Base station question

[loren_5000]

I am looking to setup my first base station and have a few questions. I have an RCI-2950 that has been converted for the 11 meter band and I was wondering ifI could just hook that up to a wilson 5000 and hang it out of my upstairs window. How well would this work?

[busman]

get you a 20 to 30 amp power supply and that 2950 will work great for a base, but i probably wouldnt hang that wilson antenna out the window. it would work i suppose but not very good. id just go buy a cheap ol anttron 99 with a 2 peice poll (20 feet) and you would be talking alot better.

[samskip]

If the Wilson is a mag mount antenna, 'hanging it out the window' will not be a good idea. Maybe I am taking it too literal. A mag mount antenna needs a ground plane to work properly (needs to be stuck on something metal). The larger the ground plane the better.

I agree, base antennas can be had for under $100, or you can build or buy yourself a dipole antenna and hang it up in a tree for a quick easy antenna.

Little more info on the setup you'd like, what you want to talk (local or dx), and if you have the option of mounting antennas, so do you live in your own place? Or do you rent a room or apartment somewhere?


Let us know more man! I will be glad to help out!

[rev ike]

if you can get a commercial built base antenna vertical or ground plane as some call em then see how you like before you do any thing else every improvement you make youll love it more if you really like cb radio best wishes to ya

[MOONSHINER]

i have heard that a mag mount antenna works decent if stuck on top of an ac window unit.

[Duck Commander]

i have heard that a mag mount antenna works decent if stuck on top of an ac window unit.

ONLY IN TEJAS WILL FIND THIS KIND OF CONTRAPTION

[209 first class]

the wilson needs a groundplane to operate, they are right, you wont get low enuf swr to operate it. from what i hear, a wilson works good in the house stuck on the refridgerator door!

[Sheriff Bart]

[busman]

maybe stick it on a metal garbage can outside. come to think of it, i have heard of people sticking mag mounts on refrigerators.

[trip7downunder]

You guys are cracking me up. I heard that you could sticky tape it to your tv antenna . On a serious note though you got a good radio so get a decent base antenna so that you could do justice and not blow it up. Then you have get a swr meter to make sure your swr is 1.1 -1.5. Any higher and you will say I had a 2950. Im back quite

[Punkin Head]

I had a popular mechanics mag mount on the roof of the metal roofed double wide that I grew up in in GA. it talked a couple miles, would I suggest doing this no because a base antenna is so much better. I only did it because I was 13, didnt know any better, and wanted to talk on the radio.

[doctor]

You have a good radio don't ruin it with a hang out antenna which isn't grounded and won't justify any distance. Your radio will talk any where with a good antenna.
Get an astro plane and put it on a 25 ft push up pole it will work wonders for you and some good coax, also a pwr supply of 35 amps won't cost that much less than $150... My 2 cents

doctor/795

[drdx]

My 1st base antenna was a mag mount stuck upside down on the ceiling ac vent. It was a real talker, compared to my friend's space patrol walkie talkie. Seriously though, it heard well enough to be entertaining. If you can't do the base antenna deal, buy some extra coax and stick it to your chimney cap or anything else on the roof metal and check the swr before transmitting too much. If you had to, you could make a few 9 ft long wire radials to help in that dept.
If you're stuck with an apartment balcony, use the rail or the popular bbq grill-plane, old smokey style, just don't melt the coax cookin up those wangs and gizzards (the gizzards, and livers of course, go in a nice homemade foil bowl full of sauce, yummy) and don't key up with the lid open, or you'll be on the flat side squashing the big boys. -drdx

[loren_5000]

THe haning out the window is not a literal comment. THe wilson antenna is the 5000 trucker series not a mag mount. The reason I ask about using this instead of of a good base antenna is because I dont think I will have alot of time to use it. I have a mbile setup and I do use that sometimes when I am driving. In a week here I will be going to the technical college and will be working so I wont be home much.

[loren_5000]

I forgot to add this to the above post but another thing is that when I flip through channels I dont hear much, CB is not a big thing around here so I dont need a huge setup, I may have to get a cheap base antenna if a mobile antenna wont work. Thanks for the help :D