CB Antenna Questions

[wingtrike]

I do have a cb installed in our 01 Alpine. However, there is no antenna.
What length are most of you using?
Do I need a spring to attach to the mount for the antenna?
I know I will need a non ground plane antenna.

There is a mounting bracket above the driver's door (thanks to all who answered that question).

Thanks in advance,

Alex

[Old Scout]

Sorry for the diatribe here but yr question about CBs brings back some bad memories. A few years back, I installed one of those palm-sized/all in one CB units [probably a bad choice to start with] in our 2003--the antenna and cable were already installed. Early on it seemed to work ok [tested using a 30yr old Realistic 20-channel CB]. But when trying to talk with the "world," I could generally hear them but they couldnt hear me, unless we were side-by-side. Tried tuning [trimming] the half-wave[one meter long] antenna but didnt helped. Also investigate ground plane issues and "pinches/blocks" due to the cable being wrapped back on itself somewhere in the coach but nothing panned out. Frankly, with all the garbage on the CB airwaves these days and the use of cell phones and FRS radios, CBs seem to have been relegated to history--"10-4 good buddy?"

[Gary Arnold]

The coach came with FireStik (brand) white 30 inches tall using standard 3/8 X 24 threaded mount. I see on there website the antennas now only come in one foot increments 2’ 3’.

FireStik

[wa8yxm]

There is one length for a cb antenna (Really two but...) that is 9 feet. However it can be sprial wound so it's physically shorter.

As to mounting.. Depends on the coach., Spring is not usualy needed with the sprial wound fiberglass whips but.. May be if it's in a place where tree limbs can wack it.

On my coach the CB radio antenna is jammed in between teh couch and the wall, It's a fiberglass and plywood wall so electronically it's the antenna is basically in open air. SWR is 1:1 (Or so close to it I Can not tell the difference) and it works as well as I expect a CB to work (Which is not that good by my other standards) But If I can see you, I can talk to you.

(My other standards.. Well. let's see, from where Im parked now (South Carolina) I"ve worked California, Texas, Canada, Germany, France, England, Cuba, Scotland, Grand Cayman Islands and a bunch of countries I can't even spell.. But that's NOT CB)