cb Radio antenna

rdeveau2005 · 11-16-2009, 08:56 PM

Im going to mount my cb radio antenna next to the tailight and i was wondering what type on antenna should i get and how long. and if you know of any companies that make them that would be great. I have a cobra cb radio.

**rivalarrival** · 11-16-2009, 09:28 PM

All of the whips are basically the same thing - a coil of copper wire wrapped around a fiberglass rod and covered in a heavy-duty, heat-shrink wrapper. Most are loosely wound at the bottom and tightly wound at the top, to push most of the signal out above the cab of the vehicle. They all function the same way, and are all going to be about as efficient. Basically, the longer the rod, the the more effective the antenna. There are two basic lengths, one about 18", and another about 36". The antenna should have at least 1/2 or 2/3 of its length above the cab.

There is another type that you'll see occasionally: a spring-steel whip about 9-feet tall. IMHO, they are more trouble than they are worth.

Fiberglass whips are pretty cheap: $10-$20 in most cases.

tizzdizz · 11-16-2009, 11:08 PM

I have a 4' antenna from Radio Shack, and I used a spring and mount that I found at Fry's Electronics. It works great off road, but I don't get a lot of range on the freeways. Can't pick up too many truckers. I you might try yours out at different heights before deciding on a location, so that you can get the best reception. You also need to tune it with an SWR meter, and make sure you have the mount set up right so that it's grounded correctly. Here's a pic of my mount, and how I mounted the radio itself.

rdeveau2005 · 11-16-2009, 11:11 PM

well maybe i should mount it on the bumper cus if i mount it with the taillight cant it damage the taillight if my antenna gets hung up on somethig?

tizzdizz · 11-16-2009, 11:23 PM

Well, Yeah I wouldn't mount it TO the tail light, but some people use the bolts that hold the tail light housing to the body. To be fair, mine rubs on the trunk when I open it but it's not bad and doesn't bother me. I'd rather it be behind the jeep though, than on the side where it can get caught on a tree or the side of a hill or gulley.

Here's an option. Motion Offroad XJ Cherokee CB Antenna Mount - 1984-96 [MO2.5001] - $45.00 : MotionOffroad.com, Innovative Offroad Products

Another idea, even though it's a ZJ, it could still work. Tomasz Korwel CB antenna mount in Grand Cherokee :: programmer, administrator, engineer - my everyday fights with reality

rdeveau2005 · 11-17-2009, 12:33 AM

yea not on the tail light but inbetween the housing and the body. thanks for the websites

**Wiskey** · 11-17-2009, 01:00 AM

I just got a little magnet mount job and stuck it on my roof.

It's not nearly as cool, but I ran the wire nicely, and if I hit a tree with it, the antenna doesn't break, it just flops over, and I stick it back on. The antenna was around $20 at Walmart, I've had it up to about 85 on the freeway without it falling off.

Whiskey