first post, looking for advice on CB antenna mounting

[great white]

Hi all.

Just joined and looking for advice on what antenna to purchase and what limitations I'll see in my chosen mounting location.

The set:

2010 Cobra 29 NW WX BT LTD. It's a tarted up Cobra 29, but still a cobra 29. I figured I can't go wrong with a base unit like the cobra 29, from what I've read it's a solid dependable unit. And, well, it looks the least like something right out of the 70's (except for the Cobra 29 Anniversary edition)

Basically, I bought it for the hands free, the weather radio and the ability to get some local knowledge of the roads as I go. IE: gator (separated tire tread) in south bound I-95 mover lane, etc.

Not an enthusiast, but I'd like to get as much of the until as I can with common setup stuff.

The truck:

1998 K2500 GMC Sierra, ECLB, fiberglass bed topper

The planned mounting location:

Stake pocket at the red arrow and just out from under the bed topper

The type of mount (for example only):

To further complicate matters, here's what the truck will be towing:

35 feet of fiberglass and 8 feet high at the rubber/vinyl roof. Closest point will be about 8 feet behind the planned antenna location.

The radio was bought for this trip:

I have done a bit of basic reading on the net and gather that the center of the cab roof would be best, but I'm not willing to mount one there. a mag mount there is also not possible due to the hieght of the truck.

So, I gather most of my receive and transmit will be to the forward and right direction if I understand the ground plane thing at all. Is this true?

Is the offset stake pocket mount going to be a big problem with the base of the antenna not directly above a horizontal vehicle surface? I need to use an offset because the cap must stay on the bed.

Is the 8-9 foot high fiberglass/wood/plastic trailer going to be a problem? What is it going to effect?

Also, a 102" whip isn't going to work for me. Could I use a 4 footer on the rear side passenger bed rail and get acceptable performance?

Any ideas on optimizing my system (besides tuning SWR) with the limitations I have?

Newb lost in the wild here.....just looking to get a bit of info as we trek across the continent...

 

[mackmobile43]

Good luck with that BT model, had a guy call me the other day and was having issues with the bluetooth.

 

[Shockwave]

Everything you are planning to do will work fine for your application. Yes the mount will work offset. Yes you can use a 4 foot whip. You understand the roof would be best and the longer antenna works better however, it does not seem like it will make a big difference in road reports if you reach 10 miles or 12 miles. It's not about the best possible performance, it's about practical use. The only thing I might suggest is to be sure that mount makes connection to the body of the truck. It should do exactly what you need it to do. Good luck with the trip.

 

[GnG8d]

I have done a bit of basic reading on the net and gather that the center of the cab roof would be best, but I'm not willing to mount one there. a mag mount there is also not possible due to the hieght of the truck.

I'd be a rich man if I had a nickel for every new CB'er who said that!

BTW, I love Streets and Trips. Buy the locator and use your laptop as your GPS, works great.

 

[office888]

Wilson 1000 on the roof of the cab would be the best compromise between size and performance.

 

[mackmobile43]

Wilson 1000 on the roof of the cab would be the best compromise between size and performance.

And is an excellent temporary alternative, I use a wilson 5k on the roof of "my" wifes blazer, at first she balked and said it would be ugly as the predator I had up there one other vacation.lol but as soon as she was seated in the vehicle all she had to deal with was what she assumed other people would think when they viewed it.lol.
Just pop your magmount up there and when you're done take it off for the next trip.

 

[Cotton Mouth]

I couldn't agree more, slap you up a mag mount on the roof of the cab on the truck and you be talking the best you are going to be able to out of all the other ideas. Yes all those other ideas will too but a lot of work and in my opinion your best bet and performance is going to come from a antenna on the cab. Get you a Wilson Mag Mount and if you need to take it down for any reason you can just jump out and lay it down, but I doubt you will ever need to do that when pulling your camper.

I would be looking for something that's going to perform well as the route you show has a lot of mountains and hills and if you don't got much of a antenna you might as well just get out and flag someone down for a road report or if you need help along the way.

It looks like a good time and a great road trip as I sure wouldn't cut yourself short any with your antenna set up.

Cotton Mouth.