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how to properly trail mount a base CB Antenna

gotblazers

gotblazers

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I was diggin through my garage and i found a base mount cb antenna my family used years ago for a trip to washington and back so we could talk between cars.First i'd like to know if you guys think this cb is even up to specs for the trails as its just a generic raidoshack brand. If so is there any way to mount this on my 76 k5 and have it hold up to the brutality of the trails. One potential problem is its Base magnet mounted so id need to reinforce it somehow or mount it inside the truck im thinking near the rear window which i always have down while im wheeling but this would potentially cause interference. Ideas? pictures of how you guys have done it? Problems encountered? Will be doing it tomorrow likely if i see some good ideas since im already droppin a tranny/transfer case in my 73 tomorrow along with some other fun stuff such as rewiring the whole engine well :rolleyes:.
 
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Problem is, there is no good answer.
I have mounted CB antennas on just about every kind of vehicle you can imagine.
I was the go-to guy for years for all the hunters around here. And I would be hard put to figure a way to use the one you have.

But, what the heck. My leg is hurting from too much use right now, so I am just sitting here waiting for it to ease off, and I'm bored. So, I will give it a shot.

I have to make two assumptions right off the bat. If I am wrong, let me know and I will make adjustments.

I see Fiberglas tops in your avatar. If so, then two problems. While it will broadcast through fiberglass, it will almost certainly not be satisfactory inside because of all the metal everywhere else.
You are not going to get a good signal out, and may wind up smoking your final transistor due to extremely high Reflections.
If you were to try to mount it on the fiberglass top, you will not get much range at all unless it is designed for mounting on a non-conductive surface.
Most all those antennas are ground plane antennas and will not do well without a conductive ground plane under them to create the second half of the antenna system.

You would need a marine type that is full wave and designed for mounting on fiberglass boats.
That is what I always used on Corvettes.

Now, what do you call a trail?
In my neck of the woods, its a muddy mess with lots of trees and often making your own road through bushes and low limbs.
If that is your case, then be advised that no base loaded antenna is going to survive for long.
You can mount it on the back bumper, but that again creates bad standing waves, high losses, and you are only going to be able to transmit in one direction, and poorly in that one.

But if your trails are rock climbing, with no limbs, then we have a chance.
Best place is right in the center of the hood, assuming that it is steel and not fiberglass.

Good ground plane, far enough away from the body to minimize loading problems, and not likely to get knocked off by the occasional limb.

You lose some range due to it not being higher up on the truck but the pluses outweigh the minuses.

If no limbs, and topless, consider a small plate welded to the top of the roll cage.
You can stick the antenna there, for use and then pull it down when actually climbing so it will not get hurt in a rollover.

J.
 
Fordum said:
Problem is, there is no good answer.
I have mounted CB antennas on just about every kind of vehicle you can imagine.
I was the go-to guy for years for all the hunters around here. And I would be hard put to figure a way to use the one you have.

But, what the heck. My leg is hurting from too much use right now, so I am just sitting here waiting for it to ease off, and I'm bored. So, I will give it a shot.

I have to make two assumptions right off the bat. If I am wrong, let me know and I will make adjustments.

I see Fiberglas tops in your avatar. If so, then two problems. While it will broadcast through fiberglass, it will almost certainly not be satisfactory inside because of all the metal everywhere else.
You are not going to get a good signal out, and may wind up smoking your final transistor due to extremely high Reflections.
If you were to try to mount it on the fiberglass top, you will not get much range at all unless it is designed for mounting on a non-conductive surface.
Most all those antennas are ground plane antennas and will not do well without a conductive ground plane under them to create the second half of the antenna system.

You would need a marine type that is full wave and designed for mounting on fiberglass boats.
That is what I always used on Corvettes.

Now, what do you call a trail?
In my neck of the woods, its a muddy mess with lots of trees and often making your own road through bushes and low limbs.
If that is your case, then be advised that no base loaded antenna is going to survive for long.
You can mount it on the back bumper, but that again creates bad standing waves, high losses, and you are only going to be able to transmit in one direction, and poorly in that one.

But if your trails are rock climbing, with no limbs, then we have a chance.
Best place is right in the center of the hood, assuming that it is steel and not fiberglass.

Good ground plane, far enough away from the body to minimize loading problems, and not likely to get knocked off by the occasional limb.

You lose some range due to it not being higher up on the truck but the pluses outweigh the minuses.

If no limbs, and topless, consider a small plate welded to the top of the roll cage.
You can stick the antenna there, for use and then pull it down when actually climbing so it will not get hurt in a rollover.

J.
Click to expand...

so mounting it inside is'nt an option unless i take off the top and even then its iffy. If i put it on the roof limbs will knock it off and if i put it on the hood i lose a little range (its steel) and i just need to find a way from stopping it from getting knocked off by limbs here and there. My trails are usually pretty well made so it may survive a bit. Any ideas to securely mount the base without putting screws through my hood? Thanks for the response also :). Was gettin scary quiet in here
 
Actually the top is not the problem with mounting it inside. The fiberglass is not conductive, and the signal would pass right through.
No, the problem is with all the metal around the antenna, its going to cause high SWRs.

If its still magnetic mount, slap it in the center of the hood and see how it does.
The occasional limb might knock it around, or off, but you could put it right back on.

The thing to remember is, it likes a nice smooth wide metal base under it, and no metal around it for best results.

Without going into too much antenna theory, most of the CB antennas out there are ground-plane antennas.
In other words, the part you see is only half the antenna.

The metal part it is mounted on is the other half.
This is why putting one on fiberglass in either a Vette, a boat, or whatever, causes massive SWR.
Because half the antenna is missing.

Marine antennas are full wavelength, and don't care what they are mounted on.

Loaded antennas, particularly top or center loaded ones transmit most of the signal out the load.

Your best bet, is to ditch the one you have unless you want to use it for temp use with the magnet, and head to a truck stop.

Get a top loaded fiberglass whip, not the one with the big bulky coil.
The one you want just has an enlarged section at the top 8 inches or so long with a rubber cover on the end that covers a tuning screw.

FireStik used to be a brand. Don't know if they are still in business or not.

Mount it on the back bumper with the coil above any metal.
Then use the tuning screw to get the reflected wave down as low as you can.
Just remember that the strongest signal, send and receive, will be towards the most metal below the antenna, which acts as a ground plane.

In other words if you mount it on the left rear bumper, it will transmit strongest toward the right front.

J.
 
Fordum said:
Actually the top is not the problem with mounting it inside. The fiberglass is not conductive, and the signal would pass right through.
No, the problem is with all the metal around the antenna, its going to cause high SWRs.

If its still magnetic mount, slap it in the center of the hood and see how it does.
The occasional limb might knock it around, or off, but you could put it right back on.

The thing to remember is, it likes a nice smooth wide metal base under it, and no metal around it for best results.

Without going into too much antenna theory, most of the CB antennas out there are ground-plane antennas.
In other words, the part you see is only half the antenna.

The metal part it is mounted on is the other half.
This is why putting one on fiberglass in either a Vette, a boat, or whatever, causes massive SWR.
Because half the antenna is missing.

Marine antennas are full wavelength, and don't care what they are mounted on.

Loaded antennas, particularly top or center loaded ones transmit most of the signal out the load.

Your best bet, is to ditch the one you have unless you want to use it for temp use with the magnet, and head to a truck stop.

Get a top loaded fiberglass whip, not the one with the big bulky coil.
The one you want just has an enlarged section at the top 8 inches or so long with a rubber cover on the end that covers a tuning screw.

FireStik used to be a brand. Don't know if they are still in business or not.

Mount it on the back bumper with the coil above any metal.
Then use the tuning screw to get the reflected wave down as low as you can.
Just remember that the strongest signal, send and receive, will be towards the most metal below the antenna, which acts as a ground plane.

In other words if you mount it on the left rear bumper, it will transmit strongest toward the right front.

J.
Click to expand...

looks like ill be going to a whip antenna after all and ill definitley look for that last 8 inches on the top something i wouldnt have known to look for so thanks again for that :). The head unit with the base mounted antenna will be good to use right?
 
For most trail use, my RadioShack CB has been sufficient. I have a cheap ($12 - disposable?) Walmart magnet antenna on the roof, works reasonably well, get's knocked off occasionally, and I have a spare somewhere.

I'd put the magnet antenna on the hood and see how it goes. I'd probably also put it in a spot where I would be able to put it back in case it gets knocked off - without getting out of the truck each time. :D

Some of my gang have a whip bolted near the corner of the front bumper - seems to work just as well (if not better) as my cheapie on the roof.

CB utility depends a lot on the terrain where you wheel. Narrow canyons can render the best-tuned systems silent.
 
If your not going to get all "ratchet jawed" and use it for trail purpose only put it on the inside. No it's not recommended but it will work for short distances.
We run our antennas inside of our tree cutters down here all the time with no problems and it's solid steel everywhere.
 
trukker said:
If your not going to get all "ratchet jawed" and use it for trail purpose only put it on the inside. No it's not recommended but it will work for short distances.
We run our antennas inside of our tree cutters down here all the time with no problems and it's solid steel everywhere.
Click to expand...

i would have no other use i can think of but on the trails. What kind of range do you get?
 
About a 1/4 mile if the operator needs to talk a little farther he just sticks it on top of the machine to transmit then puts it back inside
 
trukker said:
About a 1/4 mile if the operator needs to talk a little farther he just sticks it on top of the machine to transmit then puts it back inside
Click to expand...

thats plenty for me im just thinkin of talkin to buddys in front or behind me while im on the trails
 
Man, I'm in awe that you get 1/4 mile. You must be in the newer tree-cutters that have a heavy cab but lots of windows.

Some of the older ones around here with the heavy perforated metal around the cab, I'm not sure you could hear it 10 feet away.

But, if he is only looking for a mile or less, he might get away with inside cab mounting.
Whenever I mount one, they expect it to talk to the moon. So, I avoid obvious trouble spots.

J.
 
Fordum said:
Man, I'm in awe that you get 1/4 mile. You must be in the newer tree-cutters that have a heavy cab but lots of windows.

Some of the older ones around here with the heavy perforated metal around the cab, I'm not sure you could hear it 10 feet away.

But, if he is only looking for a mile or less, he might get away with inside cab mounting.
Whenever I mount one, they expect it to talk to the moon. So, I avoid obvious trouble spots.

J.
Click to expand...

Yeah they're newer. You wouldnt expect it to work buy they do.It's just a cheap K30 antenna with a uniden pc66 radio.
 
Fordum said:
Man, I'm in awe that you get 1/4 mile. You must be in the newer tree-cutters that have a heavy cab but lots of windows.

Some of the older ones around here with the heavy perforated metal around the cab, I'm not sure you could hear it 10 feet away.

But, if he is only looking for a mile or less, he might get away with inside cab mounting.
Whenever I mount one, they expect it to talk to the moon. So, I avoid obvious trouble spots.

J.
Click to expand...

i figure ill try it out at blazerfest and if i have to move it it so be it.
 
I put mine in center of the hood no problem since :D
654356_429_full.jpg
 
Ronnie4wd - not gonna lie, with the CB antenna in the center of the hood... it looks like a radio shack RC truck lol.
 
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