Ok, so i got dual whip antenna on each side of my bed rail right behind the cab. the problem is unlike a Tractor Trailer i aint 8 foot wide so they are to close, and my CB reception is horrible. so i got two questions.

1)anybody know of a quick soultion to this so that i can keep my two antennas?

2)anyone know where i can get one of those really really tall CB whips, like the ones the army has on there jeeps??

 

You don't have to be 8 foot wide Take it to a CB shop and have the antennas tuned for the radio. This requires knowledge of use of a SWR meter

 

/\/\ agreed. and the whips you are talking about is a 102" whip. google them.

 

you can get the whips at radio shack. they cost like 30 bucks. i have one.

as for the dual antennas, i had them and i never tuned them and mine worked fine. but you could just unplug one of them and use it for a dummy. and tune the other one.

 

The antennas need to be a min of 1/4 wave apart and feed with a phasing line so the radio works into the correct impedence.
T

 

The antennas need to be a min of 1/4 wave apart and fed with a phasing line harness so the radio works into the correct impedence.
This arrangment tends to be bi-directional at best, direction depending on how the feedline phasing is done and the antenna spacing.
People do the two antenna thing because it looks cool but don't understand the needs and results of doing it.
One antenna as long as you can put up with will work just as well without involving spacing and feedline requirements hassle.
Their is no 'worthwhile' gain in using two antennas on this band and for this application.
Good luck.

 

it looks cool as hell tho...

 

Whips arnt really good for anything. Other than busting the lights in a parking garage...

Stick with something tuneable like a firestick, or wilson if you want to go that route. I have a wilson mag mount and love it.

Oh, and just for the record, %99.9 of the time the "dual" (the other ant. on the big trucks) is for the TV. Not the CB.... Most run a single ant. And just match it on the other side for looks, and for the TV.

 

Talked to a truck driver one day while filling up. He told me that even his "dual whips" were to close together. If you want to keep two, then just only have one plugged in. I did that for awhile but I ended up breaking 2, so now I stick with my magmount. Also you can consider running some FM wire around the dummy whip and removing the front antenna(Something I planned on but never got around to)

 

it does it does, especially on our body style
i only use my cb for close contact like driving near a friend and just talking

 

I beg to differ. My family members have been in the trucking industry for years and I myself drive an over-the-road bus. Truckers definitely run dual antennas.... both hooked up with 2-into-1 coax, mainly because alot of them are running with extra power (linears) for a longer range. A tv antennae usually is a shorter V-style if they have one

 

Beg all you want but facts are facts! Bluegrass about nailed it. Trucks want to talk forward and back hence "Bi-directional". 2 whips for the cb will only really be beneficial if you can get them spaced at least a 1/4 wave apart (approx 9ft) less than that then the benefit is seriously minimised and any gain would be offset by radiation pattern distortion, you'd be as well using one in a central location (ideally roof mounted) for an omni directional radiation pattern, the other problem you would encounter with 2 whips is co phasing them,as the antennas would be parallel to each other you would have to use a 75 ohm co phase harness to get them matched, using a dummy load on one as you match the other and vice versa. not for the feint hearted if you ain't sure how to do it. Unless they are mounted 9 ft apart, it will work worse than a single antenna. Makes no difference if they are 5 ft fiberglass antennas or 8 ft steel ones. As far as whips not being good for anything The 102 whip is THE antenna all others are failing to match, While it may not be the most practical antenna to run it is still by far still the best performing one!

If you must run two, Pick one side and use it while running the other for looks.

Dieselman324 on the lakeshore......just got down!

 

There is a lot more to this subject than most are awhere of.
The study of antenna theory would show several things.
One, that the antennas are short for the frequency and exibit a lot of inductive reactance that makes them narrow banded or high in what is known as "Q" because they are 'loaded' with a lot of coil inductance at some point along their length. This also makes them less efficient due to a loss in radiation surface area and losses due to resistive losses in the 'loading' coils that are used to make them physically short.
Secondly, the feedline can be configured in several ways in both length and hook-up.
The antennas need to be a specified distance apart to get the radiation patterns from the feedline types.
The reason this is is because the antennas have a phase relationship of addition and cancellation/subtraction of the power they get from the feedlines.. This results in the formation of the specific radiation pattern from the peticular feedline method.
The feedlines can be done by making them for instance 90° 'electrically' out of phase, 180° out of phase etc. all while keeping the match correct for VSWR at the radio.
The resulting pattern can be electrically shifted in this way.
As well, the big trucks can get them up higher and farther apart to more satify an intended installation as long as the installer understands the theory behind the methods.
Lastly the height above the road has an influence on the 'angle' of radiation for the pattern that results from the installation.
A low antenna mounting tends to cause the radiation pattern to raise higher in angle because the antennas see a mirror image of themselve at ground level and are sensitive to the additions and canellations of that relationship as well. This is why a good chassis ground is needed to help minimize this effect.
Taken a step further, a quarter wave antenna or a 'loaded' type is not a complete
antenna unless it has something metalic to complete the resonance.
Min resonance is 1/2 wave 'electrical' length and needs this because the power fed to the antenna 'circulates' back and forth between the antenna and it's ground, in transmission mode.
I know this may sound all new to an auto/truck board,but these things are the parts of antenna theory that many in the CB shops may not be awhere of.
As an Extra Class ham, I deal with this for my amateur radio antenna installations per the intended use they are put to.
Just trying to alert everyone that just mounting an antenna on a vehichle is not all there is to it if you care. It does make a difference in performance for both receive and transmit.
73 KM3F.

 

i jus have a single mounted to my tool box

 

Whatever Im not here to argue. I put in my time doing OTR, in a TRUCK not a bus... So... Your right I probably dont know what Im talking about....................

And "V" ant.'s.... Only make up a very SMALL % of TV ant's.... Not many people use those. The MAJORITY of truckers are running single ANT. The Dual is either for looks, or for the TV (Or Both). End of discussion.


If all you want to do is talk to your buddies close by you, it doesnt really matter what you have or where you put it. It will get the job done.

Placement and angle does matter though, if you are wanting to really get something out of it.

The BEST thing for a SCab or SCrew is either a hard mounted or mag mount ant. Right smack in the middle of the roof, or, maybe toward the back just a little bit......