Best ground for cb antenna

Just curious where those with antennas that require grounding have is the best place to ground it. My antenna is in the back right corner of my bed for the best reception possible.

 

If your antenna is bracketed to the back right corner of your bed, it's already grounded. Post a picture. What size antenna are you running?

 

My ground to the frame is working great.

 

It's a 4ft fiberglass antenna. I have it mounted to the sliding bed rail using some washers and a cheap mirror mount.

Best pic I have ATM.

 

Ah, I see. If you mounted the bracket like this, it wouldn't need a ground.




You can run a wire from the bracket where it is now to one of the bolts I used, that should work pretty good. Keep the ground wire as short as possible.

 

The mount I had wouldn't fit, thats how I originally planned on mounting it. Might as well move it.

Coax cable is done with zip ties like yours. Worked out great as I just had 'em sitting in the garage.

 

http://www.k0bg.com/ground.html

 

I had to drill my bracket out with a uni-bit a few steps to get it to fit, with a washer behind it to level it out.

 

Is there a good spot to mount on the front of the bed that is grounded ? Pretty sure the rail is not. I'm not picking up further than half mile. Or should I make a bracket?

 

I mounted mine On the sliding bed rail behind the cab not picking up worth a crap. I had to make a custome block to put the 1/4-20 screws into. Is that rail grounded or does anyone know? I can post a pic but bracket and screws are stainless steel but the block is steel and not sure about the rail.

 

Rail is not grounded, you'd need to run a ground wire to the frame.

Be careful, the whip will destroy your cab paint, and reflection from the cab will screw up your tuning.

If you don't want to mount to the rear corner, you're better off on the roof.

 

This I what I have I haves ground wire but not sure where to put it ohm reads zero when both are on the bracket but reads 1 when touching bracket and screws.

 

Don't know how to post a picture any one can help

 

What Rich said. Mounting to the rail is not really the ideal spot and behind the cab is even worse for performance unless you have a very long antenna. Your always better off mounting to the roof due to the better ground plane. I had 2 Firestiks that I could never get tuned properly behind the cab. I ditched them for a mag mount on the roof and never looked back.

 

+1. The bed is plastic.

 

I went to Firestick and spoke to the owner for about 2 hrs. He was Military and we swaped war stories. He looked at my truck and said mounting close to the cab would be best. I brought up the ground cable thing and was told to keep it a short as possible otherwise the ground will turn into part of the antenna. Braided ground cable is best. Check out the firestick web site and there are some tips there for your install. Seems there are quite a few people running CB's with a good SWR so Its possible. The CB install is on my list of to do's. I have everything and just put a cap on the truck so I am ready to finish this project now. Good luck let us now how it works out.

 

I can make a custom bracket to fit it on the side rail just because I don't have a long enough coax cable to get it away from the cab. It is a 4' fiberglass Wilson

 

While the side rails are not grounded, the bolts in the rail that hold them on are. At least the one that I checked on my truck is anyways.

 

Just jump it to the frame if you worried about a good ground.

 

+2 bed is plastic. Not going to get good range with ground plane antennae.