Motorhome antenna
 

Hello,
I want to put an antenna on a -fiberglass- motorhome (class a) and I'm not
sure about the no gound plane vs the regular mobile antenna choices. I have
a ladder
rack on the back, and a luggage rack on top, but I'm not sure of how much
ground I can get from that.

I have a 102" whip laying around and I thought about mounting that to the
back bumber with a homemade plastic 'standoff' at the top of the motorhome
to keep it from swinging.

Good idea, or no? (tree pruner is not what i want) but from the bumper I can
use most of that 9' before it clears the roof on a fiberglass body.

Strange combo.

Motorhome antenna
 

"Steve" wrote in message
. ..
Hello,
I want to put an antenna on a -fiberglass- motorhome (class a) and I'm
not sure about the no gound plane vs the regular mobile antenna choices. I
have a ladder
rack on the back, and a luggage rack on top, but I'm not sure of how much
ground I can get from that.

I have a 102" whip laying around and I thought about mounting that to the
back bumber with a homemade plastic 'standoff' at the top of the motorhome
to keep it from swinging.

Good idea, or no? (tree pruner is not what i want) but from the bumper I
can use most of that 9' before it clears the roof on a fiberglass body.

Strange combo.


OK so the whip might be the ticket for now, next up is making a plastic or
rubber standoff
to keep it from swinging around so much. I figure I'll hook that to the
luggage rack which
is right at the roof line and let it -whip- above that somewhat.

Any suggestions on what to use for the standoff, all things considered?

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

"Steve" wrote in message OK so the whip might be
the ticket for now, next up is making a plastic or
rubber standoff
to keep it from swinging around so much. I figure I'll hook that to the
luggage rack which
is right at the roof line and let it -whip- above that somewhat.

Any suggestions on what to use for the standoff, all things considered?

73
Steve.

I forgot to add the 'standoff' will need to be around two feet long and
somewhat flexable/shock absorbing.

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:24:06 -0400, "Steve"
wrote:

Hello,
I want to put an antenna on a -fiberglass- motorhome (class a) and I'm not
sure about the no gound plane vs the regular mobile antenna choices. I have
a ladder
rack on the back, and a luggage rack on top, but I'm not sure of how much
ground I can get from that.

I have a 102" whip laying around and I thought about mounting that to the
back bumber with a homemade plastic 'standoff' at the top of the motorhome
to keep it from swinging.

Good idea, or no? (tree pruner is not what i want) but from the bumper I can
use most of that 9' before it clears the roof on a fiberglass body.

Strange combo.

Mounting an antenna on the side or back of a motorhome can be
ineffective in some directions. You really need to have an antenna
as free of obstructions as possible.

The best choice for a lack of ground plane is a set of dual antennas.
Something like this: click on dual antenna kit
http://www.firestik.com/CatalogFrame.htm

Or for a single antenna:
http://www.firestik.com/Catalog/e30-ngp.htm

More info:
http://www.rightchannelradios.com/ng...cb-antenna-75/

Motorhome antenna
 

wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:24:06 -0400, "Steve"
wrote:

Hello,
I want to put an antenna on a -fiberglass- motorhome (class a) and I'm
not
sure about the no gound plane vs the regular mobile antenna choices. I
have
a ladder
rack on the back, and a luggage rack on top, but I'm not sure of how much
ground I can get from that.

I have a 102" whip laying around and I thought about mounting that to
the
back bumber with a homemade plastic 'standoff' at the top of the motorhome
to keep it from swinging.

Good idea, or no? (tree pruner is not what i want) but from the bumper I
can
use most of that 9' before it clears the roof on a fiberglass body.

Strange combo.


Mounting an antenna on the side or back of a motorhome can be
ineffective in some directions. You really need to have an antenna
as free of obstructions as possible.


Agreed but remember the body and roof are fiberglass on this motorhome. Non
conductive.


The best choice for a lack of ground plane is a set of dual antennas.
Something like this: click on dual antenna kit
http://www.firestik.com/CatalogFrame.htm


I've generally heard one antenna works better than two unless you can
seperate them more than is practical in -most- applications
but I could be wrong about that. The NGP antenna involes using your coax
length to match the swr, right?

My plan is to cut enough coax to reach from the whip mount to the radio, and
none for tuning the swr.

Thanks for the help, tnom, I only want to do this once so I figure to ask
questions first..maybe test
and tune along the way. I fugure the 102"will see right through most of the
coach, no?

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

Thanks for the help, tnom, I only want to do this once so I figure to ask
questions first..maybe test
and tune along the way. I fugure the 102"will see right through most of the
coach, no?

73
Steve.

What metallic framing is just under the fiberglass. What wiring?
Any of this running parallel in close proximity to the antenna will
have an effect.

Motorhome antenna
 

Nylon rope comes to mind.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Steve" wrote in message
. ..


OK so the whip might be the ticket for now, next up is
making a plastic or
rubber standoff
to keep it from swinging around so much. I figure I'll hook
that to the
luggage rack which
is right at the roof line and let it -whip- above that
somewhat.

Any suggestions on what to use for the standoff, all things
considered?

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

Wooden snow brush handle. UV resistant zip tie at each end.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Steve" wrote in message
. ..

"Steve" wrote in message OK so
the whip might be
the ticket for now, next up is making a plastic or
rubber standoff
to keep it from swinging around so much. I figure I'll
hook that to the
luggage rack which
is right at the roof line and let it -whip- above that
somewhat.

Any suggestions on what to use for the standoff, all
things considered?

73
Steve.

I forgot to add the 'standoff' will need to be around two
feet long and
somewhat flexable/shock absorbing.

73
Steve.

Instead of a 102" whip flying around,why not simply pick up a shakespear marine cb antenna that's designed to be used with fiberglass craft? It could be mirror-mounted then you're done!
N9ZAS

Motorhome antenna
 

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
Wooden snow brush handle. UV resistant zip tie at each end.


Yeah something along those lines but a bit more flexable would work. Thanks
Stormin.

Motorhome antenna
 

"n9zas" wrote in message
...

Stormin Mormon;691358 Wrote:
Wooden snow brush handle. UV resistant zip tie at each end.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Steve" wrote in message
. ..

"Steve" wrote in message OK so
the whip might be
the ticket for now, next up is making a plastic or-
rubber standoff
to keep it from swinging around so much. I figure I'll
hook that to the
luggage rack which
is right at the roof line and let it -whip- above that
somewhat.

Any suggestions on what to use for the standoff, all
things considered?

73
Steve.
-
I forgot to add the 'standoff' will need to be around two
feet long and
somewhat flexable/shock absorbing.

73
Steve.

Instead of a 102" whip flying around,


As I posted earlier, it won't be flapping around except above the luggage
rack. I intend to secure it with a non conductive standoff there.



why not simply pick up a
shakespear marine cb antenna that's designed to be used with fiberglass
craft? It could be mirror-mounted then you're done!
N9ZAS


The mirrors are fibergalss too... and I don't like the idea of using my coax
length to tune my swr.
Plus the fact the 102" will out listen and talk most any coily antenna.
(imo)

I'm gonna try it and see if it's too directional, I'll let you know.

73
Steve

Motorhome antenna
 

wrote in message
...

Thanks for the help, tnom, I only want to do this once so I figure to ask
questions first..maybe test
and tune along the way. I fugure the 102"will see right through most of
the
coach, no?

73
Steve.

What metallic framing is just under the fiberglass. What wiring?
Any of this running parallel in close proximity to the antenna will
have an effect.


Yeah that's the question and I won't know until I try it. My other concern
is overpass clearence with it. It already has a two foot
CB antenna on it and I ain't impressed, so I'm looking to upgrade. I'll
mostly use it on ssb ragchew.

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

The mirrors are fibergalss too... and I don't like the idea of using my coax
length to tune my swr.
Plus the fact the 102" will out listen and talk most any coily antenna.
(imo)

When you have a lack of or minimal ground plane you make the coax part
of the antenna! The coax length effects the SWR reading.

A ground plane decouples the antenna.

Instead of a 102" whip flying around,why not simply pick up a shakespear marine cb antenna that's designed to be used with fiberglass craft? It could be mirror-mounted then you're done!
N9ZAS

Motorhome antenna
 

Door sweep, or threshhold from the hardware store?

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Steve" wrote in message
. ..

"Stormin Mormon" wrote
in message
...
Wooden snow brush handle. UV resistant zip tie at each
end.


Yeah something along those lines but a bit more flexable
would work. Thanks
Stormin.

Instead of a 102" whip flying around,why not simply pick up a shakespear marine cb antenna that's designed to be used with fiberglass craft? It could be mirror-mounted then you're done! A marine antenna will perform nearly as well as that overgrown 102"! You can still mount it to your luggage rack too.
N9ZAS

Motorhome antenna
 

wrote in message
...

The mirrors are fibergalss too... and I don't like the idea of using my
coax
length to tune my swr.
Plus the fact the 102" will out listen and talk most any coily antenna.
(imo)

When you have a lack of or minimal ground plane you make the coax part
of the antenna! The coax length effects the SWR reading.

A ground plane decouples the antenna.

Qsk, test and tune this winter while the machine is out of service. I hope
the 102 will work but that remains to be seen. It has a big ass
steel frame under it and that's where the whip will be mounted. I'm fairly
certain it will talk and hear toward the front of the motorhome
but being that it's fiberglass I won't know until I hook it up.

ps. I run hf gear at times but not always.

Thanks again for your help, tnom.

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
Door sweep, or threshhold from the hardware store?


A piece of something no doubt, Strormin. I have some really thick ass rubber
mat for horse stalls that would work fine except for the black streaks it
would leave behind it on the top of the motorhome. That part is still in
design, qsk?

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

Well, something will come to mind eventually. I do that,
busy thinking about some thing, and the idea shows up after
a while.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Steve" wrote in message
. ..

"Stormin Mormon" wrote
in message
...
Door sweep, or threshhold from the hardware store?


A piece of something no doubt, Strormin. I have some really
thick ass rubber
mat for horse stalls that would work fine except for the
black streaks it
would leave behind it on the top of the motorhome. That part
is still in
design, qsk?

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
Well, something will come to mind eventually. I do that,
busy thinking about some thing, and the idea shows up after
a while.


That's right Stormin, donut wanna over think it!

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:24:06 -0400, "Steve"
wrote in :

Hello,
I want to put an antenna on a -fiberglass- motorhome (class a) and I'm not
sure about the no gound plane vs the regular mobile antenna choices. I have
a ladder
rack on the back, and a luggage rack on top, but I'm not sure of how much
ground I can get from that.

I have a 102" whip laying around and I thought about mounting that to the
back bumber with a homemade plastic 'standoff' at the top of the motorhome
to keep it from swinging.

Good idea, or no? (tree pruner is not what i want) but from the bumper I can
use most of that 9' before it clears the roof on a fiberglass body.

Strange combo.


Try an electric fence standoff/insulator. They even come in different
lengths.

Motorhome antenna
 

"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:24:06 -0400, "Steve"
wrote in :

Hello,
I want to put an antenna on a -fiberglass- motorhome (class a) and I'm
not
sure about the no gound plane vs the regular mobile antenna choices. I
have
a ladder
rack on the back, and a luggage rack on top, but I'm not sure of how much
ground I can get from that.

I have a 102" whip laying around and I thought about mounting that to
the
back bumber with a homemade plastic 'standoff' at the top of the motorhome
to keep it from swinging.

Good idea, or no? (tree pruner is not what i want) but from the bumper I
can
use most of that 9' before it clears the roof on a fiberglass body.

Strange combo.


Try an electric fence standoff/insulator. They even come in different
lengths.


Hello Frank, yeah something like that would work or something a bit more
flexable for when it bangs off of tree branches and such.
It will be late winter/early spring before I install it so I have time to
ponder on it, I'm sure I'll come up with something.

Do you like the 102" whip, or the 'no ground' antenna mounted to the ladder
for my application?

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

On Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:56:48 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :


"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 22:24:06 -0400, "Steve"
wrote in :

Hello,
I want to put an antenna on a -fiberglass- motorhome (class a) and I'm
not
sure about the no gound plane vs the regular mobile antenna choices. I
have
a ladder
rack on the back, and a luggage rack on top, but I'm not sure of how much
ground I can get from that.

I have a 102" whip laying around and I thought about mounting that to
the
back bumber with a homemade plastic 'standoff' at the top of the motorhome
to keep it from swinging.

Good idea, or no? (tree pruner is not what i want) but from the bumper I
can
use most of that 9' before it clears the roof on a fiberglass body.

Strange combo.


Try an electric fence standoff/insulator. They even come in different
lengths.


Hello Frank, yeah something like that would work or something a bit more
flexable for when it bangs off of tree branches and such.
It will be late winter/early spring before I install it so I have time to
ponder on it, I'm sure I'll come up with something.

Do you like the 102" whip, or the 'no ground' antenna mounted to the ladder
for my application?


Beats me. The few 9' whips I've seen on RVs were bolted to the front
bumper. But anything you mount is going to hit something eventually.
And almost anything will work for local chatter under a mile, which
covers the vast majority of CB usage on the road. Once you park you
can screw on any stick that can be carried inside the RV and you don't
have to worry about hitting power lines. So it seems to me that a
whip-swapping system would give you the most bang for your buck. Heck,
if I had a two-piece 9' whip I could keep it stashed behind the seat
of my truck..... hmmm.....

Motorhome antenna
 

"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:56:48 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :
-snip-
Beats me. The few 9' whips I've seen on RVs were bolted to the front
bumper. But anything you mount is going to hit something eventually.
And almost anything will work for local chatter under a mile, which
covers the vast majority of CB usage on the road. Once you park you
can screw on any stick that can be carried inside the RV and you don't
have to worry about hitting power lines. So it seems to me that a
whip-swapping system would give you the most bang for your buck. Heck,
if I had a two-piece 9' whip I could keep it stashed behind the seat
of my truck..... hmmm.....


Hello Frank, you just gave me an idea. The motorhome already has a short CB
antenna on it (sucks) for portable comms so I might try an A-99 mounted to
the ladder rack just for 'parked at the site' comms. They're three sections
so I could store the top two sections inside the home when not in use. Like
you say...hmmm..

Thanks for your input, Frank.

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:39:44 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :


"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:56:48 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :
-snip-
Beats me. The few 9' whips I've seen on RVs were bolted to the front
bumper. But anything you mount is going to hit something eventually.
And almost anything will work for local chatter under a mile, which
covers the vast majority of CB usage on the road. Once you park you
can screw on any stick that can be carried inside the RV and you don't
have to worry about hitting power lines. So it seems to me that a
whip-swapping system would give you the most bang for your buck. Heck,
if I had a two-piece 9' whip I could keep it stashed behind the seat
of my truck..... hmmm.....


Hello Frank, you just gave me an idea. The motorhome already has a short CB
antenna on it (sucks) for portable comms so I might try an A-99 mounted to
the ladder rack just for 'parked at the site' comms. They're three sections
so I could store the top two sections inside the home when not in use. Like
you say...hmmm..

Thanks for your input, Frank.


Heck of an idea. Kinda wish I had thought of it myself. Just don't
forget that the A99 is a half-wave, so don't expect it to tune like it
does on the roof. You might have to spin those rings quite a ways
before you get a decent match.

Motorhome antenna
 

"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:39:44 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :


"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message
. ..
On Fri, 6 Nov 2009 18:56:48 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :
-snip-
Beats me. The few 9' whips I've seen on RVs were bolted to the front
bumper. But anything you mount is going to hit something eventually.
And almost anything will work for local chatter under a mile, which
covers the vast majority of CB usage on the road. Once you park you
can screw on any stick that can be carried inside the RV and you don't
have to worry about hitting power lines. So it seems to me that a
whip-swapping system would give you the most bang for your buck. Heck,
if I had a two-piece 9' whip I could keep it stashed behind the seat
of my truck..... hmmm.....


Hello Frank, you just gave me an idea. The motorhome already has a short
CB
antenna on it (sucks) for portable comms so I might try an A-99 mounted to
the ladder rack just for 'parked at the site' comms. They're three
sections
so I could store the top two sections inside the home when not in use.
Like
you say...hmmm..

Thanks for your input, Frank.


Heck of an idea. Kinda wish I had thought of it myself. Just don't
forget that the A99 is a half-wave, so don't expect it to tune like it
does on the roof. You might have to spin those rings quite a ways
before you get a decent match.


Yes sir I'm not sure how well it will match up but I can always add a tuner
if need be, I'll let you know if it works ok next spring.

The ladder mount plus the 18 feet will put me up in the breeze quite a bit
at the campsites I travel.

Hey if I have a tuner on board I should prolly have some disposable wire
and a wrist rocket on board too eh? hehe

73
Steve.

Motorhome antenna
 

On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:22:03 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :

snip

Hey if I have a tuner on board I should prolly have some disposable wire
and a wrist rocket on board too eh? hehe


Don't laugh -- I have a crossbow. It works. I had to custom make a
special bolt for the job, and drilled the stock to attach a spin-cast
reel, but it works.

Motorhome antenna
 

"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:22:03 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :

snip

Hey if I have a tuner on board I should prolly have some disposable wire
and a wrist rocket on board too eh? hehe


Don't laugh -- I have a crossbow. It works. I had to custom make a
special bolt for the job, and drilled the stock to attach a spin-cast
reel, but it works.


Great adaption there Frank, which tuner are you using?

Motorhome antenna
 

On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:27:54 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :


"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:22:03 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :

snip

Hey if I have a tuner on board I should prolly have some disposable wire
and a wrist rocket on board too eh? hehe


Don't laugh -- I have a crossbow. It works. I had to custom make a
special bolt for the job, and drilled the stock to attach a spin-cast
reel, but it works.


Great adaption there Frank, which tuner are you using?


Homebrew. Built it inside a small, waterproof mil-spec box. My
original plan was to launch a dipole and use the tuner at the ground
junction between the coax and the twinlead. But that turned out to be
more trouble than it was worth so I pulled the balun and swapped a
couple parts. Now it's a long-wire tuner. Works great with barbed-wire
fences if you can hook it up at the gate or on a corner; doesn't work
so well tapped in the middle of a long, straight run.

Motorhome antenna
 

"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 21 Nov 2009 11:27:54 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :


"Frank Gilliland" wrote in message
. ..
On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:22:03 -0500, "Steve"
wrote in :

snip

Hey if I have a tuner on board I should prolly have some disposable
wire
and a wrist rocket on board too eh? hehe


Don't laugh -- I have a crossbow. It works. I had to custom make a
special bolt for the job, and drilled the stock to attach a spin-cast
reel, but it works.


Great adaption there Frank, which tuner are you using?


Homebrew. Built it inside a small, waterproof mil-spec box. My
original plan was to launch a dipole and use the tuner at the ground
junction between the coax and the twinlead. But that turned out to be
more trouble than it was worth so I pulled the balun and swapped a
couple parts. Now it's a long-wire tuner. Works great with barbed-wire
fences if you can hook it up at the gate or on a corner; doesn't work
so well tapped in the middle of a long, straight run.


I heard that Frank, go to go with the homebrew. Ok man I guess this ends the
motorhome antenna topic and I sure do appreciate your input on the deal!

73
Steve.