CB Antenna Mounting Location

[Underton]

I'm trying to decide where the best place to mount a CB antenna on the Bronco would be. I'm thinking mounting on one of the spare tire mount bars. What has everyone else did and how does it work? Pictures would help.

 

[gearida]

Center of the vehicle is always most desirable. The more steel surface the better. I would mount it on the rear quarter, side of the body for better coverage, rather than a bumper.

 

[lonesouth]

I run mine off of the bed rail when topless. On the rear bumper when the top is on. I'm running a wilson Silver Flex

http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-Silver...1419889971&sr=1-1&keywords=wilson+silver+flex

and a wilson mount

http://www.amazon.com/Wilson-305-60...&qid=1419889854&sr=1-19&keywords=wilson+mount

 

[pbwcr]

CB ant

Concur center mount and even on the top is ideal.
So what I did. For the desert Bronco VHF high watt unit its on the cab top protected with a bracket to save the thing when I blast thru the bushes.
For both my trail rigs which use the typical 5 watt CB I use an mount on the tire carrier. This gets the ant up high so it is not masked by the truck when looking forward. The disadvantage since the ant is at one end of the rigs is performance varies as to whether the signal is coming/going front or rear. In any event for a trail rig performance with regard to distance is never a problem because your buddy is nearby. What I would recommend is put it wherever and you will be satisfied.
Just be sure you use an SWR to optimize the ant for your final location. The quicky mag mount on the hood is pretty darn good and is a proven location for rigs like Jeeps with a plastic top. A good solution for a daily driver and just take the thing off when not needed. Yup its a PITA to remove the ant when you park in the garage.

 

[CopperRanger]

The previous owner of my Bronco mounted it on the top of the passenger front fender similar to the way the factory radio antenna is mounted on the drivers side. Now I have a big ugly hole, not recommended.

 

[Underton]

I'm trying to avoid drilling any holes on the body. I ended up getting the bracket at 4 wheel parts.

http://www.4wheelparts.com/Interior...nt.aspx?t_c=9&t_s=500&t_pt=8373&t_pn=DASK-64A

I'll post some pictures when its mounted.

 

[Steve83]

A magnet base on the center of the hard top is best. Next-best would be center of the hood. Mounting to a side surface causes the antenna to become directional. The tire carrier & bumper are among the worst spots because they have no flat surfaces. If you put it there, add an artificial ground plane (available where CB antennas are sold).

 

[lonesouth]

I thought the ground plane would be created by any flat surface below the TIP of the antenna, regardless of where the base is located. Therefore, as long as the tip is above the roof line, the roof becomes the ground plane and the directional bias would be toward the longest direction away from the antenna, i.e. toward the passenger front when my antenna is mounted on the drivers side of my rear bumper and sticks up 3' above my roof.

Of course, all of this talk of ground planes is pointless if you are topless, so you may as well mount it as high as possible.


I did just order this spring to give some more relief from hitting bushes/limbs

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00042LC9M/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[House]

These work great on the factory tire carrier tube.

http://axiaalloys.com/Flag-Whip-Mounts/Billet-Horizontal-Bar-Whip-Mount-Attachment-Satin-Clear-Black

 

[Tedster100]

Mounted mine to the swing out spare carrier. It doesn't have the height or ground plane that it would on the top but it's easy to get at to remove, fits in my garage and has no problem with reception on the trail.

 

[stagecoach]

I am sure that Lonesouth is correct. unless you want to shoot skip or run a lot of power, any place you mount the antenna will get you o.k. results. on the trail you are not that far from your mates. just my .02 cents.

 

[Steve83]

I thought the ground plane would be created by any flat surface below the TIP of the antenna, regardless of where the base is located.

Flat or not; below the antenna or not; any metal on the truck that's grounded in common with the transmitter's power supply will act as a ground to the radio waves. But the waves bounce off each of those objects, like sunlight bouncing off a crowd of umbrellas; each one creates a "shadow", so the waves won't hit things that are hidden from the antenna (like the engine under the hood, and the axles under the body). If some of those surfaces are higher than others, then some of that energy will be lost as it bounces down toward the actual ground. So you want the ground plane to be BELOW the antenna base, where it can reflect everything up in the air.

...talk of ground planes is pointless if you are topless...

No, it's not. You WANT there to be a plane, and you want that plane to be square to the antenna mast. So if the top's off, then the waves hit the cargo floor, the seat structure, the dash face, the w/s frame... That rough topography scatters them, making them less-likely to arrive at a receiving antenna clearly. They WILL still arrive, and they WILL still be clear to some receivers. But those receivers will have to be closer to you than they might be if you had a clean ground plane (like the hardtop or the hood) to reflect your transmissions farther. Is that distance critical? Depends on your situation.

 

[lonesouth]

I meant that if you are running topless, unless you want to mount the antenna in the middle of your hood or on one of the front fenders, there probably isn't going to be much difference where you mount. If it is mounted somewhere behind the windshield, your best bet will be to mount it as high as possible for range.