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CB Antennas?

Supercharged111
Explorer
Explorer
What CB antennas have you guys had good luck with that are short enough to play nice under a truck camper? I'm curious to see the mounting as well. Obviously a 3 foot fiberglass whip won't fit.
2007 Lance 1131
1997 GMC K3500 crew cab supercharged dually
22 REPLIES 22

Camper_Jeff___K
Nomad II
Nomad II

I have a Galaxy CB and Dual 4' Firesticks on brackets designed to mount under the hood. The antennas come up just ahead of the TC cabover so no interference issues. On side band, I've been able to reach my brother 32 miles away on his Galaxy.  The Firestick is a top loaded antennae which I prefer. You'll get your best performance with a full wave antennae which would be very long, and a half wave would be your next choice much shorter. The top, mid, or bottom loading coils get you effectively a longer antennae in a shorter package. There isn't much on CB anymore with cellphones so prevalent and coverage everywhere. Now Starlink is going to cut in to that even more. An armature radio license is easier than ever to get and the reach of a ham radio is much farther. I haven't gotten a license yet myself and I should.  

BradW
Explorer II
Explorer II
Read this: FIRESTIK INFO

The second advantage of co-phased antennas is there ability to perform where there is little reflective ground plane for the single antenna to radiate its energy from. For instance, on fiberglass vehicles or those with light aluminum sheeting over a non-metallic frame. In those situations a co-phase set-up allows the antennas to use each other's radiation field to direct the combined energy across the horizon. In order to be effective at least 2/3's of each antenna must have unobstructed line-of-sight to the other antenna.
Wake Up America
2019 Lance 1062 and 2018 F-350 CC PSD 4X4 DRW
Tembrens, Rear Roadmaster Sway Bar, Torklift 48" Extention and 30K Superhitch
Our New Lance 1062 Truck Camper Unloading at Dealer Photos

burningman
Explorer II
Explorer II
Thereโ€™s no magic antenna that works better than another, itโ€™s all about size.
They need to be a quarter wavelength (or half wave or full wave, but thatโ€™s huge at 27 MHz).
A 1/4 wave CB antenna is 9 feet long. The way shorter antennas are able to tune and resonate like a full 9 foot 1/4 wave is by coiling up the length of it.
If you look at a short antenna like a Firestick, youโ€™ll see itโ€™s a fiberglass pole with a wire spiral wrapped up itโ€™s length.
Thatโ€™s called continuous loading.
Other short CB antennas have a coil at the base or in the center about halfway up. It looks like a cylindrical lump, but thereโ€™s a coil of wire making up the rest of the required length of the antenna inside it. Thatโ€™s โ€œbase loadedโ€ or โ€œcenter loadedโ€.
The coil just allows it to tune and resonate correctly for the frequency itโ€™s being used for.
The shorter the antenna, even if itโ€™s loaded correctly, the worse it works. The longer the better.

They also need a groundplane. The metal car body theyโ€™re mounted on acts as the groundplane.
Electrically, it mirrors the antenna to make it behave as if it were a full half-wave antenna. Without it, the radiation pattern is upward toward the sky.
It needs the groundplane to lower the pattern so itโ€™s stronger in a more line of sight pattern where itโ€™s more useable.
Note, a groundplane isnโ€™t a โ€œgroundโ€, totally different thing.
The radiation pattern becomes directional toward the mass of the groundplane.
If you mount the antenna at the front of the vehicle, it will be more directional and strong toward the rear of the vehicle, following where the groundplane is.
Ideally youโ€™d use a 9 foot whip on the top and center of the vehicle, but obviously that has practical problems.
You want it as high as possible, as long as possible and as centrally located as possible, and you compromise down from there as needed.

You also need to tune it with an SWR meter.
Standing Wave Ratio. Thatโ€™s the amount of power that just bounces back at the radio rather than efficiently resonating and radiating out from the antenna. Most CB antennas have a set screw and a fine height adjustment to allow this. You want the reading on the SWR meter as low as possible. 1.5 to 1 or less is great.
2017 Northern Lite 10-2 EX CD SE
99 Ram 4x4 Dually Cummins
A whole lot more fuel, a whole lot more boost.
4.10 gears, Gear Vendors overdrive, exhaust brake
Built auto, triple disc, billet shafts.
Kelderman Air Ride, Helwig sway bar.

burningman
Explorer II
Explorer II
BradW wrote:
On our old lance I mounted two 2' firestik antennas on the top of the ladder.. Since they "saw" each other, they used each other as a ground plane. That setup worked very well.


A groundplane is an entirely different thing. Itโ€™s effect is to lower the radiation pattern from mostly skyward to more line of sight.
Two antennas near each other affect the radiation pattern differently, they make it more directional. They really need to be about 9 feet apart, a quarter wavelength.
The reason you saw that on trucks in the CB heyday with twin antennas on the mirrors, which are about 8 feet apart, is they make the radiation pattern like a figure-8 as viewed from above. Theyโ€™re directional to the front and rear, and much less to the sides.
The idea was to concentrate the signal up and down the highway and minimize interference from the sides.
Your ladder was acting as the groundplane.
The reason they works well was how high up they were. Youโ€™d probably do better with a single one.
2017 Northern Lite 10-2 EX CD SE
99 Ram 4x4 Dually Cummins
A whole lot more fuel, a whole lot more boost.
4.10 gears, Gear Vendors overdrive, exhaust brake
Built auto, triple disc, billet shafts.
Kelderman Air Ride, Helwig sway bar.

JoeChiOhki
Explorer II
Explorer II
BradW wrote:
https://youtu.be/H_s4kA2LEh8

Similar to this mount. I added two additional screws and a spring.


Mk, yeah I can see why you might not trust it. Its thinner than the mount I have and would likely be more prone to bending.
My Blog - The Journey of the Redneck Express

CB

Channel 17

Redneck Express


'1992 Dodge W-250 "Dually" Power Wagon - Club Cab Long Bed 4x4 V8 5.9L gashog w/4.10 Geared axles
'1974 KIT Kamper 1106 - 11' Slide-in
'2006 Heartland BigHorn 3400RL

BradW
Explorer II
Explorer II
I generally use our cb when we are traveling with others who have cb radios. I only switch to 19 when there is a wreck/traffic back up or I'm just bored.

Swearing doesn't bother me on 19. What does piss me off is the racist insults aimed at people out working hard just trying to earn a living.
Wake Up America
2019 Lance 1062 and 2018 F-350 CC PSD 4X4 DRW
Tembrens, Rear Roadmaster Sway Bar, Torklift 48" Extention and 30K Superhitch
Our New Lance 1062 Truck Camper Unloading at Dealer Photos

covered_wagon
Explorer
Explorer
I removed mine after hearing the amount of swearing and very rude language. So glad it's gone, Just like avoiding a place where it more important for some individuals to throw others under the bus and click about it.

BradW
Explorer II
Explorer II
https://youtu.be/H_s4kA2LEh8

Similar to this mount. I added two additional screws and a spring.
Wake Up America
2019 Lance 1062 and 2018 F-350 CC PSD 4X4 DRW
Tembrens, Rear Roadmaster Sway Bar, Torklift 48" Extention and 30K Superhitch
Our New Lance 1062 Truck Camper Unloading at Dealer Photos

JoeChiOhki
Explorer II
Explorer II
BradW wrote:
Supercharged111 wrote:


A fender mount can't handle a 5 footer?


I have a fender gap mount on our jeep jk. I would not trust it to handle a 5' antenna.


What's the anchor points like on yours? Mine has five screws that anchor it into the body and its been successfully holding the 5' firestiks without a spring for sixteen years, including having a dolt like me smacking the antenna into tree branches and a low hanging drive thru.

If your hood area is aluminum or plastic, then yeah, that makes total sense, but if its half way decent sheet metal one like that should stay put.
My Blog - The Journey of the Redneck Express

CB

Channel 17

Redneck Express


'1992 Dodge W-250 "Dually" Power Wagon - Club Cab Long Bed 4x4 V8 5.9L gashog w/4.10 Geared axles
'1974 KIT Kamper 1106 - 11' Slide-in
'2006 Heartland BigHorn 3400RL

BradW
Explorer II
Explorer II
Supercharged111 wrote:


A fender mount can't handle a 5 footer?


I have a fender gap mount on our jeep jk. I would not trust it to handle a 5' antenna.
Wake Up America
2019 Lance 1062 and 2018 F-350 CC PSD 4X4 DRW
Tembrens, Rear Roadmaster Sway Bar, Torklift 48" Extention and 30K Superhitch
Our New Lance 1062 Truck Camper Unloading at Dealer Photos

JoeChiOhki
Explorer II
Explorer II
Supercharged111 wrote:
I am liking the fender mount idea. This site has a bunch, but not seeing one that specifies my year.

https://www.wearecb.com/hood-mount/

I'm sure a number of them would work fine. I feel if I could find someone locally with a selection that that would be the best solution.


Check your local CB dealer or truck stop. I got my original hood gap mount bracket from a shop in a nearby city. I'm on my third Firestik (Damaged the last one like a moron in a drive thru) and the original wore out after several years.
My Blog - The Journey of the Redneck Express

CB

Channel 17

Redneck Express


'1992 Dodge W-250 "Dually" Power Wagon - Club Cab Long Bed 4x4 V8 5.9L gashog w/4.10 Geared axles
'1974 KIT Kamper 1106 - 11' Slide-in
'2006 Heartland BigHorn 3400RL

Supercharged111
Explorer
Explorer
OkieGene wrote:
The shorter the antenna, the more lousy it the reception/transmission becomes.

You have to do what you have to do, but that's a lousy idea, the shorter antenna.

You need to get at least 1/4 to 1/2 wavelength, and decent coax and connectors.

Most CB coax is junk and the connectors are too.

Best wishes to you.


A fender mount can't handle a 5 footer?
2007 Lance 1131
1997 GMC K3500 crew cab supercharged dually

OkieGene
Explorer
Explorer
The shorter the antenna, the more lousy it the reception/transmission becomes.

You have to do what you have to do, but that's a lousy idea, the shorter antenna.

You need to get at least 1/4 to 1/2 wavelength, and decent coax and connectors.

Most CB coax is junk and the connectors are too.

Best wishes to you.

Supercharged111
Explorer
Explorer
I am liking the fender mount idea. This site has a bunch, but not seeing one that specifies my year.

https://www.wearecb.com/hood-mount/

I'm sure a number of them would work fine. I feel if I could find someone locally with a selection that that would be the best solution.
2007 Lance 1131
1997 GMC K3500 crew cab supercharged dually