to have it higher, but she just does not have the strength to get it up any higher. if I had known it was only the seal went bad at the bottom of the army stick. I would not have taken it down. and army big stick.
Sorry to hear it!
What's the minimum height you recommend for putting up a base station antenna? I don't want to go any higher than I have to.
36 feet at the base of the antenns gives best performance.
Is there a way that you can mak a base station so the rest of the equipment can get better signal off it
Sure. Trial and error can get you a great cheap setup.
Wil the grounding be affected in any way if other items are also connected to the grounding? I.e. I have a solar array with a 10 foot grounding rod, can I share it with that or my home meter grounding?
Yes, you can share a ground. Now for the bad news. I too have a solar array, and it can and does at times cause a high noise floor. It's a side effect of all the inverter and charge controller doing their thing.
@@FarpointFarms Thank you for the quick response, you are actually the first U-Tuber to actually respond to one of my questions! I bought a Base Station Antenna and Ground Plane Kit which I plan to attach to the roof of my house...Do I still need to ground it? Would it hurt/help If I did?
5/8 wave antenna is best for 11meter which is c.b. band
What about dipole antennas and inverted V's? They're cheap and effective.
Not sturdy enough for most places. Plus an A99/Big Stick is a dipole under the fiberglass.
I use a 11 meter diploe Antenna full wave, plus it's
Indoors with icom 718 radio it works great, people are amazed that it works, I shot skip with it, from Philadelphia to central Missouri!!👉
You can put up a dipole for pennies compared to buying a base station antenna. And some people live in areas that you can't put up a antenna. You can easily put up a inverted dipole in your attic and be very effective. I do it and I don't have to worry about my neighbor's giving me dirty looks about having a antenna on my house. Not to mention if they give off any RFI, they won't know who to come to.
Dipoles are great antennas, as long as you route your coax 90 degrees from the dipole. I got better results with verticle hanging rather than inverted V, but that was just my experience in conditions here. I use one for 2 meters in my shack and the leads are 19" and have phenominal results.
I know little other your videos to include the usages and distances for the different type radios. I think a CB and a base station for side band are the goals. I can buy without price concerns so I am looking for functionality and ease in set up. Please provide your recommendation for CB and Base Station along with set ups to get them running. I am not looking to get a large CB because I need it readily available in my car, not a large electronic box that sits at home as I cannot drive with it in the car. Also, I do not see myself dialing freqs while driving. Are there CB models with automatic scanning and selection? I am looking at Part 2 antennas. Any help you can provide is appreciated very much! Robert P.
What’s the recomendable altitud on imax 2000