CB Radio antennae and mounts.

[Twoxentrix]

Originally Posted by bec_n_em

I mounted it like this.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hM5UkS6jnj9AD8ePA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/B9DSvyXZQgHr4ELJA

Emmett,
Off topic (so I apologize), Noticed this in your pic's - may I inquire what you used to mount your recovery boards above the cab? Or is that the small Aluminess 'cab rack' they introduced a couple years ago? Thanks!

[bec_n_em]

Hi Felix! No worries. Hope all is well and you're doing some traveling in the van. Any plans to head out West?

We've been out and about more than we thought since we last talked. Our first 24 months with the van, and we were on the road for 13! Didn't see that coming. Super fun...from BC to Tuscon...

Yes, that's the small Aluminess "cab rack." It's worked out well for us. Holds the traction boards out of the way and it works well for temporarily lashing other stuff on it like firewood or other messy stuff. You can also reach the rack from inside with the roof up through the front unzipped canvas window.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9MiBrykvzuynt7Zb7

I just went to the Aluminess site and couldn't find the rack. It's still an option for the Field Van Classic, and I saw them in the Fresno factory earlier this year.

If you want one, my guess is you'd have to call to see if they're available.

Best,

Em -

[Twoxentrix]

Originally Posted by bec_n_em

I just went to the Aluminess site and couldn't find the rack. It's still an option for the Field Van Classic, and I saw them in the Fresno factory earlier this year.
If you want one, my guess is you'd have to call to see if they're available.
Best,
Em -

Perfect - I wasn't able to find them with Aluminess in my search early this morning, that's what prompted me reach out when i viewed your pic's on this Thread (very good timing!). I'll give Feild Van a call in the morning. Good to hear you're making the most of your van. Thanks

[dbhosttexas]

Originally Posted by bec_n_em

dbhosttexas - - Perhaps of interest to add into your thinking...I used a Folding Aerial Bracket from Rhino-Rack in our HAM install...nice to be able to easily and quickly fold down the antenna in trees and brush.

https://www.rhinorack.com/en-us/prod...-bracket_43196

I mounted it like this.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hM5UkS6jnj9AD8ePA

https://photos.app.goo.gl/B9DSvyXZQgHr4ELJA

Have used it for about 2-years...sturdy...has held up well...I often run it at a 45 degree angle to keep the height down without practical signal loss close in with others...

Hope the thoughts help...best, Em -

Well, not super sure about the Firestik as I have not had one before, but I ran both fiberglass, and stainless steel 102" whips for decades and they always had the 6" spring at the base. The Firestik I ordered is a 36" and being mounted fender height, really won't protrude much beyond the Penthouse roof height. NOT ideal as it will make the signal rather directional, but for my purposes, it will work perfectly. Along the trail lead to last rig are never more than a mile apart. On the highway honestly I want to know what is ahead of me... And it will still work rearward, just not as well... Honestly if height was not a concern, plop a 102" whip on the middle of the exposed metal part of the roof with one of those Procomm bees nest shaped giant mounts, reinforce the metal underneath it with an old scut down circular saw blade, I have about 3 I can volunteer for this duty, and of course use the spring, but I would be illegal height wise, and would whack everything above me, branches, bridges, 727s....

[basssears]

Can't remember the brand right now (can look if it matters) but the CB setup on our van (installed by Sportsmobile, I think, before we bought it used) has a standard whip but it's a quarter turn to twist it off when we don't want it mounted.


So permanent mount that sits about 2" proud of the roof, and then when we want to use the CB we twist lock the actually antenna onto the mount.


Might be good solution.


-- Bass

[dbhosttexas]

Originally Posted by basssears

Can't remember the brand right now (can look if it matters) but the CB setup on our van (installed by Sportsmobile, I think, before we bought it used) has a standard whip but it's a quarter turn to twist it off when we don't want it mounted.


So permanent mount that sits about 2" proud of the roof, and then when we want to use the CB we twist lock the actually antenna onto the mount.


Might be good solution.


-- Bass

I might be half tempted to take my van to Austin to get SMB to install an antenna mount as long as it works with a Firestik. I don't need it all the time, but when on the road, and more importantly when OFF the road I need it. My plan here is mounted CB, and a GMRS handset to cover my bases...

[Orv]

I'm a ham, not a CB'er, but a lot of the concerns are the same. I don't really like mag mounts. They get knocked over, they don't ground very well, and they always damage the paint anyway. I like to drill the roof and put in a Larsen NMO mount. This also solves your cable routing problems since the cable comes out inside the van to start with. You can easily unscrew the antenna when not in use to gain clearance. Larsen makes a little cap you can screw on the mount to protect it when there's no antenna in place. I've never had one leak and they look professional enough that I've never had anyone complain when I sold the vehicle later.

[dbhosttexas]

Originally Posted by Orv

I'm a ham, not a CB'er, but a lot of the concerns are the same. I don't really like mag mounts. They get knocked over, they don't ground very well, and they always damage the paint anyway. I like to drill the roof and put in a Larsen NMO mount. This also solves your cable routing problems since the cable comes out inside the van to start with. You can easily unscrew the antenna when not in use to gain clearance. Larsen makes a little cap you can screw on the mount to protect it when there's no antenna in place. I've never had one leak and they look professional enough that I've never had anyone complain when I sold the vehicle later.

If I could more easily reach the middle of the spit of roof in front of the pop top, probably have to do it from within the pop top I just don't remember if the front window zips all the way open, I would consider a ProComm 3/8 Super heavy duty stud mount with a big fat backing plate under the roof to distribute stresses. As long as I am not always resetting SWRs that spot, with the ability to pop the antenna on and off would be good. Just a PITA to get the headliner off and back on for the install is all...

I did the base install of radio to the ceiling console, routed power cable through the ceiling console down the A pillar and to a lighter plug for now. Screwed the coax for my ancient Realistic Mag mount to test, SWR 1.0 on channel 1, and jumping around between 2.0 and 2.8 on channel 40, probably a bad ground in the coax and I can see the shield by the PL259, so I stopped right there and pitched the antenna in the recycle bin. Not going to risk a high dollar radio on that.

Will need to reposition the radio / bracket slightly to angle the display to the drivers seat, Kind of hard to read from the way it is mounted right now. Trying to keep it out of the way of the sunvisors especially since they hold my window privacy convers in place...

[dbhosttexas]

Originally Posted by Orv

I'm a ham, not a CB'er, but a lot of the concerns are the same. I don't really like mag mounts. They get knocked over, they don't ground very well, and they always damage the paint anyway. I like to drill the roof and put in a Larsen NMO mount. This also solves your cable routing problems since the cable comes out inside the van to start with. You can easily unscrew the antenna when not in use to gain clearance. Larsen makes a little cap you can screw on the mount to protect it when there's no antenna in place. I've never had one leak and they look professional enough that I've never had anyone complain when I sold the vehicle later.

You have piqued my interest in this. And honestly I am having to dredge back to my memories of the 1990s when I first moved to Houston, there was a very active CB Radio Club in Clear Lake by NASA, and an operator that went by the handle Generator that had a new at the time 4th Gen Econoline van, no pop top or anything just a cargo van. He had one of those not sure what they are called now, but the big antennas with a thick shaft and an exposed large coil mounted mid roof via a large ProComm stud mount. He used a spent Circular Saw blade that he cut the carbide tips off of as a backing plate to keep the roof sheet metal from bowing.

I could do something similar and actually have a couple of those ProComm studs as I have used them in every install since 1993. My concern would be the coax coming out from under the roof, and continuing straight down until I can manage a bend.

For CB antennas I do not believe NMO mounts will work. I would need some sort of large stud mount that uses lug connectors on the bottom... Have not seen anything like that, yet...

The good thing about the Hood Channel mount is that it isn't exactly a permanent mount. Just a bolt and unwire the lugs and out it comes.

[Orv]

Originally Posted by dbhosttexas

If I could more easily reach the middle of the spit of roof in front of the pop top, probably have to do it from within the pop top I just don't remember if the front window zips all the way open, I would consider a ProComm 3/8 Super heavy duty stud mount with a big fat backing plate under the roof to distribute stresses. As long as I am not always resetting SWRs that spot, with the ability to pop the antenna on and off would be good.

Good point about the SWR. I'm not sure how the metal framework of the top would affect it, being in the near field of the antenna and all. I had similar thoughts about my 2m band antenna, and I ended up going with a 1/2 wave so I could mount it on the pop-up top itself. (1/2 wave doesn't require grounding.) That'd be less practical with a CB antenna because they're so much heavier.

I have seen NMO CB whips but they tend to be on the short side and I imagine aren't very efficient.