CB Radio Antenna

[santacarver]

CB Antenna:

I have a Itasca Horizon 39' DP 2002. I'm trying to get the radio going for my Alaska trip this summer.

Here is my problem; Winnebago factory installed antenna is a stainless steel whip antenna, and the whip is missing so I don't know how tall (long) the antenna should be. I have purchased a new whip but it is 4' long (smallest I could buy) so I need to cut it down to the prober length using a SWR meter.

I'm looking for someone who still has one on their who can tell me how long their antenna is for a starting point.

Thank you

[kaypsmith]

I'm not quite sure where the whip is located on your mh, but a stainless steel whip for 27 mhz, quarter wave is 102". For anything less you will need a coil loaded antenna, to make work with any satisfaction.

It would almost useless to use anything less. There are many brands of good ones, search k40 antenna, it is one of the better ones.

[dickandlois]

One needs to look for a loaded type antenna, the length of the antenna for channel 19 is 11.027 meters.

Just not practical.

Call Winnebago and ask who's antenna they installed or used, then you could get the length of the missing wipe.

A straight wire length.

1/8th. wave=54.28165in.

1/16th. wave=27.1385in.

1/32th. wave=13.5677

That would not be as effective as a (K-40) style antenna with a short wipe.

Rich.

[hermanmullins]

Go to a CB shop, many truck stops have them. Have them set your antenna with an SWR meter. They will be able to set the correct length.

Herman

[Lenpa]

Santacarver,

On my '02 the "stick" protrudes 23 1/4" above the base. One might think Winnebago used the same antenna on all their coaches but who knows. Someplace for you to start. Suggest you try a coat hanger cut to length before cutting the stainless replacement. Make sure you have bare metal where you stick it in the base.

Lenp

[paulcarson]

I mounted my "no ground plane" fiberglass antenna on the ladder and ran the coax underneath along the frame rails. Works good for me. Mine sticks up about 14 inches above the MH roof.

[santacarver]

It is coil loaded and factory installed on top of coach couch is 12 feet high so I know they wouldn't of put 102 inch whip on it. I tried a 24 inch fire stik on coach but that puts the tip 14' 6" high. and many bridges are just over 14 foot.

will try the coat hanger and see where that works out good suggestion thank you

Bruce Dixon USAF Ret.

[Lenpa]

Bruce,

The tip of mine is probably about 14' 4" and, yes, it does contact things like gas station overheads and low overpasses but it recovers. That might be what happened to yours - one too many impacts.

good luck,

lenp

[kaypsmith]

Us old ham's have used so many concoctions over the years, including long wires with 6 inch standoffs right on top of the rubber roof's, and they worked well. Also motorized shafts mounted just outside the driver window, but that is a little extreme for a CB. But if you want to relocate and get rid of the extra height, as indicated in my earlier reply, k40 does make a fiberglass antenna that is top loaded, come in different lengths, and can be side or rear mounted, since it is top loaded, it would only need to be mounted six to eight inches above the roof line to be effective.

ARS N4WQP

And if anyone would like to know the formula for cutting a wire antenna, pm me, will be happy to oblige.

Kay

[elkhartjim]

What a great write-up, Ralph.

[santacarver]

Ralph Thank you for all the time and effort You put into this. It is greatly appreciated Thank you. I'm still having issues Started with a 36" Stainless steel rod. Here is results. Did these steps with channel 1 and 40. Set "REF" to Set position at top right of the red scale. Switched to "FWD" and needle pegged out to far right on both channels At 36" ended up cutting down to 15" and still getting same results of pegged out needle. don't know if I have a bad radio bad coil bad cable. Motor home is all fiberglass and is using a "NGP" antenna system. Don't know where to go from here. was hoping to getting this working before my trip to Alaska in 20 days.

Thank you Bruce Dixon

[elkhartjim]

Just a thought, Bruce. If all else fails before you leave for Alaska (I'm so jealous), buy a good handheld CB. Its better than no CB...maybe.

[santacarver]

Jim

I have looked into the hand held CB's but everything I look at in the reviews are all bad and they complain about only being able to reach out about 300 yards. Most CB's are line of sight except when getting Skip that I'm aware of. There is no wher to mount a magnet type one to my Fiberglass body and finding a "NGP" Antenna is difficult.

Thanks for the input.

[wayne77590]

Mount the magnetic one under the front cowling on the frame, horizontally. Used to do that in the trunk of a car. The care is all tin but the MH is fiberglass. Signal should be better than that in the trunk of a car.

[N7KGA]

Good morning, Bruce Dixon;

OK. There is not too much time before your departure.

I am not yet a recognized member of the FMCA, but I am working on it. When I bought my motor home, I had no of all the different motor home groups there are out here. It may be that until I am a recognized FMCA member with an "F" number, I will not be able to send a message to you through their system. Until then, please contact me directly by e-mail and let us see if we can work out something with this antenna.

If the e-mail address does not come through as shown down below (some systems have sentries that will truncate the domain name or something equal), you can probably interpret the following to get something that will work to get a message to me. Then we can get down to seriously working on this thing.

Enjoy;

Ralph

Latte Land, Washington

[wayne77590]

Click on Ralph's picture, then click on "Send PM."

It will work.

[santacarver]

I ordered a new NGP Antenna Assembly that includes the cable and Side mount. All the reading I'm getting are saying it's a defective coil/ cable causing the SWR to Peg out, Found a great store on line called the http://www.truckers-store.com/ They are fast reliable and lowest prices around.

I let you all know what I find out.

Thanks for all your help.

[wayne77590]

Interesting, and yes I have found cold solder joints on CB antenna coils that the end of the coil would break away from the solder joint. Found some shorted cables many a time also, and that is easy to fix most of the time. usually it is in the connector where a stray piece of shielding finally started touching the center conductor. Just replace the connector or replace the cable if you don't solder well. Cold solder joints can be re-soldered also.

[santacarver]

Wayne

Thank you for your Service.

Taking the factory roof mounted antenna assy. out is more than I have time to do I will need to remove ceiling panels an cabinets to get at the base of the antenna on the roof. Adding a new side mount antenna assy and mounting it on the side just behind the Windshield only requires 4 screws to remove plastic trim to install, It will also make it easier to make SWR adjustments being as I won't have to climb on top of the coach each time to make an adjustment to length, I'm getting too old to be climbing up and down the useless ladders the mount on these coaches LOL. Soldering is not a problem have soldered at Intel on mother boards.

Thank you for you kind input.

Have a wonderful day, keep the shinny side up

Bruce Dixon

MSgt USAF ret