CB advice

[Se7enLC]

Ok, so I've done all the searching, read a lot of stuff on CB radio. It comes down to what type of antenna / mount I want. As I see it, here are all the options:

- Magnet Mount
- Glass Mount
- Permenant (drilled) roof or side mount
- Replace AM/FM ant with tri-mode
- Bracket to attach to spare tire mount
- Bracket to attach to roof rack

The magnet mount is obviously the easiest, that's practically a point and shoot kind of setup. I'm worried about scratching the roof like my gps magnet mount did, but I like that it can be easily removed.

Glass mount is just bad, from what I've heard, and you have to glue it on anyway.

Drilled: I don't really want to drill anything visible, yet. I just got the jeep new this year, so I'd like to keep it *close* to factory, at least as far as holes in the body

Replace AM/FM seems like a good idea. Is it as easy as unscrewing the AM/FM and screwing in a trimode? I assume you then have to tap into the antenna cable behind the stereo? (or would I have to replace all the wiring?). Does anyone know of an antenna like this that fits? (I could care less about FM reception, just so long as I can get "ok" reception, I'm good).

I've seen some spare tire mounts, they look pretty good. My only question about them is mounting the antenna so low, isn't it kind of a waste of antenna length? you need/want to have something like 2/3 of the antenna sticking above the roof.

The last option I thought of was roof-rack mounting. I found this bracket:
http://www.walcottcb.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=318
It's designed for attaching to a side mirror, but it looks like it would be pretty perfect for attaching right to the middle of a thule bar, and then just screwing on a 3 or 4 ft antenna on top.

The only issue I find with *all* of these is how to run the antenna cable. For the short term (testing), I could just run it through a window or the sunroof...but I can't imagine being actually slammed in a door is good for coax cable. Can anyone suggest a way to run antenna cables that is the least damaging to the jeep and the cable?

 

[Corwyyn]

As I see it, here are all the options:

- Magnet Mount
Yes, its the easiest. Yes, it will scratch your paint.

- Glass Mount
You could get a glass-mount antenna to work if you were willing to give up about an 8"x8" portion of your window, cuz thats how big the coupling plates would need to be to get the RF thru the glass (long, detailed story; you can write me if you REALLY wanna know)

- Permenant (drilled) roof or side mount
Best all-around performance, because you get the best grounding of the antenna system.

- Replace AM/FM ant with tri-mode
I've seen the write-ups of this mod but just didn't feel comfortable with the mounting stud after it has been drilled out - just didn't look like there was enough metal left to hold a CB antenna without eventual metal fatigue and breakage.

- Bracket to attach to spare tire mount
Second best choice in my opinion; you get a decent ground thru the spare tire mount and you can remove the antenna easily if needed.

- Bracket to attach to roof rack
You could do it, but performance would probably be the worst of all the options listed.

One thing to remember when trying to decide where to mount your antenna is that the higher the antenna extends above the body the better the overall performance, but you have to factor in all the branches, drive-thru canopies, etc. that will try to remove the antenna for you. All vehicle antenna installations are compromises, and the best choices would probably be the spare tire mount or a permanent side mount:

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The only issue I find with *all* of these is how to run the antenna cable. For the short term (testing), I could just run it through a window or the sunroof...but I can't imagine being actually slammed in a door is good for coax cable. Can anyone suggest a way to run antenna cables that is the least damaging to the jeep and the cable?

Liberty factory firewall penetration

Just my $.02 worth (adjusted for inflation that'd be about $1.98) :-s

 

[Se7enLC]

Bracket to attach to roof rack
You could do it, but performance would probably be the worst of all the options listed.

Is that just because of the lack of grounding? I would have thought that since it puts the antenna in the center of the roof it would give it a larger groundplane (although I guess since it's not directly attached to the metal, it's less effective)

 

[Corwyyn]

Bracket to attach to roof rack
You could do it, but performance would probably be the worst of all the options listed.

Is that just because of the lack of grounding? I would have thought that since it puts the antenna in the center of the roof it would give it a larger groundplane (although I guess since it's not directly attached to the metal, it's less effective)

Thats it in a nutshell. You will get a good signal reflection from the roof, but you would need to make sure the mount is well-grounded - you need to make sure that the antenna is electrically tied to the ground plane. If you took a decent ground strap from the bracket to where the roof rack bolts to the roof that might work. I know the agony of not wanting to drill into your new vehicle, but once it's done you'll soon wonder what you were fussing about...

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Spare tire mount. It's easy to drill, lol. I've got a How-To in the How-To :-s section if you need to see one. My antenna is 17" above the roof. I think that's pretty decent. I may be moving it and adding a spring and a quick disconnect in the very near future.

Another ******** brain moment...

 

[Se7enLC]

that must get in the way of the window glass, right? Do you just make sure to always open the whole swing gate?

 

[Marlon_JB2]

Yes, but antennas are easy to remove. \/

Yup, I open the whole gate. I've gotten used to closing it, and the glass at the same time. Depending on the antenna you choose, it may just be flexible enough to let the flipper glass open. Mine, well, isn't.

 

[Tokyojoe1965]

I have the Radio Antenna replacement mount. I have not had any issues with the mount. I did have an issue with the spring though. While in Moab, the medium spring gave out and stayed bent. Must have been made in China. Cheap spring, easy replacement. While I was out on the trails, I removed the spring and hard-mounted the antenna until I came upon pinstripping branches waiting to give my KJ a new look. I had some 550 cord (military rope), so I put the bent spring back on and then tied the antenna back to theroof rack while I was going through the brush.
No problems.

I have not had any issues with the hard mount or cb reception (I still haven't tuned it yet either) going as much as 80 mph so it is sturdy and safe. The AM/FM reception is still excellent also.

A quality medium spring will relieve the stress if you are worried about the mounting. A heavy duty spring will be too big to fit.

If you have questions about this mounting, ask me.

 

[swyszomirski]

right now I just have my CB antenna mounted on the roof rail with a mod'ed clamp mount. But I like the look of the ant. coming off the right rear by the tail light, so i think it may get moved there when i finish the custom bracket, even though the reception won't be as good. So far I am having a grounding problem and my cobra 75 wx st isn't working all that well, but the antenna is a good match.

 

[fouros]

this is what i am going to do

http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/42c52d7800202f54273fc0a87f9c06bb/Product/View/D5152

its a bracket that fits into the gap under the hood and you can run your cable from there through the fire wall

 

[crdfishnrig]

CB Install

I agonized for two solid months even before my ordered CRD arrived.

Performance of the unit is paramount for me, so line of sight must be as high as possible.
The CB is my main backup coms when cell coverage ends. I also like to DX on SSB so the best quality antenea was in order as well as being as high as possible.
A high degree of flexibilty is very usefull offroad as well. Bend not break is the idea here.

Firesticks and related knock-offs are great, easy to tune solid rigs for medium range AM operation and can skip (DX) on occasion, but not reliably bounce a signal. So if a glass firestick type is absolutely all you will do.......
Keep it reasonably low and only mount it in a fashion you absolutely trust.
Impact with these beefy rods will transmit a whale of a load of energy to the base/mount. Damaged hoods and other sheet metal areas are far more expensive to replace than a stick.
The spare tire makes sense for a place that could hold a stick without damage.
It's just that, in that configuration, your ground plane will be less than/far from optimal. But hey, if the SWR will tune down below 2.0 your golden.

Mine? A Wilson 1000 base loaded unit bracketed to the roof rail. The ground plane is the entire roof by connecting an 8 guage cable to the roof rail mountin bolt that is approximately only 3 inches away.
The 102 inch stainless whip is very strong, has a thin profile (about .100 for most of it's length) , and is very flexible. When I do strike a branch, the energy is disipated along it's springy length.
This configuration tuned to 1.6 or so. I would like it lower.

The absolute best case scenerio is to use a high quality base loaded (K-40, Wilson, etc.) mounted directly through a hole drilled in your roof, as centered as possible. I bet this would tune below 1.2 or better.

The Wilson unscrews quickly leaving clearance for tight overheads.

I run a Galaxy 949 with a swing kit, extra channels, speech processor, Astatic mic.
I installed the external 6 digit frequency counter in the "cubby hole" .

Peace.