anyone able to get a CB antenna to work on a Jeep TJ it's like the old CJ's??

[niceguy71]

So, as I'm sure you know, low SWR just means the RF is either being radiated or absorbed somewhere and not getting reflected back.


Try eliminating this and see if it improves. Sectionalize the fault until you narrow it down to specific components.



There comes a time when being able to fabricate your own coaxial cables makes a lot of sense.
24 feet seems excessive for a Jeep, but that's probably not your issue.

I would bypass the noise filter and try swapping extensions cables around.

90º adapters have given me headaches enough times that I no longer trust them. I'd try eliminating those just for giggles.



Yep, that's why we tell people over and over and over and over and over and over…. Not to use cigarette lighters for radio installations. Often that small gauge wire is bundled in with CAN buss stuff and other fun noise makers.



Did you check continuity end to end on the coax? Did you try that with all the adapters/extensions/barrels, etc in place?



I've noticed over the years that people will buy all the hardware, connect it together and then drive on down the road. Rarely checking SWR. They key up the radio and can talk to their buddy in his jeep 100 feet away and call it good.


Very glad I don't own a Jeep at this point.

thanks a lot, Mmckenna, you always have great advice!

when my friend did all the work without grounding anything...... the coax didn't have the 90 degree elbow.... I never thought of that! his coax was bent to heck and I could hardly get it off... it goes down and hits the bracket so you have to bend it to the side to screw it on... when I took it off the pin was bent inside the screw threads..... I put the 90 on it and checked it with my meter and it seemed to still be working so I forgot all about that.... you can actually see the coax insulation is messed up in the picture.
this weekend was a surprise... I really thought he just didn't grind off the paint and everything would go awesome with all the RF Bonding and great grounds..... I expected to be YouTube Range testing the tail light antenna VS the hood Stryker antenna.

I didn't mention this.... I used the CS-47 for a couple hours on my base station....and the squelch worked fine.....
after putting it in the Jeep with all the bonding and noise filters I thought it would be quiet.... but it didn't make any noise at all??? but it was at 11PM???

on that all controls on the mic radio, the squelch is push button, set from 1 - 8 ...one being wide open and nothing but static coming in... to 8 being nothing but very close signals..... I put it on one before sending my friend home for the test and it had ZERO static???? I thought that odd, but we were hearing locals from several towns on different channels and the radio checks were all good.......I figured I would look into it next time.... I'm thinking the ASQ automatic Squelch Control was on... pretty sure it was... but me setting it to 1 when I had it on my base made a lot of static.... in the jeep nothing.... so I have that to look at too.... my friend heard me out to 18 miles.... I just could not hear him any longer than the 14.90 miles.... so I think the Stryker is working fine and maybe the squelch too????

by the way the Stryker antenna also had the 3 foot jumper and Palomar Engineers Coax Noise filter

perhaps I'll buy another coax.. I have no idea of the quality he bought.... he ran it in then to the roll bar then to the dash and then under the dash... it sat down by the front of the console we stretched it to go under the console but that was it... so I added the barrel connector under the console and the 3 foot jumper made it under the seat.... but to put the Palomar Engineers Coax Noise filter on I needed to run another jumper. all jumpers and elbow were bought at DX Engineering... I hope they have quality parts as they charged me a ton!

if I buy another coax I can go directly from the back corner under the carpet I guess and see what happens.

I will take off both 3 foot jumpers when he comes over again.... I never really thought we would get the tail light mount to work very good... but I thought it would get under 2.0 SWR as so many jeep guys "say" they have good SWR
thanks again.... I have a lot to look at when he comes back.

I was hoping the Scarlett warrior ( also known as the red devil... red rocket.... Tarrus Red warrior... it's a clone of the 1980's Modulator)... the 18' fiberglass is an inch wide! with a 54 inch steel whip sticking above the jeep... perfect for off road I thought..... and 6 feet tall should work well and the Brits love it!

I may talk my friend into just forgetting the tail light and drilling the hole in the hood now that I know an antenna works in that position.... but I really wanted to show the world what a difference the two locations made..

thanks again

 

[niceguy71]

Wahat about that 90, maybe take that out and recheck. You could also take a jumper straight from antenna to analyzer and check it, rule out everything in the vehicle that way.

your right! great idea... I could leave the antenna on the jeep and just run another coax to my RigExpert... but I'll have to get some coax long enough for me to stand clear of the antenna....
THANKS!!

 

[niceguy71]

I bought this 3/8 female magnetic mount to test the Red Warrior antenna so that would tell me if they are working once I get them on the hood where they have a better ground plane.

 

[mmckenna]

thanks a lot, Mmckenna, you always have great advice!

when my friend did all the work without grounding anything...... the coax didn't have the 90 degree elbow.... I never thought of that! his coax was bent to heck and I could hardly get it off... it goes down and hits the bracket so you have to bend it to the side to screw it on... when I took it off the pin was bent inside the screw threads..... I put the 90 on it and checked it with my meter and it seemed to still be working so I forgot all about that.... you can actually see the coax insulation is messed up in the picture.

Seems like the design of the mount should take into account coaxial cable routing.
Anyway, I've had issues with those in the past. I learned my lesson a long time ago about cheap adapters.

You can get 90º crimp on UHF connectors that would remove the need for it.

Lands Precision 1836 - PL-259 Connectors

Right Angle PL-259 for RG58, LMR195

theantennafarm.com

Being able to fabricate your own coaxial cable assemblies might not be an investment you want to make right now, but consider it. Based on the amount of CB work you do, being able to "roll your own" really is something that might pay off in the long run. Being able to install just the amount of cable you need without extra adapters, barrels, jumpers, can really help. Reducing unnecessary feed line losses with unnecessary cable length or adapters can make a difference.

I have some high end stuff at work, but at home, I purchased a kit very similar to this about 20 years ago. It's done everything I've needed.

https://www.amazon.com/ConnectoRF-Ratchet-Crimping-Coaxial-Stripper/dp/B076TN118K?ref_=v_sp_product_dpx

Buy a bunch of -good- UHF connectors (I use a lot of RF Industries brand at work) and start practicing with scrap RG-58. There's a few good tutorials on YouTube (and a whole lot of really bad ones) that can get you started.
RG-58 is just fine for mobile CB use, so it's likely al you'd ever need.

RFI RFU-505 - PL-259 Connectors

PL-259 (UHF Male)

theantennafarm.com

after putting it in the Jeep with all the bonding and noise filters I thought it would be quiet.... but it didn't make any noise at all??? but it was at 11PM???

Might be another good indication that there is a fault in the antenna system.

by the way the Stryker antenna also had the 3 foot jumper and Palomar Engineers Coax Noise filter

OK, so that might rule those two components out.

perhaps I'll buy another coax.. I have no idea of the quality he bought.... all jumpers and elbow were bought at DX Engineering... I hope they have quality parts as they charged me a ton!

I don't know what they use, but DX Engineering sells a lot of different levels of quality, and hams are notoriously cheap. I still think you'd benefit from being able to fabricate your own cables. The up front costs are a bit high, but I think you do enough of this stuff to make it work. After a bit, it starts getting to be way too easy to make your own.

 

[slowmover]

Seems like the design of the mount should take into account coaxial cable routing.
Anyway, I've had issues with those in the past. I learned my lesson a long time ago about cheap adapters.

You can get 90º crimp on UHF connectors that would remove the need for it.

Lands Precision 1836 - PL-259 Connectors

Right Angle PL-259 for RG58, LMR195

theantennafarm.com

Being able to fabricate your own coaxial cable assemblies might not be an investment you want to make right now, but consider it. Based on the amount of CB work you do, being able to "roll your own" really is something that might pay off in the long run. Being able to install just the amount of cable you need without extra adapters, barrels, jumpers, can really help. Reducing unnecessary feed line losses with unnecessary cable length or adapters can make a difference.

I have some high end stuff at work, but at home, I purchased a kit very similar to this about 20 years ago. It's done everything I've needed.

https://www.amazon.com/ConnectoRF-Ratchet-Crimping-Coaxial-Stripper/dp/B076TN118K?ref_=v_sp_product_dpx

Buy a bunch of -good- UHF connectors (I use a lot of RF Industries brand at work) and start practicing with scrap RG-58. There's a few good tutorials on YouTube (and a whole lot of really bad ones) that can get you started.
RG-58 is just fine for mobile CB use, so it's likely al you'd ever need.

RFI RFU-505 - PL-259 Connectors

PL-259 (UHF Male)

theantennafarm.com

Might be another good indication that there is a fault in the antenna system.



OK, so that might rule those two components out.



I don't know what they use, but DX Engineering sells a lot of different levels of quality, and hams are notoriously cheap. I still think you'd benefit from being able to fabricate your own cables. The up front costs are a bit high, but I think you do enough of this stuff to make it work. After a bit, it starts getting to be way too easy to make your own.

Great posts (this and previous).

Jeeps are from Hell.

Custom coax is next on my list after some test gear upgrade.

.

 

[slowmover]

thanks a lot, Mmckenna, you always have great advice!

when my friend did all the work without grounding anything...... the coax didn't have the 90 degree elbow.... I never thought of that! his coax was bent to heck and I could hardly get it off... it goes down and hits the bracket so you have to bend it to the side to screw it on... when I took it off the pin was bent inside the screw threads..... I put the 90 on it and checked it with my meter and it seemed to still be working so I forgot all about that.... you can actually see the coax insulation is messed up in the picture.
this weekend was a surprise... I really thought he just didn't grind off the paint and everything would go awesome with all the RF Bonding and great grounds..... I expected to be YouTube Range testing the tail light antenna VS the hood Stryker antenna.

I didn't mention this.... I used the CS-47 for a couple hours on my base station....and the squelch worked fine.....
after putting it in the Jeep with all the bonding and noise filters I thought it would be quiet.... but it didn't make any noise at all??? but it was at 11PM???

on that all controls on the mic radio, the squelch is push button, set from 1 - 8 ...one being wide open and nothing but static coming in... to 8 being nothing but very close signals..... I put it on one before sending my friend home for the test and it had ZERO static???? I thought that odd, but we were hearing locals from several towns on different channels and the radio checks were all good.......I figured I would look into it next time.... I'm thinking the ASQ automatic Squelch Control was on... pretty sure it was... but me setting it to 1 when I had it on my base made a lot of static.... in the jeep nothing.... so I have that to look at too.... my friend heard me out to 18 miles.... I just could not hear him any longer than the 14.90 miles.... so I think the Stryker is working fine and maybe the squelch too????

by the way the Stryker antenna also had the 3 foot jumper and Palomar Engineers Coax Noise filter

perhaps I'll buy another coax.. I have no idea of the quality he bought.... he ran it in then to the roll bar then to the dash and then under the dash... it sat down by the front of the console we stretched it to go under the console but that was it... so I added the barrel connector under the console and the 3 foot jumper made it under the seat.... but to put the Palomar Engineers Coax Noise filter on I needed to run another jumper. all jumpers and elbow were bought at DX Engineering... I hope they have quality parts as they charged me a ton!

if I buy another coax I can go directly from the back corner under the carpet I guess and see what happens.

I will take off both 3 foot jumpers when he comes over again.... I never really thought we would get the tail light mount to work very good... but I thought it would get under 2.0 SWR as so many jeep guys "say" they have good SWR
thanks again.... I have a lot to look at when he comes back.

I was hoping the Scarlett warrior ( also known as the red devil... red rocket.... Tarrus Red warrior... it's a clone of the 1980's Modulator)... the 18' fiberglass is an inch wide! with a 54 inch steel whip sticking above the jeep... perfect for off road I thought..... and 6 feet tall should work well and the Brits love it!

I may talk my friend into just forgetting the tail light and drilling the hole in the hood now that I know an antenna works in that position.... but I really wanted to show the world what a difference the two locations made..

thanks again

An unreal amount of work given it’s such a small vehicle. I’ve that kind of time into Class 8 tractors, but I’m slow. And . . they’re big (plus they aren’t mine).

Sure pleased to read that the project has legs.
Ten miles plus on any rig is great (the days it won’t are when everyone else is down proportionally).

@prcguy Jeep Gladiator CB mount is a clip-on. How he bonded it is in several posts in different threads. It’s the model I’d follow. (Maybe on starboard versus port). A wife NMO cap, too.

 

[jeepsandradios]

The reason thousands of jeeps use them is they talk 300' down a trail 90% of the time. One item I use on mine are a fire ring style mount - CB Radio Antenna Coax Cable - Firestik K-8R9 9` Fire-Flex FireRing

Works way better on the mount. I've never had great CB comms on a jeep. Installed many (althoguh all mine are stock 4 watt radios) on all of my Jeeps and only one CJ that had a 108" whip was worth a crap. On my new JT and JL I run a AM/FM delete and if i get 2 miles I'm happy. I mainly use it to listen on the interstate now that most trail comms are migrating to GMRS.

 

[nokones]

I have both on my Jeep and they both work great with good VSWRs. Also, Firestick does have adjustable tip non-Ground plane antennae. No, I don't run two CB Antennae. The Lip-Mount on the Hood is now used for my Motorola XPR5550e UHF DMR Radio.

 

[niceguy71]

I have both on my Jeep and they both work great with good VSWRs. Also, Firestick does have adjustable tip non-Ground plane antennae. No, I don't run two CB Antennae. The Lip-Mount on the Hood is now used for my Motorola XPR5550e UHF DMR Radio.
View attachment 180122 View attachment 180123

if you get a chance, could you take a picture with the hood open of that mount?
the picture looks a lot like my Friends TJ ...but the metal is flat on the hood... it then bends down at a 90 degree where your coax goes down in your picture for at least an inch then after it goes down that inch it 90's again .... on my picture you can see the bonding just above the hood lip..... I sure wish I could use one of those mounts.... I know if I drill the hole he will get tired of AM CB and take the whole thing out of the Jeep... and put a rubber plug in the hole.... so that type mount would be great... but I don't see how I could use it.

I love that coax..... where did you find that??? I'm doing a visual search on it and I still can't find it anyplace???

 

[niceguy71]

Seems like the design of the mount should take into account coaxial cable routing.
Anyway, I've had issues with those in the past. I learned my lesson a long time ago about cheap adapters.

You can get 90º crimp on UHF connectors that would remove the need for it.

Lands Precision 1836 - PL-259 Connectors

Right Angle PL-259 for RG58, LMR195

theantennafarm.com

Being able to fabricate your own coaxial cable assemblies might not be an investment you want to make right now, but consider it. Based on the amount of CB work you do, being able to "roll your own" really is something that might pay off in the long run. Being able to install just the amount of cable you need without extra adapters, barrels, jumpers, can really help. Reducing unnecessary feed line losses with unnecessary cable length or adapters can make a difference.

I have some high end stuff at work, but at home, I purchased a kit very similar to this about 20 years ago. It's done everything I've needed.

https://www.amazon.com/ConnectoRF-Ratchet-Crimping-Coaxial-Stripper/dp/B076TN118K?ref_=v_sp_product_dpx

Buy a bunch of -good- UHF connectors (I use a lot of RF Industries brand at work) and start practicing with scrap RG-58. There's a few good tutorials on YouTube (and a whole lot of really bad ones) that can get you started.
RG-58 is just fine for mobile CB use, so it's likely al you'd ever need.

RFI RFU-505 - PL-259 Connectors

PL-259 (UHF Male)

theantennafarm.com

Might be another good indication that there is a fault in the antenna system.



OK, so that might rule those two components out.



I don't know what they use, but DX Engineering sells a lot of different levels of quality, and hams are notoriously cheap. I still think you'd benefit from being able to fabricate your own cables. The up front costs are a bit high, but I think you do enough of this stuff to make it work. After a bit, it starts getting to be way too easy to make your own.

thanks again.... yup one of the first things I bought was a set of crimpers and jaws for LMR 400 and RG58x and a couple other sizes... I bought cable cutters and cable strippers and a good soldering kit.... DX Engineering sells the ends in packages of 6 for $30 bucks so I had to get three different sets as I have three different coax sizes I use.... it all cost me over $400..... I have used the stuff once for my Base Station set up... I guess I should dust it off.
strippers for LMR 400
strippers for RG58 X ...I think
my crimpers... each set of jaws cost over $30 bucks
jaws
I have many different size ends and styles
I didn't have any cutters to cut the little strands off the coax so I got these
I have boxes of special tools for all this coax stuff.... I was hoping to just get my base and mobile set up and be done, then just enjoy playing with equipment, ..... but I keep getting more and more people into it and they all need help

again thanks for all your help

 

[K6GBW]

For a 27 MHz antenna on a Jeep I've never found anything that works better than a 3" ball mount on the driver's side of the tub. Yes, ball mounts are a commitment. It's kind of like parachuting, you either do it or you don't. But a 4-5' Firestick, Francis or whatever on a 3" ball mount will absolutely tune and work well.

 

[nokones]

thanks again.... yup one of the first things I bought was a set of crimpers and jaws for LMR 400 and RG58x and a couple other sizes... I bought cable cutters and cable strippers and a good soldering kit.... DX Engineering sells the ends in packages of 6 for $30 bucks so I had to get three different sets as I have three different coax sizes I use.... it all cost me over $400..... I have used the stuff once for my Base Station set up... I guess I should dust it off.
strippers for LMR 400
strippers for RG58 X ...I think
my crimpers... each set of jaws cost over $30 bucks
jaws
I have many different size ends and styles
I didn't have any cutters to cut the little strands off the coax so I got these
I have boxes of special tools for all this coax stuff.... I was hoping to just get my base and mobile set up and be done, then just enjoy playing with equipment, ..... but I keep getting more and more people into it and they all need help

again thanks for all your help

Hood Pictures forthcoming.

 

[nokones]

Jeep Hood Pictures attached. You might also see if the TJ has the side cowl bolts below the A Pillar for mounting a bracket and maybe use the Firestik Non-Ground Plane Adjustable Tip antenna.

 

[niceguy71]

Hood Pictures forthcoming.

View attachment 180159
View attachment 180160

big bucks right there!!!

 

[niceguy71]

Jeep Hood Pictures attached. You might also see if the TJ has the side cowl bolts below the A Pillar for mounting a bracket and maybe use the Firestik Non-Ground Plane Adjustable Tip antenna.

View attachment 180161

View attachment 180162
View attachment 180163
View attachment 180164
View attachment 180165
View attachment 180166

thank you

great looking Jeep

did you bend the hood to get that mount on the hood??? looks like it.

I have heard the mounts that are lower than the hood don't work very good....

I'd be wiling to try that hood mount if it would work.. I really hate to be the hood... even if I bend the hood and get the mount on it.... the gap between cowl and hood is TIGHT!
I put the Stryker SAR-10 ( man that antenna works great!) on the hood and it looked like the coax would just squeeze between the cowl gasket and hood.... we closed the hood slowly and gently... then opened the hood.... it just about cut the coax in half!... the coax had a white line in it where the sharp edge of the hood crushed it... I tried to shake it to get the rubber back into shape..... and the coax flopped back and forth in my hand where the hood pinched.... (obviously broken ) it seems like there is a clear plastic inside the coax that keeps the two conductors separated... that piece is cut pretty good.... I taped it up and sent my friend for a test ride hoping it would still work.
it did.

thank you again, much appreciated!

 

[niceguy71]

I have both on my Jeep and they both work great with good VSWRs. Also, Firestick does have adjustable tip non-Ground plane antennae. No, I don't run two CB Antennae. The Lip-Mount on the Hood is now used for my Motorola XPR5550e UHF DMR Radio.
View attachment 180120

where did you find this coax????? that looks just like what I need

 

[niceguy71]

An unreal amount of work given it’s such a small vehicle. I’ve that kind of time into Class 8 tractors, but I’m slow. And . . they’re big (plus they aren’t mine).

Sure pleased to read that the project has legs.
Ten miles plus on any rig is great (the days it won’t are when everyone else is down proportionally).

@prcguy Jeep Gladiator CB mount is a clip-on. How he bonded it is in several posts in different threads. It’s the model I’d follow. (Maybe on starboard versus port). A wife NMO cap, too.

View attachment 180119

yes it was a lot of work... we were either under the hood, under the dash, under the Jeep, under the seat, under the carpets..... this will be my last jeep project.... thanks for noticing.

meanwhile my friend was over my house for 14 hours, working on his CB... and his wife is thinking we are out playing with the CB's having a ball... I'm sure she envisioned this

best line in that movie... I guess a legend and an out-of-work bum look a lot alike

 

[nokones]

where did you find this coax????? that looks just like what I need

Walcott Radio. They also carry the Firestik products and may have the Firestik Firering Cable Kit.

 

[niceguy71]

yes it was a lot of work... we were either under the hood, under the dash, under the Jeep, under the seat, under the carpets..... this will be my last jeep project.... thanks for noticing.

meanwhile my friend was over my house for 14 hours, working on his CB... and his wife is thinking we are out playing with the CB's having a ball... I'm sure she envisioned this

best line in that movie... I guess a legend and an out-of-work bum look a lot alike

when he sings ... " a tractor trailer full of beer, smoke blowing out the stack, don't worry about that sheriff son, we'll keep him off your back"
it chokes me up every time

 

[niceguy71]

Walcott Radio. They also carry the Firestik products and may have the Firestik Firering Cable Kit.

thank you~