CB antenne

[uglyjeepling]

Can you get a CB antenna and brackets at Kmart or wal fart? Or do I need to go to a circut city or car toys?

[orangecherokee]

Truck Stop. The best place to find everything you need. Plus, it probably has more tech if you have questions.

[chrisnsarah]

Like he said.

Truck stop, like Flying J, or even Radio Shack. If you have a Fry's electronics, they have a decent aisle of CB/HAM stuff.

[bman]

X2 on the truckstop.

[etjeep]

.....or you could just order it on-line like I did, I bought from these guys, they done good.
http://www.claysradioshop.com/citizensband_firestick-antennas.htm

the nearest J to me (I know they have it) is an hour out and an hour back...

[rmorit01]

On the web I've found www.walcottcb.com to be very good. I've also purchased from Flying J too.

[grand_wag_85]

First off.

What kind of radio are you using?
What kind of range are you looking for?
Will you be using it alot?
Where do you want to mount it?
And, last but not least:
What's the terrain look like where you're from in regards to trees, low obstacles and whatnot?

Might sound silly but these are some things to look into. Like others have said above a truckstop will be your best bet for CB stuff followed by Radio Shack but the 'Shack' isn't as good now as what they used to be for CB's.

[flatbackdragon]

some of the "marts" may have what ya need/want.
the shack has most of it but seems limited anymore, CB craze has gone away, they used to have anything you'd need.
Truck stops, especially the bigger ones have most different brands of antenna, styles-short long whips-stick(several dif brands, firestick, wilson,etc) used about all of them at one time or another on the trucks I drove for 35 yrs trying to find the best. Wilson 5000 Trucker, mounted on either or both mirror brackets, came out on top for me.
Brackets/mounts best choices at truck stops.
BUT no matter what antenna you use, get a spring for the mount, doesn't have to be the BIG spring but the bigger antenna you use (fiberglass whip 3-5 ft) the bigger spring you'll need, a small whip or stick can use the smaller spring, cause you WILL hit tree limbs and such and break a stick antenna, NOWHERE to get another in Silverton/Ouray, bring a spare or drive to Montrose or Durango to replace or go without. The magnetic mounts work just about as good as any up in these hills, you are not going to get out that far anyways.
Went to Radio shack last week to get a cell phone antenna, no gots. BUT YOU ARE RADIO SHACK, we ain't got that stuff. Again TRUCK STOP, but get the correct adapter for your phone, get short mag antenna or CB bracket mount type, use a spring on the big one.
cell antenna and etc- www.wilsonelectronics.com (http://www.wilsonelectronics.com)
cb stuff- www.wilsonantenna.com (http://www.wilsonantenna.com)
can be had at 'most' truckstops

[BRUTUS]

Matt,

Johnson's corner CB shop is the best in NorCol. That is where I get all my CB stuff. Probably all of a 35 minute drive one way for you. I love to see what he is tinkering with every time I am in there.

I wouldn't trust the wallfart carp.

[etjeep]

I would stay away from the cell-phone ant. The type that glues to the glass and the signal goes "through-the-glass". I am not an expert, but did not have good results. They are good for maybe transmit 100-feet and receive 200-feet at best. In a word crap.

[chrisnsarah]

You might also want to think about buying or borrowing a standing wave ratio (SWR) meter to tune your antenna. They don't cost much and are worth it. An 8' whip is the only antenna I've never had to tune.

[grand_wag_85]

An 8' whip is the only antenna I've never had to tune.

Speaking of which, where do you get them anymore? Flying J, RadiShack, TA and Pilot don't seem to carry them anymore

[chrisnsarah]

Speaking of which, where do you get them anymore? Flying J, RadiShack, TA and Pilot don't seem to carry them anymore

It's been awhile since I've seen the stainless steel 8' whips, but the 8' fiberglass ones are still out there. I saw one recently for boats at Cabelas.

You still may be able to get the SS ones through special order at the Shack or online.

[yankeedog]

a 5/8 wavelength antenna is almost as good as an 8 footer for all around work.middle of roof is the best spot to mount it for signal propagation.if youre not into putting hole in your vehicle a mag mount up top would do a pretty fair job.

[FSJ Guy]

Yup, since you're in Broomfield, just pop on up to Johnson's Corner. It's just south of Loveland 402 exit.

[uglyjeepling]

Matt,

Johnson's corner CB shop is the best in NorCol. That is where I get all my CB stuff. Probably all of a 35 minute drive one way for you. I love to see what he is tinkering with every time I am in there.

I wouldn't trust the wallfart carp.

Yes i forgot about that place! I couldnt think of a darn truck stop around denver. I will get one of those fabuloso cinnimon rolls while I am there. :D

[FSJ Guy]

SAP Bro's in Denver might be closer for you, too. But the cinnamon rolls are a good selling point. <g>

[flatbackdragon]

oh my....Johnsons Corner's cinnamon rolls...........
I'm drooling already.....been so long since I've had those...ROAD TRIP!!!!

and a good antenna, cell or cb, whatever, doesn't glue to the window, coax from source to antenna.

[Rande]

If you buy from a CB shop, they will usually tune it for you for a nominal fee after you get it installed. Buy an SWR meter when you get the antenna. They are simple to use and you should periodically check the antenna system with it. Especially after hitting some branches and such. A good, solid ground is essential. Magmount antennas are usually good but do lack somewhat in range. For most, that little bit of reduced range won't really matter. Just us radio nuts might notice.

A bad antenna match (high SWRs) will quickly burn out the output transisters of the CB. The match is very important. 1:1 is optimum but as much as 3:1 is still ok. Beyond that, be carefull. If you have excess coax after the install, don't coil it up nice and neat. A coil will introduce inductance in the antenna system and if its bad enough, will make tuning for good SWR inpossible. Just bundle it up randomly and stuff it out of the way somewhere.

Also, remember that short antennas generally are not very broadbanded. Meaning, they can be tuned for a good match at channel 20 (middle of the CB band of frequencies) but the match gets bad as you approach channel 1 or channel 40. If you need a short antenna, have it tuned for the channel range you normally would use and remember that the match will be bad at the far end of the channels from there. If the CB shop sells you the antenna, he likely will have good antennas and can tell you if there is going to be any problems like that.

35 years of radioactivity learns you a few things.

[shimniok]

You might check Ham Radio Outlet over on Iliff (a bit out of your way). That's where I got all my antennas both CB and Ham. They had a good selection of CB antennas several years ago and will help you with advice and install. Also over on Sheridan near 6th is a CB specialty shop. I forget the name but it is something obvious. I would think both could get you set up with various brackets. You could check HRO online too (google for "ham radio outlet") to see what they have. Otherwise any truckstops usually have some cb gear.

[Gambler68]

my stock one in the jeep seems to work great with my new $35 Cobra :) (there's a box buried in the dash that has a cb out cable).

[flatbackdragon]

your 79 came with the am/fm/cb radio

[Radio Flyer]

Check out the tech and faq sections on this Firestick page......
http://www.firestik.com/ for help with antenna selection and tuning.