I'd like to use a CB antenna inside my car, to avoid the unattractive look of an external antenna. Would it work if I put an antenna in the back seat or would my car act like some sort of Faraday cage, blocking the signal?

6/18/2008 9:45:16 AM

don't you drive an old police interceptor?

6/18/2008 9:57:15 AM

yea he does. iirc he gets a kick out of the faux authority.

6/18/2008 10:00:23 AM

I do drive one, and I was hassled by the po-po for having the CB antenna. I've had a CB in every car I've owned, and would like to still use it with a lower-profile or hidden antenna.

6/18/2008 12:17:40 PM

fair enough

either way, it was my understanding that the antenna actually uses the metal body of the car as a ground or something (or so i recall hearing at one point, don't quote me on it)...i think there might be a good reason the antennas are on the outside all the time

*shrug*

6/18/2008 12:26:59 PM

yup

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_plane

essentially, you'll be able to receive using the antenna inside the car (albeit not very well)

but if you try to transmit without the antenna on a conductive ground plane, the swr of the load will be so high that you'll fry the radio.

the only other way you could do it & keep it inside the car is maybe if you made a dipole or a j-pole... but you're severely limiting your signal if you keep it inside the car

6/18/2008 9:40:22 PM

People still use CBs?

6/18/2008 10:08:29 PM

^inorite?

2m ftw

6/18/2008 10:38:31 PM

^^

in the event that a fire sale goes on like in live free or die hard.. then you can use it as communication.


personally, i only use the pa part of the cb.. yellin at bitches in the road

6/23/2008 2:44:39 PM

^Sweet, I've always wanted to do that. With my luck I'd piss off the wrong person and get a .45 in my head.

I might try a lower-profile cellular look-alike glass mounted antenna, although the reception is likely a much shorter range.

6/23/2008 3:36:34 PM

glass-mount antennas generally suck

the impedance is usually too high to be of any practical use

6/23/2008 5:43:18 PM