Hi all. Need to ask about CB base stations

[Pastor Scott]

Want to build a cb base station. Have allot of antenna questions.

[whiteastro]

You came to the right place, lots of old time pros in here. Fire away !

[Pastor Scott]

So I need to know antenna size hight mast grounding. Mostly antenna. For a base unit. AM and side band. Want to really get back into it. Have a nice set up in my truck but tired of hearing and not talking. Would like to starting a bunch of guys from my church who all want to get base units. Figure it's a old school Facebook system lol.
So any recommendations
Thanks so much
P Scott

[whiteastro]

I would suggest reading in the CB base antenna section of the forum to start getting a base knowledge of what people prefer and get some answers there. There is a lot to consider when choosing which antenna to run with, mostly what are your local ordinances are on antennas, how much you have to spend, what obstacles you have to work around, and how far you want to reach out. If you just want to talk with your local buddies and have a small budget a lot of people like the cheap Dipole antenna which is easy to put up and easy to hide if you have ordinance problems. The M400 Star Duster works well for a lot of people and is really affordable but not for everybody because everyone has their favorites when it comes to vertical antennas. And then you get to the group of people who want to talk World Wide and like the Beam antennas. You have to figure out where you want to go with your project and I hope some of the other knowledgeable people in here start chiming in because I'm no expert on the matter. If you are a church group I will suggest you pick a channel that is not used much because there is a lot of foul people with no class on the radio and that will never change. Good luck and come on CB gang start chiming in to help this young fellow !

[Pastor Scott]

Thanks. Great wisdom. Will look into all of these things.

[Cedar Mountain Radio]

What's your setup in terms of roof access, yard, possible height on mast or tower, $ available etc?

[Pastor Scott]

I live in a house. Plan on a 20 foot mast about 15 above roof. In a wide open area. A few trees around the house. As to money I'm planning to spend whatever it cost but don't want a beam or tower with support cables.

[BOOTY MONSTER]

http://cbradiomagazine.com/cb-radio-articles/

[whiteastro]

http://cbradiomagazine.com/cb-radio-articles/

You did it again BM ! I'll enjoy reading that article and I bookmarked it. I guess we will be forced to keep you around ! LOL

[BOOTY MONSTER]

he has a youtube page also .

https://www.youtube.com/user/cbradiomagazine/videos

[Intimidator]

http://www.cbjunkies.com/blob:http://www.cbjunkies.com/e87f41dd-aa43-42e0-984b-00c0881b1311http://www.cbjunkies.com/blob:http://www.cbjunkies.com/5050f177-2c36-4411-91dc-853037891b8a

[Cedar Mountain Radio]

http://www.cbjunkies.com/blob:http://www.cbjunkies.com/e87f41dd-aa43-42e0-984b-00c0881b1311http://www.cbjunkies.com/blob:http://www.cbjunkies.com/5050f177-2c36-4411-91dc-853037891b8a

I'd just go what they call a T2LT it's easy & almost free. Just costs the price of coax.

Strip off the last 104" of shield braid on some mini-8 coax (RG-8X) exposing 104" of the center conductor and dielectric, and make a small loop at the top for some strong twine or cord that you throw up over a high tree and pull this up, so it's about 104" total including the loop at the top.
About 104" down from the split, (or about 17' 4" down from the top loop) wrap 16 tight turns in the coax on a 2.5" former of white or gray PVC and you have a vertical 1/2 wave dipole like the Gain Master 1/2W, that gives you great performance in all angles - so it's even better than a 5/8 wave when you're talking over a nearby mountain range and using the D & E layer as a ''satellite'' of sorts to reflect your signal over and back down the other side. 5/8 waves have a bad null at upper angles and have a hard time with some distances.
Here's what it should resemble:
http://radiochief.ru/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Schematic.jpg
https://www.dxfreun.de/out/pictures/master/product/1/freeblader-cb-antenna01.jpg
In the 2nd pic there's a telescoping fiberglass pole holding it up.

[mjd420nova]

I like to DX in the woods so I use a bow and arrow(s) to create a dipole or even a beam. Using a balun feed and a mile of wire will get some surprising results.