I need a CB antenna. I'm not real hard core on cb's, but I like to have one when on the road. That means I'm not looking for the world beatinest antenna with lots of doodats and techinal requirements, but I don't want a piece of junk. And, I don't want to destroy half the bus to install it. Can anyone offer a sensible choice? Thanks
they make decent magnetic base antennaes that may work on your bus, i have one that clips to my mirror mounts as i have mirrors similar to older style trucks/buses. Radio shack or a cb shop at a truck stop should have them.
There is a bit of work to get a decent antenna installed on a coach.
Rarely does a busnut get the range of reception/transmission that is possible.
As the years have gone by, this is a topic that has not been well covered, as to where the magic places on which coaches you might start to get the best reception.
We need more than the advice to get the antenna above the roof.
Radio gurus, this is your moment!!!
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Longest antenna wins, highest antenna wins. If your looking to have better communication range in the forward direction, a rear mounted antenna would be best as it would push the ground plane forward. Good antennas, one on each side in the back should work pretty good. Find a radio shop locally, they should be able to get you started. Remember to check/set the SWR before transmitting. The difference between front or rear mount antenna, could cause a difference in the forward range from as low as 2 to 3 miles, to as much as 20 to 30 miles. (im saying could, so dont quote me)
The antenna is really more important than the radio. A good antenna can make a poor quality radio work awesome. But a great radio can be totally useless with a poor antenna system.
dual antennas on a radio that is not set up for it will hurt your reach more so then help it.
As for good antennas I have a wilson pro 2000 magnetic antenna. With my cobra I can get out about 15 to 20 miles depending on who I am talking to.
The better the radio that the person you are talking to has the further you can talk as there radio will pull your signal in.
Eric
Installing a CB or Ham antenna on a bus will always be a compromise. As said above- antenna is most important. Do the best you can with height and location on the bus. You are going to be limited by clearances and whether the antenna has surrounding metal obstacles that effect matching. A good antenna ( but impractical ) for a CB would be a 102" whip mounted in the Center of the roof. Overpasses would be an entertaining video opportunity !
I use a 3ft. Firestik (could've used a 4ft.) mounted on a NM mount with a spring (for branches) about five feet from the front on the roof. It was a little touchy to tune, but I've done that sort of thing for awhile. This is certainly not the optimum setup, but it works more than adequately for my use.
Radio- Get a decent radio that will have good audio quality and a decent receiver and warranty. The power will be about the same in most radios ( differences will be minimal and have very little effect on the actual performance). Most radios will deliver the maximum allowed by the FCC.
Don't expect too much from a CB. I have one for added security on the road. Some police and highway patrol monitor the CB channels..
My main radio (on the road) is a dual bander (ham radio), but the CB supplies more entertainment value !
Good luck,
KC7JD formerly WA7DBE (since 1965)
The best CB I ever experienced was when we rented a Cortez motorhome. It was low enough where the owner mounted a 48" base loaded Johnson whip in the center front of the roof. Being an all steel skinned motorhome, the range was unbelievable. At night-skips were sometimes hundreds of miles.
On my bus, I have a 36" fiberglass whip mounted above my driver's window. Works well enough. Good Luck, TomC
What is tuning dual antennas? Our CB has dual antennas on a "Y" cable.
Don and Cary
1973 o5 Eagle
1966 GM 4107
Neoplan AN340
Thanks to all of you for the replies. I don't see a way to use a magnetic mount on my aluminum (upper) bus, so it looks like I'm going to try a 4' firestik with spring. Mostly I need road condition reports and other hazards, so if I can get a 5-8 mile range, I'll be very happy.
Antenna tuning....
http://www.rightchannelradios.com/pages/cb-antenna-tuning-guide-pv-c0-61.html (http://www.rightchannelradios.com/pages/cb-antenna-tuning-guide-pv-c0-61.html)
i have mine way too high, i lost a k40 52 inch whip on the tonowanda underpass and a 3 foot firestick on another underpass in new hampshire, next time i will et a stick and a spring.
A dual antenna setup is great for reception and transmitting. That said, the but is exactly equal cable length and antenna seperation of 108".
I have the antenna mounted on the right side mirror and extending above the roof about 18".
Bill
They told me to mount my antenna as high as possible. I had a magnetic mount antenna and everything on the roof was aluminum or plastic. So being a rocket scientist I pop riveted a piece of galvanized sheet metal to my AC cover. Other than low hanging branches knocking it down on occasion it worked OK. HTH JIm