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Pussies. I've been up all night, embracing the darkness.

 

Fire Pony. Direct all complaints that way.

I think we better be careful around weld county.... haha

 

Sorry just saw this. Xterra and tb will be there. Never heard from the Tacoma guy. They're so unreliable

 

Shit now you are awakw because of work?! Guess who bailed on riding bitch for a couple of other Denver runs? Yeah...^^^ that guy.

 

But you get paid for it and get to crack skulls when you get sleepy for the adrenaline boost.

 

So I am up and probably just gonna see you guys down there on the trail somewhere. Which one are you running first?

 

Lauren mention running Hackett first. It's the first one we hit from the Springs side.

 

I'm 25 min out from Rudy's. Haven't seen a taco yet.

 

When is the next one?

 

This... Got my CB antenna, mount, and wiring in...

 

Awesome, Im wondering if I should change my antenna.

 

why is that?

 

Its very skinny and Im not sure it works right, but I dont know enough about CBs to know for sure.

 

I don't either but I went with a 4' Firestik... though i will say hunting we all use the magnetic 5' antenna's that just look like long AM/FM antenna's and they work great...

only things I've learned about them are, Length makes a differnece and in my experience the closer to the middle of the vehicle the better the reception... YRMV

 

Some CB antenna trivia...If anybody spots a mistake here, let me know.
102" is the optimal antenna length, about 8 1/2 feet. Not too practical unless you drive a semi for work.
Firestik is an excellent brand as well as Cobra, Wilson, K-40...
Short antenna's have a "load", this is designed to simulate the coveted 102".
There are base, center and top load.
Base loaded are most commonly the magnetic mounted variety, but not always...
Center loaded is more commonly used with truckers.
Top loaded is usually found in fiberglass antenna's, such as the Firestick. They tend to give the best reception if tuned right, but there are some drawbacks to using fiberglass, I'll explain later.
Top loaded antennas are usually adjusted with a small screw in the tip of the antenna, usually covered with a small rubber/plastic plug. There are some fiberglass jobs that require a hacksaw to trim...
Base and center loaded antenna's are adjusted by trimming or cutting the top mast to length. You would use a SWR meter to set all of these antennas.

There are also wire wound models that are trimmed by cutting the wire or adding length to the base if needed.

There are of course exceptions to these very general guidelines, so take all this with a grain of salt.

A good antenna will make a cheap cb shine.
A cheap antenna will make a good cb crap.
Fortunately CB antenna's are cheap to begin with, buy the best you can that will fit the vehicle and get it properly trimmed.

Now, using a spring or some kind of disconnect to mount your antenna is just fine, it will change the tuning of your antenna though so have the mounting how you want it before tuning the thing.

Your vehicle is directional where cb antenna performance comes in.
The center of you vehicle is the best if possible. Having at least 2/3's of the antenna above the roof line is ideal but not always achievable.
Antenna mounted on the front bumper will give best reception from the rear of the vehicle.
Mounted on the rear bumper you best reception now goes toward the front.

Current flow:
Base loaded ant have low current running the entire length.
Center loaded ant has high current running through the bottom up to the load then low current at the top.
Top load ant has high current running it's full length.

Drawbacks to using fiberglass.
Really just one imo, they break when hit by branches. Wire whips tend to bend out of the way.

Me personally I use a center loaded wire whip, I use the same antenna on both my 4x4's. Mounted to a stiff spring it stays in place but easily moves out of the way for branches and stuff. Unfortunately I can't remember who made it...

Oops, once again I feel I should have put this in the BS thread, but the question wasn't there...

 

^^^ Have y'all tuned your radios? That is crucial and makes a huge difference. I have a SWR meter if anyone ever needs a tune or to borrow it.

Agreed with all of BDN's comments. I had great success with my Wilson Flex last year, no spring needed and gave it some good whacks for sure.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/wilson-flex-cb-antenna.html

 

Awesome info! thanks!

No I haven't... but wouldn't know how to tune it anyways... you near Denver?

 

Yup, Arvada, let me know if you want some help. Its quite easy and only takes a few minutes as long as the radio, and more importantly the antenna, are installed correctly, ie well grounded, which is the most common source of CB issues.

 

sweet... I'll PM you my number... gonna try installing everything tonight, no rush on getting it tuned as no trips are planned, and I'm still moving into my new place, but I'll buy ya lunch for the effort

 

Cool, just let me know, I am near 70&Ward, and get off work at 4 so most any week day I could help you out, or even over a lunch break.