I got a toolbox and headache rack for my 1999 F250 Lariat Scab. Any suggestions on where I should mount my dual 4ft firestik antennas. I was thinking on the box closest to the cab. I also though about on the headache rack, but it would be hard to keep an overall clean look. I don't like to see wiring exposed. What do you guys think?

 

For a clean look, you could get some of those adjustable ball mounts, that way all the wiring is contained inside the tool box. I used to run that setup, but now I have them mounted on my mirrors.

 

Mine are on the mirrors of my big 4X. Love the look! A little advice I was given on a previous truck-If you mount them on your tool box, run a ground from the mounting bracket to the truck. Been too long to remember the specifics of why, but I figured it was worth a little time and wire to be safe and not fry anything!

 

Go to this site.

www.k0bg.com

A wealth of info on mobile installs. Best place for a CB (or any other band) is smack dab in the middle of the cab roof. Best radiation pattern.

 

10-4 on the best place for the antenna. That's what I've always been told. Mine, I'll admit, are half for show since I rarely use it.

 

i have mine mounted on each side of the bed where it butts up to the cab on the top rail thang.... they recieve and put out good

 

I will admit the other half, mine are ALL for show, they aint worth a crap really, can get out bout 3 miles is all, oh well good enough

 

how about you dont do dual antennas, they are worthless... the radius on em and the signal they send out is like a doughnut and once the two of them are that close its nothing more than interfearence... Just get a single, with a lubed spring, and lots of copper pref.. and bigger doesnt always mean better

 

Also Dual antennas require a specific measured distance to be effective. Best is an antenna in the middle of the cab roof in a permanent mount so you have a good ground plane. Silly too are the 18-wheelers with the duals in a 45 deg angle to earth.

 

I have cophase on my F250 and my range is 7 miles.. It all depends on the equipment and money spent! You can go buy a radio shack cb and hope you make it 10 feet infront of you.. Or spend $300 and get a Uniden Bearcat 68 Elite that's Scoped and Peaked with White Noise filter and 4 foot Wilson Silverloads.. My SWR is 0 and my range, I crap you not is 7 miles...

As for the 45 deg angle, it's not for looks.. Unless the idiot has no springs.. The concept is simple, I have springs on my cophase and when I'm doing 70 my antenna's are kicked back 45 degrees.. To compensate (especially on truckers) they use springs and 45 degrees forward so that when they are driving at 65-70mph their antennas are straight up unlike mine which are bent backwards.. Its a risk we take, I for sure won't go without springs as my last set of Wilsons got broke off at a Drive Through due to stiffness.. Now they just bend back as I drive through

 

As said the duals are kinda tricky, I have a 1/4 whip and my range is I kind you not something like 14 miles! (once..)

 

Whips are nice.. I will be moving to whips as soon as I get my Ham Radios together for skywarn.. I'll be using a 5 foot whip on drivers side for CB and a 5 foot whip on passenger side for HAM tied to Nat Weather Service and then a 3 foot whip on the driver side hood for HAM to the Skywarn Command Center here.

I just have to rebuild my mount now for 3 radios lol

 

I use a Yaesu FT8800r 2/440 with a Larsen 2/70 in the middle of the CC roof on a NMO mount in a 3/4" hole.

Power is 8-gauge wire run right from the battery to a bus (Rig-Runner 5-outlet) under the dash. Use PowerPole connectors.

No plans on a CB.

 

Ask around for some local radio guy. My local guy can get me everything cheaper and stands behind everything he sells. Bought my radio and ant from him and he peak/tuned for only $5. Unlike the truck stops $65. He recomends using dual ant for looks only. run coax to only one and use the other as a dummy for looks. He said that if you wire both up that close together that it will decrease the preformance. I have a Uniden68 peaked/tuned and he adjusted the ant. The results are with his setup, I have a range of about 12 miles.

 

One antenna is better as long as the other (dummy) is not too close to cause radiation pattern issues and degraded perfromance.

MMM? What is tune? Adjust VSWR? Increase power by a few Watts by "tweaking" the radio (by not adding an AMP)? Just curious.