best CB antenna
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All you need:
FireStik FL3-B Three Foot FireFly Antenna With Tuneable Tip (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005AUJXLM/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_j.l-ub138F80R
FireStik FL3-B Three Foot FireFly Antenna With Tuneable Tip (Black) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005AUJXLM/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_j.l-ub138F80R
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1,714 Posts
Firestick's seem to be the most popular with the Jeep CB crowd.
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When you double the length of the antenna you square the reception (plus or minus) up to half wavelength of the transmission. For CB that means:
If a 1' antenna receives and transmits at 1x
2' = 2x
4' = 4x
8' (steel whip) = 16x
16' (base station) = 256x
This is assuming the same proper install, antenna placement, enough grounding, proper ground planes, and the same radio for all of these points.
If you are on a trail, don't worry too much about it. I run with a 4' or 5' fiberglass antenna depending on how many trees are around.
If I really want my radio to work long distance though then I break out the steel whip, but I won't do that offroad since its too whipy and will break stuff.
The math is a gross approximation, but it's enough to get the idea.
If a 1' antenna receives and transmits at 1x
2' = 2x
4' = 4x
8' (steel whip) = 16x
16' (base station) = 256x
This is assuming the same proper install, antenna placement, enough grounding, proper ground planes, and the same radio for all of these points.
If you are on a trail, don't worry too much about it. I run with a 4' or 5' fiberglass antenna depending on how many trees are around.
If I really want my radio to work long distance though then I break out the steel whip, but I won't do that offroad since its too whipy and will break stuff.
The math is a gross approximation, but it's enough to get the idea.
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1,099 Posts
I run a 4' firestick with tuneable tip and it does just fine on the trails. A lot of guys I go with run a 3' one and it works well too. A lot of people say the fiberglass is broken easily. Not sure what their definition of easy is but our trails here I usually hit about 20-30 overhanging limbs per mile and I still haven't broken it.
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How to tune your firestik: Setting the SWR of Your Antenna© - Firestik® Antenna Company
To do that you'll need a SWR meter and a patch cable. That will run you between $10-20.
Don't worry too much about manking a ground plane. The only really good ground plane on a Jeep is the hood, and you don't want your antenna in the middle of your hood.
Just use a commercially available antenna mount and follow the directions exactly when you install it. Pay close attention to the part about grounding the mount. All of the mounts made specifically for Jeeps are "good enough". I would avoid a generic "vehicle" mount unless you want to research a good place to put it.
To do that you'll need a SWR meter and a patch cable. That will run you between $10-20.
Don't worry too much about manking a ground plane. The only really good ground plane on a Jeep is the hood, and you don't want your antenna in the middle of your hood.
Just use a commercially available antenna mount and follow the directions exactly when you install it. Pay close attention to the part about grounding the mount. All of the mounts made specifically for Jeeps are "good enough". I would avoid a generic "vehicle" mount unless you want to research a good place to put it.
Good info! I am going to mount mine on the spare and buy the 5 foot Firestik. That should get me a decent distance above the roofline.
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