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Posts : 55 Times Thanked : 0 Join date : 2024-09-01 QTH or Location : England Equipment Used : All sorts
Subject: Thinking about getting back into CB Sun Sep 01, 2024 11:25 am
Hi all,
I'm thinking about getting back in to CB I've never really been into the UKFM side of it. I'm just interested in operating AM & SSB.
One big problem I face is having no outdoor space to put up an antenna, no roof access other than putting things out of the window. Maybe its possible I can use an end fed wire antenna with a UNUN or something. My experiences with simple wire antennas is that they never really work unless there is a something like an UNUN or transformer, balun. An end fed would be easier to work with. A halfwave would be fine which would roughly be around 18 foot long, maybe I could chuck it out of the window into a tree or something to get on air but I need help with a design for an end fed with a suitable balun/UNUN impedance matching other than wire soldered to coax.
Thanks.
madmax Contributor
Call Sign : 13-CT-139 Posts : 52 Times Thanked : 3 Join date : 2023-12-13 QTH or Location : Neustadt, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Equipment Used : Yaesu FT-891, Gainmaster 5/8
Subject: Re: Thinking about getting back into CB Sun Sep 01, 2024 1:41 pm
Spider281 wrote:
Hi all,
I'm thinking about getting back in to CB I've never really been into the UKFM side of it. I'm just interested in operating AM & SSB.
One big problem I face is having no outdoor space to put up an antenna, no roof access other than putting things out of the window. Maybe its possible I can use an end fed wire antenna with a UNUN or something. My experiences with simple wire antennas is that they never really work unless there is a something like an UNUN or transformer, balun. An end fed would be easier to work with. A halfwave would be fine which would roughly be around 18 foot long, maybe I could chuck it out of the window into a tree or something to get on air but I need help with a design for an end fed with a suitable balun/UNUN impedance matching other than wire soldered to coax.
Thanks.
Maybe something like this would work for you. 1. EndFed 2. Gainmaster 5/8
The EndFed is slightly better than the Gainmaster, while the Gainmaster has a wider range for operation.
Spider281 likes this post
Spider281 Contributor
Posts : 55 Times Thanked : 0 Join date : 2024-09-01 QTH or Location : England Equipment Used : All sorts
Subject: Re: Thinking about getting back into CB Sun Sep 01, 2024 2:42 pm
Thanks, the gain master looks good. I might build that one.
madmax likes this post
madmax Contributor
Call Sign : 13-CT-139 Posts : 52 Times Thanked : 3 Join date : 2023-12-13 QTH or Location : Neustadt, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Equipment Used : Yaesu FT-891, Gainmaster 5/8
Subject: Re: Thinking about getting back into CB Sun Sep 01, 2024 3:09 pm
Spider281 wrote:
Thanks, the gain master looks good. I might build that one.
Let us know what you think when it’s done. I use it daily on a Spiderbeam 12m telescopic pole. Unfortunately, I have no experience with AM, but from Germany (USB), I have reached Brazil, Philippines, Indonesia...
glenn dog and Spider281 like this post
VanRougeT4 Major contributor
Call Sign : G1DBS - F4WEY Posts : 217 Times Thanked : 18 Join date : 2024-02-17 QTH or Location : Montreuil sur Mer Equipment Used : XIEGU G90 + XIEGU XPA125B
Subject: Re: Thinking about getting back into CB Fri Sep 06, 2024 10:20 am
Apart from a little rig in the campervan, I don't use CB frequencies. However, I built a vertical antenna for the CT 10m challenge that works really well. It shouldn't present a problem adapting it for 11m
The coaxial dipole, otherwise known as the 'flower pot' antenna, is very simple to construct, all you need is a length of coax! Basically, you strip the outer shield from the coax the correct length to make the driven element, or you can just solder on or crimp a 1/4 wavelength piece of wire. Then, just under 1/4 wavelength from the driven element, you wind the coax onto a former as a choke.
That's it, you're done. I built mine in under one hour, and that included rummaging around for a piece of 50mm plastic pipe to wind the choke on. Here's the construction for 10m, just convert the measurements for 11m. Coaxial dipole construction.
I hung mine on a 10m Spiderbeam telescopic pole, but you can hang it anywhere so long as the choke is above ground. I guess you could even string it out horizontally, but not tried that.
Deb
Spider281 Contributor
Posts : 55 Times Thanked : 0 Join date : 2024-09-01 QTH or Location : England Equipment Used : All sorts
Subject: Re: Thinking about getting back into CB Wed Oct 09, 2024 12:45 am
Update with CB
Unfortunately, I may have to give up with CB. No matter what I do I'm barely getting out. I'm going about 3 miles on 20 watts which is pitiful. I tried the boomerang style antenna with a 9ft tank whip and small 75mm whip for ground it looked good but performed like garbage. I'm in a bad area for it with no elevation.
The problem with CB is unless you got a half wave or 5/8 wave anything else isn't going to cut it at least not where I am. There is just too much in the way and no clear signal path, even the outdoor TV antenna signal sucks.
A half wave might just about do the trick with 50 watts but that would be more than 18 foot and too long. I don't think its worth all the hassle. If I was allowed to install a permanent antenna it would make life a lot easier but its not an option for me.
I was under the impression thinking I could treat CB like HF and throw a random piece of wire in a tree on a balun but this does not work for CB because everybody on CB are using verticals with high power. Being horizontal when everybody else is vertical isn't much good.
madmax Contributor
Call Sign : 13-CT-139 Posts : 52 Times Thanked : 3 Join date : 2023-12-13 QTH or Location : Neustadt, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany Equipment Used : Yaesu FT-891, Gainmaster 5/8
Subject: Re: Thinking about getting back into CB Wed Oct 09, 2024 9:05 pm
Spider281 wrote:
Update with CB
Unfortunately, I may have to give up with CB. No matter what I do I'm barely getting out. I'm going about 3 miles on 20 watts which is pitiful. I tried the boomerang style antenna with a 9ft tank whip and small 75mm whip for ground it looked good but performed like garbage. I'm in a bad area for it with no elevation.
The problem with CB is unless you got a half wave or 5/8 wave anything else isn't going to cut it at least not where I am. There is just too much in the way and no clear signal path, even the outdoor TV antenna signal sucks.
A half wave might just about do the trick with 50 watts but that would be more than 18 foot and too long. I don't think its worth all the hassle. If I was allowed to install a permanent antenna it would make life a lot easier but its not an option for me.
I was under the impression thinking I could treat CB like HF and throw a random piece of wire in a tree on a balun but this does not work for CB because everybody on CB are using verticals with high power. Being horizontal when everybody else is vertical isn't much good.
What bands do you work on, and which radio/Equipment do you use? If it's not a problem due to privacy, maybe you could post a picture of the building where you live. Maybe we could find a solution...
I also started with the Sirio Boomerang 27A antenna, hoping it would work properly. Now it’s collecting dust in the basement; I haven’t been able to do anything with it.
glenn dog Major contributor
Call Sign : 56-CT-004 Posts : 538 Times Thanked : 12 Join date : 2019-08-23 QTH or Location : Oulu -Finland Equipment Used : ft-450d-mc kinley - cobra 19dxeu- lincoln+2 - superstar lord - grant 2 - tti hand held- alan42- crt mike cb - zodiac 68 hunting radio hand held- and few PMR 2
Subject: Re: Thinking about getting back into CB Thu Oct 10, 2024 10:21 am
Hello, i get Germany very often in Finland, i to only 10/50 km when no skip on the 11m band, try a bit longer.
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Spider281 Contributor
Posts : 55 Times Thanked : 0 Join date : 2024-09-01 QTH or Location : England Equipment Used : All sorts
Subject: Re: Thinking about getting back into CB Wed Oct 23, 2024 8:39 am
I've got a horizontal halfwave antenna strung up indoors which is the only space it will fit which seems to be my only solution to have any type of working antenna for CB. America was booming in yesterday evening. I've never heard them come in so strong before and I was blown away by it. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make contacts because I had no mic for that particular radio I was using to listen... I'm sure the chances would have been good of me making a contact. It was an old AM FCC CB with a DIN connector mic. I only had a DIN cable where I was able to short a wire to receive.
I was thinking that there could be ways to make improvements to the half wave horizontal dipole by making it a folded dipole or making it a big loop or something... or maybe its best to leave it alone. I know that folded dipoles can work better. If there are any improvements or anyway I could add any gain I would be interested in knowing but otherwise I'll leave the antenna alone.
I'd be quite satisfied just to have it for contacting America & Canada during lift conditions. Local isn't so important.
I had Rhode Island, North Carolina & Florida coming in extremely strong here in London yesterday.
Is horizontal better for getting America from the UK?
Is a center fed horizontal dipole a good antenna for AM CB for DX?
VanRougeT4 Major contributor
Call Sign : G1DBS - F4WEY Posts : 217 Times Thanked : 18 Join date : 2024-02-17 QTH or Location : Montreuil sur Mer Equipment Used : XIEGU G90 + XIEGU XPA125B
Subject: Re: Thinking about getting back into CB Wed Oct 23, 2024 9:46 am
Back in the day (late 70s) stealth was key. Many CBers used a mobile antenna with magmount on a biscuit tin ground plane in the loft.
It worked well and still would if you care to try it.