Lets see if i got this right
07-28-2015, 07:12 PM
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Lets see if i got this right
So until I get my ham license, I'm going to mount my cb for travelling. I want to bounce my antenna thoughts off the group for any feedback.
I'm going to build an L bracket that will attach to the top of the rear tire 3rd eye brake light. On my brake light it has 2 screws which will allow me to mount the metal L bracket.
I then will purchase a firestik 4ft or a Wilson. My plans are to ground out the metal plate which I've attached to the brake light. I plan on doing this by running a wire from the L bracket through and into the inside of the tailgate and then out of the tailgate on the inside and grounding the wire somewhere on the inside of the jeep making sure paint is all removed at the point etc. now when I attach the antenna to the L bracket I should have a good ground.
I'm leaning towards the lil wil wilson because it is a magnet mount. With the antenna being as high as it is I'm sure I will forget to remove it. Being magnetic it should just fold over if I catch the garage door. Does the lil Wilson come with the coax or do I buy that separately. Any idea if it's adjustable with an Alan key or similar.
Up front have got everything in place. Direct power from battery. Swr in place wAiting for antenna.
That's about it. Appreciate any feedback.
Cheers
Al.
2014 jkus with soft top
I'm going to build an L bracket that will attach to the top of the rear tire 3rd eye brake light. On my brake light it has 2 screws which will allow me to mount the metal L bracket.
I then will purchase a firestik 4ft or a Wilson. My plans are to ground out the metal plate which I've attached to the brake light. I plan on doing this by running a wire from the L bracket through and into the inside of the tailgate and then out of the tailgate on the inside and grounding the wire somewhere on the inside of the jeep making sure paint is all removed at the point etc. now when I attach the antenna to the L bracket I should have a good ground.
I'm leaning towards the lil wil wilson because it is a magnet mount. With the antenna being as high as it is I'm sure I will forget to remove it. Being magnetic it should just fold over if I catch the garage door. Does the lil Wilson come with the coax or do I buy that separately. Any idea if it's adjustable with an Alan key or similar.
Up front have got everything in place. Direct power from battery. Swr in place wAiting for antenna.
That's about it. Appreciate any feedback.
Cheers
Al.
2014 jkus with soft top
07-29-2015, 05:18 AM
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I would not use a magnetic mount antenna unless it is your last resort. there are a number of reasons, best found in this blog: KØBG.COM
CB radio is line of sight and although a taller antenna extends this line of sight, my experience with wheeling in mountain areas pretty much cancels this line of sight due to canyon curves etc. So, what I am getting at is a 4' antenna is overkill unless you are on flat ground. Many in the group I run with use the 2 or 3' Firestick II (tuneable) and are usually mounted down by the tailgate so the antenna is even with, or just a little above the roofline. The top, whether hard or soft will be generally invisible to the RF as they are of a fiberglass or canvas material. You could even look at the Firefly thin metal antennas.
For CB's the most important part is to make sure the electrical ground, the RF ground and the SW ratio is optimal. Antenna height is secondary.
73
CB radio is line of sight and although a taller antenna extends this line of sight, my experience with wheeling in mountain areas pretty much cancels this line of sight due to canyon curves etc. So, what I am getting at is a 4' antenna is overkill unless you are on flat ground. Many in the group I run with use the 2 or 3' Firestick II (tuneable) and are usually mounted down by the tailgate so the antenna is even with, or just a little above the roofline. The top, whether hard or soft will be generally invisible to the RF as they are of a fiberglass or canvas material. You could even look at the Firefly thin metal antennas.
For CB's the most important part is to make sure the electrical ground, the RF ground and the SW ratio is optimal. Antenna height is secondary.
73
07-29-2015, 07:52 AM
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Thanks lhc30. I'll look at that link today. Most of my time I'll be highway driving using it so my thoughts were to get it up high. Maybe a firestik II, 2ft in the original position I mentioned would be all I need then. I've looked at the firestik on Amazon and are somewhat confused about what components I need to buy. Obviously antenna( tunable). Mounting it to my L bracket which is grounded should be adequate for a ground. Do I need the spring mount or will that throw off tuning the radio. Is the coax connected to the antenna or do I need to also buy that as well.
Appreciate any feedback
Al
Appreciate any feedback
Al
07-30-2015, 09:16 AM
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Go look at RighChannelRadios DOT com. They are very helpful and yes, you will need to buy the coax to go with the antenna. Make sure you don't put sharp (less than 3" radius) bends in the coax as it can pull the inside insulation apart. Look at the Firering type of coax connection from Firestick - like this: https://www.rightchannelradios.com/c...-coax-with-fme.
As far as the mounting bracket, i use the terraflex mount that bolts to the tailgate behind the spare. Good ground on the tailgate metal. Some will argue springs make tuning the antenna a problem, but I have not experienced that. My SWR is 1:1 on Ch20 and 1:3ish at both CH1 and Ch40...
As far as the mounting bracket, i use the terraflex mount that bolts to the tailgate behind the spare. Good ground on the tailgate metal. Some will argue springs make tuning the antenna a problem, but I have not experienced that. My SWR is 1:1 on Ch20 and 1:3ish at both CH1 and Ch40...
