Get the true facts about different type of Citizen Band / 11 Meter antennas!

Hello, this site is dedicated to bringing true information about the different types of antennas you can use, buy and build for Citizen Band Radio and 11 Meter DXing. From concept to construction, I have set out to provide the most technically correct information possible. It contains information from antenna basics to advanced antenna theories such as the angle of radiation. I believe that it is not necessary to have great knowledge of electric fundamentals to understand how an antenna works. I have included tons of figures so that you can see what I am talking about! This site should be of interest to all CB users and 11 meter DXers because the station antenna provides the most improvement in station performance (even more so than an amplifier) when it is built correctly.

I decided to do this after all the info I read at antenna manufactures web sites. They all try to sell you their antenna. On one site I read says top loaded mobile antennas are the best, even better than base loaded. Then you read the web site of a company that makes base load mobiles only to find out base loaded are the best. Good thing is, I am not trying to sell you an antenna. Most of these web pages (and ad's in magazines) are done by the advertising department, not by the antenna engineers. And those advertised gain numbers are not regulated by any government agency! If you are looking for quick answers, frequently asked questions, this is not the place to start reading. I recommend reading it all, so that you get all the important concepts. Another reason I decided to this page is lack of good information on the web about antennas in general. Everyone has a "resource" site with a 1000 dead links to antennas manufacture pages....but no one has any real content. So here is my attempt at it! If there are any section that you would like to see added, let me know. For further reading see my BIBLIOGRAPHY

This page has to be viewed at a resolution greater than 800x600. I am sorry if you can not turn up the resolution any higher than 800x600, but I had to make the figures big enough to show detail clearly. You know your resolution is too small if you have to scroll out to read the end of each line in the sections (not this page, however). Click HERE for instructions on how to turn the resolution up in Windows 95/98/NT.

I have moved to New York, and no longer am able to have a CB antenna. I was going to work on a section for limited space, apartment indoor antennas but after I did some expiramenting, I decided it wasn't worth it. When I tried running a indoor antenna there was simply too much RF in my apartment for me to live with. It was killing everything electrical in my apartment, including crashing my computer!

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I have made updates to the "coax basics" section and the "mobile antenna" section. I will be putting up information on Yagi building with a dimensions calculators. Stay tuned!

I am back on the air! I have assembled a decent mobile setup. You can catch me on my commutes to work and around town. In Febuary, some friends and I are planning a trip to a local mountain that rises about 1000 feet above the surrounding landscape. We will be taking a 4 element quad and running about 25 watts PEP. More details as the DX trip draws near!

- Scott, 2 Romeo Papa 789

Antenna Basics Where to start reading if you are not really familiar with antenna basics such as radiation resistance, SWR, antenna bandwidth and polarization. Even if you have heard of these terms, read on to get a better understanding of all the essential fundamental antenna subjects. Discussion on the different type of antennas will use terminology explained here.

Coax Basics Information about coaxial cable. Wonder why changing the your coax length changes the SWR of your antenna? Subjects such as impedance and velocity factor will be explained.

Antenna Types Details the most common types of antennas used on 11 meters. Different types of omnidirectional and beams are covered and explains which design most common commercial CB antennas use. This is the section to read if you do not want to build your own antenna but figure out which commercial design best suites you. Make sure you read the "Hybrid" section if you own a Moonraker (or any beam with a quad reflector) for an important note.

Mobile Antennas Explains mobile antenna basics.

Performance Tips Four ways to improve your stations performance greatly. Co-Phase your antennas for 3db more gain Circular Polarize your dual polarity beam for solid DX contacts Angle of Radiation, Match the height of your antenna to the distance you are trying to communicate Really Ground that radio for improved receiver performance!