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Post by jaynjay on Jan 25, 2010 6:39:28 GMT -5
I moved into a new housing track about 5 years ago. All brand new houses around a lake. To keep the houses "Clean looking" one of the home owner's rules was no antennas.
Before moving here, I was an avid CB radio fan. I have a nice Cobra base and an older Navaho that is a real talker.
My question is, how can I get around the no antenna rule. Is there anything new on the market that works but does not resemble or look like an antenna. Maybe something that goes around the house?
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss 
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Post by Sandbagger on Jan 25, 2010 7:58:15 GMT -5
I moved into a new housing track about 5 years ago. All brand new houses around a lake. To keep the houses "Clean looking" one of the home owner's rules was no antennas. Before moving here, I was an avid CB radio fan. I have a nice Cobra base and an older Navaho that is a real talker. My question is, how can I get around the no antenna rule. Is there anything new on the market that works but does not resemble or look like an antenna. Maybe something that goes around the house? You have two things working against you. One is that in order for the antenna to have even the slightest chance of working well, it has to be at least 6 feet long if loaded (with a good ground plane). The other thing is height and polarization. On some of the ham bands people have tucked horizontal dipoles under the eaves or in the attic and have done reasonably well with skywave communications. But on CB, if you're working locals, they're mostly going to be vertically polarized, so your signal potential will be greatly reduced if you string a horizontal antenna. I know guys who tried loaded mobile antennas in the attic with wire ground plane radials and have had some success with it. A lot depends on the height of your location . Obviously, a compromise antenna system will work better if you're high up. Another more radical idea, is to construct a quick setup and take-down antenna system. Go out and get a stick-type antenna such as an Imax-2000, and put it on a telescopic pole which you can set in a hole in the ground or into some other support structure temporarily. Put it up at night when you want to talk, and pull it down when you are done. Yea, it can be a lot of work, but if you are serious about wanting to talk, it may be the best option. |
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**GRUMPY**
Administrator/The Boss
Classic Radio Operator Olde Timer 8220 [/color][/center]
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Post by **GRUMPY** on Jan 25, 2010 9:11:38 GMT -5
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Post by cbrown on Jan 25, 2010 9:59:29 GMT -5
Flag pole antenna is a good solution. Just check to see of they will allow you to install a flagpole.
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Sandbagger
Administrator/The Boss
Posts: 6,250
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Post by Sandbagger on Jan 25, 2010 22:35:14 GMT -5
Ah! I had forgotten the fiberglass flagpole, concealing a ground mounted vertical trick. This works great for the HF ham bands, and would also work on CB provided you get a good counterpoise of radials burried in the dirt. Again, since it is a ground mounted antenna, it won't work as well as one 60' in the air, but it's certainly better than an indoor antenna. |
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Post by zman on Jan 26, 2010 22:00:38 GMT -5
I know a local CB op that has a A 99 hidden in the top of a 60' pine tree. You cannot see it at all unless you really look long and hard
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Post by bootymonster on Feb 3, 2010 4:52:02 GMT -5
do they allow bird feeders and do you have a tree ? if so throw a peice of 50lb + fishing line (weighted on the end) over a high limb sticking out from the tree . buy a bird house and mount it to a metal peice of conduit of top fence railing . that metal pole is the ground for a verticle dipole . dig a hole for the "birdhouse pole where the weighted line rest on the ground . then attach a mirror mount antenna mount to the top of the pole and attach a wire to a 3/8x24 bolt and attach it to the antenns stud . attach the other end to the wire and use the line to raise and lower it for vswr tuning , then tie it off . black wire and line will blend in better with the tree . or lower the wire when not in use and the mono line will be all but invisable . run the coax along the ground up the birdhouse pole .
walmart carries a nylon camo cord if you dont wanna use fishing line .
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Post by mark on Feb 3, 2010 15:03:55 GMT -5
Hi, I used to live in spot just like that!! I went and bought some stainless steel MIG welding wire and made a nice 100 foot dipole and used black RG-8X to bring it into the house from the trees. I then got confident and hung a vertical CB length dipole from a tree in the backyard and fed the top half with the coax center and the bottom with the shield. Total length was a little less than 18 feet. It was totally invisible and in 7 years it was never seen. I talked to many locals on the vertical dipole and enjoyed killer SWL reception on my horizontal dipole. The only time I came even close to getting caught was when a neighbor asked me what I was shooting at with my slingshot (that was a close call)... The SS wire is about 22ga I think but I can't remember. It will never be noticed. Had I stayed there, I was going to do exactly what was already stated. I would have bought an antron 99 and painted it green/black/brown to camo it and put it up in tree. Be careful when running AM though... RFI could give you away.
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Post by lamplighter on Feb 3, 2010 17:28:06 GMT -5
Do a martin house on a pole made of fence top rail. center fed it's gonna be a total length of 16'6' to 17' My fence rail dipole measured exactly 8'3" on each leg. great dipole, too.  You can see it horizontal under the A99. |
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