I have a president Texas antenna with a president Lincoln radio in my jeep its a tall antenna great range my base antenna is a star duster and it's 50 ft. to match a G5R V and a center fed co-linear array. The electrical length is how manufacturers compensate for lack of height. The radio can transmit at maximum power when this ratio is below 2:1. Identifying the type of noise and when it happens can help you diagnose your transmission problem. 10 – Prostick 3’ Fiberglass CB Antenna – Runner up, Best for Pros. Lastly, several commercial versions of the screwdriver antenna have machined-in matching coils which are fixed in value, and therefore cannot provide an ideal match over the entire resonant frequency span of the antenna. One is to buy and keep it for years hoping that the price increases, the other is to buy for a low price and flip it for a quick profit. Length – Tall antennas generally work better and get a longer range than short antennas. Will a 5-foot antenna on my car just be ridiculous? Connect the CB radio antenna jack to the transmitter terminal on the SWR meter using the patch cable. The antenna impedance matching components (BOX “Z” above) to match the antenna impedance to the coax line impedance (usually 50 ohms). With this, you don’t get the same reception that a 3-foot antenna has, but you can park in a garage or go through the drive thru without a problem. All the time! You'd be surprised what you find out. Successful impedance matching allows for maximum power transfer and minimum signal reflection from the load. Some highly respected brands are Cobra, Wilson, K-40, and Firestik. Each channel is on a different frequency, thus requiring a different antenna length to exactly match … The bell end will match the 3/4 inch opening to the box, allowing a tight seal. I have an ongoing love affair with my VW Golf TDI. Connect the CB radio antenna jack to the transmitter terminal on the SWR meter using the patch cable. You may have to adjust the length of the copper wire when tuning your antenna, but … Flip the switch back to "FWD," and turn the radio to channel 40. I have a Realistic TRC-55 with a mag base and an am/fm radio antennea screwed into it. Very interesting article on CB antennas , from my own personal experience be very careful when buying used CB mobile antennas especially at garage sales , some times they are no good and all the tuning in the world will not give you a decent match ! How will I mount it on my car? These are also the most effective, even though they usually have low wattages (this is really only a drawback to people trying to use these with a ham radio or modified CB). parkerk393 (author) from Arlington, Texas on August 08, 2009: Yeah CB radios are the best. Therefore, if the cable, connectors, and antenna all have matching impedance levels, they will be able to deliver the maximum power, resulting in better efficiency throughout the system. Drive your car to an open area, and keep the doors closed during testing. The most common uses for center-loaded antennas is on large trucks and semis. Flip the switch to "REF" or "SWR" and record the needle reading to one decimal place. Stretch the antenna wires out, forming a T shape. This 4th side is comprised … CB Antenna Load Position The electrical length of a CB antenna includes everything from the back of the CB radio to the tip of the antenna, such as the cable, coil and whip. yes! Perform the same procedure, recording the needle reading for this channel. I didn't even know they still sold CB's it takes me back about 35 years! Dual antenna installations: If you're tuning dual antennas, you'll want to adjust both antennas the same amount each time. Press and hold the transmit button on the CB handset, and turn the "Set" knob of the meter until the needle reading is in line with the set mark. 1B. Tie together the corners of the last side with tape to pull the wire taunt. Seems the most important attribute is "bigger is better" in regards to CB Antennas and CB RAdios. How do I Troubleshoot the TV Audio on a Sennheiser HDR 110? You can increase the antenna length a bit (making it inductive), and add shunt capacitive base matching. Top-Loaded – The most common and cheapest type of CB radio antenna. $10 for the whole thing! Gamma matches are a type of transformer that match the impedance difference between the antenna and the coaxial cable. Flip the switch to "REF" or "SWR" and record the needle reading to one decimal place. Close up of a spring on a CB antenna. It is also used occasionally with 600-ohm feedpoint antennas because the VSWR produced (600/450 = 1.33:1) by the mismatch is quite moderate. Crimp a ring terminal to the free end of each antenna wire. Flip the switch on the meter to "FWD," and turn the radio to channel 1. Radio antennas are really important for me. Designing was very competitive, and, through hot-rodding, engines and horsepower increased dramatically. You don't need a lot of money to start selling classic cars, you just need to buy the first car at a good price and then do it again. If the reading on channel 40 was greater than channel 1, then the antenna is long. In either case, the amount of capacitance or inductance may need to change as you change bands. For optimal performance, a CB radio antenna should be tuned using a SWR matcher or meter. In the air with a cobra 2000 radio I can talk to just about everyone in my area. You can understand this concept easily by thinking about it as light bulbs in series with a power source. American auto manufacturers were on a roll in the 1960s. For twoYagis this is 70.71Ω, four Yagis 100Ω, six Yagis 122.47Ω and for eight Yagis 141.42Ω. Quinn holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Washington in Seattle, where his focus of study was counseling combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. The last CB antenna on our list is the 3-foot Prostick. Many articles in QST and QEX Quarterly have covered the subject of matching antennas to feed lines. Shorten the antenna by turning the tip screw, retracting the whip or clipping a small length of the tip with wire cutters. A quick search will show 1/4 wave lines, matching stubs, inline sections of different impedances, Omega and Gamma matches, Paulsey stubs, baluns, ununs, and parallel 1/4 wave transformers to name a few. If the reading on channel 1 was greater than channel 40, then the antenna is short. For optimal performance, a CB radio antenna should be tuned using a SWR matcher or meter. CB radios use a frequency band of 27 Mhz. Discover why the best bargain to be had is from someone who doesn't know he wants to sell. However, you only get the antenna when you buy this product. If someone want read more, this is my article how to chose CB radio.. http://xtreamcartuning.com/cb-radio-in-car/, nice site we have lots to offer cb radio car amp come and see. Leave the rubber weather cap on the tip of the antenna during the antenna matching procedure. You got your ears on Rubber Duckie? His articles have appeared in the "Journal of Humanistic Psychology." In terms of mounting, it's important to make sure the antenna's coil clears the roofline. antennas such as the G5RV, or other antennas with a high impedance balanced feed. Don't be frightened by stories of TVI and BCI. Sell. It shakes the ground and carves up the roads. An RV is an expensive thing to buy, and once sold, it depreciates literally every month. New car? Before you can make an antenna, you must understand how it works. Impedance = 23.8 ohms ---> This means a gamma match can be used to tune the antenna. It is usually near the bottom, but not at the base. Since antennas are relatively cheap anyway, don’t buy the cheapest one you can find thinking it's only wire. Adam Quinn has been writing since 2008. Also avoid the CB mobile antennas that are sold at K-Mart or Wal-Mart ,they are cheap junk !Buy a quality antenna such as a K-40 or a Wilson , these are good quality build antennas that with stand wind as well as the elements , I like mag mount antennas as when I park to shop and I can put the antenna in the car , which does not attract attention so my car will not be broken into !And another thing before buying a mobile CB antenna find out what type of match the antenna will give you if you do plan to go above channel 40 or below channel 1 ! Proper matching can be the difference between 20 feet and 200 feet! (Oh, all right, it's an air intake!). Top-loaded antennas are mostly made out of fiberglass, and they use a thin wire wrapped on the outside of the shaft and is covered with a protective layer. You can buy upgrades and choose between another 8 inch rubber antenna, and a telescoping antenna that starts at 8 inches, but expands all the way out to 27 inches. All of these are questions you should ask yourself. These matching transformers are connected to the common connector providing the External antenna = Antenna + RF Cable + Connector Otherwise, the most active part of the antenna will be blocked/hidden by the roof and performance will suffer. --- Mega Super Bonus Stage --- So if you built or ended up with one of the 70cm Yagi antennas we built, you might be wondering why there is no Delta or Gamma match. parkerk393 (author) from Arlington, Texas on March 24, 2009: Another great hub! Find out whether your car's temperature gauge is working right, discovering key symptoms and applying a few simple tests. Under the coil is a thick, stainless steel shaft. Is jump starting bad for your car? If you're thinking of buying a classic VW Beetle, you need to know a few things beforehand. Car detailing is very different from car washing. Flip the switch to "REF" or "SWR" and record the needle reading to one decimal place. Connect the free end of the coaxial cable to the external jack of the radio receiver. There are several ways to match a short antenna. Very interesting article on CB antennas , from my own personal experience be very careful when buying used CB mobile antennas especially at garage sales , some times they are no good and all the tuning in the world will not give you a decent match ! A MATCHING PRINCIPLE The first approach was to make use of a principle described by the writer in Amateur Radio, December 1985. What happens behind the scenes will shock you. If you just can’t have a 102, or 36+ inch antenna stuck to the roof of your car because it won’t fit in the garage or you just don’t want it because you think it’s annoying, they do make shorter antennas. You especially need to match this difference in impedance, when you work with antennas with multiple elements -- because, in this kind of set-up, the impedance at the feed-point cable is particularly low. the lot finishes at 50Ω again to match the line to the shack. Connect the CB radio antenna jack to the transmitter terminal on the SWR meter using the patch cable. As long as your harmonics and spurii are well suppressed, you should … Adjust the antenna according to the meter readings. Best of all, it is bullnosed, with a big ugly vertical exhaust stack. Thank you for the article! I've got a cobra 129 ltd and a firestick antenna but have a lot of problem getting out on it. The coil is sometimes in a plastic case. Above the antenna is normal. A Gamma match is super easy to build and the Delta match is a bit more complicated. multimeter image by Aleksey Bakaleev from Fotolia.com. Powerful, noisy, smelly, rattly. Using coils, they can make an antenna that matches the ideal electrical length. Connect the end of your antenna coax to the SWR meter where it indicates "antenna" or "ANT". parkerk393 (author) from Arlington, Texas on May 27, 2009: Yep that's pretty much it, in perfect weather conditions however. Haha! Check out my Gamma Match page on how to build one . Try searching on the internet at websites like www.rightchannelradios.com. Learn the different signs of a bad alternator to make a faster diagnosis. How tall does the antenna have to be? Generally the taller antenna will have further range than the shorter version. How to tune the CB antenna using the AUSWR external meter Turn your CB off and disconnect the antenna coax cable from the back of your radio. I explain what a car detail should include, why you should get your vehicle detailed and when, and how much it should roughly cost. Me and my friends use them a lot. As … You need to know how to keep your once-new RV in good condition for that day when you decide to sell it or trade it in on another one. The Gamma Rod is slid in and out of the Tube to match the driven element to the feed-line. If necessary, align the calibration plane with the measurement plane by using a port extension. When I looking for CB radio for myself I could not find any good tutorial but now when I am writing my own and I am searching for some good picture I found it. The connector inputs could be on the back and the labels on the front of the meter. These can have a thicker coil too, because most of the antennas weight is at the bottom. In 1957, the East German government released the horrible Trabant car on an unsuspecting Communist world. does it work? Hang the antenna taut using fishing line tied to the ring terminals. There is also the option of buying an adapter for around $6, that allows you to connect your handheld CB to any of the antennas mentioned above and more. A basic knowledge on the electronic fuel injection system eliminates the guesswork in the calibration of LPG-powered cars. This match allows for maximum power transfer and minimum loss. I hate when the reception is bad, so I always try to buy one that is good, and this here really helps to get some idea about antennas. Roadtrip America: How to Tune a CB Radio Antenna; Andrew Youderian, Firestik Antenna Company: Introduction to SWR Testing of CB Antennas. It is amazingly fun to drive and the fuel economy is a wonderful added bonus.