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I’m looking for information about the diameter of a ground plane disk that I can use with a regular car radio and car type antennas in my home. DIY would be best, or any other ideas for a antenna that will work.

I have tried Google, but have found nothing useful for what I’m trying to accomplish.

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    $\begingroup$ Hi Greg, and welcome to ham.stackexchange.com! :-) Are you interested in AM or FM radio? $\endgroup$
    – Mike Waters ♦
    Oct 23, 2018 at 19:15
  • $\begingroup$ FM for 99 percent of the time but it can be fun to DX after dark on the AM side $\endgroup$
    – Gregory DeHart
    Oct 23, 2018 at 20:46

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Rule of thumb: the ground plane radius should be at least a quarter wavelength.

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If I understand correctly, you have an antenna intended for a car body, but you'd like to use it loose in your house.

A solid ground plane will work, and it should be a quarter wave radius. For FM Radio, wavelength is about 3 m, so the ground plane should be 1.5 metres in diameter.

Instead of a solid ground plane, you could use four radial wires, 0.75 m long, extending at right angles to the whip antenna. They should all be connected to the ground bolt or metal base of the whip. You could use coat hangers or any other stiff wire - diameter and type is not important so select something that is mechanically strong enough. This will be a lot lighter and cheaper than the solid metal ground. It is what's done when mounting a whip on a fibreglass vehicle, or through a tile roof.

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For AM (530 to 1700 kHz) you don't want a ground plane! A ferrite loop antenna made for the purpose would be far better, as would an outdoor wire. The other answers for FM (88-108 MHz) are good ones.

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