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CB help...

3K views 28 replies 8 participants last post by  crawlin yoda 
#1 ·
...seemed better to put it here instead of CC.....
Anyway, I'm finally getting around to purring a CB in the ZJ. I've got a cheap little Cobra 19. What I'm lacking is an antenna. I was browsing in the TA truckstop where I fuel my big truck and it got me thinking. In our big truck, we use my parenter's Cobra 18, and his wIlson 2000. Seems to work pretty good.
I've got a bunch of fuel points to cash in, so I was looking at either getting a stainless Wilson 2000 like on the big truck, or a fiberglass - either Firestik or Francis. I've got a flat style mount left from my BII to mount it to a roof rack bar either way.
Thoughts? Advice?
 
#3 · (Edited)
Where can you get a 120" whip for $20? I was looking way back when for my BII can could never seem to find one.....:confused:
What base for the whip do you have?
edit" I meant 102" whip.....they make 120"? :confused:
 
#4 ·
I personally prefer the 120" whip also, mounted through the body with a Motorola ball mount, though many people do not like the look of them, they get out a lot better than anything else I have tried and the only thing that can happen to them is the whip snapping off somehow. I have also used Wilson 2000 and K40 antennas. Both are good antennas and will work great but you have to mount them securely. The "Trucker" versions of Wilson antennas have the coil mounted up on a post and I do not like that as it's easily bent or broken off road. The others use a magnet mount base and can be hard to find a good spot for.

Whatever you choose, I personally would avoid fiberglass antennas altogether. The cheap uncoated ones can easily snap and don't work worth a damn and the better coated ones only work for a few years before the coating cracks and the internal wire corrodes. Stick with a stainless whip of some sort and mount it away from the engine and alternator and on steel for a decent ground plane. Ideally you would want to mount the antenna in the center of a large roof panel, ala old cop cars, but that's not always possible. Mounting is typically a compromise between function and function, meaning allowing the radio to work but not be a huge pain in the ass for everything else the vehicle does.

Also, no matter what, make sure you have your SWRs checked and tuned if necessary. No point in spending any money on a radio and/or antenna if you aren't going to be able to talk past the end of the block and then have the finals burn out in 10 minutes.
 
#7 ·
Whatever you choose, I personally would avoid fiberglass antennas altogether. The cheap uncoated ones can easily snap and don't work worth a damn and the better coated ones only work for a few years before the coating cracks and the internal wire corrodes.
Francis antennas don't seem to have those issues, a couple of mine are over two decades old and get out just fine.

One thing you'll want to do with a Francis though is tape up the top 3-4" or so with about 10-15 wraps of electrical tape, otherwise the tip splits apart fairly easy if struck against a concrete overpass (they're particularly vulnerable if the little red end cap gets lost leaving the tip bare).


As for 102" steel whips, I don't like them on a trail rig simply because they fling around too much when you're bouncing around, however on anything else I'd say go for it. As said, they put out the best signal, although the 8' Francis CB-28 or CB-50 Amazer whips (if you can find one... they haven't been made in some years) are a pretty close match, and may actually do better when you're blasting down the freeway (more rigid, sits up taller in the wind).
 
#6 ·
hmmm....I found a local ham radio place (odd, i've been there before looking at VHF/UHF radios) that sells 102" whips for $25. I Could buy one, then cash in my points for coax, a spring, etc. Could be the hot ticket :D
 
#10 ·
okay...I've been brushing up on some cb tech....now I know why I was confused....102" whips aren't base-loaded becuase they are the ideal length, which makes sense. :homer:
Now, if I mount one with a spring, do I need to trim it of whatever length the spring add's? IE if the spring is 3", trim 3" off antenna? :confused:
 
#11 ·
Nah, just adjust whatever out of the cable. You can trim the antenna but I haven't had to with any of the whips I have run and it's usually easier to trim the cable and you don't ruin the antenna if you trim too much. Although if you are like me and run RG-8 cable (not RG-8 mini), the cable can cost more than the damn antenna, lol.
 
#14 ·
Yeah, the RG-8 isn't really worth it for the average CB install. RG-8 mini is usually fine for all normal applications. When I built this antenna setup I was talking skip and every little bit helps there.
 
#18 ·
really? you can get 102" whips from the TA? maybe it's a special item you have to ask for....I'll have to ask tomorrow when I stop to fuel.......I wonder what the price is there.....
I did some googlefu, turns out a 102" is plenty flexable without a spring, so I'll skip one for now......
 
#20 ·
No! My jeep is pretty :flipoff2:

:laughing::laughing:

pic no worky for me btw.....

Here's a Q. Do I need to ground it? It'll be bolted to the middle roof rack bar (Mine has 3...) The bar it'self is metal, but not the slider ends. I'll be using a mount like this:

 
#22 ·
I wouldn't use a mount like that for a 102" whip. Spring or not, they are decently heavy for an antenna and will have a lot of wind pulling on it at speed. A little bar like that will most likely bend and it's length will simply put more leverage on the single bolt holding it. At the very least I would use one of the aluminum angled brackets commonly used for mirrors, or better yet, just get a good strong piece of angle iron and drill the holes in it to fit the antenna mount itself and mounting bolts. If your mount design requires a flat bar like the one pictured, I'd come up with something similar out of stronger steel with more than one bolt to mount it. Big antennas catch hell off road and on the highway and a weak mount will cause more problems than it solves. Just my .02
 
#23 ·
Hmmm.....The mount I was looking at actually had 2 bolts. What If I ran a piece of flat steel centered on the roof, between the middle roof bar and the rear roof bar? Then just drilled a hole, say, 2/3rds of the way between the rear and middle bar (close to the middle). Would that work?
I want to avoid drilling the roof if I can.....
 
#25 ·
It's run the one between the bars if you can make it stable. Not sure what you are working with as far as roof bars. I have seen a few HAM antenna rigs done that way. Be aware that if there are plastic parts between the roof rack and the body, you may have to run a ground wire to the body to get much out of the antenna.
 
#26 ·
Using stock ZJ roof bars. I've got an extra one mounted (3 total) and I've got them drilled for lights and shit.....(more than sufficent perimiter flood lighting :laughing::laughing: )
 
#27 ·
What is the difference between regular mini-8 and "super" mini-8? and would it be worth the extra $4?
I was browsing around in the TA again today writing down prices of stuff. Local TA doesn't carry 102" whips either.....
 
#28 ·
Radio Shack is probably still the best place to get the 102" whip. It's reasonably priced and any of their stores should be able to order it if they don't already carry it. For cable, search around a bit. Sometimes you can get good deals at a truckstop but generally that stuff is priced for truckers who need to do a quick repair and can't take the time to shop for a better price. I haven't ordered from them lately but Copper Electronics used to be very popular back when I talked skip and had good prices. www.copper.com
 
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