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How to Make a CB Antenna for the Home

Citizen's band radio, commonly known as CB radio, is a service used by unlicensed radiomen. CB radio is often associated with truckers, but because a license is not required to use CB frequencies, it is often used by amateurs who operate out of their homes. To use CB radio, you need an antenna. Making an antenna is a one-man project that can be completed with a few common items.

Things You'll Need

RG8X coaxial cable attached to a connector that can fit in your transceiver, 18 feet in length
2 pieces of 10 to 12 gauge insulated copper wire, 106 inches in length
¼ inch diameter heat-shrink tubing, 3 inches in length
Liquid rubber
Fishing line, 8 inches in length
5 cable ties
2 spade connector sets (male and female)
Tape measure
Wire cutters
Soldering gun
Solder
Cable tie installation tool
SWR meter

Instructions

- 1
  Strip ¾ inch of the outer insulation from the wire end of the coax cable using wire strippers to expose the wires inside. Pull the two wires apart and wrap the shield (the bare wire) once or twice around the center conductor (the coated wire). Leave at least 1 inch of shield unwrapped.
- 2
  Solder the male spade connector to the wires using a soldering gun and solder that is safe to use with electrical equipment. Let the solder dry for 15 minutes. Dip the soldered spade connectors into liquid rubber and let the liquid rubber dry. While the rubber dries, prepare the copper wire.
- 3
  Strip 1/2 inch of the insulation from the copper wire on both ends. Only on one end, measure 4 inches toward the middle of the wire with a measuring tape and strip away a ¾ inch section of insulation. Loop that end so the exposed tip touches the section of bare copper 4 inches down on the wire. Tie it in place with a cable tie. Solder the touching wires together. Slide a 1 ½ inch piece of heat-shrink tubing onto the wire to cover the exposed wire. Solder the female connector to the open end of the copper wire but do not crimp it. Repeat this process with the other copper wire.
- 4
  Cut the excess liquid rubber (which is now dry) and remove it from the spade connectors.
- 5
  Make a loop with the heavy-duty fishing wire and secure the loop to the end of the coax cable containing the spade connectors with cable ties. The loop should protrude from the end far enough so it can be used as a hook by which the antenna will be hung.
- 6
  Connect the female spade connectors on the copper wire to the male spade connectors on the coax cable. Hang the antenna from a tree or protrusion on the house by the fishing line hook. The antenna should be hung at least 10 feet from the ground.
- 7
  Connect the plug end of the coax antenna to your transceiver.
- 8
  Hang the looped ends of the copper wires in a location that creates an inverted "V" in the coax antenna. Test the standing wave ratio (SWR) of the antenna with an SWR meter and adjust the spread of the "V" so the SWR reads a 1-to-1 ratio when the transceiver is set to channel 20.

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