CB Antenna location and quantity advice

So, I need someones opinion who is in the know. I am going with the

$90 Midland 75-822 40 Channel CB-Way Radio

Midland 75-822 (may or may not make a difference what CB I go with??) and am looking for some advice on the Antennas. I am contemplating these set-ups:
dual 4'
single 4'
dual 3'
single 3'

I really would like to limit the height of the antenna for the purpose of wheeling in the woods. I plan on mounting it on the center bed-bar in this pic.
I welded mounting tabs at each connection between bed bar and bed rail support. I was thinking of mounting either one on each side(passenger and driver) or one on the passenger side.

Will there be a significant benefit to having a dual set-up? The CB is for the purpose of wheeling with a group. No real extended terrain use... i don't think. I would rather stick with a single set-up if the benefits are not significant enough for a dual.

Also, should I go with a grounded or non grounded set-up?

Thank you!

 

Single looks better imo

 

Most of the people at CB Shops that I talk with , recomendet One antena with ground.(4' should do the job)

 

I get 25+ km range with my single 4'... no need for a double IMO.

I keep mine behind the cab like you are talking about as well, just off to one side and it still works good... Keeps it from being knocked off from low branches and stuff too!

 

Ok. Sounds good. I am leaning towards the single 4'. I don't want to mount it right behind the cab though because I don't want the antenna wacking the cab when a branch grabs it. I will be mounting it on the center bar. I would think the cb would get a better signal there a well.

Thank you!

 

Single with a good ground. If your gonna do it over the open space you might wanna look for an antenna with radials at the base. They are a series of wires that simulate the roof or metal surface that the antenna uses to direct and reflect the signal.

This one is from Wilson electronics.



The problem with running dual antennas with both hooked up is you polarize the signal. Which means dual whips behind can will radiate the signal to your sides, for argument sake probably 80:20. Like 800' sideways and 200' front to back. That is why a single with a good ground plane is preferred.

 

Just get the 9' Stainless still whip... best 1/4wave antenna out there. and it only cost 25$

 

Thanks for the helpful info. I will go with the single 4' antenna.

 

I was into Cb radios for many years until about 10 years ago I decided to get into ham radio

Any question/questions unanswered, I will do my best to help if I can, just pm me if need be

Keep this in mind, your antenna is the single most important part of your station, be it mobile or a base station

You are going to talk and hear, only as good as your antenna is, also your swr=standing wave ratio, needs to be 1.5 to 1 or lower, your local cb shops can set this for you if you dont have a meter or dont know how to use one

You can have 1000 watts but ya still wont be heard very well, nor will you hear others very well if your antenna is not right

It is easier for a newcomer to setup one single antenna vs two

If you are willing to go with a bigger antenna for mobile use, the old trusty 102 inch steel whip is hard to beat

One of the easiest antenna`s on the market to setup is a Wilson magnet mount, if you plan on running a small amp the Wilson 1000 is a good choice, for just a barefoot radio the Lil Wil is a good choice

The magnet does a pretty good job as far as having a good ground, so theres no need in running ground wire

If ya have a garage and ya dont wanna hit the garage door you can take it off and set it in the bed of the pickup

Antenna location ?
The best place on a pickup is in the center of the roof, it will be sitting on top of all of the metal making for a very good groundplane

Namebrand/type of radio ?
I dont know what everyones idea of a lot of money is but there are many good ones on the market starting at 75 bucks going up to 400 bucks, it just depends on how much ya wanna spend

Regardless of which radio ya choose to go with, take it to a well known cb shop in your area and have them peak and tune it for good output and modulation

A standard Cobra 25 Ltd classic will run ya in the neighborhood of 75 bucks and add about 25 bucks for it to be peaked and tuned, the Cobra 25 does a pretty good job if the antenna is right

Or you can go with a Galaxy or a Connex, either are good choices, I prefer the Connex, these can be had for around 200 to 400 bucks depending on the model

Hope this was helpful, good luck with what ever ya choose to go with

 

Thank you for the advice. I ended up sticking with a NGP set-up in the middle of my bed. It works really well for what I intend. I can hear and talk clearly. Just need to test the range now. It seems this will be perfect for the woods.

 

i have the 4 foot firestik, i'm tossing around the idea of getting rid of it for a 3 foot one

 

Why is that? Is yours mounted right behind the cab? I went with a 4' in the middle of the bed rail so it doesn't whack the cab.

 

I've been thinking about installing dual 4' antennas at the rear of the bed to either side of the tailgate using door jamb mounts. I was under the impression that dual antennas act as their own ground plane and would also provide best transmission range to the front and rear of the vehicle. Given that the bed is partially plastic and ground continuity suspect, I would also run a direct ground wire to the frame for each antenna.

Looking for feedback on using two vs. one at this location.

 

Two is not better than one. Not to mention a huge pain in the ass to tune. Most guys running dual set-ups only have one antenna hooked up and just do it for looks.

 

This is the advice I got on two antenna vs one:

 

it WAS mounted behind the cab, now its on my toolbox

I park alot in garages because all my business takes place in the city so i'm tired of it wacking the roof when i pull in and out

 

From everything that I have read, co-phased (dual) antenna installations create a radiation pattern that favors communication directly in front and back of the vehicle. This is why truck semi drivers favor this type of installation. If they work on big rigs why won't they work on pick-ups?

Co-phase antennas can improve performance on vehicles that lack good ground plane characteristics (fiberglass motorhomes, trucks, etc.). Instead of using available metal to reflect the radiated energy, the antennas use each others field. This is one of the reasons I thought it might work well when mounted in the rear of a taco since these truck beds are plastic.

 

Semi's use them because of they typically drive on roads, with traffic in front and behind them. Off road use typically has other users in a non-linear orientation, a front and back configuration would limit your ability to communicate to your left and right sides.

Also dual antennas need much more distance between them than a typical pick up can provide to reach optimal tuning. Truckers mount them on their mirrors as far from each other as possible.

 

I just found this info on Co-Phasing Mobile Antennas

"Co-Phasing antennas simply means taking two identical antennas, mounting them on the vehicle and feeding them in-phase. One of the biggest misconception of radio operators is what kind of effect this has on the radiation pattern. Most people think that after you Co-Phase two mobile antennas, your signal will be strongest in line with the vehicle body (meaning the signal is strongest down the road straight in front of you and straight behind you also. This is the theoretical effect that you would get from co-phasing two omnidirectional antennas. However, to realize this effect you need to satisfy a couple of requirements. For one, a good earth ground with long (over a wavelength or so) radial wires is required. Secondly, at CB frequencies the closest you would be able to place these antennas are about 18 feet apart. Since it is impossible to satisfy these requirements, the effect of co-phasing is seriously diminished. Unfortunately, even the "Radio Shack Antenna Book" states that co-phasing two mobile antennas will produce a two directional signal.

So then, is there any advantage to co-phasing two mobile antennas? Why yes, there is. Before we noted that the radiation pattern of a single antenna is "pulled" where there is the most metal vehicle body. You can see the pattern is not perfectly omnidirectional like we would expect it be. As we travel down the road, you will notice signal fade ("flutter" or "waver") from this uneven radiation pattern. Co-phasing two antennas will even out the pattern irregularities. Instead of making the pattern more two directional, it will make it more omnidirectional. Do not expect more "gain" from two antennas. Figure 3 shows how co-phased antennas clean up the radiation pattern. Read the section "Co-Phasing" for instructions on how to make a harness to feed your co-phased antennas. It best to get them as far apart as possible. The best way would be to mount one on the front bumper in the center and one on the back bumper in the center also. Most people think this looks silly (me included!) and mount one on each side of the vehicle."