Antenna Advice

[HookSetSteve]

I noticed in the pics that alot of your rigs have CB radio antennas
I want to get one for my TJ and was looking for some advice on the best kind to get.

Thanks

 

[beaker]

Hi
a few ideas.

get a wire whip if you ever use a garage. However the fiberglass top loaded are very nice and get good reception. Usually the bigger the antenna the better. Most antennas are a compromise. CB radio frequencies are ~33 feet long (11 meters approx.)

Do you want a permanant mount or a mag mount?

Where are you going to put it?

The bigger the flat metal area, the better,ie. roof. It can act as a ground plane if the antenna is mounted on the roof.

Where do you drive?

A six foot tall truck with a six foot whip will hit a lot of things you never noticed before.

Radio Shack does not have very good ones.

 

[CJKarl]

I just went to Radio Hack. Got CB antenna mounts, everything for under $100. I'm sure there are better units out there but have never had a problem. Remember, space in your jeep is precious I got a small unit.

 

[HookSetSteve]

Do you want a permanant mount or a mag mount?

Where are you going to put it?

I don't want a magnet mount and I would prefer a loaded stick
I have seen the rear bumper mounted 4 footers with mounts made for Wranglers but I have heard the SWRs are high and reception is poor
The only other mounts I have seen are hood mounts and spare tire carrier mounts
The hood mounts seem like they could be a problem in the woods and not sure how the spare mounted will work out either
I'm not in a huge rush to get one put on yet so I figured I would try and get some advice from some that have them so I don't buy something I'm not happy with

Thanks for the info

 

[beaker]

I have my antenna (a firestick) mounted on the rear tire carrier. It sticks up a couple of feet above the body. I get quite high SWR's though. ~3:1 I'd like to get it down below two. Better transmission power and longer radio life. You can add horizontal wires/rods to reduce your SWR (acts as a ground plane).

For a TJ I'd try mounting it somewhere on the metal body near the top of it. It will act better as a ground plane and thus lower your SWR's. You could mount it near your mirror, and the bottom of the antenna about even with the hood. Or in the back near the top of the tub. Don't go crazy with the height thing. It's just a preference, a couple inches either way is no big deal.

 

[CJKarl]

Karl said he has a ....."small unit".... :smt005

Ahhaahahahhaaa...you think you're funny don't ya. Well we all know the bigger the tires...the smaller the "unit". It's all about compensation...whataya saving up for?...44s?

 

[cjshloman]

Dont forget about your "strongest muscle" deal.....Bull.

 

[cjshloman]

I guess Karl was impressing people yesterday with the muscle bit...lol. Bull.

 

[/dev/null]

Whips are nice and flexible- they don't bounce back and wallop something like your hard top. I have a 5' firestik II and the reception/transmission is great, tuning was cake with an SWR.

The most interfereance can be picked up around the driveline, I borught mine across from the rear up high on the topmost edge of the tub, then down past the driver seat and up into the dash.

 

[HookSetSteve]

Whips are nice and flexible- they don't bounce back and wallop something like your hard top. I have a 5' firestik II and the reception/transmission is great, tuning was cake with an SWR.

The most interfereance can be picked up around the driveline, I borught mine across from the rear up high on the topmost edge of the tub, then down past the driver seat and up into the dash.

I like the idea of the firestick
Where is yours mounted and do you need extra ground wires? I read that TJs rear bumper mounts are not good grounds and extra ground wires are made special for them
I guess what I'm looking to have is something that doesn't stick up too far above the top but still works decent and doesn't cost a fortune

 

[NomadJeep]

I prefer the Wilson 1/4" FLEXABLE SILVER LOAD SERIES with TUNABLE TIP.

It is what they call unbreakable, it never hits my tops and wont give you any trouble when you bend the hell out of it hitting tree branches or garage doors. It is still tunable, Fiberglass and comes with a 5 year warranty. all for $21

As for a mount, this is my mount of choice.

TeraFlex CB antenna mounts, for either left or right.

AS for a local shop to get an antenna, go the Lentini, then they will tune it for free,. Great bunch of guys.
Click Here for Directions

 

[HookSetSteve]

I prefer the Wilson 1/4" FLEXABLE SILVER LOAD SERIES with TUNABLE TIP.

It is what they call unbreakable, it never hits my tops and wont give you any trouble when you bend the hell out of it hitting tree branches or garage doors. It is still tunable, Fiberglass and comes with a 5 year warranty. all for $21

As for a mount, this is my mount of choice.

TeraFlex CB antenna mounts, for either left or right.

AS for a local shop to get an antenna, go the Lentini, then they will tune it for free,. Great bunch of guys.


Click Here for Directions

I like this one, I couldn't find a pic of the antenna but I did find the info on the mount
Do you have the 4' and how far above the top does it stick up

 

[/dev/null]

To be honest, I picked the Quadratec Uniden Pro510XL/antenna combo. The CB rocks, I've had very good luck with it. I snapped the included antenna because it was about 4' and would continually caught under my hard top back window. Finally I snapped it by accident. Look out when that happens- sounded like a gunshot.

The antenna mount was a really nice custom bracket made to fit the TJ factory bumper- no drilling. I had no interferance problems, even when I switched to an different rear bumper and re-drilled the mount.

I replaced the snapped Firestik with a 5' model so it wouldn't get caught under the window again. I comes up about 1' higher than the hard top roof, but I think it gets better reception than the old one.

The 5' doesn't wag around in the breeze on the highway- except when the top is down (only on the highway). I just use a zip tie to the roll bar to keep it in place when goig top down.

I think people complain about the quadratec mount becuase they haven;t tuned the SWR and/or they have a crappy CB radio.....

Whips are nice and flexible- they don't bounce back and wallop something like your hard top. I have a 5' firestik II and the reception/transmission is great, tuning was cake with an SWR.

The most interfereance can be picked up around the driveline, I borught mine across from the rear up high on the topmost edge of the tub, then down past the driver seat and up into the dash.

I like the idea of the firestick
Where is yours mounted and do you need extra ground wires? I read that TJs rear bumper mounts are not good grounds and extra ground wires are made special for them
I guess what I'm looking to have is something that doesn't stick up too far above the top but still works decent and doesn't cost a fortune

 

[HookSetSteve]

Thanks for all the advice
Not sure what I'm going to get yet but I've got time