The CB Radios Channel

Pickup trucks are one of the most common vehicles that utilize CB radios and cause the majority of mounting questions.  There are a number of things to understand and consider when mounting a CB antenna for your truck:

Mounting Location

Like most vehicles, the best place to mount the antenna is on the top of the truck’s roof.  This minimizes interference from the vehicle’s chassis and allows the antenna to be a high as possible for peak performance.  If the roof isn’t a viable option, the second best place is, surprisingly, the driver’s side rear stakehole.  This allows for the second best obstruction-free mounting location.  A number of mounts and kits make this an easy and hole-free location to mount an antenna.

The worst possible places to mount the antenna are in the bed of the truck and directly behind the cab.  Both these locations cause significant signal interference and will result in an antenna that is extremely difficult to tune (i.e. achieve acceptable SWR levels).  For a complete chart on the best and worst antenna mounting locations on a pickup truck, please refer to this great Pickup Truck Antenna Guide from Wilson.

Dual Antennas

While many people love the look of dual antennas, they aren’t very effective when used on the narrow bodies of most standard pickup trucks. To be effective in increasing performance, dual antennas need to be spaced at least 8-9 feet apart from each other. If the antennas are within 4-5 feet, they can actually work against each other and decrease system performance.  While dual antennas may look great, you’ll need to have them far enough apart to make any noticeable difference.

Grounding

If you mount your antenna along the back half of the truck, make sure that the bed portion is well grounded. A continuous ground to the battery can be interrupted by rubber washers or other non-conducting materials that are used to connect bed to the cab. If you don’t have a good ground, make sure to run a few ground straps from the bed to the cab in order to achieve a solid ground and a well performing antenna.

Type of Antennas

Base loaded and top loaded antennas are the most common types of antennas used with pickup trucks. Top loaded fiberglass antennas are relatively inexpensive, versatile and perform well with pickup trucks. Base loaded antennas are relatively simple to install on pickup trucks, but are primarily limited to the roof due to their coil location. There are a number of available Firestik CB antennas and Wilson CB antennas that are well suited for pickup trucks.

In our next post, we’ll discuss some things to keep in mind when choosing and mounting CB antennas for  semi-trucks and 18-wheelers.

We often have customer ask us what type of CB antenna they should buy.  While our answer will ultimately be determined by a number of factors, the type of vehicle they own plays a large role in determining which antenna will work best.  This post will be the first one in a series dedicated to discussing popular CB antennas for specific vehicle types.  If you haven’t already, make sure to read the Right Channel Radios guide to Choosing the Best CB Antenna which discusses basic antenna types and mounting considerations.

Antennas on passanger vehicles are usually mounted to the roof or to the trunk or trunk lip.  These mounting options usually require no permant holes.  While hood channel mounts can be used, they are often designed for larger vehicles and may look unnatural or unwieldly on a passenger vehicle.

Base loaded magnet antennas are commonly used with cars as they provide a easy and convenient all-in-one solution.  Many base loaded antennas include the antenna whip, mounting hardware and coax cable in a single antenna package.  Another option, though less popular, is using top loaded fiberglass antennas with hood, trunk or bumper mounts.

One of the most popular antennas for cars is the Wilson Little Wil.  This 36″ steel whip magnet mount model offers users an affordable and well performing antenna that’s easy to install.   The Wilson 1000 line of antennas offers magnet, roof and trunk options and a large 62″ whip in a convenient all-in-one package.  If you’d prefer a K40 antenna, there are a few popular models to choose from.  The 35″ K30 Magnet Mount  and the 58″ K40 Trunk Lip models are both high-quality antennas that are popular with passanger vehicles.

In the next post, we’ll discuss some of the more popular CB antennas and mounting options for pick-up trucks.

CB radios are often written off as antiquated pieces of equipment only used today by professional truck drivers.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  CB radios remain the primary communication method used by a number of groups due to their cost effectiveness, easy of use and license-free operations.  One of the many groups to still consistently utilize CB radios is Jeep and Offroad vehicle owners.

CB radios are widely utilized today in the Jeep and 4×4 communities by drivers needing a way to easily communicate when traveling together over difficult terrain.  We often receive questions from Jeep owners asking what equipment would be best suited for their offroad needs.  Due to the large number of inquiries, we assembled a number of custom CB radio kits built especially for Jeeps and Offroad vehicles.  These kits were assembled specifically for 4×4 needs and include components that are built to perform well in demanding and rough conditions.  We wanted to make installing a CB radio as easy as possible for those new to CBs, so each kit includes everything needed for a complete installation.

If you’re in the market for a CB for your Jeep or 4×4 vehicle, take a look at the Right Channel Radios Jeep CB Radio Packages.  These complete packages are designed with your needs in mind and are priced extremely competitively.  For specific kit pictures and reviews, check out the Uniden Jeep CB Radio kit as well as the Cobra Jeep CB Radio kit reviews performed by Stu Olson of Stu Olson’s Jeep Site.

Cobra recently released a new Bluetooth enabled model of their highly successful line of Cobra 29 CB radios.  Designed with the professional driver in mind, The Cobra 29 Bluetooth model’s biggest selling point is the ability to make and receive cell phone calls through the CB radio.  When used with a Bluetooth compatible phone, incoming calls can be re-routed through the CB radio by simply clicking a button on the microphone.  Once connected, the entire phone conversation can be conducted through the radio with the CB microphone used to talk and the incoming voice being broadcasted through the radio’s speaker, making it easier for the driver to focus on the road.  Apart from its Bluetooth capabilities, the new Cobra CB model also includes a number of other popular features including talkback, RF Gain, PA functionality and a noise canceling microphone.

The radio, which retails for $189.99, is priced at a $70 premium to the base Cobra 29 LTD which is a nearly identical radio without the Bluetooth functionality.  If you spend a lot of time on the phone while driving, this Bluetooth model from Cobra may be extremely attractive.  However, if you’re not much of a talker, you would probably fare better saving the approximate $70 and going with the base model, or spending the difference to upgrade to the Nightwatch or Weather Cobra 29 models.

Welcome to The CB Radios Channel!  This is the official blog for Right Channel Radios, a CB Radio and CB Antenna shop that carries a wide selection of CB related equipment

“Why”, you may be asking yourself, “is a CB radio shop starting a Blog?  Aren’t these guys busy enough hawking their CB wares?  I thought blogs were only for under appreciated teenagers crying out for attention…..”

It turns out that a blog is a pretty effective way for us to keep our customers informed, quickly publish CB related educational articles and help others stay on top of industry developments and new products.  We’ll be using this blog as a tool to educate, inform and (hopefully) amuse;  we hope you’ll find it interesting and useful.

We’ll begin posting CB articles, tips and industry news on a regular basis.  If you’re interested in following along, please subscribe to our blog using RSS via the link on this page.

Until next time……..