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JK CB & HAM RadiosBulletin board forum regarding all topics concerning CB and HAM radios, the installation of them in your Jeep JK Wrangler. This would include antenna mounts, wiring, tuning and usage.
If you you want the other accessories then yes it can get expensive. But am puzzled as to the comment of multiple parts purchase. You could certainly make a plate that fit behind the top hinge and shim the bottom but honestly the stock hinges are not that strong for starters and shimming might make them weaker where they bolt to the body tub. And as you say the bracket itself would be the most complicated as it will need to arch up over the taillight oh unless the bracket is raised to clear the tail light instead of putting a dogleg bend in it. But wonder if it might then contact the
tailgate when swung open fully. Ne thing I hate about the spare tire antenna mount as it can smack the tailgate glass if the tailgate isn’t fully open.
Just occurred to me, if you shim the hinges at the body tub you will move the hinges on the tub side out slightly that would affect how tightly the tail gate shuts on that side. Oh wait you are shimming the tailgate side as well. Hmm I don’t know if that will weaken the entire structure.
Mounting from the tail light. Jeep uses some pretty small screws to hold it on and a wind loaded antenna at speed would likely cause them to loosen and fall out.
Guess I was lucky the my first JK came with the Morryde system. I remember when I got the JKU looking at options for antenna mounts and soon realized replacing the hinges was the least painful option.
Last edited by Niteshooter; 02-03-2021 at 08:56 AM.
If you you want the other accessories then yes it can get expensive. But am puzzled as to the comment of multiple parts purchase. You could certainly make a plate that fit behind the top hinge and shim the bottom but honestly the stock hinges are not that strong for starters and shimming might make them weaker where they bolt to the body tub. And as you say the bracket itself would be the most complicated as it will need to arch up over the taillight oh unless the bracket is raised to clear the tail light instead of putting a dogleg bend in it. But wonder if it might then contact the
tailgate when swung open fully. Ne thing I hate about the spare tire antenna mount as it can smack the tailgate glass if the tailgate isn’t fully open.
Sorry for the confusion I should quoted. I was answering another poster re: making a bracket that goes behind due the recessed area of the tub side tailgate hinge on a JK. The other poster kindly noted that if you buy the full system, ie the $160 hinges PLUS the $185 "reinforcement bracket" then you would necessarily get four shims..Your link has no shims.
EG:
They've got a plate that moves the hinges out from the body to accommodate the tailgate reinforcement bracket.
As far as I can tell for that bracket you also need to buy the hinges so it is a $245 setup before customizing in an antenna mount
Just occurred to me, if you shim the hinges at the body tub you will move the hinges on the tub side out slightly that would affect how tightly the tail gate shuts on that side. Oh wait you are shimming the tailgate side as well. Hmm I don’t know if that will weaken the entire structure.
Mounting from the tail light. Jeep uses some pretty small screws to hold it on and a wind loaded antenna at speed would likely cause them to loosen and fall out.
Guess I was lucky the my first JK came with the Morryde system. I remember when I got the JKU looking at options for antenna mounts and soon realized replacing the hinges was the least painful option.
On the taillight, I opened up the right rear. There is a heck of a lot of working room in there. I think one could make a very stout and robust set up for antenna ta that tail light by placing a flat reinforcing bar behind the tub where the two functional screws are. meaning instead of two weak screws into tiny sheet retainer nuts, one could make it a lot stronger. In fact an antenna bracket behind the taillight like or identical the one used in cj/yj/th voudl be mounted right onto the tub and perhaps the taillight housing notched to accommodate it and the coax.
As far as outboard hinge you get three advantages over either Arizona stalk type on the tire mount, or an inboard hinge mount: Robust RF ground, height at tub, no long/mid term failure of ground strap due to flexing when door is opened in closed, no long mid term failure of coax due to flexing with door operation. Also if hard top you are not right up on that giant vertical grounded field of the defroster.
Sever people with door mounts, even arizona stalk note there SWR looks good when tail door is open but spikes up when door is closed.
So it is great you had those aftermarket hinges. I could get them and try and replicate what you did. Or, instead, I could replicate what apparently works for them with the two part kit, four shims., only the forth actually being more than a shim, with it rising up, a slight rise and a bend to create a horizonal area with NMO hole for antenna
On the taillight, I opened up the right rear. There is a heck of a lot of working room in there. I think one could make a very stout and robust set up for antenna ta that tail light by placing a flat reinforcing bar behind the tub where the two functional screws are. meaning instead of two weak screws into tiny sheet retainer nuts, one could make it a lot stronger. In fact an antenna bracket behind the taillight like or identical the one used in cj/yj/th voudl be mounted right onto the tub and perhaps the taillight housing notched to accommodate it and the coax.
As far as outboard hinge you get three advantages over either Arizona stalk type on the tire mount, or an inboard hinge mount: Robust RF ground, height at tub, no long/mid term failure of ground strap due to flexing when door is opened in closed, no long mid term failure of coax due to flexing with door operation. Also if hard top you are not right up on that giant vertical grounded field of the defroster.
Sever people with door mounts, even arizona stalk note there SWR looks good when tail door is open but spikes up when door is closed.
So it is great you had those aftermarket hinges. I could get them and try and replicate what you did. Or, instead, I could replicate what apparently works for them with the two part kit, four shims., only the forth actually being more than a shim, with it rising up, a slight rise and a bend to create a horizonal area with NMO hole for antenna
Hmm maybe, if you reinforced the body tub where the taillight mounting screws attach that would make that part stronger. But it would mean having to upgrade those screws which means likely thicker screws which may pose a problem with them going through the plastic taillight lens and plastic taillight housing. Also how are you running the coax into the Jeep. If behind the taillight it will need to stick out from the body or are you going to drill a hole into the taillight housing and feed it through there?
I am going to go out and take some pix of the mount on the JKU. This new version places the antenna further to the edge of the body. I did not go too far because then it’s going to be more prone to being hit be objects passing down that side of the Jeep. I was also debating mounting my stubby MDT antenna on this bracket since I have the space granted that will affect my SWR.
Would like to see what it is you are talking about though as it isn’t something I am familiar with. Mount with spacers or is that the arizona tire mount?
Oh wait a sec, drilling into the tub? Not my first choice. I wonder if the mount you are talking about on the CJ is the type I used back in 86 on my CJ7? I should mention I really don’t like the idea of drilling into the body tub because that spot typically corrodes unless you rust proof or paint the spot which reduces your ground.... on my CJ I used a Larsen mount attached to the tire bump stop. But the JK doesn’t have them, I have seen these screwed to the body, but again they rust. Also they are not really strong enough to deal with a longer antenna unless you make one out of thicker metal.
Oh I am Midatlantic and jeep kept outside so the only places I would drill or snip tub is something covered by something like the tail light so I could paint it well with top quality rust inhibiter without having to worry about matching paint.
I see you are in Canada and already have salt. The guys who live in Arizona or Colorado or Utah, are always saying: Just drill the holes! They are often living in places where a piece of bare steel laying on their back yard would never rust.
When I mentioned brackets at taillight I was talking about the half dozen or so makes of taillight based antenna mounts that are used in jeeps prior to JK. When I get a chance I am going to evaluate rf grounding of that (a groundstrap from a good mounting bracket bolt to the tub inside that big void behind the passenger side taillight should be ok. I also need to evaluate taillight housing since I would like to a) run coax through there, and also use slightly larger bolts than the screws that are in there. I think braced from behind those would noo need to be very thick bolts and I may not need to drill out a larger channel for those bolts in the light housing.
I would certainly prefer a tub-side hinge mount like you have, but I am not starting with third partly heavier hinges. I think for you, having acquired the jeep with those hinges already on, that you made excellent decisions. The tailgate side has a lot of problems, and you beat those problems being on the tub side.
Heck I may end up with a mag mount center rear of hood. I am evaluating a couple dozen positions, mount methods and antennae.
02-03-2021, 07:46 AM
