CB RADIO GUIDE

Buying a CB Antenna

Choosing the right CB Antenna will have a substantial effect on the performance of your CB set up and your transmission / reception range. We have a wide and varied range of mobile and base antennas designed to cater for all CB'ers needs.

When choosing a CB antenna there are two main factors to consider before making your purchase, size and durability. Durability doesn't really come into play with base antennas (unless it is going to be used in extreme weather conditions). There are a couple of other factors but these don't apply to most people so they are listed below the main two.

Introduction

Choosing your CB Radio

Choosing your CB Antenna

Choosing your Mount

What is SWR?

What is a Groundplane?

CHOOSING YOUR CB ANTENNA

1) SIZE

Size is normally the main factor when purchasing an antenna. When it comes to all CB antennas there is a general rule, 'the bigger the antenna, the better the performance'. However most people don't want a 9 foot antenna on top of their vehicle!

Most of the time a compromise has to be made between a big clumsy antenna that performs fantastically and a smaller more practical antenna with a shorter range.

In our tests the best compromise between size and performance came with the Thunderpole Orbitor which is 1.5 metres long and has an average range of 10.3 miles between vehicles.

2) DURABILITY

Most mobile (vehicle) CB antennas are very durable, however if they are going to be used in an off-road situation then not all antennas will be suitable. The main ones to avoid are usually the ones with a long fibreglass base coil, i.e. the Thunderpole Red Devil and Voyager. These antennas work great in most situations but if they get snagged on trees etc. the base coil could get damaged.

If you are using the CB on an off-road vehicle (for Green Laning for example) then we recommend the following two antennas, the Thunderpole Orbitor HD and Trucker HD. They are both very durable with a spring type base coil and they also have pre-tuned SWR, click here for more details about SWR.

OTHER FACTORS

There are a couple of other factors to consider before making your purchase, the Frequency Bandwidth and Power Handling. However these two factors only come into play if you are using a non-standard CB. i.e. higher than 4 watt output. If you are using or planning to use a standard 80 channel radio you do not need to consider either of these factors.

Frequency Bandwidth

This is the range of frequencies that the antenna will cover. Most of the CB antennas on this Web-site cover from 26 - 28Mhz. However some differ slightly. Make sure that whatever frequencies that you plan to use are covered by the antenna. All 80 channel CB's dont go outside 26-28Mhz.

Power Handling

All the antennas on this Web-site will easily handle the 4 watt output of a standard multi-channel CB but some people use higher power radios*. Make sure that the antenna will handle the amount of power you are using otherwise you could damage the antenna.

*it is illegal in the UK to use more than 4 watts on the FM CB radio band.