Cb setup tips. All help/info welcome

That's exactly right. I was thinking that same thing, but I didn't want to make my earlier post too long. The mirror mounts are probably around 6 1/2 feet, maybe 7 feet off the ground. So to use a full 1/2 wave dipole antenna, the bottom part of the antenna would be dragging on the ground. Of course most people use shorter antennas to prevent this. But then the dipole antenna isn't as efficient as a true half wave would be. Not to mention trying to keep the bottom antenna from hitting the side of the fender at high speeds, would be another problem.

 

Why does it have to point up and down?

 

Don't know. Tell us where they should point.

 

If you can picture a large donut as your radiating pattern around the antenna, if you tilt it forward the front side of the donut gets run into the ground while the rear side of the donut gets run into the sky so basically you knock off some of your range in front and behind.
Here is the donut for those who can't picture one.

I know a guy who runs his antenna darn near level and it seems to work ok.

Another guy tilts his way forward sort of bull horned maybe 15 or 20 degrees from being level. While he had a single antenna I could hear him for 6 or 7 miles but not nearly as well since adding a 2nd antenna.
Once he passes I can't hear him but a half a mile. Not near as far as I use to because the back side of his radiating donut is aimed at the sky and it got worse after adding the 2nd antenna not better.

I bought an antenna analyser because I've built several base antennas and they are so long it would be a nightmare setting swr with the standard SWR meter.
One is the Sirio Gainmaster 5/8 wave homebrew 23 ft long and the other is a half wave 11 meter Jpole all wire antenna about 17 ft long.

I have my base setup, 3 dump trucks with CB's and my portable mobile setup. If you have more than a few antennas to look after, an antenna analyser is very nice to have.

 

I always have my antennas level or vertical. I really don't see where you gain much tilting the antenna. I know some will disagree.

 

The point is that it’s better that no CB at all, till they can find a better setup.
Slip seat drivers etc may not have time to do a perfect a setup.
Mounting on the metal mirror mount usually works real good.
I’ll get out 5 to 20 miles.

 

Tilting is done for a cpl reasons..
1....Makes you look cool..
2....Falsely lowers swr
3.....Lowers reflect off ex stacks..
4......If your ant of choice is long and can be well above 13'6" you lean it foward..

#4 is my issue..I have a 10" riser with a 102" so i am long in the sence im above the 13'6" at highway speed..So mine is aimed about 40 deg foward so that at highway speed it now sit more uprite and then i try and basically tune based off of that(ant gets electrically longer when it bends there fore changeing my tuned freq)...Its always off some cause of wind speed,direction,what im driveing over ect..

 

i posted this before I think, but a few years ago the FCC ordered Cherokee County GA to tilt their emergency services antenna 3 degrees to avoid conflict with Clayton County (to the south of us here in Cherokee County). Just goes to show a little tilt has big impact

 

You can see

You can see tons of di poles hammys use goin up n down and left n right..Some on their wooden fences,between two trees,inside their attic where ever you can spread out your ant..
I actually though about connecting a dipole goin across the very top of the back of my sleeper roof but someone said it wouldnt work so i didnt bother..

 

Question is....Do they know something? Sorta kinda got ma doubts..