Thanks for the great write up, photos and information.

I think most folks install antennas in the No-No location because the antenna is relatively safe back there. It's an easy no drill mount and doesn't become a permanent part of their rig.

However, I completely agree that it is a horrible location for performance reasons! 90% of the people that have SWR issues run this mount. Unfortunately many folks don't care about talking 4-5 miles they just want to chat with their buddy 500 feet up the trail. Honestly they would probably be better off with a hand held.

I run the licence plate mount and have had great success with it. On the trail I use a 3' Firefly but when I really want some performance I swap out for a 54" Hustler whip...I have talked all over the country on that antenna! It tunes up real nice and have a darn near flat SWR...very broad banded antenna too.

 

Good write up. I have the NMO mount in the same hood/cowl location you have shown. With the NMO mount I swap out my vhf antenna for a NMO mount coil loaded CB whip when I need it. I also swap out radios inside. I have not found a need to run vhf and CB simultaneously. Works great.

 

Right, you can get a good SWR by tuning the antenna or luck as I did but the two pieces of metal the tailgate and the wheel in the spare create a sandwich shield and don’t let the signal radiate properly.

 

That’s great yes, with most of the antenna exposed on the license plate mount you will get much better reception then the tailgate. I do agree that the tailgate mount is safe from trail obstacles and if your just running a CB for short range it will work. However the tailgate mount for the high powered HAM radios will prove to be must useless and if the antenna is reflecting power that will eventually damage the radio. Ham radio operators by their nature are supposed to come up with creative solutions for antennas. So if they get the base of their antennas above the spare with a ground plane or no-ground antenna they will have much less issues.

 

Excellent info. Well written and well researched.

 

Great write up!

I mounted my 4' firestik 2antenna on the tailgate and ran the groundwire to a well grounded bolt in the tub and the swr is great and the range when tested with other users was over 5 miles

Matthew

 

So theoretically speaking , if a person were to mount their antenna in the tail gate location but REMOVED the spare tire they should be able to enhance their signal?

 

I have my 4' Firestick CB antenna mounted off my left A-pillar, using an aluminum 'L' bracket bolted using existing bolts on the A-pillar.

How does this location work for a CB?

Is it similar to the rear corner mount illustration?

 

Thanks for the write up. Unfortunately for me I have my antenna on my tailgate as well. I haven't tested it on the trail yet but for trail use it should be fine. Any advise for us guys that DO have it on the rear??

Thanks

 

It's all about the ground and swr testing

A multimeter can be your best friend for testing the ground

I think for cb use only a well installed gatemunt can be a good thing

Only thing with gatemount is that the supplied ground cable is way too short

Matthew