Adding better antenna to CB?

What lights are those in the bumper.
(sorry for the thread hijack)

 

No worries, and thanks for what you're doing out there, we need you guys!
I see some antennas are easier to tune than others. Do you have a recommendation?

 

Do you want fiberglass or metal? If I would recommend 1 we have a Wilson 2000 on tractor because I keep breaking the fiberglass ones off. The wilson has a screw adjustment but we always end up cutting just a little off with bolt cutters.
Best thig I can recommend is do your research and get what is best for you. The other thing CB shops say is that you should us 18 ft. of cable not coiled up but spread out. Man just do your homework for your self on what is best for you.

 

I figure metal if fiberglass is likely to brake off-road on low branches.

 

Just took care of the FCC License...$70.00 tax

 

My firestik is the revised fiberglass version. It is VERY bendy. Add in a spring base and it's bulletproof. I've whacked many drive thru posts, branches and the antenna hasn't flinched.

The brand is offroadtown. Haven't had any leaks and it's primarily used as my reverse lights. Haven't ponied up for some nice rigids yet

 

Wow this is the most Ive posted in a long time.
Thanks Guys

 

I have a President CB...I like it a lot. Also have a GMRS license and several handhelds but around here most use CB instead of GMRS or HAM.


Since I have a cap, I have a side body mount from Firestik and a 3’ antenna that clears my garage door. SWR is 1.2. Yes, the side body mount requires drilling two holes in your truck. That didn’t bother me after installing my snorkel.

 

Any thoughts on this antenna

$60 Midland – MXTA26 MicroMobile® 6DB Gain Whip Antenna – Quadruple Signal Output – 32” Antenna

https://www.amazon.com/Midland-Ante...&qid=1585699579&sprefix=mxta26,aps,181&sr=8-2
Sounds like they all need to be tuned via SWR but does keeping the brands together matter much?

 

That’s a shame.

 

doesn’t matter in the slightest. Only requirement is it needs to be GMRS range freq.

you don’t really tune these the way you would a CB antenna and unless you have a VHF/UHF swr meter, I wouldn’t bother. What you need is a good ground plane, meaning a nice patch of sheet metal. Obviously center of the roof on an NMO mount is best but most people don’t want to put a hole in the roof even though it really poses zero to nil risk of leakage. The NMO mounts come with oring seal usually and then the antenna has its own seal also.

You have another choice too which is antenna length. 1/4 wave are shortie antennas, you’ve got all the way up to realistically a 1/2 or 5/8 wave that’s 30+ inches long. You’ve also got flat antennas or the tube stubby antennas too. Again what matters is frequency. Arcadian Antennas has a good selection and makes it easier to find what you need. Most of the Amazon stuff is cheap tram or Browning. Larsen/Laird/Pctel/Maxrad all make good stuff.

 

I don't think that is a CB antenna. I'd get a firestick, at least 3 feet- better to get 4'+. And matching brands does not matter.

 

I think he said he was going with a midland GMRS mobile radio over a CB which is why he posted that particular antenna

 

correct

 

Wilson 5000 antenna. Midland is good radio, President is nice. For more fun get lower and upper SSB. Great fun when set up right.

 

I am going with a Wilson 1000 magnet mount on my bed bar. Roof high, center mounted and no risk of damage to paint.

 

After some more research, I am considering a roof mount (less than ideal IMHO) and a 5/8 or 1/2 wave instead of the colinear. Leaning toward a NMO4503CS or an NMO440CHW.

 

Yes! You find the right group of guys and you have friends for life. Also the FCC restrictions on language make for much more interesting ways to insult your buddies. 2m comms that we are talking about here, nobody calls cq to make contacts, they shoot the shit on the commute.

 

@Freeheelbillie So, hopefully this doesn't confuse you...

GMRS/FRS operate in the 400MHz range:
GMRS: 462.xxxxMHz and 467.xxxxMHz
FRS: 467.xxxxMHz

pending freq, the max wattage out:
GMRS: 0.5W, 12W, and 50W
FRS: 0.5W

NOTE for GMRS:
technically you need a license, but most don't realize this...

HAM: (typical freq bands sold)
2m/70cm: respectively
2m: 150MHz range (just pointing this out)
70cm: 400MHz range

max wattage:
depends on your HAM LIC class... BUT, you NEED a license to "legally operate"!!!

CB operates in the 11m band range:
11m: 27MHz

max wattage:
4W CB
12W CB SSB (i.e. Single Side Band)
I really don't want to get too much into SSB, but just know and think of your 40x regular CB frequencies split into two frequencies... Upper/Lower side bands. And then, of course you have your regular 40x freq channels, for a total of 120x frequencies for a CB SSB unit that are around $250 and up for a mobile unit, typically. You may find some cheaper, but SSB units are typically fairly expensive either way compared to a regular CB non-SSB unit.

Difference between 1/4wave vs 5/8wave vs 1/2wave is how the RF out of the antenna "projects" itself outwards. For example, a 5/8 wave is much more effective "closer to the ground" type propagation. It comes down to what more one is looking for when it comes to transmitting. If you want to connect more to repeaters for instance, a 1/4wave would be a littttttle bit more ideal simply because MOST repeaters are situated on high mountain tops!!! These are the main theories and in many ways proven concepts, but are always an arguable case.

Regarding the 18ft, coiled, etc etc etc... regardless, the output of the radio is "blind" to the outside world!!! With that said though, with the 18ft, for example, that comes from the fact that the 18ft is, more or less, "ideal" for the 11m 1/4wave band. BUT you could easily connect say a 10ft cable, but regardless, it comes down to the TUNING of the antenna system... REGARDLESS!!!

Regarding "not coiling the cable". Supposedly this creates what is known as an "RF choke" if your cable is coiled... Without going into some endless argument here, which can be a good argument I'm not going to lie as I get what is being argued about? BUT, nonetheless, I myself have a coiled cord and my system is "tuned" to roughly a 1.7 SWR across the 40x ch range and NO issues with receive or transmit. Also, the 11m band, HF, can "atmospheric skip" known as "DX'ing"!!! Something that COULD be useful, but another argument regarding CB and its abilities.

Thus, with that said, that is where your SWR meters come into play. If you're looking into tuning a CB system, then you want a HF type SWR meter. If you're looking into tuning a 2m/70cm system, you want a VHF/UHF type SWR meter.

That "I" know of, one never worries about tuning a FRS/GMRS antenna setup. Pretty much a "fixed" type setup. I guess one could if they wanted to make their own antenna and cut it to a selected freq range... not even going to go into detail any further than that, just throwing that out there.

Well, I hope this clarifies SOME things in a nutshell?

ALL in ALL, depends on what one wants out of their radio system.

Does higher output wattage matter with "reaching out farther"? Yes it does!!! BUT... and I say BUT, without a good antenna system, I don't give a flying F*** HOW MUCH WATTAGE one's rig setup puts out because without a good antenna setup, your radio setup is just GARBAGE!!! In other words, antenna setup is very much the key factor, believe it or not???!!!

Anyways, again, hope this gives some insight???

Happy trails brotha!!!