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CB Antenna Projects

In 1945, the U.S. government decided citizens should have the right to use radios for short-distance communication without the need of a license. It was the birth of citizens' band, or CB. CB radio allows access to 40 channels within the 11 meter, or 27 MHz frequency band. Unlike other radio communication systems, such as FRS, GMRS and amateur radio, you can use CB for commercial communication. CB radio service helps during emergencies when conventional communication systems such as telephone and Internet are down.

DIY Ground Plane CB Antenna
- One of the limitations of vertical antennas is that they must be grounded. You can build your own ground plane CB antenna by connecting the inside conductor of a coax cable to an aluminum pipe and soldering four radial wires to the coax cable. You can then hang a ground plane CB antenna from a tree or a tall building and increase the reach of your CB system. The four radial wires attached to the antenna act as grounding for the antenna to avoid unwanted signal interference.
Silver Plate Your CB Antenna and Inductor
- Upgrade your CB antenna and inductor by using silver-plated copper instead of just copper. Silver is the most efficient low-loss metal conductor on earth, which will help increase the reach and quality of your CB reception and transmission. Silver plating also protects the underlying copper because it oxidizes, or rusts, slower than copper. Even when the silver plating does oxidize, it doesn't matter because the rust it forms is also an excellent conductor.
Whip CB Antenna
- Unloaded whips are made of stainless steel or fiberglass, and you can buy them from CB radio suppliers. Whip CB antennas have a better reception because they have a lower feed-point resistance to radio waves. Clamp your mobile whip antenna as high as possible on your vehicle as you can and enjoy the increase in gain that your whip-unloaded CB antenna will provide.

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