One antenna or four?

stonestatue · 03-07-2008, 03:03 AM

I have the intention of putting a few different devices in my van, all of which require an antenna.

Basically, I will have four different radios, all of which do something different. I'll have the standard FM radio, a CB radio, a ham radio, and a scanner (radio).

I was wondering how many of these devices can share an antenna.

BarryWoods · 03-07-2008, 05:50 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by stonestatue

I have the intention of putting a few different devices in my van, all of which require an antenna.

Basically, I will have four different radios, all of which do something different. I'll have the standard FM radio, a CB radio, a ham radio, and a scanner (radio).

I was wondering how many of these devices can share an antenna.

I'm pretty sure none of them can share an antenna.

stonestatue · 03-07-2008, 11:05 PM

Damn.

BarryWoods · 03-08-2008, 09:50 AM

Don't worry. The under cover / unmarked police car look is in these days.

stonestatue · 03-08-2008, 11:12 AM

But it's going in a van.

BarryWoods · 03-08-2008, 04:46 PM

Even better!

stonestatue · 03-09-2008, 04:37 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by BarryWoods

Even better!

Heh, ok. Well in that case, maybe you can make some recommendations on where each antenna can go (and for that matter, what type of antennas to get given the type of vehicle).

I have a full size 1993 Chevrolet G20 conversion van.

Werewolfx · 03-09-2008, 06:37 PM

Depending on what ham band you use, you can reverse a good antenna switch and use it between the CB and ham..If you're only running on 10 meters, a good predator 10k or wilson 5000 will work for both rigs, especially if you have a tuner for the ham. Either way, go with a wilson 5000 roof mount or a predator 10k (probably 12" shaft) with a puck mount on the roof for the CB...I'd lean toward the wilson for clearance, but the predator is a better performer if placed properly. Make sure to ground your doors and "hood" with flat braided ground straps for proper groundplane. If you intend to run on somthing other than 10 meters, I'd run an antenna for each radio. Also, have you considered a multi-band radio? A yaesu 857d can be converted to run on the 11 meter CB band as well..to be technical, it isn't legal as the power output is higher, but unless you're causing trouble, you've got a better chance of being struck by lightning in your own home than being harassed by the FCC for running an "illegal" radio. The 857d runs on 160-6 meter, as well as the 144 and 430 mhz bands from the factory, and uses 2 antennas..I forget what the addition for 11 meters entails, but I know it can be done pretty easily. Coupled with the yaesu fc-30 or fc-40 antenna tuner, that covers a good chunk of the ham bands pretty well..
And the golden rule for cb/ham radio: if you wanna be heard, drill a hole. Stay as far away from glass mount antennas as possible, and avoid mag mounts if you can (for the cb and ham rigs).

For the FM radio, go with one of the universal rubber antennas from an autoparts store, those work pretty well...assuming you dont have a factory antenna.

PS. Is your roof metal? If not, thats going to complicate your antenna setup and will demand some pretty hefty side-body mounts and fender mounts.

stonestatue · 03-09-2008, 08:28 PM

The roof is fiberglass. I am not yet sure where I will put any of the antennas. Aesthetics is my main goal. I am willing to sacrifice some range in the name of appearance, IE putting a tall antenna directly on the roof versus mounting it on the side thereby making it less conspicuous.

stonestatue · 03-09-2008, 08:44 PM

Are there other ham radios that can be converted to transmit and recieve on CB frequencies? What about this radio?

http://www.gigaparts.com/store.php?a...&sku=ZIC-2820H

Werewolfx · 03-13-2008, 12:19 AM

I'm not certain about the icom 2820..I've never HEARD of one having an 11 meter conversion done on it, but I know the yaesu 857d is a very good sounding rig on the 11 meter band, even on AM (not just SSB).

Fiberglass roof makes roof mounting antennas a moot point, no antenna worth noting would get out well when mounted to fiberglass like that. Best option is going to be GOOD ball mounts (an old Antenna Specialists ball mount, NOT a radio shack piece of trash) bolted to the side (need access to the space between the outer sheetmetal and the inner sheetmetal for this), second best would be a couple of good heavy mirror mount brackets, screwed into the side metal with ATLEAST 4 #14 stainless sheetmetal screws, but bolting it with four 1/4" bolts would be better if you can get to that same space as described for the ball mount. You can get the mirror mount brackets at radio shack, but buy a higher quality stud mount for the antenna, such as a predator 10k hex mount. You can buy predator 10k hex mounts at www.predator10k.net.
As far as the antenna goes, a wilson 5000 trucker would do well, just make sure to use a long enough bottom shaft to get the coil above the roofline..it doesn't have to be far, just so long as the entire coil is above the top of the roof.

For the scanner, I think a through-glass antenna works OK for them..just stay away from the through-glass antennas for the CB and ham rigs.

If you operate in the 2 meter band (or any band outside 10 meters really) you're going to need atleast one more antenna..I've only used home brew antennas for 2 meter, so I can't offer much advice as to brand, but figure on a fender lip mount, or another mirror mount on the OTHER side..If you can post some pics of each side of your van, I'll see if I can come up with some ideas for specific spots for mounts.

stonestatue · 03-14-2008, 06:02 PM

pRoFiT · 03-14-2008, 06:42 PM

Damn, If i saw a van like that with 4 antennas on it outside my house, i think i would quickly format all my hard drives just in case of a police raid! Not that i have anything to hide, i do.

Werewolfx · 03-14-2008, 10:10 PM

Nice looking van, I'd go with a mirror mount bracket on the drivers side right behind the drivers door, as high up as you can get it on the metal. Go with a wilson 5000 trucker, use a long enough shaft to get the whole coil above the roofline, and drill a hole to bring your coax in through. Use RG8x. Second choice would be a hood/fender lip mount on the drivers side..either with an angle cut to keep it perfectly vertical, or use a flat mount infront of the hood screwed to the top of the core support. Bring the coax in through the firewall/doghouse. You could mount on the passenger side behind the rear side door, but thats not an optimal location for use on the highway..Whatever you do, ground all your doors to the body, and your "hood" to the body..the braid from some old coax works great..Also, ground the exhaust to the unibody with some braid strap at each end of the vehicle. Subtle mods like these can help make up a LITTLE bit of the performance loss for going with a form over function antenna system..I'm going to attempt to attatch a couple of the pics I tagged with potential mounting locations. The yellow circles mark potential mounting locations.

stonestatue · 03-14-2008, 10:18 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by pRoFiT

Damn, If i saw a van like that with 4 antennas on it outside my house, i think i would quickly format all my hard drives just in case of a police raid! Not that i have anything to hide, i do.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Either way... I don't guess I mind the ability to scare people...