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Post Info TOPIC: On-window cb radio antennae
johnandbev38


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On-window cb radio antennae
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I have just had an ICOM 440N cb radio installed in my 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe.  Because of the way the bonnet and mudguard bodywork is configured on the Santa Fe and because of the fact that we do not have a bull bar or nudge bar installed, it was not possible to have a body mounted antenna attached so we werer forced to have an on-window antenna installed.  The kit came with both a short and longer antenna. Around town the short antenna works very well picking up messages from 5 ks or more away.  When I mounted the longer antenna and did some highway driving, I found that the air resistance pushed the antenna down from its normal vertical position to a position that was almost horizontal with the roof of the car.  I was still picking up transmissions.  However my question is, does the antenna work just as well in a horizontal position as it does in the vertical?  My second question is, do I tighten the screw in the window mounting plate in order to stop the antenna pivoting down to the horizontal or do I leave well enough alone and just use the shorter antenna?



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Olley46


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welcome to the forum someone will come up with an idea, just hang in there.

Lance C



-- Edited by Olley46 on Friday 6th of June 2014 12:51:44 PM



-- Edited by Olley46 on Friday 6th of June 2014 12:59:53 PM



-- Edited by Olley46 on Friday 6th of June 2014 01:00:41 PM

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glendadon


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Why not a good old fashion magnet type that sits on the roof I have one and they are great.

Regards
Don


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PeterD


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The magnetic one on the roof as suggested by Don is a much better solution. Back when I was actively involved in the industry we considered the through the glass antennas to be the least effective and used as a last resort.

The longer antennas transmit a stronger signal in the direction they are designed to do so. This signal is at right angles to the whip. The longer the antenna the higher the gain of the antenna is. A long UHF CB antenna is composed of a number of short elements which are coupled together so they all transmit together. These elements must be kept in a straight line if they are going to work together, that's why a solid,stiff antenna is better than a whippy wire one. Your longer antenna needs to be kept vertical to achieve its full potential. The longer the antenna the higher the gain it has and also the narrower the vertical beam width is.  The narrower the beam width you have the more important it is to keep the antenna vertical. It is explained more fully here - http://www.zcg.com.au/antenna-gain-explained.html or here - http://rcexplorer.se/educational/2009/06/understanding-antenna-gain/



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PeterD
Nissan Navara D23 diesel auto, Spaceland pop-top
Retired radio and electronics technician.
NSW Central Coast.

 
johnandbev38


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Thanks PeterD,

Sounds like good advice. I will start by tightening the pivot screw and see if that is enough to keep the antenna upright. I wonder why the dealer did not suggest the magnetic option?

Regards,

johnandbev38

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Cloak


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Johnandbev the dealer may not have suggested the magnet mount because of the need to run the coax cable out through a door opening. At least that's how I ran mine. It's not the neatest solution but I used a rear door so it never really got in the way.

I believe it would be possible to pop the coax through the firewall if you can find a grommet and mount it on the bonnet, but I wanted mine on the roof for better coverage.

If you run it out through a door opening just keep it tucked under the rubber trim as far as you can to keep it neat and don't crimp the cable.


Cheers.

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