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Old 11-25-2014, 09:03 PM   #1
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CB Radio Antenna Installation

I wanted to install a CB in my 390QS. The techs at Camping World told me that the glass mount antenna will not work, as I have double pane windows.

I note that a lot of 18-wheelers have their CB antennas mounted on the top of the shell that encompasses the side view mirrors.

I was wondering if anyone has drilled a hole in the top of the mirror shell and snaked the antenna wire through the arm and into the cockpit area for hook-up.
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Old 11-25-2014, 09:17 PM   #2
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I suppose you could but why?

Just use a antenna ball mount on the side above a mirror and run the coax into the headliner.
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Old 11-25-2014, 10:34 PM   #3
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No ground plane

You would have to use a antenna that creates a GROUND plane. Or if you use a 90° bracket (aluminum) to mount your antenna to the side wall with lag bolts. Use a magnet to find the frame around the top of the drivers window to anchor the lag bolt to. The frame may be aluminum. But you still have to get to a part of the coach frame for a ground. You see for a
CB antenna to work, the mount has to be grounded because the frame in the coach becomes part of the antenna system. The longest a ground wire you can use is about 8" in order to get the "STANDING WAVE RATIO"
down in order for it to work. I have a CB I carry with a mag antenna and only turn it on in case traffic is backed up on a interstate for info.

Good luck on drilling any holes in the nice "BERK", personally I wouldn't do it.
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Old 11-25-2014, 11:13 PM   #4
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The statement daisy has written is exactly right . (Old cb er at heart). Whatever solution you use, make sure you use a swr meter and get a swr reading of less than 2:1. If you don't, your transmit capacity will be greatly reduced with damage to cb as a possibility.
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Old 11-26-2014, 01:48 AM   #5
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DJP6371

Note that the 18-wheelers you see that have their
CB antennas in the mirrors have brackets that have
been built into those mirrors when made.

The glass mount antenna's will work, but not are
not all that great .....

As stated you need a good ground, both for the
antenna to mount to and the radio. You can run a
ground longer than 8" but the rule of thumb is the
shorter the better.

In my semi truck and my own pickup i ran a 1" web
copper strap from the frame to the cab in 2 places,
I then hooked a strap from one of the grounds
to the radio...I then hooked a ground strap from
the cab to the antenna bracket on the mirror.

A 3/4 wave antenna is better than a 1/2 or 1/4
wave antenna, antenna's with coils on them
are to me not as good as good old what is
called big sticks or a 102" inch whip which is
a full wave antenna for CB....

A thin wire, even say #12 is not as good a ground
wire as 1" copper shield/woven stripped from
some old coax or bought from a store. The wider
the strapping the better.

Let me say this, get you amateur license,
amatuers have radio that can fit in you
have, put out 5 watts and can talk many
more miles than a CB radio...You can go
across the United states and talk to
amateurs no matter were you with a
handie talkie/hand held radio. You no
longer need to learn morse code and it
very simple to get your license
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Old 11-26-2014, 08:56 PM   #6
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Thanks for you input.....gonna have to do a little more research
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Old 11-26-2014, 08:56 PM   #7
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Thanks for the input!
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Old 11-26-2014, 08:57 PM   #8
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Thanks
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Old 11-26-2014, 08:58 PM   #9
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Thanks for your help!
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Old 11-27-2014, 08:45 AM   #10
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CB mount on BERK

After being in the two-radio business for 28 years (CB & commercial) and thousands of installations in all kinds of vehicles, if needed it can be done
even in Corvettes with fiberglass bodies. I could make antennas work with
a low SWR of 1.5 or lower in any situation. It is all about the ground and the type of antenna. Not all antennas will work in every case.

But again at 28 years working with 1.5 MHZ to 900 MHZ, old wisdom pays off.

N4CNG for a long time
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Old 11-27-2014, 09:07 AM   #11
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It's amazing there are some who are still CB'ers at heart out there. I have a Browning

Golden Eagle Mark 4A base station still in the original box... 4 - 6 hrs. on it... funny how things change.
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Old 11-27-2014, 09:26 AM   #12
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Boy, all these guys are giving good points of wisdom but you have to answer the question, what will you be using the CB for? To keep you awake, get updates on traffic, talk to drivers near you? I have always had a CB in my truck to help me with traffic and such. But I am increasingly finding that truck drivers don't talk as much on the CB as they used to. There are still those that have a very foul vocabulary. The OP might look into the magnetic base antenna and run the coax thru an opening in the door hinge and hide it under the liner. I used this type setup for years on a van and it worked fine for me. The range was 3-4 miles which was good enough for me. It also squelches out some of the "noise" from far away transmissions. I now use a thru-the-glass mount and it does what I need it to do.
But this is what I do, some needs may vary.
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Old 11-27-2014, 10:11 AM   #13
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My family had a tram (rival to browning). I miss the ping an old browning would have with d104
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Old 11-27-2014, 10:30 AM   #14
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I think the OP should drive his rig to wherever DaisyB is, have him install it for you, and buy him dinner and a case of brew. That's what I'd do...
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Old 11-27-2014, 11:09 AM   #15
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I put a magnet antenna on the drivers side frame rail next to gen against firewall. There is a plastic plug I popped out cut it and ran coax in it and put plug back. Works like a charm. There are several of us that travel together at times and this is how we talk.

Mike
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Old 11-27-2014, 12:22 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rrickim63 View Post
My family had a tram (rival to browning). I miss the ping an old browning would have with d104

Have both the D-104 and the banana mike.... pings with both. Also change a resister inside the cabinet and turn the modulation up all the way and it will ping even louder the ping is even more distinct.
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Old 11-27-2014, 12:55 PM   #17
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BERK CB antenna

As a last resort, you can get a 24"X24" piece of galvanized sheet metal 20 GAGE thick, silicone it to the roof just above the driver side window. Place magnetic CB antenna on on sheet Metal, just be careful about tree
limbs knocking it off. Or use a 5"X5" 20 GA piece of sheet metal with two
1/4" holes in one edge. Drill and tap 1/4"X 20 holes in mirror arm, attach
the metal plate for mag antenna to sit on.

Good luck
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Old 12-02-2014, 06:50 PM   #18
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Thank you for your service Daisy
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