Grounding a CB antenna in composite bed

Not the most ideal.

 

http://www.cbtricks.com/members/toban/swr.htm

 

First I would use dielectric grease on the fitting screwing into the adapter. What antenna are u using? The ground u should use heat shrink tubing on crimped end. Not electric tape.

 

4' firestick, thought i had heatshrink but couldn't find it and didn't feel like leaving. I have plenty of connectors so can redo it if I need to. And Dielectric grease into the SWR meter?

 

No. Where the antenna plugs into adapter. And the cable to the radio connects to. The fire stick is tunable. I put up 2 links. It should get u in the right direction. Let us know how it comes out. If u need more help let us know.

 

Google and learn how to use the meter correctly.

 

The first link says in order to tune you must go to Channel One and switch it to FWD. Hold in the mic and adjust to where it's at the end of the spectrum and continue holding and switch it to ref and record what it is at. Doing that on Channel 1 it is at 3.5. Then it says to do the same procedure on channel 40 and I get 4.0.

 

It says if channel 40 is higher then the antenna is too long an to start shortening it in quarter inch increments until you get to a 1.5:1 ratio.

 

If you want a clean mounting setup, just run a Total Chaos or similar bed reinforcement brackets, then tie your CB antenna onto the mounting point. The brackets tie into the frame via the rear bed bolt so that entire thing is grounded, no wires or anything necessary, just nice solidly fastened bolts, threads, nuts, etc.

 

When holding down the mic u will turn the knob till it goes to the furthest line to the right. Then u hit the switch and get ur reading. Now change channel 40. And repeat.

 

Yes I did it step by step and got 3.5 for Channel 1 and 4.0 for Channel 40. My antenna is too long?

 

Technically yes.. But with both sides swr soo high, that's a ground issue or other issue. Could be that your antenna is too close to your cab reabsorbing too much signal reflected off the cab.

 

Just test it further away from the cab. The best place is on top of truck. But if u can't u want it higher then the cab. Just move it around and keep checking. It sucks I know but spend the time to do it right. Less headaches down the road.

 

makes sense, what other options do I have since on top of the truck would make it hard to go through the trails. Which I do very often, other corner of bed near tailgate? On the bumper? Would putting it on the bumper cause the signal to bounce off the bed like it does the cab?

 

I'm gonna put mine on the hood mount. 3ft firestick.
Did u try just running a wire straight to the battery for the ground. Just to test if it's the ground. Run the wire wild. Go to neg. On battery and test. If same reading, tune the tip of the antenna.

 

No I ran the ground wire to the frame and I tested to make sure that that part of the frame was a good ground do you mean where the radio antenna goes or is there another mount?

 

I would still just run to battery. If u have a firestick the tip is tunable. Remove the red cap and there's a threaded tip. Raise or lower.

 

My antenna is there and I have an swr of 1. I ran a wire onto a bolt on the frame and that's worked really well for me. 14 gauge wire. The connector for the wire is attached to the k24 mount bolt. I just ran it along my coax cable and zip tied it to it, co ax cable is run through ac drain grommet

 

Try testing ground to anther part of your mount? Also check this

You want the ground as short as possible, to the frame should be sufficient, if his mount is properly grounded and the continuity checks out

 

I went to a cb shop yesterday and they said if you ground it straight to the stud it can cause a short. Run the ground to a bolt on the mount