Can I use a mobile style CB antenna that is meant for a car, as a

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DanielK

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Like the other answerer said, it will work but not too well. Why not just buy an inexpensive CB base station antenna? It will be easier to mount and will weather the elements better:

http://www.walcottcb.com/solarcon-imax-2000-base-antenna-p-356.html

http://www.gijoesradioelectronics.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=136
 
base-station CB antenna on my home? I have a mobile style antenna that is meant for a car and uses a magnet to attach to the roof of a car. I want to know if I could use it as an antenna for my base station CB radio. My plan was to solder and/or screw four steel backing sheets together and then mount them on my roof, to make a flat surface and to use as a ground plane. Then I could take advantage of the magnetic base of the antenna and just stick it in the middle of the four baking sheets. Will this work?
 
it will work, but not very well! you will not be happy.

The bigger the antenna, the better the antenna. Mobile antennas are marginal at best.

The metal base needs to be 18 feet in diameter for proper match.
 
Again, as metioned above, the results may not be optimal.
But, given a little consideration, I think it is do-able as follows:

- You can use a square iron or steel base-plate that the antenna magnet will stick to.
- Drill a hole in each of 4 corners of the plate for attaching radial copper wires. The copper wires needs a firm clean connection to the base-plate.
- Each copper wire radial arm needs to be about 18 feet long. 18 ft is ~ 1/4 wavelength at 27 Mhz CB band. With the 4 radials extended full length from each of the 4 corners of the base plate, this will create a ground plane for the antenna system.

The weakest link in this scenario may be the vertical antenna component itself. As mentioned, antenna elements generally need to be around 1/4 wavelenght for best effeciency. The vertical elements of Mobile Antennnas are generally far less than 1/4 wave (~18 ft.) and thus will never be as effecient as a full 1/4 wave vertical element.

Go ahead and try it. Experimenting with antennas is half the fun of radio communications. It may not be optimal, but it may be a cheap "functional" option, if implemented with care. You can decide afterwards if investing in a commercially manufactured, full size, base antenna is a better solution.
 
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