cb and antennas

CB is something from the past. Not used very much because of cell phones.

You want an antenna that does not need a ground plane for RV use. A Firestik NGP antenna will do that. They are easily tunable to set your SWR. As to radios, see what features you want and go for it.

Remember to set your SWR. This is the single most overlooked thing on CB radio installations.

This is what I did to mount an antenna bracket on the outside of my trailers... This was for Ham Radio/Scanner antenna but should work just fine for a CB mount.

I am not much of fan to drill thru the roof so I went for the side of the roof and found a spot where i could come into the back of inside cabinet to hide all of the cabling.

This is a mirror mount found at Radio Shack...


These two photos pretty much identify the game plan...




The flat piece was used to cover the RG cable going thru the side wall in the one photo. Then I filled both open ends with RTV to keep moisture out...

Once inside the trailer you can route the RG cable behind things to get to where your radio is installed. I don't have any RG cables visible with my install.

The antennas just clear the roof and have been in service here for more than five years now and work out just great. I actually mounted an identical install on the rear of the trailer roof on both sides...

You can just see the two side mounted antennas in this photo of my off-road POPUP trailer.


You didnt say what your RV was but if it is a CLASS C MH then the MIRROR MOUNT probably is the best solution for you. Then you can run RG cables thru the door weather seal to your CB radio mounted in the truck console area somewhere.

Good luck with your CB setup... In all my years of RV'ing I can say I have heard much CB operations among the RV'ers. I use mine in my truck console to monitor the truckers when on the Interstate. They all seem to know where all the hazards are located. I listen 99.9% of the time. Very seldom yak on it...

Cell phones is best for us to keep tabs on each other.. Also use the FRS family radio channels some around the camp sites.

Food for thought
Roy Ken

I bought a dual band HAM and will get my license very soon.

That lets me reach out really far with repeaters and in a life/death situation any frequency is fair game from CB to private band, FRS and GMRS gear. Cover all your bases = good.

Jose

jdog, I know and its a shame. I have seen many rv's with open cabinets and other things dragging and people cant be told. There was a fire some years ago because a guy was dragging a towed vehicle that had had a blowout and as a result the wheel was sparking and caused a fire in a national forrest (which he was fined for starting!). Anyhow when asked why he didn't respond to other drivers he said "he thought they were mad because he was so slow and not letting them pass!" Yes these are antiques but still very useful, and sometime quite entertaining to listen to.

We sometimes have 2 or 3 friends going down the road in separate rigs camping, then
they really pay off. Other than that, we seldom use it.

Brian

I have a small 'Hustler' magnetic mount antenna stuck to my hood. Receives/transmits great forward & aft.

I use it for when I'm bored, or for when I need to know what lane I should be in during a traffic backup. :)

Used mine last two trips,was able to find out about accidents ahead. Always have it for traffic tie ups,or for severe weather warnigs on it.

As posted by another, I used a NGP antenna on my motorhome and mounted it to the ladder in back and ran the coax along the frame rails. Seldom use the CB but often use my handi-talky on 2 meters. Unless traveling with someone I will monitor the simplex freq. Happy travels to you.....KE5VLE

DaHose wrote:
I bought a dual band HAM and will get my license very soon.

That lets me reach out really far with repeaters and in a life/death situation any frequency is fair game from CB to private band, FRS and GMRS gear. Cover all your bases = good.

Jose

After you get that license you'll know that a ham rig can receive FRS and GMRS but not transmit on those frequencies.

CB is off band, and AM. So you can't do anything there.

I am a big fan of using my ham rig to monitor FRS when others in the group are using it - sometimes you can hear them when others cannot due to the better receiving antenna.

You'll still need a separate CB no matter what.