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Anyone else see bad mobile installations

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Retroradio

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OKay lately I have been seeing lots of trucks with a 4' whip on the rear bumper. It's great there seems to be a resurgence in CB enthusiasm but....... Doesn't anyone who sells the equipment give helpfull hints on installation?
During the heyday I remember people jumping on the bandwagon - complaining the radio didn't work and giving up. When asked if they had matched the antenna to the CB , all you got was the deer the headlight look. THis could go the same way......
Anyone else seeing this?
 
AI7PM

AI7PM

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I have found, as a general rule, CBers don't know anything about what they are buying, what it needs to actually work, or how to get there. Don't want any holes drilled in anything, then, will spent twice the cost of the radio on an antenna that looks like something out of a 1960s SciFi movie, so they can "get out better".

Yes, I'm seeing it, and I'm seeing it in the entry level hams too. I try to make it an Elmer opportunity.
 
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Retroradio

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Plug n Play is a good way to describe it! YUp, I get the Elmer opportunity and an always offering to help those set-up there antenna.
I was in town this morning and saw 2 whips on a rack in the back of a truck. A whopping 1 1/2" of ground plane..... If there where emoticons here it would be shaking it's head.....lol
THanks , at least I know I am not the only one seeing this.
 
ScanWI

ScanWI

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Here is one that really made me laugh.
 

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mmckenna

mmckenna

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I agree, it's not just CB. I see a lot of new amateurs (and a few "seasoned" ones) that seem to have zero clue about proper antenna installations.

I've mentioned it to a few people, but the reply is usually something ignorant of the technology.
 
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Dawn

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Pinecrest,Fl
Has always been thus.

From my early years working for RS when it was combined with Allied and then separated, every cb/antenna purchase received a free copy of one of SAM's relabelled books about CB. IDK if that was a company policy or local as the other two in the county did the same. Later, they printed their own book and gave it away around the time I left b4 40 channels.

No matter what we suggested in a combo purchase, the mobiles went out with a trunk lip or mag mount antenna or a bumper chain mount for a full whip. Nobody even then was going to drill a hole unless it was a beater/junker, and even then, most wouldn't or couldn't. One antenna a lot of people came in interested in was the cowl am radio replacement. The minute they seen what was involved and the matching box in the blister pack, that was out. RS didn't do, permitted any of us to do installs, or recommend anyone.

Same went for mounting the radios. I remember going to some of the breaks back then and for the most part, the radios were laying on the seat besides them and had a cigarette lighter plug either crimped or taped in line.

AFA coax. Unless the connector was pre-crimped like most of the packaged mobiles, forget solder. We couldn't keep many of those solderless, compression pl-259's for RG-58 in stock. RG-8 was just twisted with the shield over the jacket for most bases.
 
cmdrwill

cmdrwill

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I have seen way more than my share of bad mobile antenna installations in the last 50 years. And as another posted, not just CB. And it seems it will never quit.....
 
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PACNWDude

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Personally, I have seen this even with commercial and military types as well. Everyone can have a poor installation. Some examples:
A local radio installer who puts full wave and 1/2 wave VHF whips on law enforcement vehicles, and then places two or three of these on hood lip mounts down the vehicle fender.
A county communications vehicle, a converted military MRAP communications truck, with all CHF antennas, even for UHF and 800 MHz.
Police/Fire vessel donated by Honemland security with 12 dB gain antennas on a 42 foot vessel. They wondered why theu could not talk to cars on shore. (I recommended 3dB gain antennas and that sovled their problem.)
An airport tower cab with VHF and UHF whips mounted sideways, horizontal off the side of the tower.
CB radio antennas that have bent the plastic bumper cover and it could fall off any moment. Antennas mounted next to power lines. Nothing grounded properly. Coax that was literally tied together in a knot when it broke.
"Coax" that was actually Cat5 data cable. I could probably write a book on this subject.
 
mmckenna

mmckenna

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When we were doing 800MHz rebanding, we had to go around and put our hands on every single radio. We found one of our buses with a Spectra, but couldn't find the antenna.
We traced out the coax and found that the "installer" had taken about 10 feet of coax, wadded it up in a ball, the NMO mount and a 3dB gain 800MHz antenna and just zip tied the whole mess to a wiring harness above the wind shield.
Finally came to find out that they had taken to the bus to a stereo shop for the radio install. Somewhere I have a photo of that.
 
wx5uif

wx5uif

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A friend of mine is a police officer. he complained that their NX-xxx radio would reboot. He had taken it by the garage and they couldn't find an issue. I was talking to him one day and just took a quick look and come to find out the ground was from the antenna connection. The ground wire wasn't attached to anything. He ended up filling out some sort of report against the installation shop..
 
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BBB007

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Most common I see is the infamous Dual Antenna set up. Why? "Because it looks really cool... like an 18 wheeler"

Local OPs don't understand the directional characteristics of a dual antenna set up is for OTR truck drivers "looking" towards whats in front of them on the interstate. Then the local OPs can't understand why they have issues with reception and transmit. When I find out they are trying to transmit with the dual antenna mobile set up, I tell them to drive in a circle until they hear me better, haha. Then I suggest they loose one antenna and put the other in the center of the roof. "But that won't look as cool":roll:
 
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Retroradio

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LOL... THe old dual antenna set-up. the mental image of someone driving in circles is priceless. See that all the time , mostly on pickup trucks in this area.
 
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KB1VLA

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Radio velcro'ed to the top of the dash, right under the windshield. Not just on top of the dash, but on top of the passenger side airbag cover.
 
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Project25_MASTR

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I know a guy who's GMRS antenna is a Motorola 3 dBd NMO mount on a mag mount...with the coax routed through a hole in the roof.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
 
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KD0TAZ

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KB1VLA said:
Radio velcro'ed to the top of the dash, right under the windshield. Not just on top of the dash, but on top of the passenger side airbag cover.
Click to expand...

OUCH!!!!! That injury would be interesting to explain in the ER.. :D
 
DJ11DLN

DJ11DLN

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Not CB but a VFF I know used to have one of the old Regency/Relm slant-face radios "mounted" behind the seat of his pickup with the mic cable shoved between the bottom and back of the seat. When I asked him about it, he said, "What? I only use the one channel." He just wanted it "out of the way." Radio just laying in the utility tray to bounce around, no actual mounting. Mag mount antenna stuck to a piece of sheet steel glued to the toolbox, of course. Said it worked "good enough for him.":roll:
 
F

FiveFilter

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I fit into the dummy category here and am happy admit it :)

I use the CB solely for getting and giving useful information related to travel on the road. Typical use is to warn truckers of loose wheels or delaminating tires, and to get and give information related to traffic accidents or hazardous conditions.

For my needs, I don't want and typically can't use long-range radio communicaion. I don't want permanent installations in my vehicles. I do want effective short-range equipment that can be installed and removed with the least possible hassle.

To realize these needs, I use magnetic mount antennas and 4-watt unimproved compact radios. Everything is designed to be installed and removed in a couple of minutes.

My radios in current use are the Cobra 19 DXIV and Midland l001z. My magnetic-mount antennas range from a 35-inch K30 in the center of the trunk lid of a sedan that allows the car to get into the garage without hitting anything, to a 60-inch Wilson 1000 that fits nicely in the center of an F250s roof while on RV towing duty.

I do check the SWRs with a separate meter and know what they are for each antenna in each location on each vehicle on which they are used. The magnetic-mount antennas are trimmed to get the best performance within their limited capabilities.

I'm saying all of this just to give the other side of the story. I know how to make things better in a technical way, but I don't want to do it for practical reasons.

So when you see me with my little 35-inch magnetic mount on the trunk of my car, please know that I'm achieving whan I want to achieve even though it would be inadequate for others. Call me up on 19; I'll probably be listening, at least for a mile or three :)
 
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