New cb antenna (Help needed!)

Jhacker1

Jhacker1

New member
So long story short i had a magnet mount antenna on top of my truck and it got exploded by a tree. So i was looking into getting a firestik and mounting it in a permanent location. Preferably on the back bumper or somewhere back there. I posted in the audio thread and did not get any results as far as a mount. so can somebody please help me with a mount location and mount options. please post pictures and full details please. thanks in advance guys!!
 
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I just typed "cb antenna mount" in the Google search box at the top of the page and it returned 10 pages of results. Probably your best bet at finding a suitable mount.:boink:

Good luck :thumb3:
 
Qjake said:
I just typed "cb antenna mount" in the Google search box at the top of the page and it returned 10 pages of results. Probably your best bet at finding a suitable mount.:boink:

Good luck :thumb3:
Click to expand...

Ive looked but not necessarily ones specific to 2nd gen like i'm looking for.
 
the fender bolts between the hood and fender is a popular one as well.
DSC00567.jpg
 
First question is - are you looking to get the max range possible, or is this for close range use with a group?
Next is - are you willing to drill holes?
Those factors help answer what antenna and where/how to mount it.
 
fourwd1 said:
First question is - are you looking to get the max range possible, or is this for close range use with a group?
Next is - are you willing to drill holes?
Those factors help answer what antenna and where/how to mount it.
Click to expand...

CB and max range is almost an oxymoron. The ham test is not that hard. Then you have true communications capabilities. IMHO CB is only good for trails communications. Ham should be considered safety gear. I wish I didn't need that silly CB at all.
 
fourwd1 said:
First question is - are you looking to get the max range possible, or is this for close range use with a group?
Next is - are you willing to drill holes?
Those factors help answer what antenna and where/how to mount it.
Click to expand...

Im not looking to reach a massive distance but still a good ways. And yes im willing to drill holes. i was considering putting a mount near the tailgate or on the bumper.
 
Your vehicle is the ground plane for your antenna. This dictates that the placement of your antenna effects the radiated pattern. For the most evenly radiated pattern vehicle center is best... on the roof in the middle. Anything else suffers in some direct regarding the radiated pattern. However you can use that to your advantage. The body tends to pull the radiated pattern a bit. So, mount in the left rear tends to pull the radiated pattern forward and right... a little. It does however fall short in the rear left reflected range.

So for my needs where serious communications is most critical, the ham antenna is vehicle center, the cb antenna is mounted in the right rear. I care about the most range as possible with ham, not cb. If cb was my main concern, and maximum range was required, vehicle center. The difference in range between the two is 50 plus miles with the ham (hit a repeater and it is state wide), 2 miles MAYBE with the cb... as a rough example... other benefits apply as well. I'd love to see a bigger push towards ham vs cb for offroading communications... if for nothing other than the safety aspect of really being able to reach out and touch someone.

For a great CB antenna mount vehicle center look for NMO.
 
Last edited:
Jhacker1 said:
Im not looking to reach a massive distance but still a good ways. And yes im willing to drill holes. i was considering putting a mount near the tailgate or on the bumper.
Click to expand...

azshtr is absolutely correct, and saves me a lot of typing. I won't go into the advantages of ham (amateur) radio cause it's getting offtrack (although all my trucks are equipped with them).

An antenna mounted on the center of the roof is best, more surface area of metal for the groundplane and a higher mounting point. Since it's up that high and you probably have obstacles like low hanging branches offroad, a baseloaded antenna is better for this application. The Wilson 1000 series and another really popular brand I can't think of right now :confused: would be good choices. Either are available with permanent hole mount or mag mount.
Antenna choice and mounting options and locations is a huge topic that has come up many times over the years, a little searching may get you more info.
 
Thanks for all the info! i had a 56' cobra antenna magnet mounted in the center and it worked pretty good. but it loved to smack limbs and fall off. thus leading to its explosion. ive been looking at getting a 4ft/48' firestik and adding a 3' heavy duty spring. not sure whether to get the magnet mount to put in the center of my roof like before or get a mount and put above the tail light. Or possibly even directly on the stock bumper in the portion that flattens out. tell me what you guys think and what you would do or a scenario of some sort. Thanks!
 
Jhacker1 said:
Thanks for all the info! i had a 56' cobra antenna magnet mounted in the center and it worked pretty good. but it loved to smack limbs and fall off. thus leading to its explosion. ive been looking at getting a 4ft/48' firestik and adding a 3' heavy duty spring. not sure whether to get the magnet mount to put in the center of my roof like before or get a mount and put above the tail light. Or possibly even directly on the stock bumper in the portion that flattens out. tell me what you guys think and what you would do or a scenario of some sort. Thanks!
Click to expand...

If your issue is trail communications it really doesn't matter IMHO. If safety and being able to communicate in an emergency is the issue your looking at the wrong radio... period. Ham for that.
 
Just installed a GME (i think) CB into mums Lux, Store we got it from says the aerial is not needed to be in the center for maximum range. something to do with the special coil grounded aerial.

Im not expert in this area, its fitted up easy and works, distance i dont know and dont care, its only used when she is at work going through trails with other workers.
 
azshtr said:
Your vehicle is the ground plane for your antenna. This dictates that the placement of your antenna effects the radiated pattern. For the most evenly radiated pattern vehicle center is best... on the roof in the middle. Anything else suffers in some direct regarding the radiated pattern. However you can use that to your advantage. The body tends to pull the radiated pattern a bit. So, mount in the left rear tends to pull the radiated pattern forward and right... a little. It does however fall short in the rear left reflected range.

So for my needs where serious communications is most critical, the ham antenna is vehicle center, the cb antenna is mounted in the right rear. I care about the most range as possible with ham, not cb. If cb was my main concern, and maximum range was required, vehicle center. The difference in range between the two is 50 plus miles with the ham (hit a repeater and it is state wide), 2 miles MAYBE with the cb... as a rough example... other benefits apply as well. I'd love to see a bigger push towards ham vs cb for offroading communications... if for nothing other than the safety aspect of really being able to reach out and touch someone.

For a great CB antenna mount vehicle center look for NMO.
Click to expand...


Very well said. I use ham when I am off road for the most part. I have a dual band larsen in the center of my roof with a nmo mount. I have my cb mounted on my front fender and it get out alright for what it is.
 
My cell phone still works on the trails I run! Not sure if thats good or bad! I go wheelin to get away from it all but I can't. (Rubicon, Fordyce, Barret Lake,just about everywhere in Eldorado National Forest)
 
So after thought i have decided to redo my entire cb system and get rid of my big chrome cb and do the ashtray cb mod. Also decided to do a door jamb mount on left side above tail light. Here's my dilemma should i go with a 3ft or 4ft firestik Ill be putting on a spring and possibly a quick disconnect so thats my dilemma. Should i go big with a 4 or be moderate yet still kinda tall with a 3ft. Thanks for the input!
 
That's easy, the longer one.
An antenna needs to be at least 1/4 wavelength, at 27 MHz CB freqs that comes out to 108" (9'). An antenna can be made physically shorter but electrically long by "loading" coils of wire in the base, center, or continuously wound along the entire physical length. But that makes them less efficient. So shorter=more winding=less efficient. The 4' one will be slightly better than the 3' one. It's all a trade-off, because mounting one dead center on the roof is best mounting location, but obviously mounting a 9' antenna there will cause problems.
 
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