Grounding CB antennas on swing aways
 

I have a RockHard tire carrier that has a place to mount an antenna. For anyone that has done it, how did you ground it? I have read that the powder coating, nylon, ect of the hinge does not allow for a good ground to the chassis.

Go with the Ultra Mount CB antenna mount. I did and it works amazing :yup:

That wont work for me, I plan on removing the factory plate holder and moving it to my swing away with their plate holder/ LED 3rd brake light

Not sure what the assembly looks like that holds the carrier to the bumper, but surely you can find a place to get a good ground. Perhaps on the under side?

Maybe take some detailed pics of where the carrier and bumper meet, on both sides, and we can try to brain storm for you.

I stole these pics from Seer1 & Rubidonn:

In the first pic, you can see the antenna mount on the far left.
http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/me..._install11.jpg
The carrier sits on this stud:
http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/me..._Install10.jpg

http://my.project-jk.com/data/500/DSC_0057.JPG

I snagged the pics from this thread which was Seer1's installation write-up.

The hinge housing is full of grease, so I do not believe using a ground strap on the bumper would work well, but that is why I am asking here.

This is what I would do....

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...g?t=1191886621

I would relocate the mount on the surface I've indicated with the red arrow. Maybe not even relocate, add another. Use the one on the swing section for a flag or whatever....the issue here is going to be coax flex. Try to use coax that has a stranded center conductor as opposed to a solid one.

Anyway, mounted there it's out of the way, will not get hit by the swing section or the tailgate, will have a good, permanent ground tie-in to the frame if you prep it properly, and there will be almost no chance of your coax failing from being flexed too much because it won't be moving after you install it.

If you do mount it on the existing tab, leave a large stress loop in the coax, i.e. DON'T zip tie the shit out of it confining the flex point to just a couple of inches. The larger the stress loop you can leave the better.

As far as a good ground goes, you could use a braided strap bolted to the back side of the swing section close to the hinge point and tie into the bumper directly across from the aforementioned attachment point so it would loop and fold when the section was shut. This should provide full range of motion for the swing section while keeping the strap out of the way.

BTW, nice looking bumper;)

They are nice looking bumpers, but I'd hate to try to drill that 1/4 inch steel. I stuck a quick disconnect kit on the tab, ran the coax to the front underneath that back door weatherstripping and the CB (SWR's great) works just fine.

Drilling 1/4" mild steel is a breeze with a sharp bit and the proper RPM.
Now, .060 17-7 @ 180ksi is a real PITA, even with the right equipment......

So where is your slack at when you swing the tire? Does the coax pull out from under the door?

You could just get a "no ground plane" antenna and not worry about it. Firestik makes one and it should work fine.

I'll say this first:
:worthless:

I'm too far away from the camera to take a pict, but I've tied it to the wiring harness for the brake/license plate lights that runs around the outside of the hinge, in between the body and the bumper, up the inside of the weatherstripping between the body and the back door and under the carpet to the front. Nothing is pulled too tight so there is some slack when everything is buttoned up, but nothing is stressed when the tire carrier is opened.

Man. as far as drilling anything around that Jeep, I've donated a boatload of drill bits to the cause.

I still don't see the big deal on grounding the antenna. It comes with a nylon bushing that seems to insulate it from the carrier anyway. Doesn't the coax cable itself carry the complete circuit.:thinking: