Jeep Wrangler Forum banner

Locaton for 3' firestik CB antenna

10K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  Moabrubi 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

here is the story. My jeep was left at the shop over the weekend, so I don't really have it to reference where I should install the cb antenna, which is a 3 foot firestik II.

After a 3" lift, and 33" tires, the highest point of my jeep is 6'4", and my garage is exactly 7'. On the back of the tire carrier would be too tall, but I guess I could only install it for the offroad trips.

There seems to be a nice USA made mount on ebay the goes from the bottom of the passenger taillight, but I have no way to measure if that will work for me. So does anyone have a 3 foot firestik? and where did you mount it and how tall is it from the ground?

Jeep CB Antenna Mount Fits CJ YJ or TJ | eBay

the link above is the mount I was referring too. If the antenna does not go above the roof line like I don't think it would, do you think it would still be suitable for offroading trips?

I'm sorry, I know this is a lot of questions, but its hard to order stuff before next weekend with out physically having the jeep here!

thanks a lot in advance!
 
See less See more
#2 ·
I have the Stainless Steel Behind the Tail Light Mount on My TJ with a Spring & a 3 foot Firestik it's 61 1/2" from the Ground to the top of the antenna on My Jeep (31" Tires & Budget Boost Lift),If you mount it on the Driver's side it will hit less trees & stuff while driving. Quadratec Exclusive JW-TLM-L - Stainless Steel CB Antenna Mount for 76-06 Jeep® CJ & Wrangler - Rear Driver Mount - Quadratec Oh & the Actual Mount that the Spring/Antenna Screws in to I would try & get the kind that the Coax Screws into rather than the one that uses Lug Type terminals the lug terminals/bare coax will corrode over time due to moisture where the screw on style is more water tight.
 
#3 ·
A couple things... I have about the same issue with Jeep height & garage door clearance so I converted from a 3' FS-3 Firestick antenna to a 2' FS-2 Firestick antenna & no more clearance issue. For offroad use, my 2' Firestick works extremely well and because it is well tuned, works as well offroad as I could desire.

And being as I am 'into' 2-way radios & ham radios, I know all about bigger antennas being the best but the 2' FS-2 actually works very well for my needs.

The other thing being about that mount... it will work fine mechanically but you're going to have to grind the powder coating away from where it mounts to the Jeep and from the bottom of its round antenna mount opening so the antenna mount itself will be properly grounded underneath where it needs a good electrical connection.
 
#5 ·
All really good info. Cwalker, would you say the 3 foot firestik was below the fm radio antenna up front? that seems kinda high to be a full 12 inches above....but like I said, I don't have my jeep to test it out myself lol

Jerry, thanks for the info! I went with the three foot firestik because the local "Bargain Warehouse" sells everything half off, so I got it for $9. :) There was only one left in 3 foot with the tunable tip also.

I run a soft top year round, will that affect the swr like a hard top might? I guess im starting to realize what my actual needs are, which would be no more than 1 or 2 mile communication with an antenna that sits less than 7' from the ground.

Theoretically, If the antenna is below the "roof line" of the jeep, would I still be wise to use a 3" heavy duty spring?
 
#6 · (Edited)
Theoretically, If the antenna is below the "roof line" of the jeep, would I still be wise to use a 3" heavy duty spring?
I had an antenna that was level with the top on my first Jeep I owned. I always ran a soft top. I had issues with hearing people in front of me and no issues with hearing anybody behind me. I then went to a 4' antenna and that solved all my issues.

On my current Jeep I run a Teraflex mount (drivers side), 4' Wilson atenna, spring, and a quick disconnect. Just remove the antenna right before you pull into the garage.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I have about 2.5" of lift in the rear and running 33's with the 3' Firestick and the Teraflex mount which puts the base of the antenna above the tail light not below. My garage entrance is also 7'. The top of the antenna is 1" shy of 7' so I just make it. You should be fine with the antenna mounting below the tail light.
 
#8 ·
Michigunman said:
I have about 2.5" of lift in the rear and running 33's with the 3' Firestick and the Teraflex mount which puts the base of the antenna above the tail light not below. My garage entrance is also 7'. The top of the antenna is 1" shy of 7' so I just make it. You should be fine with the antenna mounting below the tail light.
I just put 4' firestik on my tj mounted in the pass above the light. Anyone know how to tube it? Need help please.
 
#9 ·
Do you have an SWR Meter? Assuming you do, you place it between your antenna lead and radio. You then transmit on different channels across the band (momentarily) and adjust the tip of the antenna (under the red cap) to get the lowest reading across the band. Hopefully 1 or less.

Depending if it's higher on low channels or high channels determines if the tip needs to go in or out. I just can't remember which off the top of my head. I believe there is better detail to be found in the Communication and Electronics section of the forum. May want to peruse there as well.
 
#11 ·
Fry's, Radio Shack, etc. have SWR meters for <$20. Tune for minimum SWR on channel 20 which is at the midway-point on the CB band which will give the best SWR across the entire band. 1.5 or under is good, you'll never get less than 1 since a 1:1 ratio is perfect.

The higher the SWR, the more the antenna is mistuned and the more mistuned an antenna is, the more of the signal the antenna reflects back to the CB radio instead of radiating it out for others to hear. The SWR is just measuring that undesirable reflected signal so the less of it the better. :)

Or use Google shopping for a CB SWR meter where they are plentiful and cheap. Amazon.com: Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs & more would probably be a good source. Make sure it says it's for CB since some are made for VHF or higher frequencies that won't work properly.
 
#14 ·
I personally wouldn't put a standard 3', or especially a 4' Firestik on the Teraflex mount, even with the extra bolt through the tub. It's just too heavy and flexes the body too much. A Firestik Firefly would be OK. I just don't think the behind the tail light mount is a good mount as designed. If you drill out the meager #12X28 tail light holes (odd ball size screws anyhow) and put some 1/4" or even 5/16" bolts with nuts and washers on the inside of the tub, it'd help.
 
#18 ·
silly question...but why would someone need a quick disconnect for an antenna when you can just twist it off? is it because you might need a small wrench to twist it off?

And here is a picture of someone that has a teraflex mount with a 3' firestik...looks kinda high for my garage...
 
#19 ·
Here's mine, 3' firestik with heavy duty spring on a mount I made that goes behind the tire carrier. It reaches out plenty far on trail runs, But if i need to go out any farther I will just use ham radio which I still need to add an antenna for.

It hit's my garage everyday, but it doesn't really matter.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top