will this cb mount location work?

[soon2bsick]

2002 sport trac

Looking for a place to mount my cb antenna, I realize the roof is the best spot but I don't want to mount it there. I can't mount it in my bed as I have a bed cover.

Here is what I came up with and I want to know if it will work

I am wondering if I get a mounting bracket plate like this one


http://www.rightchannelradios.com/wi...nna-mount.html

and mount it to my bed side (using screws instead of the bolts) going into the plastic bedside railing and under my lift up tonneau cover (so that I could still open/close my tonneau cover)

would this work for a mounting location? would using screws through the plastic into the bed make a good enough ground?

here is my 2 minute mach up example lol

blue is the antenna,









My second possible location is one most people seem to really be against since it's low, in the front, ect









just looking for some input,

Thanks

[The DB]

Will either of those work? Yes, both will.

Will they work well? Not really if the colored bar shown is as tall as the antenna will be. They would be difficult to tune.

For good performance you want at least 2/3 of the antenna above any nearby metal. If the antenna has a coil (all antennas shorter then 9 feet do) you want the coil above any nearby metal.

The first picture is a common place for pickup installs, it doesn't have the best range in front of you as the signal is blocked by metal.

The second picture would get almost no range behind you.

Either would work if your only trying to talk to someone four or five car lengths away, but if you want to talk miles there will be big dead spots with both setups.

A better option would be towards the back of the bed as opposed to the front that you showed.

Also in all of the cases there is simply no substitute for length.


The DB

[soon2bsick]

thanks DB for your reply,

I am looking at the 4' wilson flex antenna at the moment,


so will using a few screws through the plastic on my bedrails into the bed be enough of a ground?

[rizzjc]

It should be as long as you get them into the metal, but you could always run a separate ground strap, just to be sure.

[The DB]

If they are the self taping machine screws likely yes. If you predrill the holes and use bolts the best option is to scrape away some of the paint around one of the holes underneath so a washer or the nut touches bare metal. If your worried about water getting in there and causing rust some silicon sealant will stick well and usually does the trick. Most paint used these days does not conduct electricity and thus does not give a good ground connection. It would still work without this step but not as well.


The DB

[OffTrac]

Unfortunately, there's no metal to be found in the bed of the Sport Trac.

[soon2bsick]

Originally Posted by OffTrac

Unfortunately, there's no metal to be found in the bed of the Sport Trac.

yeah I would have to have a grounding strap going under my rear well lol


I think I will try out putting it through the bed rail, If that location doesn't work the tonneau cover will cover up the holes I made anyways

I ordered the wilson flex coax cable with the fme detachable end to make it easier to run into the cab.

[LONO100]

the roof would be optimal, but i think a decent spot might be on the right corner of the rear bumper. that way you are drilling into the body.

[soon2bsick]

Originally Posted by LONO100

the roof would be optimal, but i think a decent spot might be on the right corner of the rear bumper. that way you are drilling into the body.

wouldn't that be the same situation as putting it on my bull bar, It would be too low? also I thought I read that with that location I would have issues because of the fuel pump. Not sure if that was that exact setup or not though

[jjaganashi]

if your going to put on a roof rack or something in the future...
i am relocating my twin 4' firesticks the the top of my bullbar at the exact hight of the tip-top of my roofrack so i know my clearance when im driving the truck under stuff.
it basically puts the antenna out in the free-air in the front of the truck so you dont catch interferance from anything.
just a suggestion
max

[SouthernSAR]

Just a general antennae mounting rule of thumb for any antennae, the higher the better. I'd stay away from lower areas such as the bull bar or bumper since, as mentioned before, the truck will block signals. I think putting it on the side of the bed where you plan on putting it is your best bet if you don't want it on the roof/roof rack. You could also look into a ball mount and put it on your side mirrors. There's a how-to on doing that somewhere in this forum.

[LONO100]

if the antenna is tall enough and will reach higher than the roof of your truck it will work. like i said, its not optimal but it'll work. also, the fuel pump is on the left side of the truck so if you use the right corner, you should be clear of that. another spot ive considered placing an antenna for my truck was to get a bracket, and mount it in between your cab and the bed. the bed wall is hard plastic and you can get a whip antenna to stick out up and over. your toneau cover wont be effected and it will be in the middle of the truck. i would mount the bracket to the right side equal to the small right window that doesnt roll down. the only hole you would need to drill are the ones for the bracket into the hard plastic of the bed. using a NGP antenna would be perfect for mounting in this location.

[mwweimer_2001]

I have my 4' antenna mounted to the inside of the bed. I used a piece of stainless steel that I milled and drilled to accept a mount for the antenna. Currently, I have the antenna bolted to the inside of the bed using the hardware that I guessing was to hold the hard tonneau cover on. Seeing as how I can't find a hard cover in my price range, I went with this. I know I still need to run a ground from the stainless down to the frame. Eventually I will try to reduce the severe RFI in my truck following one of the threads on here.

[soon2bsick]

you have it bolted into the plastic bed?

I ordered all my stuff today, antenna, spring, mount, cb radio ect

hopefully by this weekend I'll have all/most of it and can start the install


Do I need to hotwire the cb straight to my battery or can I find another access location?

[jjaganashi]

i ran my power lead to a seperated key on wire i ran from the junction box for other accessories

[mwweimer_2001]

Yes, my antenna is mounted to the plastic of the bed. I still have to ground the antenna though. That will have to wait until I have a day when I don't have a job to do around the house.

[The DB]

I'm curious, is there a reason you guys can't mount antennas on your roof?


The DB

[soon2bsick]

Originally Posted by The DB

I'm curious, is there a reason you guys can't mount antennas on your roof?


The DB

my reason is I have 39483948 oak trees in my yard that hang over our 1/4 mile drive way and that would get very annoying every time I leave/come home

other than that I don't have a reason

[jjaganashi]

my reason would be that as tall as the truck is, with the antennas on the roof i couldnt go under some bridges or stoplights...

[LONO100]

Originally Posted by soon2bsick

you have it bolted into the plastic bed?

I ordered all my stuff today, antenna, spring, mount, cb radio ect

hopefully by this weekend I'll have all/most of it and can start the install


Do I need to hotwire the cb straight to my battery or can I find another access location?

you can tap into a fuse on your fuse box and then ground it with a bolt near the gas pedal. search for "mycb radio install" and you will see a write up i did with pics of where im talking about.