Hey guys, I'm looking for a CB antenna for my Suburban and I'm not sure which one is best. I've heard alot of talk about ones with adjustable tips and tuning but I'm having trouble finding solid information or a clear choice for the best CB antenna out there.

Also, I'm gonna mount this somewhere on my 1990 Suburban. Where would be the best spot in terms of transmitting and recieving?

best antenna would be a 102" whip, mounted onto your roof, wherever it gives you the lowest SWR reading, and then tuned to get it too a 1:1 reading.

You're kidding right? 102" whip? I had one on my Bronco and it wasn't all that great. Aren't those 3' antenna's with the adjustable tips for tuning better?

hmmm firesticks or even Radio Shack tunable antenas work good for me. You can get someo fthe best antenas pretty cheap at Aut o truck stores, including firesticks.


G

yeah I think that was the name of the ones that did well, firesticks. can anyone back this up?

Originally posted by joey93turbo
You're kidding right? 102" whip? I had one on my Bronco and it wasn't all that great. Aren't those 3' antenna's with the adjustable tips for tuning better?

Probably because it wasn't tuned... And pretty much every antenna is tuneable, you just have to cut it. And yes, a 102" will give you better gain than just about anything. A continuous loaded 102" fiberglass antenna would probably be even better, but they are impossible to find, and mount on anything.

a 102" is a 1/4 wavelength antenna,

a 3 foot firestick is a 1/12 wavelength antenna,

what do you think is going to receive better?

Transmitting is a different story, and has alot more to with the groundplane, etc..

He asked what the BEST would be, which would be a 102" on the roof, but thats pretty impractical, allthough it would be about the best he will get.

The optimum antenna would be about 10 meters tall, or one wavelength.. But I don't see that happening..

Now I'm just waiting for someone to tell me that a dual 3' setup like on the big rigs is the way to go...:rolleyes:

Oh ok. Sorry, I don't know enough about these things to tell when someone's joking or not. I'd most likely mount one on my rear bumper. In that location would it still be better to get a 102" whip? or should I get a firestick?

When you say tuneable by cutting it, how much do you usually have to cut them?

yep 102's are probably a good way to go, but in my opinion, if you are riding tight trails, etc, a firestick will do just fine. Depends on your communications needs as well. Normally we are running trails where a 10 mile radius is the maximum distance between the group, so pretty much any antenna will do the job ok. I would opt for a firestick for the size and good range IMO

For the people that are really into CB radios there might be a difference but I found that just about any antena works, its just a matter of getting it tuned right.

Went through the same thing on my 90 burb. Do you have the overhead console? as I do. There is a divot on the console that is just deep enough for a 90 degree cable end. From there you can run the coax forward and down either side of the windshield and then to the dash.

Yeah I do have the overhead console. Not quite sure what you mean though, I wanna mount the CB on the exterior of the rig :P Did you mount the CB in the overhead console or something? That'd be tight but I don't think my big ol Cobra Classic would fit up there...

What did you do for an antenna?

If you want the BEST antenna do a google search for the Rod of God.

Its a beast:flipoff2:
www.davemade.com he is a CB genius

Send a PM to this guy. He's a vendor on the board.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/member.php?action=getinfo&userid=20862

Man I have been running a CB for More than 10 years. I can say I know what I’m doing. What do you want to do with it? Me, I want distance and to be as loud as I can so I run a Wilson 1000. I ran a K40 for years and loved it. Hustler is also a good choose for the money but you need mounting and your up around the price of a Wilson. If I where you I would drop the $70-$90 and get a Wilson 1000. I would go with the roof mount and place it in the center of your roof for the best ground plane.( yes yes you do have to cut a hole in your roof.) Plus you can pump TONS of POWER to them. HEHEHE. (nothing like a foot warmer, Linear amplifier, don't know if I spelled that right.) If you with the magnet mount you will lose a little bit of the ground plane. And the problem with like the trunk mount is you may only use half of your car for a ground plane. You’ll end up losing distance and people behind you many not be able to hear you. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SWR'S. You want to do this in a flat open area. no trees or buildings. If you don't know what SWR's are the simple way of putting it is the power that stays in your radio. If they’re too high your radio will fry. You can NEVER have a to low of SWR. Hell I was running 350 watts or so and I had mine about .5 . I would try to keep them below 2.0 I would never run mine at that. I would spend all day tuning tell I got

Them low. Any questions PM me or e-mail or post or something.


:D :beer: :smokin:

I like my fiberglass Firestik II with tuneable tip. It's probably not the very best, but I got it for around $20 from www.valcoeelectronics.com

I used a door jamb mount and put it by the rear hatch on my Cherokee. Also not the best place to mount it, but works good with my setup.

The best place is on top in the center, but most people don't do that cause of the looks.

Jordan

go for a Wilson 1000 and get it from Karl's CB shop. Give them a call and they will set you up the right way

www.cbradiousa.com

The guy on the vendor page seems like a good guy. He would point you in the right direction on an antenna and a swr meter to tune it with. JCC

Anybody know of a place to get a tunner for a CB antena?

Originally posted by rckcrwlr87
Anybody know of a place to get a tunner for a CB antena? ebay has tons of them, radio shack sells them, as do most CB shops and ham radio shops.

whats the normal price on a decent tunner

Originally posted by 4runninghank
If I where you I would drop the $70-$90 and get a Wilson 1000. I would go with the roof mount and place it in the center of your roof for the best ground plane.( yes yes you do have to cut a hole in your roof.) Plus you can pump TONS of POWER to them. HEHEHE. (nothing like a foot warmer, Linear amplifier, don't know if I spelled that right.) If you with the magnet mount you will lose a little bit of the ground plane. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR SWR'S. You want to do this in a flat open area. no trees or buildings. If you don't know what SWR's are the simple way of putting it is the power that stays in your radio. If they’re too high your radio will fry. You can NEVER have a to low of SWR. Hell I was running 350 watts or so and I had mine about .5 . I would try to keep them below 2.0 I would never run mine at that. I would spend all day tuning tell I got

Them low. Any questions PM me or e-mail or post or something.


:D :beer: :smokin:

I second this reply. But its not that you have to cut a hole in your roof, you have to drill a hole, mine never leaked or anything. SWR (standing-wave ratio) meters arent that much, their worth it.

alright, thanks man

rckcrwlr87 Anybody know of a place to get a tunner for a CB antena?

search "SWR meter" in the vendors section.

thanks
al
cb shop

I gave up on Firesticks after replacing two of them on my
rig. If you wheel a lot, trees and such wear the plastic coating off and break the wire undernieth. Forget about the little rubber caps staying on either. They don't hold up in a rollover for shit either:D I found the best, most durable antenna is a plain stailess steel whip mounted to the spare tire carrier with a spring mount.

Originally posted by joey93turbo
Yeah I do have the overhead console. Not quite sure what you mean though, I wanna mount the CB on the exterior of the rig :P Did you mount the CB in the overhead console or something? That'd be tight but I don't think my big ol Cobra Classic would fit up there...

What did you do for an antenna?
I am talking about the antenna mount, my cb is mounted in my center console between the buckets. I used a wilson 1000 base mount with a 5' steel whip. If you remove the console you will see the roof mount bracket and the rear divot I'm talking about. It is shaped like a V . If you drill your hole for the mount in the center, it is deep enough for the mount bolt/nut and a 90 degree coax cable end. For the life of me I cannot seem to remember who I bought my par--------Chicken Lips-- and they are in Sac They have everything you can think of. They can pump up your cobra also

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Gtfo

Get a K40 and mount it near the center in the top. The antennas are removable and the mount stays in the roof.

Get a K40 and mount it near the center in the top. The antennas are removable and the mount stays in the roof.

Umm, you're a little slow there dood---this thread is almost 5 years old. I think by now he may have his CB installed