CB Radio Antenna Install the Do's and Don'ts
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2022
- There's plenty of wrong ways to install a cb antenna and just a few right ways. Remember to always check your swr with an external SWR meter. Don't trust your CB Radios internal swr meter. Be heard with a better mic as well, I like to use Ranger or Astatic, but there's other quality mics. Always use a quality coax RG8X is good for low power radios, but RG400 is better for higher power cb radios.
I've been a residential electrician, commercial electrician, and industrial maintenance technician. Still, came here to figure out which way the antenna mount grounds, and which side the plastic washer went on. I found what I needed thanks to your care, and time, creating this video. Thank you kindly sir!
Lol I'm a coms tech and I still come here.
Not much of an electrician if you can't figure out the difference between a ground path and an insulator.
@bruceclark5627 its different on a vehicle and figuring out where it goes to the antenna and all that.
Electrician for 37yrs., have built my own antennas ,@15years old.
Being an electrician and a radio technician are different fields. I'm a foot surgeon, but since I know the brain is inside the skull, I should be able to figure out brain surgery.
3:30 mounting location
9:25 antenna washers
13:38 grounding
19:20 running coax cable
I spent my working life as an electronic engineer working RF systems on military aircraft. You have done an excellent job of explaining RF system installations in a clear precise way that a layman can understand. You hit all the key points that must be done correctly for a successful installation.
I don't usually follow people. But this guy knows what he's talking about. His presentation is awesome! What a great personality!
I’m a entry level novice and I appreciate and approve of these videos. Saves me from advertising I’m full blown idiot Thanks for these. God bless brothers.
It’s great to see a no-nonsense video on this subject without the mythology and urban legends surrounding antennas.
Thank you for the knowledge! 25 year I.T. Provider, didn’t know the basics of CB antennas. Thanks again!!!
You’re doing a great job helping us. Thanks 🙏
I like this guy. He’s honest and helpful.
I really appreciate this approach to helping new people, it is thoughtful and VERY thorough!!!
Thanks for watching
30+ year truck driver here you do a great job explaining how and why to hook up. Much appreciated.
Glad to help
You made this so simple and concise that a child could understand. I don't think that you missed much of anything except maybe bonding the vehicle's exhaust to the frame in addition to the other body panels. I really enjoyed watching this video. BTW all of this is applicable to amateur radio as well. Many can benefit from your knowledge.
I have 2 videos on RF bonding. Thanks
Love this dude! Very informative and by far the best explanation to date for us newbies. Thank You!
Good good it's a pleasure to see someone who enjoy s teaching the new guys great job
3rd vid I’ve watched from you so far. Still going. Thanks for being descriptive!!!
Whats up Mr Rich! I've been watching all your videos lately and recently got back into the CBs because of you. Thanks for the videos and sharing the know how. Im in CA and hardly anyone here use the CB anymore. I talk more with Base stations now than other mobiles on the road. I wish drivers would soon realize this is the easiest way of communication between us all out here, you need it, plan and simple. Dont let them die out
Thanks, lots of big, big base stations out your way on the west coast. I hear them regularly here in Atlanta on my mobile.
Just the other day I heard a guy talking to someone in Georgia from Cali, I was up here in North eastern Oregon. Unfortunately I was running mobile and lost the signal after traveling a bit.
I've noticed tuned radios, especially tuned on the receiver side, will pick up some crazy skip. I hear all that too everyday in south cali
@@edwardojr2838 RF bonding the vehicle and a whip antenna will help the receiving as well.
Wonderful explanations.
Details matter, the more details taken care of the happier you will be.
Thanks for the great explanation. I just ordered 20' of ground strap and connectors and will be "getting carried away and fancy" when they arrive! This is probably the step I've been missing as I'm never able to get out or receive like I should. I've been running an old Magnum S-6, but I've got a new Stryker 497HP on the way. Wish me luck, and thanks again!
Love watching your videos Mr.Rich. very informative. Thank you for taking your time to explain things to us new guys.
Thanks for watching
@Nathan Erickson good deal, and awesome to here.👍
Thanks again for another super helpful video! I really appreciate the supportive attitude for newbies.
I have an aluminum truck. I applied 3 layers of paint protection film in patches on my roof because persnickety, then painted and stuck with glue and Gorilla duct tape under the roof skin several truss straps in key areas. Painted to avoid galvanic reaction. I did use a couple of strips of PPF across the front of the magnet mounts, for aerodynamic help. Yeah. Works like a champ so far.
Thanks for posting this. Just starting to consider a CB mount to my truck. This helped me to learn some key points.
Very informative, I am really appreciative of this video, thanks for sharing your experience with us. I've learnt a lot...
My magnetic K40 antenna is on the way, and based on your information, plan to install it on the hood, of my truck, I just haven't figured out how to run the wire into the truck cab without the wire, flopping around, or getting in the way. Considering drill a hole somewhere but really don't want to.
Oh great…been trying to figure out why my first cb setup won’t work for crap (why I’m here)….I threw out that plastic washer as I thought it was just a spacer for thin mounts but my back rack mount is thick…now I gotta figure out where to get another plastic washer lol
Thank you for the thorough explanation. Learned a lot from just this video.
I’m one of the new guys. I appreciate your videos very much. Thank you.
Thanks for watching
this man should be a teacher .. covered things i have forgot .was looking for wire routing from bed to cab for 2011 silverado an the ground plan mounting caught my eye . good stuff
❤ thanks for sharing this video with us. Looking forward to seeing more great videos about this.
Thank you so much for the good info! I am new to cb’s but need one for work. This was extremely helpful and solved my problems!
Great video! Saving this for my install on my JK 😎👍
This video answered every single question I had. Thank you so much!
Thank you!!! this is the help that I needed. it's surpirisingly hard to find some of this basic information.
I've had problems getting high SWR's. 2 swr plus.Well my dump truck has a lot of fiberglass. I ended up installing a NGP (no ground plane antenna) checked my SWR. Came back 0 SWR. Awesome. The antenna was a NGP with an adjustable tip for your SWR.
Great job, your videos are very informative. Thank you again.
Thank you so much. Been looking for a while and I guess the search came up for your video finally.
This is very easy to understand and comprehend.
Even for my ADHD brain I was able to follow along and finally utilize my radio properly.
Thanks for this great video. Well explained. Sadly, I am the guy with the 10 gage wire going from the driver's side bed stake hole mount to the truck frame. I'm not looking to broadcast a great distance, just listen to the truckers around me on the highway and keeping in touch while off-roading. Some day I may look at tearing it apart and adding a braided bonding strap set up.
Upgrade that, you'll wonder why you didn't do it sooner. Here's a video of the grounding on my Freightliner. ruclips.net/video/ohkOX45dJn0/видео.html
Great video man, been trying to get in cb stuff for a while now and I’m confident in putting one in my truck now
Awesome, welcome to the hobby.
Thanks for your input.
Greetings from Reno, Nevada.
I am a beginner at this and this video really was informative thank you.
Your doing great by even trying to deal with ppl,I have my own channel as well ..and ppl are always gonna comment ..now as a technician..and been doing this since 1984... A base load is always a load at the very bottom we're the feed point is ... Also a center load is considered any load above the feed point....of the antenna .... But most importantly is mounting the load above the counter poise of the car ...being the ground plane of the carr ...the roof ... You never want the load below this point ..it's critical.... U want to be on top of cab and dead center for optimal ground plane....NEVER PUT a antenna behind the cab below the roof line .... U must not even put a coil with a blocking obstruction... Your right on these theory... You must have it above the roofline of u want true performance ...or else u might as well just throw it in the back of the bed!!!! .... Lol 73s
This is just what i was looking for. I'm thinking of putting a CB radio in my land rover soon.
Thanks J, just started looking into getting a CB radio and came across your video. Great information and you made it easy to understand. More than happy to have subscribed to your channel.
This was super helpful! You're doing great!
Thanks for the information. A good meter is a must.
You will get all the respect from me. I definitely can use this information. Thank you, thank you and God bless.
Thanks for watching
My 102 inch whip with 6 inch spring works great on the center of my tool box!!
Good points. My 2018 Nissan Frontier bed sits on rubber grommets. Ground braid is imperative!
You have and do make very informative content. Thank you!
Thank you for explaining this so well brother!
Great job, I learn something new every time...
Glad to hear it!
You did a great job thank you for helping me out with this!
Good education and attitude in this video.
dude bad ass video! definitly helping me figure out my radio issues. thanks brother!
Glad to help.
Awesome info sir! I been thinking of getting into the cb hobby with my Ram Sport..... researching antenna mount ideas as well as radio mounting. Thank you. Great stuff. My late stepfather was into HAM radio and had one in his truck.
Thanks for watching
Great video, I very much appreciate the knowledge and the help with tips and tricks!
Thank you
Thanks for watching
22:37 Very accurate. I discovered this for myself when I installed an LED motion detector light on the garage ceiling next to the door opener. The signal from the remote to the opener became very erratic. Replaced with an incandescent bulb - fixed.
Thank You For INFO - Basics is # 1 !
Thanks for posting. I have an old dodge van im trying to do the CB thing with and i have the radio, the co-ax and trying to decide on mount. Its going to be on the roof just rear of center. The washer info is key for me learning.
You can use a triple mag mount from Tram and be able to run almost any antenna with it.
Thank god I am from the south and can tolerate southern talk and mannerisms without getting pissed off because "condescending" to Californians is normal speech down here. Also here to learn CB. Got a firestik antenna and am learning how to use it. Thanks J Rich
Thanks for watching
Awsome video,thanks for sharing ,appreciate it 🎉🎉
Liked and subscribed. This was EXCELLENT!!!!
Good video and nicely explained.
Yeah that’s what I’m thinking and I’m not getting enough ground I put on I put my antenna on a van in the back self tapping screws and I did take wire to the frame of the antenna down all the way down to the bottom of the back window and screwed the screw in air so that might be the problem I’ve never had this problem before never hold my whole life because I always use of course majority of my time I always use the magnet antennas I put them on my truck I built a cable and I could just pull a leverage like you do a lawn more and drop the antenna down because I worked around the garage and I didn’t want it in a banging everywhere so I just folds down and it was on my rolling bar on my truck and I don’t have a truck no more I’m driving a stupid van I hate vans you know I’m not young puppy with this stuff but sometimes you forget things and you explain it pretty good keep the good work for other people but that’s what I’m thinking is ground but you’re actually letting me know that for sure it is the ground problem because my SWR will not go down and it stays on 40 to 1 it stays 3.1 and I can’t get it to budge I’m not used to using these kind of antennas I built antennas for my home base like I said the first time I promise in a vehicle
lol I came here trying to figure out why my swr is 5.4. Mounted my Wilson 5000 right to the back bumper where you said not to , I will moved it tomorrow
I bought a Lil Will antenna so that I didn't have to worry about trying to ground the base. My Volvo 780 is pretty much plastic making it extremely difficult to ground properly. SWR is at 1.4 currently between channels 1 and 40
Thanks for the awesome video.
Thanks for the video. I always was curious the order of the antenna mounting system. Gets confusing sometimes and now i know.
Love your video’s! Greeting from Holland.
Wow Holland 🇳🇱 👍
@@jrichtruckincbtips .how can I find you on instagram?
Found it!😇
ty great vid
I learned so much from this video. Great work.
Thanks for watching
@@jrichtruckincbtips I just bought a wrangler and it came with a built in CB and unfortunately the antenna had been removed likely by the dealer. The question I have is; the wire that was left behind by the spare tire mount is not a coax like in your video, but rather it looks like a donut.
Here is one of only 2 videos online that I could find this type of wire. You only need to watch the first 30 seconds to see the wire coming off his antenna.
ruclips.net/video/2fa48DTnVz4/видео.html
My first question is what is this type of connection called, and does it require a special type of antenna? The second question is how do I set this type of wire up? Do I need plastic spacers, and does it go on top of the surface I'm mounting it on, or underneath?
Thank you so much in advance. I'm very new to this CB world and am trying to learn as much as possible before I buy a replacement antenna.
@@peterpowers4851 geez, what a horrible video, lol. Yeah people use that type of coax and you'll need to find that stud mount that has the bolt type stud. I haven't used that type, but think the ring end is sort of 2 sided and should be obvious how it mounts to the bracket.
@@jrichtruckincbtips any recommendations for an antenna? I know I need a fiberglass top load based on your video as it will be mounted on the spare tire mount and will be between the spare wheel and the rear of the vehicle which I know isn't ideal, and it cannot be longer then 2' tall as I park in my garage.
@@peterpowers4851 you really are not going to get far at all with a 2' antenna, and idk who makes one. I'd think about moving the antenna to possibly the front bumper and getting a taller antenna, possibly 4'-5'. As tall as possible, height is might, and I prefer Skip Shooter antennas. You can find them on antennapartsoutlet.com
Good video.. volume goes in an out. Cheers
Great video!
thank you appreciate your help
Third brake light mount for Ford is (Larsen) they are 2 to 300.00 there is the same type of mount made of plastic that has an nmo mount and it's over 300.00 also.
Newbie here, Great video
A good way to view the antenna is to realize it's best when it pretends it's a 1/4 wavelength long radiator on top of a conducting "ground plain." For CB, 1/4 wavelength is 102 inches. In the good old days, a CB antenna was a 102 inch "whip" mounted in the middle of the roof or the trunk lid (the "boot" for subjects of King Charles). Nowadays, with smaller cars, more plastic, fewer places that support a big strong mount, AND more houses with garages,, antennas are made shorter than the ideal 1/4 wave BUT designed to still act like they are 1/4 wave. A trombone has a slide that changes length to make different notes but regardless, all of the sound comes out of the flared end of the trombone. The 1/4 wave antenna plays a note--one of 40 radio frequencies--based on its length BUT regardless, MOST of the transmitted power comes from the BOTTOM of the "stick." Your video is excellent. You emphasize DON'T obstruct the lowest part of the antenna! People who do, get disappointed w/ their signal, blow money on an (illegal) amplifier, don't relocate the antenna, and are still disappointed with their signal. I love how you demonstrate how to avoid the two signal killers: put the antenna over as much metal as possible and keep the BOTTOM of the antenna clear of parts of the truck or car.
It almost makes no sense--the top of the antenna only establishes the frequency of the trombone, er... transmission! It's the bottom that gets the signal out there. The darn thing works upside down! Again, great demonstration, sir.
Thanks for watching
Great video. You should do one just on the studs alone, such as the cheaper ones that come with a bracket vs the quality stainless steel studs and what about the two indifferent metals such as the stainless steel stud on an aluminum bracket or vice versa. Thanks.
Thanks for the education
Great video
💯 well explained
Thank u Driver God bless!!
Thanks for watching
Hey there J Rich Truckin & CB Tips! These videos are packed with info for me. I would like to thank you for that... I have several questions, most of them are about GROUNDING. Why is whenever i go out there and go about the grounding of a vehicle antenna or a base station installation antenna the I am challeneged ground wise. Why am I challenged when I go about grounding and antenna ( radiator) as I se it. I sometimes get motivated about grounding, however, when i go about it it si like it is all at the same potential - GROUND POTENTIAL - It is all GROUND - I almost think that it is unchallenged or I approach ground systems as they arer not thw same as the antennas radiation and therefore the images must be different?😀
Nice video. Thanks
Hello sir, long time CBer first time commenter. Love your video by the way and I have one serious question. What do you think about magnetic antennas?
Thank you!
Learned more in this 30 minute video than my 20 years of trucking 🤦♂️. Shows to go you how people in the know make you feel like shit when you ask basic questions in a southwest accent (normal). Same goes for talking over the air. However, when I use a southern accent over the radio I get way more chatter back 🙄 😣 😂
Thanks for watching
Thank you !!
Gracias amigo...
Good job
I like driver middle behind the cab. Antenna is furthest away from trees and with a hustler hq 27 being a middle to top load antenna, signal is over the cab.
I prefer the Hustler SCB
Thank you
TOP LOAD ALWAYS. BORN AND BRED ON TOP LOADERS. SORRY BUT HAD TO SAY IT. AFTER 2 YEARS. LOVE YOU'RE SHOW HAVE SINCE YOU STARTED IT.ALAN.FROM ENGLAND PS CAN WE PUT TOO AERIALS ON VEHICLE AND USED AT THE SAME TIME BECAUSE I SEE MANY TRUCKS WITH TWO AERIALS ON ONE TRUCK.AND I KNOW THAT THEY ARE USING ONE CB BUT TOO AERIALS. THANKS AGAIN ALAN FROM ENGLAND 💯👍
Thanks for watching
i run a 102" whip at the location you have your wilson, it does great i have been thinking about getting a wilson 2000 trucker to put back there but i dont know how much rf or tx i will loose if i do that.
Hey there! Great videos. I have a predator 10k that I can’t keep tight at the mount….any suggestions?
thank you bud!
Thanks for watching.
Your braid straps are a good idea, I have a solder pot to dip the ends then drill through it, this keeps it from spreading or fraying.
I have a cheap solder pot, doesn't work too good. Here's the bonding on my Freightliner Cascadia. ruclips.net/video/ohkOX45dJn0/видео.html
lol, I have a cheap Chinese model pot, the solder bar from Amazon cost more than it did, I use a liquid flux and dip the end in it first, use paper towel to dry up any excess before dipping and turn the heat to 400 deg
@@gkl5999 yeah solder bars are crazy expensive. May try it again
I am new to this. Don’t lick it, just stick it. Thanks for the info. Subscribed.
Thanks
i have a 1996 gmc school bus its about 35 long where the best place to put 2 antenna i want to run dulls
and help its a old school cb to like 30 years or but still works great
Thank you ❤
Thanks for watching
I have a 3rd gen Tacoma and I have a Cobra 25/Sound Tracker that I've just installed. I also have a 4' Wilson Silver load on a 90° bracket. Ideally/aethestically I would want to mount it on the front of the bed in the center but have always been told thats not a good spot. I currently have it bolted on to the inside driver side corner of the bed. Which would be the more ideal location? The antenna sticks up about 3' above the cab in both spots,sooner or later I may switch to a Wilson 1000 on the roof but for now im running the Silver Load, thanks for any and all input.