The CB Radios Channel

Many RV and motorhome owners make use of CB radios for road reports, weather information and to chat with other drivers on the road.  Due to their unique construction and fiberglass siding, most RVs don’t have  sufficient ground planet from the chassis to use a standard grounded antenna.  An alternative must be utilized……

There are a few options to solve this no-ground problem.  The first, and most common, is to make use of a no-ground plane (NGP) CB antenna.  As the name implies, NGP antennas don’t need a standard metallic ground plane in order to function well.  While they aren’t nearly as effective as an equivalent grounded antenna, they are the best option when no solid ground plane is available.   No ground plane antennas and coax are built differently than standard CB equipment and generate the necessary signal counterpoise needed to operate properly.  Due to their unique construction, traditional and NGP equipment aren’t interchangeable.  If using a NGP antenna, you’ll need special NGP coax to go with it.

The other option for RV owners is to use co-phased dual antennas.  Using dual antennas is another way to get around the no-ground problem as the co-phased installation creates the necessary counterpoise required for transmission. Dual antennas also increases signal strength in a direction perpendicular to the alignment of the antennas.  In the case of a vehicle installation, this translates into a stronger signal both up and down the direction of travel.

For best performance it’s important have at least 2/3 of the antenna about the roofline of the vehicle.  RVs are large vehicles and they can significantly block RF signals if the antenna is hidden on one side of the chassis.  Also, NGP antennas need to be tuned just like grounded antennas.  Make sure you use a SWR meter to properly tune the antenna for your specific vehicle.

For more information as well as a number of realated products, please check out the selection of NGP CB Antenna kits as well as  RV CB radio and antenna kits at Right Channel Radios.