i KNOW NOTHING about CB radio so

[Shayne]

Will this http://www.thunderpole.co.uk/small-cb-antennas/solarcon-a-108-vtm-dial-a-match-cb-antenna.html work with this http://kcb.co.uk/shop2/contents/en-uk/p1738_CRT_ONE.html

And is there anything else i would need for it ?

 

[Julian T]

I don't think so, that antenna looks like it is intended to work with a hand held radio.....

Or this from the socket on the rear of the radio to this or this.

So you need something to connect the antenna externally to the radio internally, then you need an assistant to talk to far away who can pretend not to hear you broadcasting to all and sundry lol.

 

[Shayne]

Thanks Julian i have spent a couple of hours looking at antennas and they are all about as elegant as a landrover , i guess i should just let the seller choose what i have

 

[MikesVX80]

Have a chat with the guys at 4x4cb.com, very helpful!

 

[Julian T]

I will always say that you need to see these things in the flesh, sometimes the best way to do that is to do the unthinkable and go to a land rover show and visit the Thunderpole stand, most applications will be on display.

Or if you have a shop nearby go see what they have in stock, maplin used to be good for CB kit but as CB is out of fashion now they tend to have less on display.

That antenna you linked could well work with the items I linked above but without testing I could not say how well it will work.
I trained many years ago as a radio operator, among other things, for the SADF and going by military policy the bigger the better

 

[Chas]

Have a chat with the guys at 4x4cb.com, very helpful!

Jim has always been a great help with my CB set up, give him a ring and tell him what you want and he will advise. http://www.4x4cb.com/index.cfm

 

[Shayne]

Been to my local Maplin they don't have anything CB related . From what i can gather the antenna needs to be about very tall to have any chance of working at all , i did just want to replace my normal aeriel with a stubby rubber antenna but it now seems an unlikely option . best i can devise is a 3ft one mounted on the rear wheel carrier which would put it about a foot above the truck without annoying the hell out of me . I don't like the idea of drilling through the door but i can't see an alternative .

 

[Chas]

You could put a magnetic one on the roof (best place for a temporary one) and run the cable though the window to avoid having to drill a hole.

 

[Shayne]

Still trying to phone 4x4cb.com which is promising as the good guys are always busy , i'm thinking a 3ft thunderstick mounted on the rear wheel carrier might not look bad at all , do these things bend ? i can think of at least 3 car parks i can just squeeze into with an inch or 2 to spare , I can't get in Cardiff hospital car park at all !

 

[Shayne]

And would anyone like to post a pic of a spare 12v live in the fuse box to save me searching ?

 

[Chas]

Still trying to phone 4x4cb.com which is promising as the good guys are always busy , i'm thinking a 3ft thunderstick mounted on the rear wheel carrier might not look bad at all , do these things bend ? i can think of at least 3 car parks i can just squeeze into with an inch or 2 to spare , I can't get in Cardiff hospital car park at all !

IIRC the Thunderstick aerials are fibreglass with the aerial wire wrapped around it, I would think they may be more delicate than a metal one, the Thunderpole ones are probably stronger and because of the large spring will get you under car park barriers. http://www.4x4cb.com/public/item.cfm?itemID=703

 

[Shayne]

Jim advised a magnet and slam the back door on the cable so that's what i ordered thanks all

 

[Chas]

I'd tend to close the door gently rather than slam. I chopped a cable in two doing that.

 

[Towpack]

Best to decide where on the vehicle you want to mount the antenna, then buy an appropriate one. Some antennas are ground plane and some are not and performance can be greatly affected if you mount one in the wrong position.
There's a few different mounts here: https://www.hamradio-shop.co.uk/product-category/mobile-accessories/ The shop is quite local to me and I find them very helpful.

 

[Shayne]

Its just a case of needs must TP , a magnetic antenna means i can revisit the whole idea at a later date when i have more time to consider the pros and cons .

 

[Gary820]

My cb bits have always come from 4x4cb, never faulted the service. I have mine mounted to the A bar and just fit the antenna into the mount when actually need it, quick swr and good to go, don't even notice it after half an hour or so.

 

[Towpack]

Its just a case of needs must TP , a magnetic antenna means i can revisit the whole idea at a later date when i have more time to consider the pros and cons .

I guess if you're wanting it initially just for relatively short range use with others in a convoy (thinking about your Romania trip here) then you don't need a high gain, high performance antenna so a compact whip on a mag mount should be more than adequate.

 

[BobMurphy]

Shayne,

Just curious, but why go for a CB system - for which you will need a licence - rather than a PMR446 system ?

I had CB many years ago but nowadays I use a Kenwood TK-3301 PMR446 hand-held transceiver mounted on my BMW R1150 GS Adventure bike.

It works through a Starcom Digital Interface which allows me to have my Sat Nav (Garmin Zumo 660), two-way radio & passenger all interconnected. I also have a Bluetooth interface for my phone - but as its also paired to the Sat Nav I didn't need it . Its wired to the bike's 12v supply (the 720W Alternator handles everything).

My helmet is wired with speakers and a microphone - but I use 'Speaker-plugs' in place of earplugs. Reception is excellent.

When touring across Europe and around Turkey with a group, I was getting 3-mile range. It was a god-send when members of the group got separated in strange places .

One of the group was a Telecomms Engineer and he had a highly-illegal (in UK) 3 watt 446 with a separate antenna - so it is possible to increase the range for countries where that is allowed.

Bob.

 

[Shayne]

Because i thought a CB is what everyone uses , its a needs must rather than a want Bob and an easy thing to fit that's all .

 

[Chas]

Since when do you need a licence for CB?