Se7enLC
Full Access Member
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?
- 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?