I got my base radio today, and was wondering if a wire dipole would be a decent inside antenna. I can't put anything outside, so this is my only option, unless i can do something else that will have range.
I don't plan on any major power on the base, so Anything works. But I would like to have a decent range, if possible.
I also have a 102, if I get a groundplane kit, can i set it outside, or how does it need to be mounted?
Good indoor antenna with decent range
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djrebel236
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linx
Inside antennas for CB are a waste of time and money. Height = Might. Without going up in the air, you're not going to find anything to be happy with. DRDX did some nice projects where he had some outside movable antennas, and he even did an underground antenna for listening.
You'd be happy getting like a 10ft + piece of pipe and mounting that 102 or even better would be a Antron 99 or Imax 2000. You don't really have to hard mount an antenna....heck, just bungee cord it to something, lol.
You'd be happy getting like a 10ft + piece of pipe and mounting that 102 or even better would be a Antron 99 or Imax 2000. You don't really have to hard mount an antenna....heck, just bungee cord it to something, lol.
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pipsqueek
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Antenna restrictions can be tough to get around and like Linx said, any compromise antenna will be disappointing. Flagpoles allowed where you are? An 1 1/2" PVC pipe flagpole will hide a workable antenna inside. Neighborhoods will complain less about a flagpole (when proper flag etiquette is enacted) than an antenna. Check out some clandestine antenna installation sites. Unfortunately without proper height, it will be a very local antenna....no crosstown talking. When skip is rolling and the propagation kind of "falls in your lap", you may make some dx contacts from time to time.
You may want to check out MFJ brand balcony set-up. You can probably tune it for 11 (or take that idea and use your 102").....102" mounted on a piece of angle iron with a 9' piece of wire hanging down for counterpoise and clamped to your window or balcony. When your finished yakkin' unclamp and drag it inside.
A compromise but better than nothing.
Pips
You may want to check out MFJ brand balcony set-up. You can probably tune it for 11 (or take that idea and use your 102").....102" mounted on a piece of angle iron with a 9' piece of wire hanging down for counterpoise and clamped to your window or balcony. When your finished yakkin' unclamp and drag it inside.
A compromise but better than nothing.
Pips
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4 cycle
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lonesome 500
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Night Crawler
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RE Good indoor antenna with decent range
The 102" whip would be a better choice since it will be mounted outside omni-directoinal and is vertically polarized which most cb antennas are. You will need a least 2 or more ground radials cut to about 8 and 1/2 feet and make up some kind of bracket to mount it to a mast.the_junkie wrote:I got my base radio today, and was wondering if a wire dipole would be a decent inside antenna.
I also have a 102, if I get a groundplane kit, can i set it outside, or how does it need to be mounted?
The downside of the dipole is that it is horizontally polarized, bi-directional and will be indoors. Also you will see a 15-20 db loss if your talking to someone using a vertically polarized antenna due to the difference between cross polarization. If you have to use an indoor antenna a full wave loop would be a better choice. You can mount it either horizontally in which case it will be omni-directional or vertically where it will be bi-directional. I used one mounted horizontally made out of speaker wire pinned to the ceiling in a second floor apartment with decent results.
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pipsqueek
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Another option would be an end fed 1/2 wave wire antenna that you could configure to hide according to your surroundings. !/2 wave length of small black wire #16 or 18 and a small LC matching unit at the bottom.
Dale Parfet also sells them under the name End-Fedz. You could lengthen a 10 meter version or ask Dale to cut one for 11 for you. A little pricey at about $45 or so, but they wouk well.
Dale Parfet also sells them under the name End-Fedz. You could lengthen a 10 meter version or ask Dale to cut one for 11 for you. A little pricey at about $45 or so, but they wouk well.
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Night Crawler
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That would be a good choice too. He does have then cut for 11 meters now the EF-11pipsqueek wrote:Another option would be an end fed 1/2 wave wire antenna that you could configure to hide according to your surroundings. !/2 wave length of small black wire #16 or 18 and a small LC matching unit at the bottom.
Dale Parfet also sells them under the name End-Fedz. You could lengthen a 10 meter version or ask Dale to cut one for 11 for you. A little pricey at about $45 or so, but they wouk well.
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polecat
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At one point I bought a tripod and with U bolts attached a Patriot 12 foot antenna . The 18 footers where just to long . I just put that out in the yard . It sat about four feet off the ground . When I was done I folded the tripod up and the broke down the antenna into two six foot pieces and brought it inside . Worked pretty well .
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lonesome 500
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we can help with good local and great dx ''hidden'' antennas if you answer a few more ??
Do you have an attic?....or any crawl space?
How tall is the peak of the roof to the ground?
How high is just to the eve?
How long is your house? peak to peak along ridge
Got a fence?
Do you have an attic?....or any crawl space?
How tall is the peak of the roof to the ground?
How high is just to the eve?
How long is your house? peak to peak along ridge
Got a fence?
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the_junkie
no attic, do have a basement, but no way to run the coax (i can't go drillin holes in a rental)lonesome 500 wrote:we can help with good local and great dx ''hidden'' antennas if you answer a few more ??
Do you have an attic?....or any crawl space?
How tall is the peak of the roof to the ground?
How high is just to the eve?
How long is your house? peak to peak along ridge
Got a fence?
it's about 16 ft to the peak, i would say
Have a fence, it's about 50 yds from my room.
I'm likin the thought of the 102" tri-pod, you think it will work
I'm gone...
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Texas Mobil 219
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lonesome 500
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can you see the fence from the window? if so....an easy sloper to the fence....the_junkie wrote:no attic, do have a basement, but no way to run the coax (i can't go drillin holes in a rental)lonesome 500 wrote:we can help with good local and great dx ''hidden'' antennas if you answer a few more ??
Do you have an attic?....or any crawl space?
How tall is the peak of the roof to the ground?
How high is just to the eve?
How long is your house? peak to peak along ridge
Got a fence?
it's about 16 ft to the peak, i would say
Have a fence, it's about 50 yds from my room.
I'm likin the thought of the 102" tri-pod, you think it will work
I'm gone...
can do a horiz across the top of the fence...elevated about 3'...awesome dx
antennas are limitless.....
you ever buy from amazon?
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North Texas Mudduck
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626
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c'mon junkie... you can punch holes all through a rental. thats why they make pre-mixed spackle. hahathe_junkie wrote:no attic, do have a basement, but no way to run the coax (i can't go drillin holes in a rental)lonesome 500 wrote:we can help with good local and great dx ''hidden'' antennas if you answer a few more ??
Do you have an attic?....or any crawl space?
How tall is the peak of the roof to the ground?
How high is just to the eve?
How long is your house? peak to peak along ridge
Got a fence?
it's about 16 ft to the peak, i would say
Have a fence, it's about 50 yds from my room.
I'm likin the thought of the 102" tri-pod, you think it will work
I'm gone...
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North Texas Mudduck
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the_junkie
I can see the fence, but if I build an antenna out there, I would have to constantly move coax, and wouldn't i have a lot of loss like that?lonesome 500 wrote:can you see the fence from the window? if so....an easy sloper to the fence....the_junkie wrote:no attic, do have a basement, but no way to run the coax (i can't go drillin holes in a rental)lonesome 500 wrote:we can help with good local and great dx ''hidden'' antennas if you answer a few more ??
Do you have an attic?....or any crawl space?
How tall is the peak of the roof to the ground?
How high is just to the eve?
How long is your house? peak to peak along ridge
Got a fence?
it's about 16 ft to the peak, i would say
Have a fence, it's about 50 yds from my room.
I'm likin the thought of the 102" tri-pod, you think it will work
I'm gone...
can do a horiz across the top of the fence...elevated about 3'...awesome dx
antennas are limitless.....
you ever buy from amazon?
No one is answerin my question though about the 102 on a tripod...
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lonesome 500
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'Doc
102" whip and tripod.
It can certainly be made to work. Think of that tripod as a car body, the 'other half' of the antenna. If that tripod is something close to 9 feet tall, it shouldn't be very difficult to make work. If it isn't that tall, then you'll have to add some 'length' to it. A wire from the bottom of each leg, making the height and length of wire close to 9 feet should make it usable. Threading that/those wires under the grass will make things look sort of better and certainly won't hurt anything. Also makes the whole thing a sort of odd shaped groundplane at ground level. Tuning the thing isn't impossible although it may seem that way. It's basically the same as tuning any antenna, adjust length(s) till it works, or you're satisfied with it. Or you may get lucky and not have to do anything at all to it (buy me a lottery ticket if that happens!).
Best thing you can have? Not really, but it certainly beats nothing, right?
- 'Doc
It can certainly be made to work. Think of that tripod as a car body, the 'other half' of the antenna. If that tripod is something close to 9 feet tall, it shouldn't be very difficult to make work. If it isn't that tall, then you'll have to add some 'length' to it. A wire from the bottom of each leg, making the height and length of wire close to 9 feet should make it usable. Threading that/those wires under the grass will make things look sort of better and certainly won't hurt anything. Also makes the whole thing a sort of odd shaped groundplane at ground level. Tuning the thing isn't impossible although it may seem that way. It's basically the same as tuning any antenna, adjust length(s) till it works, or you're satisfied with it. Or you may get lucky and not have to do anything at all to it (buy me a lottery ticket if that happens!).
Best thing you can have? Not really, but it certainly beats nothing, right?
- 'Doc
