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Call Sign : 26-CT-4654 Posts : 366 Times Thanked : 2 Join date : 2022-09-25 QTH or Location : Preston, Lancs. Equipment Used : UNIDEN 100, midland alan 78 plus multi + mag mount , silver rod Age : 64
Subject: marine antenna Thu Sep 29, 2022 8:22 pm
now here is one for the techies is it possible to use a marine antenna for a cb radio the one i have is made of fiberglass
SangueG Major contributor
Call Sign : 26-CT-3971 / 2E0LMI Posts : 1318 Times Thanked : 85 Join date : 2021-01-30 QTH or Location : Cirencester, Gloucestershire Equipment Used : Little radios, home-made antennas
I'd say it probably wouldn't be great. I don't know much about marine equipment, but my little V/UHF rig came pre-programmed with some marine channels... very different frequencies to CB.
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skyrider Major contributor
Call Sign : 26-CT-4654 Posts : 366 Times Thanked : 2 Join date : 2022-09-25 QTH or Location : Preston, Lancs. Equipment Used : UNIDEN 100, midland alan 78 plus multi + mag mount , silver rod Age : 64
Call Sign : 26-CT-3228 / M7VIC Posts : 6277 Times Thanked : 389 Join date : 2019-11-10 QTH or Location : Bedford Equipment Used : Various
Subject: Re: marine antenna Fri Sep 30, 2022 6:15 am
Hi Lionel,
Yep, pretty much what Neal said.
Marine band is VHF (Very High Frequency) centred around 160MHz and CB is HF (High Frequency) down at 27MHz. Looking at the wavelength of those frequencies CB is 11 metres wavelength and Marine is just short of 2 metres.....
So any marine antenna is going to be way too short for CB operation.
They could look like physically similar lengths in fibreglass guises but the CB version will have helically loaded sections or simply put longer wire wrapped around it trying to squeeze a longer wavelength into a smaller space.
I could've just said "no it won't work" but thought I'd add a bit of info so that you get the gist of it.
All the best, Victor
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43CT016 Major contributor
Call Sign : 43-CT-016 Posts : 368 Times Thanked : 22 Join date : 2019-11-17 QTH or Location : Perth Equipment Used : iCom IC-7610/IC-9700/IC-705 Age : 55
Subject: Re: marine antenna Fri Sep 30, 2022 7:41 am
Victor wrote:
Hi Lionel,
Yep, pretty much what Neal said.
Marine band is VHF (Very High Frequency) centred around 160MHz and CB is HF (High Frequency) down at 27MHz. Looking at the wavelength of those frequencies CB is 11 metres wavelength and Marine is just short of 2 metres.....
Unless he means Marine HF, of course, which is 27MHz!
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Victor CT Directors
Call Sign : 26-CT-3228 / M7VIC Posts : 6277 Times Thanked : 389 Join date : 2019-11-10 QTH or Location : Bedford Equipment Used : Various
Subject: Re: marine antenna Fri Sep 30, 2022 7:52 am
Ah, there's always a "but" Jeff.
I'm sure there must be some 21MHz or 25MHz stuff laying about as well but most of the typical affairs that turn up on the bay or via 'friends' is for VHF.
skyrider Major contributor
Call Sign : 26-CT-4654 Posts : 366 Times Thanked : 2 Join date : 2022-09-25 QTH or Location : Preston, Lancs. Equipment Used : UNIDEN 100, midland alan 78 plus multi + mag mount , silver rod Age : 64
Subject: Re: marine antenna Fri Sep 30, 2022 10:08 am
thanks for the input guys, i will now go back to my original idea of a proper cb base ant
skyrider Major contributor
Call Sign : 26-CT-4654 Posts : 366 Times Thanked : 2 Join date : 2022-09-25 QTH or Location : Preston, Lancs. Equipment Used : UNIDEN 100, midland alan 78 plus multi + mag mount , silver rod Age : 64
ok which is the best antenna 5/8 or 1/2 wave thanks
Victor CT Directors
Call Sign : 26-CT-3228 / M7VIC Posts : 6277 Times Thanked : 389 Join date : 2019-11-10 QTH or Location : Bedford Equipment Used : Various
Subject: Re: marine antenna Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:28 am
Depends on who you ask Lionel, how high they're mounted, what coax you're using and from what manufacturer the antenna comes from.....
General consensus would be 5/8ths. (Argued ad infinitum here and elsewhere.)
I like to work with what I've got rather than worry about the quest for the golden chalice looking for the 'best'. Otherwise I'd be bolting up a big expensive beam.
skyrider Major contributor
Call Sign : 26-CT-4654 Posts : 366 Times Thanked : 2 Join date : 2022-09-25 QTH or Location : Preston, Lancs. Equipment Used : UNIDEN 100, midland alan 78 plus multi + mag mount , silver rod Age : 64
Subject: Re: marine antenna Sat Oct 01, 2022 5:04 pm
right outside my bedroom there is a small tree strong enough to fix a medium sized home ant to it and if i fix the ant so it's poking out of the tree by about three feet i shouldn't get any grief off the neighbours, years ago that didnt bother me i just put the silver rods etc up anyway but now im older i do think about it a bit more, more considerate you might say
Today at 10:01 pm by teapot
Subject: marine antenna 
