2018 F350 CB Antenna Front Bumper Mount

[BradW]

2018 F350 CB Antenna Front Bumper Mount Photos

Finally finished up installing my CB radio in our 2018 F350. Antenna location would have been a lot easier without the truck camper in the bed. Ended up mounting on the very front of the truck so it stays in the same place with or without the truck camper in the bed. Got a good SWR up there, but have not tried it with the camper in the bed.

On our last truck I had two antennas mounted on top of the camper ladder. When the camper was off the truck I had a single antenna in the bed. So far, I think I like this better.

bradw

[Airstreamer67]

I use a CB radio mostly on long highway trips so I can trade road reports with the truckers on Channel 19. I've saved a lot of time and avoided a lot of aggravation through the years hearing about wrecks or other traffic stoppages up ahead that I was able to avoid via information from the truckers.

Since I tow a travel trailer with an F250 truck, I can put the magnet-mount Wilson 1000 antenna on top of the cab, which is the best possible position for best overall performance.

However, when I use a CB off-road in my Jeep Wrangler that has a fiberglass or canvas top or no top at all, I plant a magnet-mount Wilson 1000 antenna on the hood. That position allows good signal distribution as it is relatively centered over the metal engine mass and body, although admittedly it is not quite as good as it would on the roof.

As far as being bothered by the thin antenna in my field of view when driving the Jeep, no problems. Your mind quickly ignores that little bitty wire as you concentrate on driving the vehicle. Otherwise, what do those guys do who drive the old trucks that had split front windows and a big center bar?

I've had great results with the 11 meter CB band. Today, it is a shadow of what it was 20 years ago, being mostly a specialized tool for truckers but also useful for off-roaders and those who like to talk to other enthusiasts a few states or even countries away when atmospheric conditions are favorable. Admittedly, it is not the ubiquitous toy it once was in popular culture, yielding that job to the cell phone, smart phone, Sirius radio, and other modern devices so popular today.

[twodownzero]

jaycocreek wrote:

Yes both the export radios and amplifiers are illegal, but so is having a CB radio that will do more than 4 watts.

The 4 watt limit is on AM carrier, it is not a measure of peak modulation.

So-called "export radios" and amplifiers are not illegal, it's using them on the CB bands that is illegal. And, as I said earlier, and others have stated here as well, improving your antenna system will do more for your performance than any amount of power increase.

[jaycocreek]

Do new Cobras and Unidens still use the old 02A PLL chip that’s so easy to short pins on for “funny channels” ? I haven’t kept up with this stuff for years, cell phones pretty much ended the CB heyday.

I haven't either..My CB's are the two I kept out of my log trucks years ago and have set in the shed next to my old bag phone that is useless now...Taxing my memory doesn't work like it used too.(laughing)

About the only reason I still have interest in CB's is not having a log truck run me over and use around camp..I tried all the so-called 40 mile two way radio's and saw that a simple 40 channel CB Walkie Talkie does better most of the time,especially if one needs help..

CB's still have there place as long as the truckers use them calling out mile markers on back roads for me..Other than that,I have moved on into the more spendy cell phone hacking to reach out and communicate at long distances in the mountains.

[burningman]

Do new Cobras and Unidens still use the old 02A PLL chip that’s so easy to short pins on for “funny channels” ? I haven’t kept up with this stuff for years, cell phones pretty much ended the CB heyday.
I still have one that goes up to 28.045 (which would be “channel 104” if they were supposed to go that high.
I’ve even still got a real American made CB, a 1977 Sonar that uses tubes but has solid state frequency control. And a D-104 microphone I bought new in 1981.
But... there’s just nothing to do with the stuff these days. The people at the other end are gone.

[jaycocreek]

If you want more power, just get a 100-watt amp. That will work a whole lot better than so-called peaking a stock set.
And get a better mic. The stock mic is usually marginal.

This is true because you can't tune a stock radio to 100 watts..A power mike can also work wonders and last but not least is the antenna..Finding a tech to properly tune a radio that has the right equipment is tough..There's alot of so called tuners out there that can do more harm to your radio than good..

I have a hard time leaving anything stock when it's capable of more..These days I am into rooting cell phones and using high db boosters to get out where no one else can back in the hills..Same things apply on cell phones,not all cell radio's are created equal for reception but like a CB,it's just easier to hook it up to a high DB amplifier than mess with the internals...However,if you have the knowledge to mess with the internals,it can make a huge difference or if you don't,it can brick your phone beyond recovery and-make it an expensive paper weight.

Putting a CB antenna on a truck with a camper is tough if your looking for the best performance..While I have two Cobra CB's,I just haven't come up with the best way for me to have one in the truck and one in the TC..I guess it really doesn't matter since most talk in camp would be to my portable CB walkie talkies.

I have a Firestick fiberglass whip antenna that looks like Brad's but I am just not sure where to put it...Thinking hood mount on the passengers side if there is enough coax...My magnetic antenna on the roof with a metal plane worked very well but I kept knocking it off with tree branches and limbs and that's why I am going to do something like Brad,just not in the middle,one side or the other for my eyes.

[Edd505]

Lantley wrote:
I agree that location would drive me nuts. I would opt for some sort of mirror mount similar to what the truckers do.
Nevertheless it it works for you, that's all that really matters.

+1 I would not like watching that driving for hours.

[BradW]

Clarryhill wrote:
Hey Brad, got to agree with Lantley on this one. Think that mount would drive me nuts sitting out there.

I already don't see it. Its amazing how the human eye can tune out things that's aren't important.......and after nearly +40 years of marriage, I can attest that human ears work exactly the same way. 🙂

bradw

[burningman]

Louder audio will do more for you than the insignificant power gains had by “turning up” a stock radio. The mod limiter on those Cobras is a little potentiometer on the circuit board you can twist with a small screwdriver... you just want to turn it up a bit, short of a distorted overmodulated mess bleeding over across four channels.
If you want more power, just get a 100-watt amp. That will work a whole lot better than so-called peaking a stock set.
And get a better mic. The stock mic is usually marginal.

[jaycocreek]

There is alot involved in tuning a CB radio if you know what your doing..Most don't and there are shops that will rip you off..

There are many well known modifications that can be done to many radios. These modifications involve changing resistor values, adding resistors, or even replacing the stock final transistor with an aftermarket transistor.

These more complex tune ups are going to be more expensive but they can result in a radio with better receive, louder modulation and increased output wattage.

I always ran Cobra CB's because I think there the best..My job when driving truck was talking to my fellow drivers to avoid trouble on old narrow logging roads in the mountains and Cobra's just did a better job than the others.

CB radios can be spendy to set up right but when it is your livelihood and not just a hobby,the extra range and clarity could save your life way back in...

Your stock Cobra 29 LTD classic may have an peak output from the factory of around 12 watts if you're lucky. After a very good tune from a shop that particular radio will max out around 25-30 watts.

You can have someone replace the finals and do some other modifications and maybe it will do 40-50 watts. But now you're talking $50 or more just for the work done to the radio. If the original cost of the radio was $80 you've now invested $130 to have a radio that will do 40 watts. That may not be the smartest decision when there are dual final export radios available on the market for only $30-50 more that come factory designed to do 30 watts without any modifications.

There are also small amplifiers available for sale that can give you 100 watts of output for less than $60.

Yes both the export radios and amplifiers are illegal, but so is having a CB radio that will do more than 4 watts.

[Clarryhill]

Hey Brad, got to agree with Lantley on this one. Think that mount would drive me nuts sitting out there. But, totally off topic here...Dang that is a purty truck!! :):)

[burningman]

Because of the groundlplane effect, mounting an antenna all the way forward like that will make it directional toward the rear.
Way back in the CB heyday when we used to hold weekly “rabbit hunts”, we’d set up cars for tracking a signal by mounting an antenna at the extreme rear, which made it highly directional toward the front. We’d mount a super large S-meter in a box and tap it into the radio. We’d drive in a tight circle and the direction we got the strongest signal was the direction the signal was coming from.
Technically, linear amplifiers are illegal on CB... but the reality is the FCC gave up and quit caring about CB many years ago.
Tuning and peaking a CB is all psychological. Going from maybe 3 watts up to say 5 watts doesn’t have a measurable effect. We did all that stuff and tested it in the field.
Optimizing an antenna involves not just SWR, but size and placement.
Bigger is better, higher is better, and centrally located within the groundplane (in this case the metal vehicle body) is better.
If you can stand how that front and center antennal looks, it’s practical because it fits around the camper, but it’s performance will not be best toward the front like it might seem.
I’d go with one of those brackets that comes through the seam between the fender and hood, up by the cowl. That has a number of advantages: your coax cable is much shorter (and that’s a significant performance factor), it’s up higher, it’s a little more central to the groundplane.... and it looks a whole lot better too.

[BradW]

The bracket is unpainted in some photos and rustoleum black painted in others. I made that bracket out of 1-1/2 HREW round tube and 1-1/2 X 1/4 flat bar.

It attaches using 2 of the factory bolts which hold the two tow points on the bumper.

[K_Mac]

Does this serve a dual purpose ? The round ends look as if they could act as a receiver for a small rack/deck. You had me flippin back n forth on your photos because the reflection from bumper made it look like it was chrome in pic.#1. Funny just today I passed a house that had a shingle for sales and installations, got me to thinking back to the 70's when pops had a rig, and my bro's n I thought the CB's were the coolest things in the world. Good memories.

[ronday]

I use it when traffic comes to a slowdown or stop. Such as yesterday on I-70 in Colorado when a truck burned and closed the east lane. Spent 2.5 hours going 6 miles down a 6 percent grade. Was handy to know what was going on. Ron Day