The Truth about Cb Antennas

For CBer's, this is an excellent starting point. Agree with most everything the other reviewer states. I would only add that this is an OLD book. It was written as best possible based on the data / level of understanding / production and manufacturing practices that we had on this subject at the time. MANY things have changed since then, especially in terms of coil design / mobile antennas. As previously mentioned, due to the age of this book, most of the mobile designs and commentary are extremely out of touch. Once again, due to the age of this book, it also lacks reasonable coverage of modern low loss coil designs, discussion on the differences in both conductive and dielectric properties of materials, the benefits of controlled angle of radiation / capture angle through proper coil design and placement, feedline based impedance matching, etc.... None the less, this is an EXCELLENT book to start off with, especially if you're lacking a technical background. The basics are all there and covered in a VERY easy to read and understand fashion. You'll soon understand why your "9.9 db gain" antenna doesn't work quite as well as some others rated for less than half that!!! After reading this book, work your way through some of Orr's other antenna books. Once you've got these down, which are all good, well written and VERY easy to understand, pick up a copy of the ARRL Antenna Handbook. The ARRL book has WAY more info to digest in a FAR more technical manner, but can be worth its' weight in gold. That is, IF you take the time to read, understand and apply the lessons within!!!

This is probably the only book of its kind on the market. It cuts through the myths and marketing hype with unquestionable accuracy. It's a must-read for any CBer that experiments with antennas or just wants to know the truth. It also gets into propagation (the way radio signals behave), SWR (something few CBers trully understand), gain (the truth and the advertising hype), building your own antennas (with outlined projects including a four element "monster quad"), grounding, lightning protection, matching systems, TVI, coax, and even tips on soldering. And all of it is well written and easy to understand. (A full glossary is included.) In my opinion (based on 18 years in the CB field) no other book handles this subject more completely or accurately. This book is really a cheap education for any CBer that wants to learn the ins and outs of antennas as well as many other things related to radio. And, if this wasn't enough, sprinkled throughout you'll find a number of humorous pictures and comments which makes the book just that much easier to read and learn from. After your first pass through this book you'll know more than 90% of the CBers out there, and what will seem even more amazing is how easy the learning was when you used the right tool! Enjoy