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Cobra CB radio for contact
- Thread starter Classicalfan626
- Start date
OK. So are you saying that a CB radio can't work indoors, or that the antenna needs to be installed outside (i.e. on the roof)?
Einstein
Temporal Engineer
Yes, And please be careful to make sure you don't expose yourself to the higher EM radition that these larger antennas emit.
So I suppose I'll have to have the antenna installed out on the roof if I'm to use the CB radio indoors? I didn't quite understand your last post (the one quoted above). Please note that I inquired whether the CB radio doesn't work indoors or that the antenna needs to be installed outside.
Einstein
Temporal Engineer
There will be a shielded cable to hook up your CB radio which will run to your antenna outside.Last edited:
@Einstein - OK, so I guess my antenna will be about 6 or 7 feet long. Is it a good idea to get someone in the electricity industry or a similar occupation to visit my house and install the antenna I get up on the roof? I'll pay for it with my own money.
Have any idea what kind of professional does those kind of things, and would you recommend it?
Einstein
Temporal Engineer
I would think a general construction contractor would be able to do it. But I think you should check if there are any local laws concerning the installation of the CB antenna on your property first.
May i explain how the "larger antennas operate"?..Iam assuming here that you are speaking about high gain antennas?
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Any antenna that has a gain of 5db for example, is compared to half wave dipole antenna that has zero gain...
We now have to look at Effective Radiated Power (ERP)....A vertical half wave dipole antenna is omni-directional, with the power from the transmitter spread out equally in a 180 degree area (theoretically)...A vertical antenna with a 5db gain is a directional antenna, with the transmitters power being directed out in a more concentrated area than with the basic vertical half wave antenna, hence the "gain"
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A CB set has a power output of 5 watts, and now we simply work out how a directional vertical antenna is more "effective" than your basic half wave vertical dipole antenna...When 5 watts is being transmitted through the 5db gain antenna, we multiply the 5 (watts) by 5db= 25, which gives us an "Effective Radiated Power" (ERP) of 25 watts, compared to the basic half wave vertical antenna which has ZERO gain....
If we wanted to have the same ERP from our CB set BUT, "with only using a vertical half wave dipole antenna" we would have to find a CB set that has a "25watt output"...I hope this is clear enough for you my friend....
Incidentally, i did know a CB guy in 1979 who had a 1 Killowatt "burner" coupled to a high gain antenna...He never complained about anything harmful happening to him, mainly because 27Mhz is not classed as a "Burning Frequency"...However,If we were operating on 430Mhz, such as the Sage Radar System at Montauk was, complete with a 10 kilowatt output, we would have a few problems!
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Then yes, I think I'll talk to a construction contractor and make sure it's lawful to install a 6 or 7-foot CB antenna on my roof. I'm pretty certain that the contractor wouldn't do something that he knows or suspects is illegal, unless he's a shady character of some sort, which I find highly unlikely in my case.
Now, assuming I'll get a construction contractor to install my antenna with the wiring and all, would I need to purchase the items that go with the antenna on my own, or should the contractor be able to take care of that part for me?
Einstein
Temporal Engineer
I think it would be best to do as much research on this yourself. For instance if your city forbids certain types of radio antennas, you might end up paying a fine much greater than the cost of your antenna installation.
