Single antennas vs. Antenna Brand We recommend picking a quality CB brand as the antenna is the most important determinant of system performance. Length Longer CB antennas work better than shorter antennas, so select the longest length that can be comfortably used. Antenna Types by Coil CB antennas can generally be grouped into three categories by load position. Antennas can be categorized based on their coil location: Base-Loaded Antennas As the name implies, base-loaded CB antennas have their coil located at the bottom of the antenna.
Pros : Offers one of the simplest mounting and installation methods with the all-in-one models. Additionally, base-loaded models are able to utilize a thicker coil and generally have a higher watt capacity rating than top-loaded fiberglass CB antennas. Cons : The least efficient type of antenna relative to other load positions.
Popular Applications : Car and pick-up truck roofs and trunks. Center-Loaded Antennas These antennas have their coil located in the middle of the antenna. Pros : Center-loaded CB antennas offer a slightly higher coil load than base-loaded antennas and are more efficient. When you coil the excess coax, it is essentially creating another antenna coil and could severely effect SWR readings.
Instead, be sure to properly store any excess coax in a figure 8, about one foot in length, and bound in the middle. It should look like a long, skinny 8. If your path has to run through the firewall, a window or interior linings, you'll have to consider the size of the connectors on the cable. It may be better to get cable with detachable connectors. There is a difference between the ground plane and an electrical ground.
Your antenna needs both. The mount your antenna is connected to needs to have a good ground to the vehicle chassis.
For metal mounts, this is achieved through metal to metal contact. You can test this with a light, just as you would test any vehicle ground. If you don't have a good ground, you could scrape paint off where the mount contacts the vehicle, but many people don't want to do that. A good alternative is to use a grounding strap from the mount to the chassis, but the grounding strap needs to be as short as possible. For magnet mounts, the ground is formed when the magnet couples with the metal of the vehicle.
Good quality magnetic mount antennas shouldn't have a problem with grounding. NGP antenna systems do not require that the antenna mount is electrically grounded. This is VERY important! Tuning your CB antenna not only optimizes the performance of your antenna system but also helps to reduce the potential to damage your radio by operating with high SWR readings. We have several articles in our Help Center to help you. Check them out!
CB radios operate on channels , and one antenna cannot provide ideally tuned reception for all of those. Most people opt for the middle ground and tune the antenna for best reception at the mid-point. SWR meters will also help with trouble-shooting your equipment to find a bad coax, a poorly grounded mount, or a weak or non-functioning ground plane.
Not only does it provide ease of tuning, it broadens the antenna's bandwidth to keep the SWR lower over more channels. To tune an "FS" antenna, you just remove the tip and turn the adjustment screw up or down as needed. Always tune the antenna when it's in the final location. You also need to tune the antenna every time you move it, add a spring or quick disconnect, and every time you modify your vehicle with a large metal component.
We recommend that you check your SWR readings as part of regular system maintenance to ensure that it is always optimized.
Choosing the best CB Antenna for your needs starts with education. Knowing what to look for, in relation to your specific setup, is the first step in ensuring that you buy the best CB antenna for your unique situation. We're here to help, so please don't hesitate to contact us or feel free to browse our CB antennas for sale now that you know what to look for!
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Password Forgot your password? Different length antennas and different coil locations. Base-Loaded — Base-loaded antennas house the coil at the bottom of the antenna, which are usually in a plastic covering.
Most base-loaded antennas have a magnet on the bottom to mount it on a cars roof. These can have a thicker coil too, because most of the antennas weight is at the bottom. Base-loaded antennas usually have high wattage outputs. These are most commonly mounted on car or truck roofs and trunks.
Center-Loaded — The name is misleading because the coil is not right in the middle of the antenna. It is usually near the bottom, but not at the base. Under the coil is a thick, stainless steel shaft. The coil is sometimes in a plastic case. Above the antenna is normal. The most common uses for center-loaded antennas is on large trucks and semis. Top-Loaded — The most common and cheapest type of CB radio antenna. These are also the most effective, even though they usually have low wattages this is really only a drawback to people trying to use these with a ham radio or modified CB.
Top-loaded antennas are mostly made out of fiberglass, and they use a thin wire wrapped on the outside of the shaft and is covered with a protective layer. Since the coil is at the top of these antennas, you can mount them lower on the car because it is more likely the antenna will be taller than the roof of the car.
Mounting — Antennas can be mounted by a magnet that you can take off and put back on whenever you like, or they can be screwed onto the car. I suggest the magnetic ones, because you can move them around to find better reception, take it of to get through a car wash, park in a parking garage, etc. You can buy upgrades and choose between another 8 inch rubber antenna, and a telescoping antenna that starts at 8 inches, but expands all the way out to 27 inches.
Try searching on the internet at websites like www. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters. Living full time in an RV sounds like fun. Let's see. You can't go wrong picking it for just about any use - especially for pickup truck and off-road applications. See the Firestik FS here. Magnet mount antennas, like you'd probably guess from the name, utilize a magnet base to secure the antenna to the vehicle.
They come with everything you'll need in one package as the coax, magnetic mount and whip antenna are all included. For a rough approximation, you can expect the following range from these lengths of magnetic antennas. If you have a vehicle with a metal roof, it's hard to beat the performance of a tall magnet mount antenna on your roof. The central mounting location and height of the antenna at the highest point on the vehicle will result in the best performance you'll be able to get in any single antenna install apart from a " whip.
In addition, it is super easy to install. Unlike other antennas that require special mounts that often require drilling into your vehicle, a magnetic mount antenna installs simply and cleanly to your rooftop. Just set it in place and you're done! While you'll enjoy impressive performance, you're more likely to have clearance issues with a magnetic mount antenna given its high mount location.
Unlike a fiberglass antenna, these whips are very thin, similar in diameter to a paperclip. If you hit the top portion of the whip on an antenna or tree limb, it will likely bend out of the way. But if you catch the whip lower down, you're very likely to severely bend or even break it. So magnet mount antennas aren't a great choice if you know your antenna will be taking a good deal of abuse. The Wilson Little Wil antenna is extremely affordable and offers a great blend of performance without limiting your clearance by too much.
It's by far our best selling compact magnet antenna. See the Wilson Little Wil here. At 62", the Wilson is a much larger antenna but it performs extremely well. Installed on your rooftop, you'll likely get between 5 to 7 miles on average and - given the right conditions - significantly more.
The whip portion also screws off at the base, so you can remove the whip to improve clearance while still leaving the magnetic base and coax attached.
See the Wilson here. Given the title of this article - "Choosing the Best CB Antenna" perhaps we should have put this one at the top. The " whip antenna will, without a doubt, provide you with the best performance of ANY of the antennas on this page! Unlike the other antennas mentioned, there is no coil location for this antenna. All of the other antennas we mention take " of wire and wrap it up tightly to simulate a " whip.
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