Like many others--need install ideas

[Josh380]

So I'll be buying an older Toyota pickup in a few days. Both of them have camper shells. Here is the truck I'm hoping to get

And here's the second choice:


I've got two, maybe three radios I'd like to install. I plan on permanently mounting a UHF antenna on the roof. I'd also like to install a CB. I can figure out where to mount the radios in the cab, but where should I mount the CB antenna?

I'm wanting to install either a 102" whip (best and easiest match IMO) or I can go with a clean looking fiberglass whip like a firestik or maybe one of those 4 foot K40 antennas (not the mag mount with steel whip).

Suggestions?

 

[WB9YBM]

So I'll be buying an older Toyota pickup in a few days. Both of them have camper shells. Here is the truck I'm hoping to getView attachment 83293

And here's the second choice:

I've got two, maybe three radios I'd like to install. I plan on permanently mounting a UHF antenna on the roof. I'd also like to install a CB. I can figure out where to mount the radios in the cab, but where should I mount the CB antenna?

I'm wanting to install either a 102" whip (best and easiest match IMO) or I can go with a clean looking fiberglass whip like a firestik or maybe one of those 4 foot K40 antennas (not the mag mount with steel whip).

Suggestions?

For best ground plane effect, in the middle of the roof. Also make sure the camper top's electrically grounded to the chasis (& the bed, too).

 

[Josh380]

For best ground plane effect, in the middle of the roof. Also make sure the camper top's electrically grounded to the chasis (& the bed, too).

Grounding the shell might be easy for the older truck, I think the newer one has a fiberglass shell.

Ordinarily I'd simply mount the 102" whip on the truck bed. Obviously I can't do that with a camper shell on it. Unless I do a ball mount on the side, but I don't want to put holes in the side of the body if I can avoid it.

 

[Ravenkeeper]

If the fiberglass shell (Truck#1) has a high mount brake light on it, then it should be grounded, if the light is working. The other one, similar to the first, if the clearance lights are working, it's grounded. My dad had a shell, like #2, it was grounded, and we still had the (magnet mount) CB antenna on top of the cab.

 

[mmckenna]

Figure out which radio is more important to you. Sounds like that would be the UHF antenna. Since UHF only needs a 6-7" ground plane extending out from the antenna mount, you could mount it offset to one side. Keep it at least 7 inches from the edge of the roof.

For CB, you won't get a 'perfect' ground plane on a truck that small, so an option might be to put the CB antenna NMO mount dead center on the cab roof. That'll give you the most benefit with the limited ground plane. Since CB's are only 4 watts at the most (probably a bit less in reality, plus add in feed line losses) you shouldn't see an issue with the UHF radio. On the UHF side, there should be enough space between the CB antenna and the UHF antenna to give you enough isolation.

So, if it was me, I'd install 2 NMO mounts on the cab roof. One NMO mount dead center for the CB antenna. I'd use one of the Larsen NMO-27's that I've been using off and on for 30 years. With a good ground plane like the roof of the truck, you should not have any issues getting a decent match. I had no issues putting one on the roof of my old F-150.
I'd install another NMO mount offset to one side for the UHF antenna.

 

[slowmover]

Figure out which radio is more important to you. Sounds like that would be the UHF antenna. Since UHF only needs a 6-7" ground plane extending out from the antenna mount, you could mount it offset to one side. Keep it at least 7 inches from the edge of the roof.

For CB, you won't get a 'perfect' ground plane on a truck that small, so an option might be to put the CB antenna NMO mount dead center on the cab roof. That'll give you the most benefit with the limited ground plane. Since CB's are only 4 watts at the most (probably a bit less in reality, plus add in feed line losses) you shouldn't see an issue with the UHF radio. On the UHF side, there should be enough space between the CB antenna and the UHF antenna to give you enough isolation.

So, if it was me, I'd install 2 NMO mounts on the cab roof. One NMO mount dead center for the CB antenna. I'd use one of the Larsen NMO-27's that I've been using off and on for 30 years. With a good ground plane like the roof of the truck, you should not have any issues getting a decent match. I had no issues putting one on the roof of my old F-150.
I'd install another NMO mount offset to one side for the UHF antenna.

What minimum distance for offset?

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