I'm fishing for ideas on CB antennna mounting for my 93 Runner. I have looked at the hood mount and was looking for something a little more "indiscrete". Has anyone mounted a CB antenna to the factory roof rack? I will likely use a fold-down mount or a quick disconnect with it since I won't be using it alot and need to park inside from time to time. I don't have a big problem putting a hole in my roof for the wire (provided there is some type of waterproof fitting available). Any ideas? BTW, I've chosen the Cobra 18 WX ST II with a Firestick II (length to be determined)

 

Without drilling holes, the easiest way is the fender mount like I use to run.

You could also get a bracket fabbed up to run on your brushgaurd up front.

The quick disco is a good idea as that is what I run, and I take the antenna off nightly to prevent theft.

http://www.pnw4runners.net/tando/cb.htm

With the antenna in either of the two areas mentioned, the coax can go through the firewall.

That radio will fit right in your dash I beleive right below your radio.
That is what Jackson runs I think.
http://128.226.93.63/

 

Corey,

I see you have a spring as part of your mount. Is that a type of mount you'd recommend? I haven't come across any that have a spring like that. I've been looking at this distributor for the Cobra CB. They offer a "tune up" for the new radio. I 'm going to email them to see what that exactly means. I'm hoping it means a boost in power, etc. What else could this "tune-up" be? I'm pretty new to CB's.

 

The spring is seperate. It can screw into any mount, and I recommend getting a heavy duty spring.

A tuneup can mean a lot of things.
A shop can fiddle with the chip in there to boost it a bit, but to get the "Supertune" like I did, it requires a new chip be soldered into place.

My final amp (4 watts) was taken out and a 24 watt one replaced.
Plus a few wires snipped here, reconnected there, it's a job left for the CB shop pros who do this on a daily basis.

Also when you order your coax, you want an 18' length.
Also read the FAQ on Firestik's website linked from my CB page.
Lots of good reading.
Corey

 

heres some info on CBs and Antennas. great reading!!!

http://www.media-north.com/4wd/cb.htm

 

I have a "luggage rack" mount on my roof basket. I have a 66" stainless whip (Radioshack All-Terrain antenna-appropriate, huh?) that has the loaded coil base. It is installed into a quick release(comes in handy at the ferry terminal to avoid overheight vehicle surcharges) which is screwed to a ground plane base with four fiberglass radials, finally into the luggage rack mount. I have the cable run between the cab and canopy, and into the rear of the cab. Only problem is that with the CB cable and roof lights, I can't remove my canopy.

 

Cobra makes a really good magnetic antenna that Ive been using for several years. You can place it on the center of the roof just ahead of the rear hatch. The mast which is spring loaded unscrews from the base and then you can unscrew the mast at the coil in the center to brake it into two pieces that will fit into your glove compartment. Its cheap and works well. http://www.cobra.com/index.php?page=...e29dc4eb63.jpg

 

Hey I was going to post a topic just like this! I had just gotten a Cobra 29LTD classic for chrismas (early present). I think I will bring it back and get the Cobra 18 WX ST II too. This has been the one I've been wanting to get and I can get it cheaper than the 29LTD. Can the 18WX fit in a 1 din slot? Also, what's a Firestick II? Is that the antanea, and if so, are they good ones? I havn't figured out what kind of antanae to get.

I'm not sure where to mount mine either. Same problem as you. I'm leaning more towards a rear bumper mount though. Hood mount would be cool, but with my runner not being 4wd, it may look kinda dorky. Oh well.

Well, have fun.
DH6twinotter

 

whoooops I knew I should have used spell check. I spelled Christmas wrong. And antennae. Oh well, my fingers are freezing cold.

 

Look on my CB page for pics of the Firestik II antenna.
The II's are considered a very good antenna.
The Cobra 18 should fit in your dash.

I can't get to Jackson' site right now, but I am sure he has this in his dash.
Corey

 

Cebby:

Ask Robinhood what he did. If I recall, he fab'd a bolt-on mount.

Bob

 

Ya Robinhood, I would like to hear more about that antenna mount that you made up as well.

 

As Corey said, get a heavy-duty spring. The springs all seem stiff when you try to bend them by hand with nothing attached to them, but I found that my Firestick was bending way too far back going down the freeway with the light-weight one, and the antenna is only 4' long if I remember right.

I managed to make my fender mount so I could take the antenna mounting bracket off and bolt it to a place inside the hood for a no-antenna look. It was pretty involved by the time I got done. It isn't as fast as I would like since I have to use a wrench to remove the bolt holding it in so I haven't used it much. If I had more time, I think I could come up with a better way, but there are other things to do.

Alan

 

Here's my pseudo writeup.

I works OK, but I've found it's not the best mounting system. I flexes a little too much and as a result, it loosens the screws. When they loosen the mount wiggles and will eventually rub the paint off. But the screws might be part of the problem, as I didn't use sheetmetal screws. Actually, I used some wood screws I had laying around after I took apart my Ikea TV stand.

Also, when the antenna sways, it also flexes the sheetmetal and I'm sure that eventually it will fatigue and break. As soon as I get my rear bumper built I'll just mount there. In the mean time I tied the antenna to the roof rack with some fishing line to prevent it from swaying.

The mount I made should work if it's a little shorter and the antenna is the thin metal one, not the heavy fiberglass one.

By the way, I don't know how I got around without a CB before. I used it this weekend while traveling and listened to all the truckers saying why there was a traffic jam and which freeways are jammed up. It sure helped.

Steve

 

That's a great looking setup! I think I'll give that bumper mount a try. Looks pretty straight forward. Does your antennae hit the back of the truck? I see a lot of people put tennis balls on their antennae and I'm not to crazy about the looks of that. Is the spring mandatory? I'm trying to get by cheap here.

Cebby--when you find out what the "tune up" is, can you let me know? I was kinda wondering about that too. Thanks for that link. That's the best price I've seen for that CB radio.

Well, got to go to class.
Have fun.
DH6twinotter

 

I've never had my antenna hit the truck during normal day to day driving. It does hit when I'm off roading though. I think when I go offroading, I'll put a tennis ball on, but take it off when I'm just driving around.

I would recommend a spring for the fiberglass antennas if you plan on hitting things with the antenna, like trees or garages. Otherwise I don't really think it's necessary. (I could be wrong, I'm new to CB.)

If you make a mount like mine, try to find a better place to mount it. Like I said, I'm sure that the truck's sheetmetal will eventually fatigue and crack. If you're not going to offroad in tight places, then I was thinking somewhere out the side of the rear wheel well. Just look around underneath and use your imagination. When you're custom fabing things, anything is possible. Also, make the mount as short as possible to prevent flex. Most of the swaying in my antenna is caused by the flat bar bending, not the spring.

Edit: If you use a thin metal antenna, then you probably won't have fatiguing problems. But then since it flexes more it might hit the back of the truck.

Good luck,
steve

 

the thing i dont like about firesticks, are that they are made of ceramic, and tend to shatter if struck hard, esp when wheeling and it hits a overhanging tree... or like me, im in Los Angeles a lot and they have parkin structures where my stock radio antenna hits the ceiling!

 

I think you mean they're made of fiberglass. But yeah, they would break if bent enough.

 

I called 1stopelectronics.com today to get info on there "tune up". We got to talking about antennas and mounting too. Here's the scoop:

TUNE UP
This mod involves "aligning the radio" and "opening up the audio". This must be techspeak, since I had to ask WTF that means. Basically, he said it is a boost in power and sound quality. On the Cobra 18WX ST II, the power would go from 4-5 watts to 15-20 with improved recognition and sound quality. Depending on the radio model, standard power is typically 4-5 watts with the tune up taking it to 15-40 watts.

ANTENNA/MOUNT
In order of best to worst, he said the best is the roof of the vehicle, second would be the front bumper or hood, and last would be the rear bumper. The reason for this rational is that the antenna should be above the vehicle so it doesn't have to broadcast throught the vehicle. Ideal location is 2 feet from the rear of the vehicle in the center.

I hope this clears some things up. I am just relaying the information - I am no expert.

 

The tune-up sounds like a chip replacement like was done to my Cobra.

To get that much of an increase, they replace the final amp.

Believe me, with this mod you will be heard, as long as you are coupled to a good antenna setup.
Corey