Newbie needing advice

Hi all. 

I’ve just come back to CB after about 25 years away so please be gentle lol. 

My question is, I’ve seen a nice 2nd hand 5/8 silver rod on Facebook for £20. I’d like to mount it to my shed. Is this acceptable or do I NEED to mount it on a pole. Is it just a case of bolt to the shed, SWR it and be good to go or is there more to it?

I currently have a Thunderpole Excalibur mounted on the wall of the house and would like better reception etc. I’m debating the silver rod as it will also let all the little scrotes in the area know there is CB kit in my shed (along with all my workshop tools), however I can up the security on the shed as it’s by my house back door. 

TIA

Andy

Hi Andy and welcome to the forum.
There are many of us on here that have recently returned to radio after many years away 26 years away myself.
CB is not the same as it was not near as many people on it now none round where i am lol.
Silver rod's are not much more brand new but just thought i would say that.
It would be a lot better if you could get it up high but if your next door's are like mine then low is all i can do.
You will find a lot of help on here just ask and you will get some fantastic replies.
Many of us old timers have actually gone one step forward and taken our Ham licence but still use CB as that is where our heart is.

You can mount it to the shed but for local contacts the higher it can go the better. For long distance DX the height doesn't matter. It'll benefit from a RF ground being provided if it's nailed to the shed and a few 9ft long bits of wire hooked up to the mounting bracket will do that job nicely. You can lay them out on the shed roof if you want.

Hi Andy , i am not an expert but have made my own antennas for years now , if you give me some details i will give you some good notions on how to best place the antenna on the shed , do you have buildings or tall houses around ,is your QTH on low ground or high ground ,let me know,73s to all,nik.