The buy in for CB is cheaper than for Ham or GMRS, and it works. Jeep groups are switching largely because Midland is offering incentives for them to do so - at least, that's what I read on the Internet!
CB antenna mount suggestions
- Thread starter Chris
- Start date
The buy-in for CB and ham is about the same - $100 for basic radio and antenna when comparing a Uniden 510/520 CB and a Baofeng dual band handheld ham radio with mag mount antenna.
A good ham radio with permanently mounted antenna is more.
The top-of-the line Midland MXT-400 GMRS is about $250 plus the antenna. The previous owner of my recently acquired Sprinter installed one, so now I have ham, CB and GMRS in the van. I have ham and CB in the jeep. The GMRS unit gets very little use - offroaders around me do not use that platform.
A good ham radio with permanently mounted antenna is more.
The top-of-the line Midland MXT-400 GMRS is about $250 plus the antenna. The previous owner of my recently acquired Sprinter installed one, so now I have ham, CB and GMRS in the van. I have ham and CB in the jeep. The GMRS unit gets very little use - offroaders around me do not use that platform.
https://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/equipment-by-vehicle/products/cb-ball-mount
this site has a ton of options
this site has a ton of options
Ah, but you forget: The cost and hassle of licensing skews the numbers. Not counting that, GMRS is totally cheaper and easier to deal with - I paid $50 for a basic GMRS setup which will be fine for trail use. I suggest both GMRS and CB to have everything covered - Ham isn't, never has been, nor ever will be mainstream. Its cool, its fun, its useful, and its probably "better", but it will never be universal.
I had mine mounted to the spare mount. I did this so it would be out of the way, not getting caught up in trees or bushes and not have to drill into the body. This also allowed the wiring to neatly tuck in with and follow the existing 3rd brake light wiring.
Not the best pics but I can get close ups of the mount and wiring and post later if you'd like.
Not the best pics but I can get close ups of the mount and wiring and post later if you'd like.
I hear you, but we are planning on Jeepers Jamboree in 2022 at Rubicon, they have gone all GMRS, and just a month or so ago Jeep Jamboree announced they will be only GMRS for 2021 forward.
https://jeepjamboreeusa.com/cb-replaced-by-frs-gmrs-two-way-radios/
The ham test costs $15. The online study guides are free and a day or two of practicing test strategy is all that is required. A Beofeng UV5RA is only $21.79 on Amazon. An MFJ mag mount antenna costs about $29. The adapter to match Baofeng and antenna is $5.95. Total, including license = $71.74.
Doesn't skew the numbers at all.
73
KG6LMV
OP
Okay, here’s a question, is there such a thing as HAM radio, CB radio, and GMRS all in one radio? Seems like that would be a nice thing to have as oppose to multiple different devices.
My first antenna mount was simply two holes drilled through the tub for bolts and one larger one for the cable. Obviously this is a pretty bad idea through thin sheet metal and it quickly messed up my tub (don't judge me, I didn't install it...). But, if you have Savvy corner armor, I'd imagine that type of mount wouldn't cause an issue since you have extra support.
I have two bolts filling the bolt holes and plastic plug in hole for cable now. I really like where my antenna is now on my OR Fab carrier. I also changed out to a shorter antenna and I don't think it is taller than my roof.
You can see the mount in this photo. And you can also see why it isn't a good idea at all. But with corner armor and a shorter antenna, I'd imagine it would be fine.
I have two bolts filling the bolt holes and plastic plug in hole for cable now. I really like where my antenna is now on my OR Fab carrier. I also changed out to a shorter antenna and I don't think it is taller than my roof.
You can see the mount in this photo. And you can also see why it isn't a good idea at all. But with corner armor and a shorter antenna, I'd imagine it would be fine.
Yes and no.
For the most part, you can buy a ham radio that can do ham and GMRS, such as a Baofeng. However, the FCC will not let you legally use one radio for both (even though it can do both). If you buy a legit radio in the US, it will let you do the ham frequencies, but will not let you tune to GMRS. Some can be modified to do both, again not legally. The Baofeng (since they're Chinese made) don't have the frequency limiter. So designed for ham, but can also be used for GMRS.
To summarize the FCC regulation, a radio can only legally do what it was designed to do. So you could have the same model radio and have one setup by the MFG for ham. Second radio setup for GMRS.
I asked this same question on a ham radio forum recently. I stopped reading when the responses got to around 6 pages (now 15 pages, people calling each others mothers sluts, etc). Mostly people arguing can/can't vs. legal.
If you want to read more on that subject:
Radio that can do 2M and GMRS
You might convince me yet to get a Ham ticket. Been kicking the idea around for 40 years...
I used the Firestik front fender/hood channel mount. I mounted it about 8" forward of the tub/fender flange. I kept reading that I'd get a better signal if it wasn't right up against the rear corner of the Jeep like most people mount it. I have no comparison experience to know if it's a practical or theoretical advantage.
Sorry I can't provide a link as their website is ancient and I can't seem to figure out how to link directly to the item page instead of the main one.
Sorry I can't provide a link as their website is ancient and I can't seem to figure out how to link directly to the item page instead of the main one.
Another good source for CB and GMRS radios/antennas is:
wearecb.com
I have received excellent customer service from them.
Although complete overkill for a typical CB or GMRS installation, I am partial to Breedlove mounts and use them on my Xterra and my LJ. I intend to eventually replace the antenna mounts on my recently acquired Sprinter with Breedlove mounts. Pricey, but the quality of materials and workmanship is second to none.
https://breedlovemounts.com/
I studied for the ham test at https://hamstudy.org/tech2018
It's a free site. Spent a few hours doing the practice questions. It will tell you how proficient you are. When I got to the low 90%, I took the test and passed.
I believe baeofung makes a highly illegal hand held unit that you can program whatever freq. you want into, again not exactly easy to use for FCC friendly.
I wouldn't really say 'highly illegal'. You can buy them on Amazon for around $25.
As I mentioned above, they're designed for ham radio use, but can also do GMRS. It's just not legal to tune them to a GMRS frequency and transmit (receive is legal). However, it's not really regulated. It's like saying that jay walking and spitting on your neighbor's property are illegal. Unless there's a reason to enforce the law, it won't be enforced.
I agree with Jerry on this one... 2 meter has become the norm on most of the trails in California, Arizona, Nevada, and even Utah over the past 5-10 years. FM transmissions are so much clearer than AM and with the use of repeaters you can transmit several states and the using you radio to transmit on Echo Link will allow you to transmit all over the world.