CB Antenna Location

Z

ZheGerman

New member
I want to install a CB in my 2012 JKU, however there is a lot of debate where I should mount the antenna for best performance and range. I saw a lot of Jeeps with FireSticks between the tailgate and the tire carrier. I did some research on it and apparently it is the worst spot where you could mount your antenna, because of the radiation getting trapped between the two objects and the sent power would reflect back to the CB itself and cause damage in the long run. Also it will prevent to tune your antenna.....

My question is besides mounting it on the roof, if mounting it by the front fender using a channel mount wold be the second optimal spot for it and what kind of antenna should I use for best results. I don"t want the CB just to work a short distance so I can only use it on trails I want to get max performance out of it.
 
Short of installing one smack in the middle and on top of your Jeep, everywhere else will be a bit of a compromise. The single best thing you can do is just to make sure that your antenna is installed on part of your Jeep with a good ground. The tailgate sucks because it doesn't offer a good ground but, if you wire up a ground strap, it will help. If you have a bumper tire carrier, I would recommend installing one on it as it'll be bolted to your frame. We've always had good luck with this in the past.
 
wayoflife said:
Short of installing one smack in the middle and on top of your Jeep, everywhere else will be a bit of a compromise. The single best thing you can do is just to make sure that your antenna is installed on part of your Jeep with a good ground. The tailgate sucks because it doesn't offer a good ground but, if you wire up a ground strap, it will help. If you have a bumper tire carrier, I would recommend installing one on it as it'll be bolted to your frame. We've always had good luck with this in the past.
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I do have a bumper with a tire swing away carry,but have HI-Lift and Gas Cans on the side, it does not leave much room for the antenna but could squeeze it probably on there....I probably would have to ground it as well. Asking questions in Stores like RadioShack or Fryes about a CB is like asking questions about telegraph machines hard to find a place that deals with this kind of stuff. Thanks for the advice.
 
ZheGerman said:
I do have a bumper with a tire swing away carry,but have HI-Lift and Gas Cans on the side, it does not leave much room for the antenna but could squeeze it probably on there....I probably would have to ground it as well. Asking questions in Stores like RadioShack or Fryes about a CB is like asking questions about telegraph machines hard to find a place that deals with this kind of stuff. Thanks for the advice.
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Yeah, you'd be better off going to a truck stop or emailing someone at an online store that specializes in CB's. What kind of swing away tire carrier do you have? I might be able to give you some suggestions as to how and where you can mount something.
 
wayoflife said:
Yeah, you'd be better off going to a truck stop or emailing someone at an online store that specializes in CB's. What kind of swing away tire carrier do you have? I might be able to give you some suggestions as to how and where you can mount something.
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I have attached a couple of pics below as you can see there is not much room, the set up is Body Armor Rear High Clearance Bumper and Tire Carrier with Gas Can Holders. Any ideas are welcome....

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13JKUR said:
I found this to be a good compromise from what I've read. I too am in the same boat as you and I think I'm going this route.

http://www.cooltechllc.com/jeep/jk_ultramount.shtml
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I've ripped my license plate holder off too many times to think this is a good location.

I have the cool tech mount for the tailgate and don't seem to have any problems. I hear people fine and they seem to hear me okay too. :thumb:
 
Hmmm, that does make it tough as I would have tried installing something right where you have your white rotopax. You still might be able to but, it'll take some creative thinking.
 
Yesterday I got a L shaped bracket, I will mount it on the passenger gas can holder and run a ground wire to ground the piece. I am planning on using a 4' FireStick. I will post pics when I am done.
 
Get a small piece of steel and and then bolt that to where the white rotopax is installed. Face the steel toward the passenger side. That is similar to what I did.
 
Mounted mine right in the middle of my tire rack. Just sanded some paint off and used aircraft grade ground strap. It tunes and works just fine.
 
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