Looking for ideas on where to mount my CB antenna
- Thread starter D M
- Start date
I had installed it in the garage before the Jeep was running. Your comments actually made me go out to check...
The SWR is actually VERY high... 3+ on all channels. I checked grounds and the wires and everything looks great so I'm not sure what the problem is yet. Any ideas from the CB guys?
It's a backing panel for my armor.
This with a hole drilled in the middle: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K5OJ368/?tag=wranglerorg-20 I had it mounted on the outside of my tub years ago before moving it. I paid a fraction of what they're selling for now. If I didn't already have the bracket I'd just buy a length of extruded aluminum L and cut it to length.
Toximus
Assuming that you have everything bolted together properly, according to the pic (and I'm sure you do) then the only other thing that I would suggest is that you don't have a good ground. But, I find that hard to believe too. Re-check the antenna mount??? Maybe mount your fire-ring above the mount, so you can see it???
Assuming that you have everything bolted together properly, according to the pic (and I'm sure you do) then the only other thing that I would suggest is that you don't have a good ground. But, I find that hard to believe too. Re-check the antenna mount??? Maybe mount your fire-ring above the mount, so you can see it???
I did rebuild the connections to see what's happening. And I sanded all of the paint off (again) to make sure everything is bright shiny metal.
I checked ground between the between the mount and the exposed armor and I tested everything in this video:
When I have the SWR meter and radio connected I'm getting some continuity between pos and ground. Is that normal?
No.
But, it's not there with the meter removed from the circuit? Hmm, try a different meter. Or another jumper cable. It might be in the one of the end connectors. Do you have a dummy load to try?
Is is probably too close to the roll bar structure. Also the tip of the antenna is near the frame for the soft top. That is the worst place to be close to metal because the voltage is the highest at the tip. And lastly, I'll bet that you'll get different results when measured outside rather than in the garage. Even under the best of circumstances I would not expect a great VSWR across the entire band with such a short antenna. These antennas are spiral wound to match the antenna with distributed inductance, but the shorter the antenna is the worse the bandwidth will be or the greater the loss.
Before you spend time on SWR just test the setup with a friend. If it works forget you ever heard about SWR. Worst case some of your signal is lost in the transmission line, if you are talking to a buddy on the trail 300ft away it makes zero difference.
I thought about using this one when I went with flush mount taillights.
https://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/cb-antenna-molded-side-mount
https://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/cb-antenna-molded-side-mount
I talked to Cobra. There's something wrong with my radio and I need to send it in to them. Once I get it back hopefully I'll have a lower SWR. 
I found my old CB. I thought I had given it away. I hooked it up and did some testing on my antenna.
The SWR is right at 3 across all channels... not great but not in the red. If I angle the antenna pointed across the tailgate and up the SWR gets better into the high 2s but is in my way. I tried hooking up my old traditional style CB cable and flipped the bracket around so it'd fit and I got worse readings than the Firering the closer the antenna got
to the soft top frame, but better the further angled down across the tailgate.
Nobody responded to my transmissions so I'm not sure if it'll be good enough or not.
I'm wondering if a 1' antenna would be better than the 2' since it'll be further frame the soft top frame?
The SWR is right at 3 across all channels... not great but not in the red. If I angle the antenna pointed across the tailgate and up the SWR gets better into the high 2s but is in my way. I tried hooking up my old traditional style CB cable and flipped the bracket around so it'd fit and I got worse readings than the Firering the closer the antenna got
to the soft top frame, but better the further angled down across the tailgate.
Nobody responded to my transmissions so I'm not sure if it'll be good enough or not.
I'm wondering if a 1' antenna would be better than the 2' since it'll be further frame the soft top frame?
BoldlyGoing
TJ Addict
Is there any advantage to a front fender mount vs rear corner mount?
My ant is currently mounted on the back passenger side, but my bracket is literally a hacked-up piece of my stock front bumper and is... ugly. I'm considering moving it to the front driver fender and making a new bracket with some aluminum plate I have, just curious as to whether it will perform better/worse.
My ant is currently mounted on the back passenger side, but my bracket is literally a hacked-up piece of my stock front bumper and is... ugly. I'm considering moving it to the front driver fender and making a new bracket with some aluminum plate I have, just curious as to whether it will perform better/worse.
It is normal that you can hear other people talking and they can't hear you. Unless you are testing with a friend and you know where they are it isn't really a good test of the system. What you want to know is how it sounds on the other end. If the antenna is really causing problems your voice might be a bit messed up. You will still be able to talk it just wont sound great. You really need another person to test it out, the high SWR might not be causing you any problems for trail communication.
I have a perception that the signal reception and transmission should be better without the top and the roll cage right up next to it, but I don't have science or experience to back that up.