How do you hook up the antenna on this thing?

[Tonto Kowalski]

Can a CB radio work with your car's regular antenna or do you have to get a special antenna?

[2.2 Straight six]

i'm pretty sure you'd need a seperate one, i've never heard of the car's one being used, i dont think it's big enough.

[Tonto Kowalski]

So I would have to get one of those huge antennas that are sometimes seen on pickup trucks driven by rednecks? No thanks, that would look retarded on my small car.

[TheSilentChamber]

You cant use your factory one, but no you dont have to have a big ass redneck one, they make many good ones that are compact and stick to the glass like the older car phone antanas did.

[curtis73]

You need an antenna that is some evenly divided length of 104". The 1M wavelength associated with Citizens Band is such that it needs a certain length to generate that wavelength.

The way they achieve that length can be one of many ways. Some use a metal mast that is the complete length. Some take 104" of wire and wrap it around a 2' fiberglass mast. Some use a short mast with a load coil of the remaining required length wrapped in a concentrated area.

With antennas, you get what you pay for. My Wilson 1000 antenna cost about $120 with the mount, load coil, and tuned mast, but I can pretty easily talk for many miles. A radio shack $10 antenna would only let me talk a half-mile tops.

Using an antenna that is not the proper length can damage the radio severely... like fry it depending on its output. Using an insufficient antenna on a hot radio can melt the antenna. If you don't believe it, I dare you to hold my antenna while I key the mic on my radio. Wear gloves.

[midgetracing28]

Whats wrong with looking redneck? but anyway you need a seperate antenna but they make small magnetic ones.

[alfonso2501]

Do you guys have any links to these small antennas? I want set up a CB set for my civic.