I live in a deed restricted community where CB antennas are not
permitted to be erected. I need a low profile antenna - one that will
not bring attention to the homeowners association. I want something
better than an indoor antenna. I was thinking about one that I can
just put out on the grass in my backyard like on a ground plane or
something. I want to talk. Any ideas?

On 16 Nov 2005 05:21:44 -0800, wrote:

I live in a deed restricted community where CB antennas are not
permitted to be erected. I need a low profile antenna - one that will
not bring attention to the homeowners association. I want something
better than an indoor antenna. I was thinking about one that I can
just put out on the grass in my backyard like on a ground plane or
something. I want to talk. Any ideas?


1/2 wave wipole in a tree.

Vinnie S.

"Vinnie S." wrote in message
...
On 16 Nov 2005 05:21:44 -0800, wrote:

I live in a deed restricted community where CB antennas are not
permitted to be erected. I need a low profile antenna - one that will
not bring attention to the homeowners association. I want something
better than an indoor antenna. I was thinking about one that I can
just put out on the grass in my backyard like on a ground plane or
something. I want to talk. Any ideas?


1/2 wave wipole in a tree.

Vinnie S.

I second that motion. Use Bury-Flex cable to the tree. Not only can it be
buried, critters will not chew on it, and it is a top quality cable with
very low loss.

Best of luck!

Chad

I thought about a 18 foot Dipole between my trees but my neighbors are
very nosy. Perhaps I can secure the Dipole on my roof.

Where can I buy this stuff?

On 16 Nov 2005 13:15:57 -0800, wrote:

Where can I buy this stuff?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Indoor-Dipole-CB...QQcmdZViewItem


Use 100% shielded coax like Belden 9913 or equiv, to minimize TVI


Or if you want to build it yourself:


Or calculate here using 27.200 MHz as a center frequency

http://www.scanshack.com/antcal.htm#dipole

or

http://home.att.net/~wizardoz/cbmw/antenna_fabri.html


Coax Cable Vertical CB Antennas


For a quickie CB antenna, a vertical dipole (1/2) wave can be made right from
the coax itself You take your coax and very carefully, without nicking the
braided shield, strip 102 inches of the outer insulation jacket off one end.
After removing the outer jacket, start bunching the shield down the coax from
the end. Now, where the outer jacket and the shield meet, separate the braided
shield enough to get the inner conductor out through the hole in the braid. Pull
all of the inner conductor through and stretch it and the braid out. Be careful
not to skin any of the insulation off the inner conductor. Now attach an antenna
insulator to the end of the inner conductor. Measure the braided shield. Cut it
off at about 106" and attach an antenna insulator to the end. The total length
of the inner and outer conductor should be about 17 feet (1/2 wave). You can
haul it up to any height you want with a string or rope attached to the
insulator on the center conductor. It's a good idea to coat the end of the coax
cable where it separates with some kind of waterproof sealer. This keeps water
from seeping into the coax, which could cause a high SWR.


Just attach a coax connector on the end of the coax going to your transceiver
and you are on the air. The SWR should be 1.5 or better, if cut to the proper
length. It'll get out about as good as a ¼ wave ground plane CB radio antenna if
you get it up high and in the clear. Do not hoist this antenna up next to a
metal pole, because the metal will interfere with the antenna's operation and
cause a high SWR.



Vinnie S.

On 16 Nov 2005 05:21:44 -0800, was heard to say:

I live in a deed restricted community where CB antennas are not
permitted to be erected. I need a low profile antenna - one that will
not bring attention to the homeowners association. I want something
better than an indoor antenna. I was thinking about one that I can
just put out on the grass in my backyard like on a ground plane or
something. I want to talk. Any ideas?

I think you might be misunderstanding the meaning of a "ground plane"
antenna...

You might be able to get away with a vertical dipole. You could
attach the dipole to a corner of the house, running it along a
vertical seam (and AWAY from any downspouts) so that it would be less
noticeable. Feedline can be concealed beneath siding in many
instances.

Basically your antenna will consist of two pieces of wire (insulated,
please, other than that it's not important what type) that are 104
inches in length. One wire will be attached to the center conductor
of your coax, the other to the braid. Arrange the wires so they are
in a "T" configuration in relation to the feedline. Hang the antenna
so that the wires are in the vertical plane. It's as simple as that.

Raymond Sirois KAXN-9546
SysOp: The Lost Chord BBS
http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Park/9257
telnet://thelostchord.dns2go.com:6023

Vinnie S recommended the Dipole in the link below. The only thing is I
dont know if it can it be used outdoor. Its insulated so I dont see
why it cant be.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Indoor-Dipole-CB...QQcmdZViewItem

Im thinking that I would install it on my roof toward the back of the
house in the "T" configuration as you recommend tying the ends down to
the sides of the house like in the eaves under the garage. Then Im
thinking to run the coax back on either side of the Dipole, down the
corner of the house where it will go into the house. It will be out of
the sight of the home owners association people.

They are mature trees but now I came up with another idea. Read the
KAXN-9546 thread below. Id love to DX but my options are limited.

On 17 Nov 2005 04:59:07 -0800, wrote:

Vinnie S recommended the Dipole in the link below. The only thing is I
dont know if it can it be used outdoor. Its insulated so I dont see
why it cant be.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Indoor-Dipole-CB...QQcmdZViewItem

Im thinking that I would install it on my roof toward the back of the
house in the "T" configuration as you recommend tying the ends down to
the sides of the house like in the eaves under the garage. Then Im
thinking to run the coax back on either side of the Dipole, down the
corner of the house where it will go into the house. It will be out of
the sight of the home owners association people.


You can use it outdoors, easily. You must seal the coax feed so water and ice
don't get in at the feed point. It is perfectly ok if either leg of the dipole
gets wet.

Also, like Chad said, make a balun, which is a coiling your coax right before
the feed point. The coax should be coiled 10 turns in a 6 inch radius. And use
100% sheilded coax. I use Davis Bury-flex. LMR-400 is good, but very stiff.
Belden 9913 is good, but not as good outdoors as the Bury-Flex.

If you was to save some money, just use the coax itself as the dipole. Once you
separate the center wire from the braid, that is the star of you dipole. That
needs to be about 102-104 inches long. The center wire is easy, but separating
the braid is a pain in the ass. So cut about 1 inched of braid, and solder a
wire to the braid, like 14 gauge from Home Depot. Remember, the length should be
cut long, and then cut shorter to match up and get low SWR. Is alwasy easier to
cut shorter, and to make longer.

Vinnie S.