Have had reasons to dismantle and sell off big base setup (nice radio, high power, 5/8 vertical) but still wanted something to stay on the air with to close-by locals. Just wanting to share this experience with you guys in case anyone else needs a similar idea in future. Being a ham and having used and made numerous Wire Antennas in the past, I decided to go back with one. They are cheap (free in this case w/wire on hand), easy-up and in my case and most cases, they are or can be invisible or at least very low-profile to passers-by.
I decided to go with a short End Fed Random Wire. A google for "random wire lengths" went directly to a couple of handy sites with the precise info and tips needed. Random Wires are same thing as End Fed Long Wires .... just when they're short-er they will tend to be called Random Wires and when they are longer, like over 200 feet etc ... they tend to be called Long Wires - but they basically work the same. You can try and "force" a truly Random Length of wire to work on a given frequency but Multiples of Half Wavelengths at your target frequency range present high impedances which your tuner may not be able to overcome. So it's best to simply avoid any Multiples of Half Wavelengths for best results and optimizing of antenna performance. Here is a handy chart that will get you going for picking out a Random Wire length to use on CB. What suited my installation was 26 feet. It does not have to be exact. Plus/Minus a foot or so will make no difference.
http://www.hamuniverse.com/randomwireantennalengths.html
So all I had left on hand was a power supply for a mobile radio and wire to make an antenna and a piece for a Counterpoise which connects to the Tuner Ground. An End Fed Random or Long Wire is going to require the use of a Tuner to match the impedance for your radio and optimize resonance and achieve lowest SWR. So - you will need a Tuner arrangement that accepts a simple wire input and some kind of meter. You can use a separate meter or select a Tuner that has a built-in meter.
When I was looking for gear I was able to score a Cobra 29 LX complete on eBay for $50 and an MFJ 941D compact Antenna Tuner also for $50. Both in very good condition. I had a roll of 14 gauge copper-clad steel stranded antenna wire on hand so used that for the antenna and some cheaper wire from the junk box for the counterpoise. A Counterpoise sort of functions a "matching section or ground plane" and is simply a piece of wire at 1/4 wavelength of the lowest frequency you're going to use - so for Channel 1 CB that is around 9 feet approx. Attach to Ground connection on back of tuner and lay wire around the floor in your shack out of your way. Such a Counterpoise wire is recommended but not always necessary for essential operation. As always, every installation is physically and electrically different so experimentation is expected and called for. Your installation might be able to get away with no counterpoise but for a little 9 foot piece of wire it's no big deal for CB to just go ahead and slap one on.
I have a Ranch style house - Wire comes out the floor of my shack, through the outside wall from crawlspace, then angles up to a tie-off support which is mounted to an existing 3 foot tripod on the roof. Top of antenna is about 20 feet off the ground. Tuner creates a perfect match / SWR is 1:1 - The set-up gets out essentially as well as a barefoot mobile sitting in the driveway with a 102" whip.
I decided to go with a short End Fed Random Wire. A google for "random wire lengths" went directly to a couple of handy sites with the precise info and tips needed. Random Wires are same thing as End Fed Long Wires .... just when they're short-er they will tend to be called Random Wires and when they are longer, like over 200 feet etc ... they tend to be called Long Wires - but they basically work the same. You can try and "force" a truly Random Length of wire to work on a given frequency but Multiples of Half Wavelengths at your target frequency range present high impedances which your tuner may not be able to overcome. So it's best to simply avoid any Multiples of Half Wavelengths for best results and optimizing of antenna performance. Here is a handy chart that will get you going for picking out a Random Wire length to use on CB. What suited my installation was 26 feet. It does not have to be exact. Plus/Minus a foot or so will make no difference.
http://www.hamuniverse.com/randomwireantennalengths.html
So all I had left on hand was a power supply for a mobile radio and wire to make an antenna and a piece for a Counterpoise which connects to the Tuner Ground. An End Fed Random or Long Wire is going to require the use of a Tuner to match the impedance for your radio and optimize resonance and achieve lowest SWR. So - you will need a Tuner arrangement that accepts a simple wire input and some kind of meter. You can use a separate meter or select a Tuner that has a built-in meter.
When I was looking for gear I was able to score a Cobra 29 LX complete on eBay for $50 and an MFJ 941D compact Antenna Tuner also for $50. Both in very good condition. I had a roll of 14 gauge copper-clad steel stranded antenna wire on hand so used that for the antenna and some cheaper wire from the junk box for the counterpoise. A Counterpoise sort of functions a "matching section or ground plane" and is simply a piece of wire at 1/4 wavelength of the lowest frequency you're going to use - so for Channel 1 CB that is around 9 feet approx. Attach to Ground connection on back of tuner and lay wire around the floor in your shack out of your way. Such a Counterpoise wire is recommended but not always necessary for essential operation. As always, every installation is physically and electrically different so experimentation is expected and called for. Your installation might be able to get away with no counterpoise but for a little 9 foot piece of wire it's no big deal for CB to just go ahead and slap one on.
I have a Ranch style house - Wire comes out the floor of my shack, through the outside wall from crawlspace, then angles up to a tie-off support which is mounted to an existing 3 foot tripod on the roof. Top of antenna is about 20 feet off the ground. Tuner creates a perfect match / SWR is 1:1 - The set-up gets out essentially as well as a barefoot mobile sitting in the driveway with a 102" whip.
