cb antenna mounting location

I have Jerry's mount:

http://www.bayareametalfab.com/1st-Gen-CB-Mount_p_22.html

 

Hey brother, how do you like that setup? I'm thinking of doing the exact same thing. I'm wondering if a 102" whip mounted on the rear bumper will have better performance than a 4 or 5 foot firestick on a hood hinge mount. I've heard bumper mount is not ideal, but with such a long whip it should still perform pretty good. What's your experience with your configuration? Thanks!

 

Fabbed up this mount in 15 minutes for my 4' firestik. Just a piece of 1" angle iron, cut to fit and painted. Been on the truck a couple years now with no issues at all.

 

The 102" whip works best when mounted to the center of a tool box...better ground plane and sits higher. On the rear bumber it has limitations such as being directional that reduces signal depending on which way your facing. Placed mine on the rear bumper to prevent it from getting hung up in my carport and for it not to whip back and hit my windshield when going under low branches.
Some folks use firesticks without issues but don't see them on hunting trucks; they don't seem to reach the long distances like a whip.

 

Inside bed rail mount on the drivers side.

 

Do you still get pretty good performance with your bumper mount?

 

Yes.....several miles, sometimes more. Cb power, weather conditions, etc can play a part in how good the reception/transmissions are.

 

2ft Firestick mounted to my FrontRunner Bottleopener on my roof.

I had to destroy the bottle opener.

 

Finally a pic of my setup! I was inspired by @MatthewMay1

I had to grind paint off of the bracket and bedside where it bolted and the underside of the tailgate bracket where the stud contacts. I checked resistance from the stud to a good ground on the frame and had good continuity. Performance seems pretty good though reception around the city isn't too great. Picked up a few truckers near the highway that came in nice and clear. Probably about 2 miles away or so.

I checked SWR without the spring at first and it was around 3. With spring added it went down to 2-2.5 depending on what channel. I'd like to lower it further but I'm guessing I'd have to lengthen the mount slightly. Maybe a spacer of some kind?

To tie it down I used some paracord and a small fastex type buckle. I like to say it's "deployable"!

And a piece of foam weatherstripping to insulate the lower part from touching any metal. The weatherstripping is temporary til I think of something better. Can that affect performance, the weatherstripping covering some of the antenna?

 

Nice. I got better SWR without the spring. Your reading is probably higher than you want because of the shell and rack