As an idea to combat this, you can note the first point of contact between the antenna and the truck, then wrap foam at that point on the antenna. Or, take something large, like a tennis ball, and put it way low on the antenna thus creating the first point of contact, and a soft one at that.

 

When I was searching for my CB setup, I ultimately went with a 4' Wilson using the QD (from Firestik) and the Heavy Duty Spring (also from Firestik). I mounted mine on the driver side inner fender by the hood.

The spring is a must since you'll be using a 4' antenna. The QD is optional but I would recommend it as if you live in a theft prone area it's something you would need

 

I throw my vote in for these too. I had one on my old car and knew lots of people with them on their trucks. When I was looking for one the sales guy took a firestick and tried to bend it. Then he took the K40 and bent it in half. I've hear stories about people that bolt firesticks to their fender and rip up sheet metal under flex. My dad has been running a K40 on his Toyota for over a year now going threw all kinds of brush. Still works great, definitely worth the extra money.

 

I have a 3' Firefly sitting in my garage awaiting installation. I'm putting mine above my driver side taillight using a SS bracket designed for mounting in the door jamb. I'm going to make a backing plate to slip inside the sheet metal to stiffen things up a bit...

 

Yeah you can buy a pack of 4 plastic caps with grips that will screw into the mount so you don't foul it up with dirt and stuff. I think it's pretty cheap - anywhere from $.99 to $3

 

I have been running a Firestik II now since '99, and have not had one problem with them.
I am on my 2nd one, but that is only because I got tired of the white one and wanted a black one to put on the ARB.

When it was on the fender mount, no problems with it off road, other than whipping back and forth some on the spring.

I'm sold on the Firestik IIs.

 

How much does all of this CB equipment cost? I picked up a couple of GMRS FRS Radios for free ($20-$20 rebate) and they work great - about 4.5 mile range consistently (you're supposed to have a license for "high" power - 2W), plus you can put them in your pocket if you want to hike around and still stay in contact. I bought a couple so whoever I go with, I just hand them a radio before we leave. Is there something better about CB that I'm missing? Is it just more common?

 

Basically, it's just more common. But, there's a technical side as well.

These days, a set of FRS radios are very cheap - as you've found. The problem is that you can't depend on everyone to have them. The Old Folks are still running on CB, and you need to be able to interact with the greatest chance of getting out of trouble that you can.

But... There are definitely circumstances where CB will "do better" in terms of communication than FRS. The 4+ mile range that you see being spec'd for FRS gear is "line-of-sight under ideal conditions". In a wooded area, a CB rig with a 4' antenna will tend to do better than an FRS handheld. I was able to bear witness to this firsthand a few weeks ago.

In a "test" of sorts, I was playing relay between 10 folks on CB and one person on FRS. It was VERY obvious that while I was clearly chattering on CB between 10 rigs, I was NOT able to _reliably_ relay to someone running a hand-held FRS radio. The terrain, frequency, antenna height, power, etc. were all factors in this, but while 10/11 rigs could talk, the one remaining soul was left out.

So, even with the FCC opening up new communication freqs, and the technology growing over the years for things like FRS, the age old technology of a 4' whip and a $60 CB still wins out for what we're doing.


Given that you effectively paid nothing for your FRS system, then "the best thing to do" would be to use both when you're on a run. If you're on top of a hill and need help, FRS may be the range winner, but if you're trying to coordinate a number of rigs on a trail, CB will probably win.

In both cases, before you set out on a trail in a public recreation area, make note of the emergency freqs that are in use. Channel 9 is _always_ the CB trouble channel, but with the 800+ channel/subchannel possibilities of FRS, it can vary widely.


{edit: writing a post at 2am tends to cause grammar issues. }

 

Midi pretty much summed it up but the antenna shouldn't cost more than $40 and then $40-$100 for a cb depending on what you want. I loved the hideability of the Cobra C75 so I spent a little extra cash and got that. Its a great little unit and keeps all the controlls right in your hand and even has a weather band. The main reason I got it was for trips. I tend to have a lead foot (what an expensive hobby) but truckers can not only supply occasional humor but also talk about where the cops are hidden. Ive got the best radar detector money can buy but a cb is still the best anti-ticket device out. Radar guns are getting better and better each year. Now half the time they basicly tell you you have a ticket if the cop has a nice gun. Then there is also the handy fact when your on a trip with other people. I have both, a cb in my truck and then I have a belt holder that fit perfectly around the sun visor that holds my talk-about. The handy thing about hand helds is that you can lend them out to ppl that don't have radios at all. Basicly they are just handy but not a must have.

 

Goodtime, do you have any pictures of your CB setup (both interior and the antenna mount)? I went to a local shop today, and they told me I would have to go with a Wilson magnetic mount. I really don't like magnet mounts! Also, what radio did you install? Thanks fr03

 

I have a Firestik mounted on a Valor mirror mount that's actually mounted to my tire carrier. The only bad thing about it is that the chassis ground on the tire carrier is less than optimal, and the antenna light on the Cobra flickers ever so slightly on the mid and high channels. I need a better ground strap; something a bit beefier than the 12ga. braid that I have, something a bit lighter than a battery grounding strap. I'll get a round tuit eventually.

The quick disconnect I got from a closeout place in Canada. I bought two of them plus shipping for the price I would have paid for the Hustler QD by itself.

I don't have any flex problems on the trail, it works quite well. Being in the rear of the vehicle means that only about 18" juts up, and the rest of it is protected by the body.

 

I think the firestick is a really nice antenna. However, I cant figure out where to mount it on an 03! Help! Also, where to locate a CB in cab? thanks fro3

 

Most everyone has already said it -- CB is ubiquitous. Hope I spelled that right. It seems that all the oldtimers on the trail have CB radios.

As far as the radio propagation goes, the HF bands are always less sensitive to terrain than the VHF and UHF bands. That's why you can get shortwave signals (which are generally HF) from the other side of the world, while Channel 57 on the other side of that mountain is always snowy and full of interference.

Too, the "high power" option with FRS (2W) is half of the power of the CB (4W into the antenna, 5W ERP max.) So I would give the points to the CB there too.

Finally, Channel 19 makes the daily drive a whole lot more fun. And useful, actually, even the smokey reports aside; I recently overtook a big truck headed down the road who hadn't secured the tank cap after his fuel stop. Grabbed the CB, told him he was siphoning fuel out of his left tank but that the cap was still on (just not secured.) One happy trucker, not losing a load of diesel down Rt. 78.

I do have FRS radios to communicate within our groups on the trail. When we go for group rides, if there are more than 2 or 3 cars it's nice to chatter among ourselves leaving the CB channel free for the guide and the trail reports. So they have their place but for my part the main trail comms are not it.

You can get CBs for anywhere from 40 to a couple hundred dollars. You can get really good deals at truck stops. I bought two Cobra 29s at a truck stop and my Firestiks, coax and mounts I got from Valco Electronics. Great service and good prices.

 

How about the window mounts? Any good!

 

Get a hood mount if you want to drill abit.

That's what I did. Other options are to drill on the roof (if you want).

 

Good times please give me some info on your 03 installation!
Antenna mount and radio installation location. Also pm to you. Thanks fr03