Veeb0rg

Some days you the windshield, some days you the bug.

DocOrng XJ

Yea i have a pretty good idea

yes you can use stock antenna location

no tieing it down wont hurt it / no damage to either antenna or cb - but yes it will reduce range

a antenna placed at the highest point on a vehicle with the most metal surrounding it (in the middle of roof) will get best reception/distance
the more antennas placed in a row, the better directional reception/distance you will get

of course there is other things like amplifiers and power mics and more batteries that can tune and boost enough power to talk to Australia

whips come in different heights based off wavelength
the longer the antenna, the better reception/distance
depending on what kind of cb & whip / antenna base + coax size & length it has to travel from antenna to CB will determine exact distance

Veeb0rg

Doc, you seem to know a bit about cb's. Know how to tune an antenna? I have a k40 that I think need tuned badly.

dukie564

Dunno about the effectiveness, but IMO it'll look retarded in place of the stock antenna. Plus I've seen multiple cases that people have attached it there and either A) The antenna didn't get a good enough ground to work properly, or B) The antenna twists and cracks the fender. Attach it out back.

This vendor has awesome mounts and package deals w/ antennas - beefy stuff
https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f11/xj...-mounts-67191/

DocOrng XJ

Not really that hard to do, but gets lengthy in explanation
again, based off of antenna placement, length and antenna base(brand) will add some variables

i had mine done the first time professionally(about $20), but then as i started traveling i started playing with the ***** so i needed to do it again,so invested some time and money to figure it out, i have a high end cb, so mine has a swr meter built in

The basic idea behind tuning a CB antenna is to get the SWR to a suitably low reading.
If the SWR is too high, not only is the performance of your CB seriously hindered, but you run a very high risk of damaging your radio. You need to make sure that there isn’t too much power being reflected back into the radio through the feedline from the antenna, which prevents the proper signal output.

if SWR is too high, there is low output from your antenna. Valuable RF power is sent back through the feedline and into the radio. This means that your outgoing signals will be weak and distorted.
Even worse, all that power being sent back to your radio is in the form of heat and can permanently damage the output transistor, which is often not covered by warranty.

By law, a CB radio is only entitled to four watts of RF power, so small adjustments to the SWR can make a significant difference in radio performance.

but to start, your going to need to get a swr meter (about $20, radioshack)

Here is the how to:
go to a empty field, no trees or buildings for about 12 meter radius
no friends or you or anything else parked on the outside
basically you take the swr and hook it to your antenna
hold the mic the same distance from the swr meter each time you do this:
go to channel 1 and key the mic record the settings
go to channel 40 and key the mic record the settings

if channel 1 is higher than channel 40 your antenna is too short
if channel 40 is higher than channel 1 your antenna is too long

adjust your antenna down by cutting or up by buying a new one until you get almost dead even and your done
you can save alot of headache by buying a really super long whip and cutting down from there
i have a wilson 1000 antenna and a 102 whip cost about $80 total, im sure they are around 50-60 by now

remove the swr meter and hook it back to your cb and have fun


I will include 2 links that can explain in detail how to do it right

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/pa...-pv-c0-61.html

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/Equip...io-Antenna.htm


again, i have a higher end cb model, so i didnt have to do all that

i just have to adjust a couple ***** on the cb to tune mine

i can tune everything from rf gain, to squelch, to swr cal
and with the flip of a few switches i can add more or less power to each option
i also have a amp & power mic for more power & dual antennas for more directional talking if i need it

when i bought mine, it was way too expensive and was as good as it got at the time
but even to todays standards its better than what you can buy at walmart - if you can find one like this for less than a hundred bucks totally worth picking up cause the k40 and others that you pay 40-100 for arent this tunable

with the way mine is set up, without adding power to it and the antenna i have on it now, i can usually get a good 60miles radius on a clear day and on t-storm days i can still get 30+ when I add power i can talk across state lines easily

NewKindOfClown

Chrome lol
What about the Uniden PRO520XL? I just want something compact and simple so I can talk on convoys and PA. I normally blast my music, so talking to truckers on the highway and shenanigans like that would be pretty limited. I've been looking at <$50 CBs on Amazon, and it seems to have the best reviews.

DocOrng XJ

There is nothing wrong with $40 & $50 cbs.

Just won't have that long distance talk, basic models with a longer whip can still get you 5-10 miles still.
Which in traffic and convoys & trail riding is plenty enough.

I just don't do anything half *****

DocOrng XJ

But your still going to want to tune it.

NewKindOfClown

I know that. All the radios are 4W if they're legal. The difference is in parts/manufacturing quality and features. The antenna is what really matters for quality and distance, but your setup should always be tuned, regardless. I do my reading, but advice from knowledgeable people is always helpful.

So if I get that one (EDIT: Uniden PRO538W) and a long antenna (tuned), I should be set. But considering what I'll be doing, how much of a difference would it make between standing tall or tethering the end to my roof rack? For example, would a 60" standing up be much different than a 102" tied down?

DocOrng XJ

that is a good question and really the answer comes from, where it will bend, and how good of a antenna you have

with out drawing something out and doing the math i cant answer this with a 100% certainty

antennas dont just broadcast from the highest point it uses the whole entire length of the antenna (which is why the antenna needs to be a certain fraction of a wavelength) and they broadcasts 360 degrees
so 1/2 will broadcast out and 1/2 would broadcast up & down
so, obviously like you said, tied down you wont get as good a distance but it should = somewhere around the same as a shorter one, yes

so, the way i see it, if it bends at a half way point
(1/2 the distance of the antenna = 1/2 the distance of a wavelength) then i dont see why it wont probably have the same effectiveness - if it doesnt bend at a 1/2 way point then, there ya go

your in the army so you already seen/know this:
our hummers drive around a talk with their antennas folded down all the time - then when we need long range we let em go high in the air and tune the radio and next thing you know we're talking to base
of course one thing to remember is they have a better frequency than a cb (cb = citizen band)

also if your out trailing tieing down is good unless you get caught up on a brush or obstacle

pulltabmike

The guy that winched my buddy out has the same one I bought, a Smittybuilt. $299, and it really impressed me. He has had his for 3+ years w/no failures

Mike

NewKindOfClown

Thanks for the lengthy answer. Very helpful. I was thinking about the HMMWV antennas, actually. I like the look of the tied antennas since I got used to the trucks, and it negates the height issue. Any antenna you would recommend to be tethered like that?

Thanks for the input, Mike.

Veeb0rg

I know about the whole cb thing, I've been around it before, just never turned an antenna.

I have a Cobra 29 LTD with an echo board. Unfortunately the meter is busted and doesn't swing. Its hooked to a k40 that's bolted to the bumper. I know this isn't the most optimal placement but there is still a good foot or so of the whip sticking out over the roof. I only really need it for when on the trails, so it doesn't bug me.

The CB maybe clipped and tuned, I'm not sure as it was given to me. I wish I knew of a pro shop around here, I'd love to get it looked at and get the meter fixed.

LoveMy89Anya

welp, some good news. got my cell phone back, and got the electricity to work again. i need a new battery, it keeps corroding really bad on both posts, and there isnt a short in my wiring.

on an annoying note, i wired up the lights just to see how they looked, and when i flipped the switch only one would come on at a time. fiddled with the wires, the other one came on but the one that WAS on went out. wtf? lol

Veeb0rg

Please tell me your using a relay? high wattage lights will melt a switch. Also check your grounds.