Ground Mounted CB Antenna

[Riverman]

(Pretty sure this has been asked before but searched the forums and could not find it.)

Has anyone used an antenna like this for CB?

For the vertical, rather than hanging wire from a tree, am thinking of:
(a) attaching wire to a non-metallic pole
(b) using copper or aluminum tubing
(c) using a mobile CB antenna.

 

[midnight special]

a yes b yes c yes,, attaching a wire to a wooden pole/stick has been done a lot,,, aluminum tubing has been used and works well,,, and i have seen mobile ajntennas in so many configurations ,,,,

 

[Riverman]

a yes b yes c yes,, attaching a wire to a wooden pole/stick has been done a lot,,, aluminum tubing has been used and works well,,, and i have seen mobile ajntennas in so many configurations ,,,,

Just want to be sure we are on the same page, MS.
With this setup the radials will lie on top of the ground or be buried 2-3".

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Found this pic of a 10 meter version.
Wondering how well antennas like this perform.

View attachment 21614

Locally not that great however on DX not that bad. many hams use multiband ground mounted verticals for 10-80m and they work well. generally the lower bands seem to work better but that is probably due to ground losses being lower. The trick to such an antenna is radials. Lots of radials.

 

[Riverman]

Locally not that great however on DX not that bad. many hams use multiband ground mounted verticals for 10-80m and they work well. generally the lower bands seem to work better but that is probably due to ground losses being lower. The trick to such an antenna is radials. Lots of radials.

Will be using using it for DX, Captain.
Any thought on which vertical would work best for me? (See a, b, and c in Post #1.)

Found a pic of a 10 meter version.

 

[kopcicle]

34' above 18 radial wires fed from a SGC SG-230 auto tuner. I know, the tuner is cheating, kinda sorta...

 

[Riverman]

34' above 18 radial wires fed from a SGC SG-230 auto tuner. I know, the tuner is cheating, kinda sorta...

Not clear on the 34'. Was thinking around 8.6 ft.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Will be using using it for DX, Captain.
Any thought on which vertical would work best for me? (See a, b, and c in Post #1.)

Found a pic of a 10 meter version.

View attachment 21615

Take your pick. Performance will be pretty much the same. Aluminum or copper pipe will be free standing with a decent mount. Cheap and easy to make too and would be my preferred method.

 

[kopcicle]

You are correct . My installation is for multi band operation while attempting to avoid half waves so it's not that good for 11m.
I would trim from 9' and see what happens. BTW larger diameter radiators are more broad banded that just a wire.

 

[Riverman]

You are correct . My installation is for multi band operation while attempting to avoid half waves so it's not that good for 11m.
I would trim from 9' and see what happens. BTW larger diameter radiators are more broad banded that just a wire.

Yours appears to be a tad more elaborate than what I'm considering.
And thanks for the headsup on the radials!

 

[Riverman]

Is there a need for a balun or choke with an antenna in such close proximity to the ground?

 

[Road Squawker]

.... The trick to such an antenna is radials. Lots of radials.

I have 3 500 foot spools of wire buried around my ground mounted vertical.

 

[silver devil]

Ground mount put down as many rafiaks as you can. One of my ham buddy's runs a hustler 6 btv with 60 50' ground radials tacked to the ground. He works dx with np.

 

[Riverman]

I have 3 500 foot spools of wire buried around my ground mounted vertical.

Yikes!
Guess I better rethink my 12 planned radials.

On a more serious note, I have seen how involved antennas of this nature often are when done by knowledgeable operators who understand that in this hobby, you really do get out what you put into it.

 

[BJ radionut]

Riverman71: See the pictures as to a possible way to use lets say mount a 5/8 wave Penetrater antenna...with the second picture (showing a "Flagpole" design)...but paying attention to the method of cosmetically concealing the base to a more pleasing set-up.
Counterpoise radials, I have found and observed that the "magic" number is 30 or more roughly 5% longer than quarter wave long, evenly space around the base as practical.
Fall is a great time to install said system...cut the grass short and simply knife them in a few inches below grade and then reseed and fertilize to cover.
This tool can do the job to "knifing" the radials in ground and not making a huge impact on the yard.

Yes this style antenna can be made to work well! You need to put in the work first to make it so
All the Best
Gary