At 04:10 PM 7/18/01 -0800, adam GROVe wrote:
>Thanks for all the input on the CB issue.  It looks like it really just
>comes down to an antenna and that is the rub.  Where and how to mount so
>you get good performance?  I have been mulling this over and in so doing
>looked at the Wilson CB antenna site. ( http://www.wilsonantenna.com/ ).
>They have a new antenna which does not require a ground plane, that is -
>it can be mounted on fibreglass and work!  Perfect for a westy?
>
>Has anyone tried one?  It is tempting as it could be mounted on the
>luggage rack pretty easily it seems.

The "no ground plane" style antenna is good if it is over 46" in height
(trust me on the math here).  It works because it is tuned to 1/2 the
wavelength of the signal being transmitted.  A regular antenna works
because the antenna is 1/4 wavelength (or 1/4 wave for short) and the
ground plane acts as the other 1/4.  When using this sort of antenna be
sure to tune it.  1/4" in length can be all the difference between a great
antenna and a poor one.

Spend the bucks for a cheap SWR meter when you put the antenna on.  They
only cost $20 or less and can give you the talking power of a CB that costs
$100 more than yours.  Any well tuned antenna will out perform most if not
all poorly tuned antennas.

Remember, trying to tune the antenna by just listening to the speaker and
watching the radio's meter , if it has one, just won't work.  If you never
plan on talking on it and just want to listen, then don't bother.  Almost
any antenna will work great for listening.

Wilson makes a fine antenna.  there are better brands, but not many.  The
cheapy antennas simply aren't worth the cost savings.

73
Chris Smith
N9LCK
(Former CB user and current collector)