CB Antennas

[Fast95Neon]

I got a Newbie Run to antend too next week and i need a CB antenna
Nobody around me sells Firestic antennas.

How are radio shack antennas?

Let me know what you guys think!

 

[ZacSquatch]

Getcha a 8.5" bullwhip from radioshack... in fact.. get two.. I had 2 on my 96 xj on 20's and 3" lift... uber sexy.

 

[Spanaway Mudder]

Get a metal whip for the trails and a fiber glass one for the road..or be prepared to tie that super over length whip back....

and to the uber sex comment?? WTF?!!!!!:twak:

 

[JNickel101]

You dont have any truckstops in your area???? any reasonably big truck stop (flying J) will sell Firesticks and CB stuff....

 

[MrMom]

mag mount "little Wil" by wilson

 

[w_howey]

Getcha a 8.5" bullwhip from radioshack... in fact.. get two.. I had 2 on my 96 xj on 20's and 3" lift... uber sexy.

What exactly are you going to do with that whole 8.5 INCHES of whip... :twak:

Besides looking like you drove out of Smokey and Bandit, or Deliverence in ZacSquatch's case. Many runs are requiring you to tie down long whips. A 9 foot piece a steel oscilating widily on the trail is asking for trouble.

BTW, x2 on the Little Wil recommendation. You can NEVER go wrong with Wilson Antennas. Better than Firestick. The antenna is MUCH more important than the radio.....


Just saw where Neon was at. Welcome! to the Mudwest.

You have two fairly good sized truck stops about equal distance from you. The Petro on I-39 is at Rochelle, just a mile north off of I-88. And there is a Flying J(IIRC) right over the border in IN on 90/94/80. IIRC, its right before the entrance to the Indiana Toll Road, before the I-65 split off.

If you don't mind me asking, who's hosting a 'newbie run' this time of the year??? The mud at Cliff's ought to be really nice and chilled....

 

[Fast95Neon]

what length am i looking for in a wilson?

 

[Tim_MN]

For the price, Radio Shack or truck stop antennas are OK. They will work fine and should hold up to moderate use. Get a 3 or 4 foot fiberglass. If you are worried about lots of contact with trees, get an antenna spring also. You should at some point to check the SWR and tune the antenna if needed.

Try www.walcottcb.com and be sure and look at the Tech and FAQ sections at www.firestik.com

 

[w_howey]

what length am i looking for in a wilson?

In our particular terrain, look at either 3 foot or 4 foot fiberglass whips.

A little Wil only comes in one size about 30".

If you can't find anyone else to help set your SWR, I can do it when I get some free time.

 

[Fast95Neon]

i bought a 5ft wilson 1000watt...
is that too many watts?

was only 30 bills

that would be cool to help tune it

a jeep club im in is goin to cliffs saturday you should come out so far we have about 24 rigs goin

 

[Idiot Wind]

mag mount "little Wil" by wilson

this is what I use and have never had a problem.

 

[w_howey]

i bought a 5ft wilson 1000watt...
is that too many watts?

was only 30 bills

that would be cool to help tune it

a jeep club im in is goin to cliffs saturday you should come out so far we have about 24 rigs goin

Don't worry about it being '1000' watts, that is the maximum rating. There is no legal need to get that much power.

Which mounting did you get?? A quick and dirty way to get the SWR relatively close without a meter. For the magnet or trunk lip mounts. Loosen both allen screws, set the antenna whip all the way into the base. Pull it out a 1/4 inch, tighten up the screws. It will get you in the neighborhood. That is the starting setting anyway.

I won't be able to make any runs for a while. My heep still isn't ready for the trail, and my wife got out of the hospital today. I was really just wondering which club was having a newb run this late in the year.

 

[Fast95Neon]

terra jeep club

i dident get a mounting part goin yet.... i was thinking about getting a 90* L bend mount and mounting it on the rear bumper
good or bad?

 

[Yucca-Man]

terra jeep club

i dident get a mounting part goin yet.... i was thinking about getting a 90* L bend mount and mounting it on the rear bumper
good or bad?

Not a great idea, but at least workable. There's a few writeups out there that talk about optimum placement; by putting the antenna behind the mass of the vehicle you will lose some range to front and sides. The optimum placement is dead center on an unobstructed roof...if you can do that with yours.

Jim www.yuccaman.com

 

[ZacSquatch]

What exactly are you going to do with that whole 8.5 INCHES of whip... :twak:

Besides looking like you drove out of Smokey and Bandit, or Deliverence in ZacSquatch's case. Many runs are requiring you to tie down long whips. A 9 foot piece a steel oscilating widily on the trail is asking for trouble.

BTW, x2 on the Little Wil recommendation. You can NEVER go wrong with Wilson Antennas. Better than Firestick. The antenna is MUCH more important than the radio.....


Just saw where Neon was at. Welcome! to the Mudwest.

You have two fairly good sized truck stops about equal distance from you. The Petro on I-39 is at Rochelle, just a mile north off of I-88. And there is a Flying J(IIRC) right over the border in IN on 90/94/80. IIRC, its right before the entrance to the Indiana Toll Road, before the I-65 split off.

If you don't mind me asking, who's hosting a 'newbie run' this time of the year??? The mud at Cliff's ought to be really nice and chilled....

I have 8.5" and she never complains...

My buddy lot a eye from having his brother snap it in his face.

 

[w_howey]

Not a great idea, but at least workable. There's a few writeups out there that talk about optimum placement; by putting the antenna behind the mass of the vehicle you will lose some range to front and sides. The optimum placement is dead center on an unobstructed roof...if you can do that with yours.

Jim www.yuccaman.com

Not really a good option considering where he lives. All of our off-roading areas in the mudwest feature ALOT of trees to grab a hold of antennas, and do some damage to them. Especially considering that he has a five foot whip.

And you have that a bit backwards.....

With the antenna on the back corner, you will get your best range to the opposite corner. The worst to corner where the antenna is mounted. Think of 70's highway patrol cruisers. The antennas were mounted on the right rear corner of the cruiser. So that when they are moving down the interstate, the best transmission distance was to the drivers side front corner. The corner that would be leading down the interstate.....

 

[w_howey]

terra jeep club

i dident get a mounting part goin yet.... i was thinking about getting a 90* L bend mount and mounting it on the rear bumper
good or bad?

That depends on your purpose with the radio.

If it is solely for wheel purposes then yes, its a good solution. Protection from the narrow trails and overhanging trees is important and has to been considered. If you are interested in using it on the road, the best mount is on the middle of the roof. But the trees can do some real damage there.

I've run both Wilson 1000 72" steel whips, and a 4 foot Wilson Silver load fiberglass whips on a centerline roof mount. It was always an adventure. The 72" whip has just enough reach to come all the way over and hit the windows in brush. And the mount bent my roof a bit. The fiberglass whip was better, I used a mount spring that helped. When the whip flung back and struck the roof though, it was quite loud.

I use a ball-style mount of the rear fender now. My radio is just for trail use, so range isn't a big issue to me. I just have to be careful to stay clear of trees on that corner.

Enjoy your run.... If Joe(Mudvayn) is there(big army green TJ, with a military paint job), say hi from Howey from NIJA to him.

 

[Fast95Neon]

mainly trail use ill be using it...i might use a ball mount on the rear bumper....or a 90* piece all with a spring adapter

Thanks for all the info guys

and if i see joe ill let him know you said hi

 

[XTurboJ]

I put mine on the rear passenger side quarter panel. Its out of the way of my lift gate, and it looks good there too. I just pulled the interior panel out and drilled some holes in the body and used the 90* mirror mount, and just bolted it through the sheet metal into the other half of the mount for stability. I also use the Wilson 1500 5' fiberglass whip and i have a spring to help it too. I also went and got a heavy duty steel mount stud, that bolts into the mount and won't come loose.

 

[Fast95Neon]

so i want mine on the driver side rear bumper then correct?