JW20VT Journal - Setup , Mods ...Day2Day Ongoing

[JW20VT]

Was going to ask if you guys had a on-going thread or journal type place . I dont like to make a lot of threads taking space up on the boards , especially when doing a new rig .

I'm guessing I can ask questions here also while posting progress? I have renewed my passion with CB's after not being on the air for over 10years , I have just been monitoring/scanning Police/Fire eastern Mass with some light SWL . Anyways , When I stopped CB's was after the local cb boom just flat-lined but stopped because no one was there to talk to no because lack of interest . I would have started back earlier if I knew there was such a big DX'ing community still around , besides Ham .... the radio is completely dead around my area .
I am going to start posting my progress , I have repaired a Grant XL from about mid 90s I'd guess . Had the VR-10 POT. completely mangled , After searching through this board and another ...with light googling I found out I could just remove this and run jump wires to a front panel potentiometer with similar rating and make my AM power adjustable same time . So My first mod was the restart of my CB passion

Next on my list to get going is putting a antenna in the air . For the time being to make sure my Grant was working after the repair , I dug out a older wire dipole antenna I purchased from a local radio store during the big CB boom . Asked around here how I should set it up and I decided upon putting the center balun on my ceiling and ran the 2 wires similar to a L , I can hear some DX loud and clear and its also a ton of noise . I am awaiting a SWR/Pwer meter in the mail because there are no more radio shops around me , and having used the SWR Cal. Potentiometer to do my VR10/AM power mod. repair I have no way of getting a swr reading til its comes . Below is a picture of how I have the antenna setup for temporary til I get a permanent setup in the air , if anyone has better idea of how I should have this wire dipole setup for the time being please let me know Id really appreciate it ... Picture is below

I have never been able to setup a outdoor antenna for CB , When I was younger I wasn't allowed to cause of well ... I was young , I wouldn't want my kid unless I was into the hobby also doing a big antenna project either . Being 28 and at home (taking care of fam member) I can now put one up , nothing huge,massive by any means ... But I want to be able to DX/Skip . theirs no local scene at all so some point I'd prob add some power . Just wondering what are some options now days you guys have for outdoor Ant. setups ?
Chimney and basic mount/mast were the only things available Just didn't know if there are any new creative ways out there . What caught my attention was the vent pipe mount Radio shack sold to hold a mast for any antenna . My shack is in my room , its top floor of house ... 2 stories plus the attic (which I can't get into) .. The vent pipe we have on my house is located on the same side as my shack which works out great ... except its on first floor .Its large and i try to visualize but even with a mast/antenna attached I'm pretty sure that my window on second floor is higher . I know you want to get the antenna as high as possible but not sure if I can find something I could install around my window area on second floor . for example ... if I did go with that rad shack vent pipe mount and attached standard mast with antron 99 lets say , would it still work good to DX if I couldn't get it like 30ft in air? Another plus with trying to use a vent pipe mount is that when it comes to grounding , it wouldn't be a huge project . I would be able to drop wires right down into ground rods I believe. I'm going to get a pic outside in daytime to add here maybe if I could get some suggestions or something. Don't want to sound like a total newb I know the higher the better but just don't know if theirs any good options for like a rooftop antenna . for my bigger scanners I use to monitor the area I have a couple radio shack "spudnick" style antennas that I just rest on my roof and receive is GREAT work so good , I was surprised .
Only restrictions I have been told or I should say asked by my fam. member is Lightning , just like us all she is always worried about it attracting lightning. I know you can't avoid it much and everyone is always concerned with it but I don't want to put something tiptop of my house to attract it even more . Was looking at some of those lightning suppressors also to attach to the coax , kinda nifty.
I imagine I'd have to run a low-pass filter for TVI . I had issues years ago with bleeding over my neighbors phone and radio/TV I know technology has changed and the cable systems seem to prevent a lot of this interference some but I just don't want to take any chances . Also read about a wrapping the coax end of antenna plus the coax/mast many times like a RF shield? also to help transmitting interference? The neighbor where the antenna would face (assuming I went with a vent pipe mount) Is a good friend of mine and I am not even bringing it up to him about getting back into this til he see's it . I am the only one of my buddies into "radiowaves" , I'm the dork of the pack


Pic is my temp. Wire Dipole antenna in my room. Second floor , any suggestions on length or other way to position please let me know
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I am going to edit this and add pictures of outdoor where I would like to setup my antenna or maybe get suggestions on what to do during daylight tomorrow .

I am going to update this either daily or whenever I change something . Its a very cool community . Between this board and another I surf regarding the same subject , I wish I would have found them earlier I really thought Ham's were the only ones DX'ing around here. Thanks for all the help to any who have assisted me so far , any to the ones in future I appreciate any help I can get. It has changed A LOT since I was on the radio last

Jeremy
"Dragon"

[joekillowatt]

! got my di-pole up yesturday and hit ohio and penn state ! a friend sold me an antron99 for 40 dollars...missing the u bolts but ill get it up

[JW20VT]

Oh man , you lucky SOB what a deal . haha

How do you have your dipole hung?

[JW20VT]

could I just like mount one end of the wire to my windowsill and have the other end/wire kinda of throw over the edge of my roof so its laying across my roof ? Just have nothing to hang it upto outside

[joekillowatt]

its up about 40' in the "T" shape

[muddy_udders]

I will try to post pics of my homemade Di-pole setup I made with wire an SO239 panel mount connector and PVC pipe as insulators. I haven't been as lucky on the DX as JK but have got good local coverage so far.

[JW20VT]

Tried putting my wire dipole on my roof outside where my radios are tonight .

so far i have nothing on the radio , no swr meter so can't check that yet . Wish meter would get here , lately at night I haven't' had much skip anyways so Ill wait til morning see how it sounds . but its looking like the wire is coming back inside , radio was loud loud and getting a ton of skip with it wired up on ceiling

I never have setup a outdoor Ant. like I mentioned before , Can someone point me in a direction of some good ones? Can't put up a tower or anything but was looking at the antron99 and imax? I believe it was . What is required to ground a outdoor ant? Have 2 ideas on where I could have one put on my house . I'm going to go measure and survey whether I could use the vent pipe on side of house to get a mount and mast to put something into the air but might be too close to the house and not clear the gutters and wires running into house . Another spot ive always thought bout putting one up is outside the windows in my room , where my "shack" is . part of the roof ends next to my window , has a gutter but theirs a nice decent sized area on the side that sticks out I could prob get away with installing a antenna , only prob is I don't know how I could run a ground wire for lightning or whatever.
Hard to explain where I would like to mount , but Ill take a couple picture and maybe could get some advise ? I am just worried I will not be able to setup a ground wire . But it would be worth the trouble because its a decent height , prob highest I could get away with .

Thanks again for all who read and follow

Jeremy

[JW20VT]

Going to start constructing a bazooka dipole . planning on putting it into a piece of pvc/conduit and put on mast . if this doesn't work out then I guess I will start saving for something prebuilt , received a link from a member on a similar board and read alot of great stuff on people recommending a bazooka , figure its worth a shot . total cost should be under $10 for the antenna itself , with the mount and mast i picked out prob under 30 40 $ total

[Fisherman100]

Interesting return on CB,

just as me.

Keep going on information.

What's your 10-20 ? I'm in Quebec.

Started back on CB around the 20th of June.

Yet have more than 100 contacts in my log book.

Hope to read you some more.

Fisherman