• DCRC 2024

Cb radio antenna help!

Thspittingllama

Thspittingllama

Member
Location
Taylorsville
So i ended up buying and installing a uniden 538W in my truck. i tryed to install an antenna i got from raidio shack, but it was an epic fail. looks like they sold me a scanner antenna. aperrently thats different. so i returned it and have realized they dont know any more than i do about them. (which is nothing) lol so i need help finding a good one for my unit and perferably at a good price. I really like the look of the hood/ fender mounted whip slyle ones but im not sure if they'll work and i cant seem to find them locally. That is really what i want! guess i may have to go internet on this one. but i have no freakin idea what to look for. i tryed to reaserch how they worked and what not but it all seem to be written in geek. lol but anyways, i really dont care how it works, just that it does. Can anyone help me out on this one?
 
Hickey

Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
Location
Grantsville, Utah
Finding a fender mount antenna locally is difficult. Different vehicles will have different mounts. Google your vehicle and fender mount for cb antennae to identify the style you want.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
I've had great luck with my magnetic-mount k30 CB antenna that I got from Flying J. Flying J also has the fiberglass whip style, but those are tougher to install and require a good ground. You'll have to do some geek reading to understand how to ground the antenna. The magnetic mount antenna is removable and you don't need to ground it.
 
O

Omgbecki

Well-Known Member
Location
Ogden
X2 for the flying j idea. That have some great antennas. I'm trying to find a 102" whip because my radio is pushing over 100 watts and I don't really want to try to tune a antenna. The magnetic ones are a great deal for a regular radio though.
 
Hickey

Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
Location
Grantsville, Utah
Omgbecki said:
X2 for the flying j idea. That have some great antennas. I'm trying to find a 102" whip because my radio is pushing over 100 watts and I don't really want to try to tune a antenna. The magnetic ones are a great deal for a regular radio though.
Click to expand...

I have a few friends who run the Lil Wilson magnet mount with very high watt radios with great success.
 
Thspittingllama

Thspittingllama

Member
Location
Taylorsville
i want to go with the fender/ hood mounts so i can keep them attached year round. magnetic mounts are cool when you only want them on for a trail. plus i like the look of the fender/ hood mounted ones. thanks for the help though. just not quite the direction i was looking at.
 
O

Omgbecki

Well-Known Member
Location
Ogden
If you can find a wilson you'd be in good hands. I know truck stops have them for around 60.00, or as mentioned you could get fiberglass ones also (brand name fire stick) for around 30. Besides the grounding issues I have heard that these are prone to breaking after a while of rocking back and forth, I.e. rocks.
 
sixstringsteve

sixstringsteve

Well-Known Member
Location
UT
Find what works best, not what looks best. CBs aren't for looking cool, they're for communicating; often in emergency situations. I didn't buy the mag mount because it's removable, I bought it because my CB sounds 5 times better and has a MUCH better range with it than with any of my past 3 fiberglass antennas. After 5 different antennas, I'm 100% sold on the magnetic mount antennas. I leave my magnetic mount antenna on year-round.

The more of your CB antenna sticks out above your vehicle, the better the reception you'll get. A little 3' antenna off your hood is only going to receive signals from ahead of you. You'll have a hard time hearing people behind you. If you can get it to stick out a few feet above the roof of your vehicle, you'll get much better reception/signal strength. If you have a fiberglass antenna sticking out 2 feet higher than your roof, it'll get destroyed by trees/branches.


*that hustler antenna looks great. I'd love to try one out sometime and see how it sounds.
 
Last edited:
Thspittingllama

Thspittingllama

Member
Location
Taylorsville
the hustler looks good, basically the look i was going for. i didnt have any plans on a fiberglass one. i just read about a guy getting about five miles of range out of it. is that good or not very?
 
O

Omgbecki

Well-Known Member
Location
Ogden
O

Omgbecki

Well-Known Member
Location
Ogden
sixstringsteve said:
Out of curiosity, I just purchased a Wilson 500 Magnet Mount. We'll see how it compares to my K30.
Click to expand...

I've heard k series are good but wilson is better. I know "my dad said"doesn't mean much to other puerile but I would take the advice of a veteran truck driver over just about anyone except a communications expert.
 
Hickey

Hickey

Burn-barrel enthusiast
Supporting Member
Location
Grantsville, Utah
Thspittingllama said:
the hustler looks good, basically the look i was going for. i didnt have any plans on a fiberglass one. i just read about a guy getting about five miles of range out of it. is that good or not very?
Click to expand...
Any well-tuned radio and antenna system should be able to get five miles, but it really depends a lot on atmospheric conditions. Some days I can get as much as 20 or more miles( not including skip) , others only 3 miles.

A magnetic mount grounds to the vehicle through the magnet. Bolt on mounts require a good ground or you will have problems. The only fiberglass whip I would run is a Francis, because the wire is protected by the fiberglass instead of a thing plastic coating like most other fiberglass whips. I used to run Francis whips, but the fog builds up on them and kills them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top