Should I add a grounding strap to the antenna mount.

[CrashRecovery]

Howdy folks, new member here.
I'm getting back into the hobby after a 20 some odd year hiatus. I had a nice setup in my wrangler back in 98 and understood most cb theory, but after 20 years I've seen to forgotten a lot and things have changed along with vehicle design and materials used.
So I never forgot how to tune my antenna and for now I've gotten it down to 1.4 on channel 20 and just a smidge over the "1" line on channel 1. I'm running the K40 trucker on a clamp bracket mounted to my all aluminum Headache rack. Local connections say I sound good but I notice they dont stay in range for long.
So I guess I'm trying to figure out would a better ground allow me to tune my antenna closer to a perfect tune or should I just try and shorten the whip a tiny bit more to get it lower. I would have just stuck with a simple mag mount like a wilson or K40 but since I have a 2019 Superduty nothing sticks. I have a President McKinley that is all stock including the mic.
I eventually like to be able to "talk" a little better so probably a small amp might be added at a later time.
I appreciate any advice and thanks again.
I'll include a shot of the antenna and how its mounted.

 

[ForestRunner98]

Welcome! I am fairly new too but learned a whole bunch here from real helpful members.

Your SWR looks pretty good already! It’s real easy to go down the rabbit hole looking for better. I am speaking for myself. LOL A bonding of the hood and all 4 corners of bed to the frame should really help. It did wonders for me! Runs 1.4 with amp on and barely bumps the needle off. But ya you can maybe remove some paint where the mount is and also a ground strap. I did lots of experiments. Some helped some didnt.

Anyways...welcome back to mobile radio!!!

 

[secret squirrel]

Make sure your have some bare paint, if its coated, where the mount contacts the headache rack. You do not always get good ground through the pack. You may have to remove some paint. You can ground the headache rack to the body with a ground strap down low.

 

[M0GVZ]

It's horizontal metal directly under the antenna feedpoint (where the coax ends at the antenna) which counts as a RF ground and at the moment you've effectively got just one thin strip an inch wide and 6ft long as far as the antenna system is concerned. Using a strap would just give you a far removed ground plane which basically don't really work that well. If you do use a strap you want to be using flattened braid. RF flows over the surface of a conductor, not through it, so to get the same efficiency as a 1/2" braid strap or flattened RG213 braid you'd need to use 000 or 0000 AWG thick wire, the kind used for heavy duty jump leads.

A much better solution involves relocating that antenna altogther, ideally to a fixed mount in the middle of the cab roof, which is by far the best position and method of mounting for any mobile install for performance, or a fender mount. If you go the fixed mount I can strongly recommend the puck mounts from Breedlove Antenna Mounts. Expensive but it'll outlast that vehicle, the next one you get and the one after that.

Antennas may look good mounted on headache racks, toolboxes and rear bumpers but they generally don't work for shit mounted there as you're finding out.

 

[CrashRecovery]

Well it's not that it's not working. I'm usually driving up or down the I95 corridor so people move out of range of my stock setup. When I do make a "connection" I have no issue with sound quality on tx or rx. I'm only considering around a 100 watt boost just to have some fun and maybe catch a skip or two. I did ok with catching skip with my setup in the wrangler. Had a uniden 520 with a power mic, a 2 pill amp, and I think it was a firestick on a ball with a spring and quick disconnect so I wouldn't trash the antenna 4 wheeling in the woods. I've always enjoyed listening to all the different areas that show up when the conditions are correct. Last week was insane for listening in my area. I heard Bermuda, florida, a couple faint sounds out of New England and all the way over to California once. All while sitting in my truck at the jobsite south west of Baltimore. A little extra juice might help my signals get heard the next time that craziness happens again.

 

[2NC995]

I’d be trying to move the mount to the top crossmember of the headache rack, and then bonding the rack to the pickup bed.

I always mount on the roof, but I tend to think you can achieve satisfactory results.

 

[CrashRecovery]

I would but I'm waiting to get a led light bar mounted on the top of the rack. I bought it a month ago but I haven't made the trip to go pick it up. There is a good chance I'll have to adjust the mount to make things work.

I’d be trying to move the mount to the top crossmember of the headache rack, and then bonding the rack to the pickup bed.

I always mount on the roof, but I tend to think you can achieve satisfactory results.

 

[2NC995]

I would but I'm waiting to get a led light bar mounted on the top of the rack. I bought it a month ago but I haven't made the trip to go pick it up. There is a good chance I'll have to adjust the mount to make things work.

I understand, but there's now another variable and I like this arrangement a little less

 

[CrashRecovery]

I understand, but there's now another variable and I like this arrangement a little less

I use my vehicle for traffic control with my volunteer fire department. So the light bar is a whelen liberty style bar, not one of those fake baha truck light bar. I am also contemplating mounting the light bar to the roof of the truck . I haven't decided yet. I make contact with the trees in my driveway as it sits now. Any higher and I'm afraid I'll bend the lower section of the antenna. I'm going to trim the trees this weekend but I hope they dont look too lopsided. All the guys in the local area to me this morning heard me loud and clear.
I know that the more antenna I have above the truck the better things will work along with trying to keep it center of the vehicle. I do have the option of mounting it off to the side but lower on the rack. Am I also correctly understanding that I want the coil area of the antenna to be above the truck to achieve the best performance?

 

[2NC995]

I use my vehicle for traffic control with my volunteer fire department.

I figured you were working with the cones in the bed. Mine does traffic control also....but for tree work. I use a Speed Turtle in the OBD...though I have a bunch of LED modules to install as well. And yeah, an antennas ability to snake through trees is important to me as well.

Am I also correctly understanding that I want the coil area of the antenna to be above the truck to achieve the best performance?

I haven't done any installs where I'd have a first hand account to offer, but you're correct that the load above the roof is the generally discussed practice. Some antennas, such as the very long shaft 10Ks, were made with this very idea in mind.

Now that I think about it....a 10k of the right length might be a viable option for you. The whip is long and slender like a Wilson and gets through the trees very nicely. Though people manage to break them sometimes, mine had taken some serious hard whacks and has lasted since '05, I believe. It's a longer OAL than the K40 you're running, and would work very well.

 

[CrashRecovery]

I've got the latest Zflash from Ultrabrightled.com. I was part of their beta test for the new flash patterns. I've got leds under the truck on the step brackets and one up high on the side of the rack where it meets up with the bed. I also have two in my grill. I couldn't turn down the light bar. 200 for almost new condition light bar is a steal. I'm leaning towards the bar being mounted by the back of the cab. Its almost in the same spot as the rack so it shouldn't look too out of place.

 

[2NC995]

I think mine is the older model, the 2.0. I bought in the fall of '18. Cool devices. You're well-kitted up for lights!

 

[Slowmover]

Breedlove NMO Mount plus LARSEN NMO27B. (I’d consider as default).

The “How To”

www.k0bg.com



That section of IH95 never lacks for AM-19 radio chatter. Far too much traffic funneled thru there.

OTOH, it’s pretty funny as an answer they ask you how fast is your Peterbilt, and you answer, “well, I just made it into my fourth U.S State in under 30-minutes”

The NMO Mount can be used with with an adaptor for 3/8-24 to run other antennas. But the 49” Larsen (or Laird or Browning) is going to get the job done in nearly every instance while also being low key and better performing than what you have now.

5+ miles in that region mid-day is good. It has a lot of noise built-in.

Get a chassis punch and tape measure.

You want what really works and that’s to also add DSP Filtration. See the thread WEST MOUNTAIN RADIO CLEARSPEAKER.

See also elightbars

.

 

[CrashRecovery]

I'm not drilling into a roof ever again. Like I've said everything works great. Even on side band. I just was curious about making sure that grounding wasn't going to be an issue due to the aluminum body and that I had mounted the antenna correctly.

 

[Alexis Mercado]

My advice, take a multimeter, make sure that the bed rack is well grounded to the truck’s body, if it is well grounder ( almost cero ohms in a
multimeter ), you can add a very short ground strap from one of the antenna’s bracket screw to a self tapping screw to the bed rack. Don’t need to strip the paint. The ground strap will do it. Leave the antenna where it is right now. It is practically at the center of the truck.