Here I am in sunny Southern California, looking to set up a base station antenna for CB in a Home Owner's Association. No external antennas at all, they say, but that's thanks to satellite cable... so I'm not sure I want to try fighting them on it. Possibly, I'll have to make a special antenna to get around their rules I've been reading up on that a bit... but I could probably use some advice.
I've been told I could cheat, and use a wire dipole. on the outside... hardly noticeable. The roof has two peaks which could probably hide an inverted V, if that is advisable...
The first peak where I could install an inverted Vee antenna faces west, and might let me pick up some action from not-too-distant truck stops. It's also the peak of the attic, so it must 20-30 feet in the air. Unfortunately, it's also the farthest from my radio room. I'd have to run about 30 feet of cable... through the attic, which is a real problem for other reasons. Also, lightning protection would be tough here: The most direct path would put the ground wire in front of two sliding glass windows, and would require me to drill through both a balcony floor, and a decorative concrete patio... one which is also a common area.
The second peak where I could install an inverted Vee antenna faces south. It starts on the first floor, and ends below a second story window, so it can't be more than 15 feet off the ground. Also... it faces a row of trees... and the neighbor's one story roofline, which is probably a few feet taller than the peak of this roof. Out beyond those obstructions is... a lot of hills... maybe some rich folks playing with radios... maybe not. On the plus side, I'd need less than 10 feet of coax to connect it to my radio, and would only need to drill through one sheet of stucco, and one of drywall to get there. Also, I could take the lightning protection straight down to dirt... dirt three feet from my gas meter, but still... The circuit breakers are also right there... as far as a covert external antenna goes, this would be very easy... I just don't know if it would get out anywhere useful.
Pretty much everywhere else I might want to try hanging a dipole has metal rain gutters in the way. I could maybe get away with a horizontal dipole facing east, but lightning protection would go straight down the front of the house, and I'd have to cut into the driveway to install the ground rod. Also, it would take at least 20 feet of coax, and a whole lot of cursing up in the attic.
Let's talk about the attic.
My un-friended AC installers put in a giant metal AC/Heater/Fan/Air Purifier monster right next to the entrance to the attic... with it's octopus arms of ductwork literally forming a nest around the entrance. If I want to get anywhere in the attic... which must run for at least 20 feet in one direction... I'll have to build a bridge over these octopus arms... One bridge for all three directions the octopus arms block. There'll be no bridging over the AC unit though. I'm a much better electrician than I am a carpenter, and my car isn't really equipped for hauling lumber, so I'd prefer not to build many bridges if I can help it.
There's another issue with the attic though, that I should point out: On top of the attic is plywoood, 2x6 beams, and 1 inch thick concrete tiles, painted red... probably with an iron-based pigment. I've been trying to find out if any CB signal can punch through that, but so far, I didn't see that question specifically addressed.
Now... if I want to run any cables in the attic, I've got to build at least one bridge. for example, that inverted Vee I suggested on the west side... That'll need a bridge over the ductwork so I can run cables.
If I were to build a bridge over the ductwork, I would have more than enough space to make a horizontal dipole at the peak of the house's roof, fully 25-30 feet in the air. I think I'd need maybe 15 feet of coax to get that to my radio... but... them tiles...
Right by the access hatch, I could just shove a mag mount with a 2 foot antenna onto the AC/everything unit. It's gotta be the size of a car's roof, and if not, there's plenty of nearby metal I could tie it to... I guess that could at least show me if I can get through the tiles. If I want that permanent, I'll still have to build a bridge over the ductwork though.
I suppose I might see if there's some "real base station" antenna I can stick in the attic. I know there's that "portable indoor base station" firestick sells... but you need a ground plane for it, and there's no metal on the areas that are five feet tall... so I'd have to go to the hardware store, and lay sheet metal... UNDER the insulation, because otherwise, I have only 4 foot 6 inches to play with.
Of course, with all of these attic ideas, I'll probably be getting some TV interference... so I guess I'd need a low-pass filter?
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