• To anyone looking to acquire commercial radio programming software:

    Please do not make requests for copies of radio programming software which is sold (or was sold) by the manufacturer for any monetary value. All requests will be deleted and a forum infraction issued. Making a request such as this is attempting to engage in software piracy and this forum cannot be involved or associated with this activity. The same goes for any private transaction via Private Message. Even if you attempt to engage in this activity in PM's we will still enforce the forum rules. Your PM's are not private and the administration has the right to read them if there's a hint to criminal activity.

    If you are having trouble legally obtaining software please state so. We do not want any hurt feelings when your vague post is mistaken for a free request. It is YOUR responsibility to properly word your request.

    To obtain Motorola software see the Sticky in the Motorola forum.

    The various other vendors often permit their dealers to sell the software online (i.e., Kenwood). Please use Google or some other search engine to find a dealer that sells the software. Typically each series or individual radio requires its own software package. Often the Kenwood software is less than $100 so don't be a cheapskate; just purchase it.

    For M/A Com/Harris/GE, etc: there are two software packages that program all current and past radios. One package is for conventional programming and the other for trunked programming. The trunked package is in upwards of $2,500. The conventional package is more reasonable though is still several hundred dollars. The benefit is you do not need multiple versions for each radio (unlike Motorola).

    This is a large and very visible forum. We cannot jeopardize the ability to provide the RadioReference services by allowing this activity to occur. Please respect this.

Looking for pics of dual cb antenna.

Status
Not open for further replies.

KC8FAS

Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2003
Messages
88
Location
Moran, Michigan
Hello Im looking for pics of dual cb antenna setup on a new body style silverado pickup. I would like to add them to mine. The post holes look to be to far from the back of the cab to look good. Does anyone have a pic of there setup or know a website were I can look.
 

gewecke

Completely Banned for the Greater Good
Banned
Joined
Jan 29, 2006
Messages
7,452
Location
Illinois
Hello Im looking for pics of dual cb antenna setup on a new body style silverado pickup. I would like to add them to mine. The post holes look to be to far from the back of the cab to look good. Does anyone have a pic of there setup or know a website were I can look.

Why the dual "pogo sticks"? You should be aware that a single mono/multi band antenna in the center of your cab roof will radiate a signal better any of the trucker variety,plus your truck won't look as tacky!(Unless you like the 10-4 look?):roll:
n9zas
 

SCPD

QRT
Joined
Feb 24, 2001
Messages
0
Location
Virginia
Hello Im looking for pics of dual cb antenna setup on a new body style silverado pickup. I would like to add them to mine. The post holes look to be to far from the back of the cab to look good. Does anyone have a pic of there setup or know a website were I can look.

I don't know if they are still in business or not, but Hustler made a very good dual-antenna in the 70s and 80s. Although, it mounted on west coast style mirrors, not the actual body. They also had these antennas that would mount to the rain gutter on vehicles, though they were known to rattle loose.

As already pointed out however, a centered single body mount antenna will work far better than duals mounted on the outside of your truck. It might make your little truck look like a big truck if that's the look you are striving for, but seriously, you won't get any better performance.
 
Joined
Feb 17, 2008
Messages
89
Location
Warner Robins,GA
You could also mount 2 antennas for the looks but just use one. Get you a truck tool box going across the bed and bolt the mirror mounts to the tool box. Run just one coax of mini 8 type. That will give you the dual look and single antenna performance. Keep in mind that if cb antenna is not 1/4 wave(102") apart it wont perform as good as single ant. After you get the ant mounts on tool box you can run any antenna. The wilson 2000 performs good. I ran them as well as every now and then francis ant when I was trucking.
 

nunyadang

Newbie
Joined
Oct 29, 2011
Messages
2
My duals on '08 Silverado

I know this post is over a year and a half old, but I couldn’t find many pics when I was contemplating dual antennas, but this post was the first to pop up when “Silverado dual cb antennas” is googled, so figured I’d share my setup and pics of my ’08 for anyone else who’s looking. I just completed the installation this week.

I’ll admit, a nice steel whip mounted smack dab in the middle of the top of the cab would typically be ideal, but most of the time, this truck is a lawn ornament as it’s entire purpose is to tow my 5th wheel. A nice 102” could go on top of the cab, but although only 2 feet higher than the trailer, it wouldn’t take long before it found an overpass/power line/bridge support structure/tree that meets the highway minimum clearance requirement and put an end to that antenna.

I’m not that educated when it comes to radio wave propagation, but I chose the co-phase thing because there’s a huge brick being towed behind the cab of the truck, and I thought possibly duals would reduce any dead zone caused by this. I’ve never had a single attached, so I can’t compare. Okay, personally I think the set up looks a tiny bit dumb, but my original reasoning to go with dual antennas outweighs how little I care about how cool or un-cool it looks, so they’re pretty much staying put.

The 4’ firestiks are mounted on firestik’s extended stake bed mounts. The antenna’s are something like 6’3” apart, which is not ideal, but not horrible from what I understand. It took the destruction of a $30 step drill bit and a dozen dremmel cut-off wheels to trim the lower stake bed plate to fit and cut holes in the upper stake bed plate to run the coax through the stake pocket.

The built in meter that came with the Cobra 29 series radio appears pretty worthless when it comes to SWR, but using a $30 Astatic meter, I tuned the antennas with the trailer coupled in an empty area of a big parking lot. I’m no perfectionist, so my SWR readings are (Ch 1/Ch 20/Ch 40) 1.4/1.2/1.3. I measured again without the trailer and the readings I got were 2.0/1.2/1.0 (I thought 1.0 was an unattainable number, maybe my eyeballs weren’t directly in front of the gage, gage is off, I dunno, this is just what I read). The 2.0 is less than ideal, but whatever, it’s when the trailer is coupled that’s more important.

I’ll try to post the pics now…
 

Attachments

  • front2.JPG
    front2.JPG
    67.7 KB · Views: 6,469
  • side2.JPG
    side2.JPG
    57.5 KB · Views: 26,279
  • side3.JPG
    side3.JPG
    59.7 KB · Views: 6,104
  • side4.JPG
    side4.JPG
    57.5 KB · Views: 31,176

JayMojave

Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
722
Location
Mojave Ca
Hello Nunyadang: Great Posting thanks a million. Great looking rig there.

The antenna installation looks great but the antennas need to be mounted on the top aft side of the cab using L brackets to allow for a better antenna performance and lower SWR, this from experience.

However if it works for you then I'd say its humming and buzzing just fine. It looks great!

I have rented fiberglass motor homes before that I temporarly installed CB, VHF, and UHF Antennas on a Aluminum Plate that attaches on the side of the motor home allowing a quick install and remove for temporary use. I have also seen Wilsion 1000 and 5000 antennas with a 5 foot whip antenna mounted on top of the fifth wheel trailer that woked very well. Was able to take the over passes.

I like the "10-4" Look!

Jay in the Mojave
 

nunyadang

Newbie
Joined
Oct 29, 2011
Messages
2
Thanks Jay!
I thought about the cab mounting thing, and including quick disconnects for when the trailer is at the camp site or on the monthly "burn the fuel and charge the batts" run (plenty of trees here in Washington that have claimed a few of my antenna's when I was a young pup), but I'm not very good at metal work to deal with the curved coutour cab. Also, Firestik says they've had success with antenna's down to 4' apart, but until you got me thinking, I might have mistakenly read that as "4' can work, but the wider the better." Like you said, I can hear and I can be heard, although I haven't done any kind of distance test yet.
 

JayMojave

Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2007
Messages
722
Location
Mojave Ca
Hello Nunyagang:

Yeah the old Ham Radio wives tale about antennas having to be exactly at a 1/4 wavelength apart is not true. Gee whiz how many 18 wheel rigs are out there with the duel anteannas that work just great! I would think the boys at Firestick are right.

I have worked on a few mobile installations and we always see in increase in performance when the antenna are mounted on top of the cab, as compared to be mounted on the side deck of the pick-up bed.

I have a Six foot whip antenna cut down from a 102 inch Stainless Steel Whip Antenna, and a base matching coil, mounted on top of the cab, that works pretty well. It works well and doesn't hit all the low lying trees, TV Cables, and what not.

Thanks for sharing all you neat-o pictures and info.

Jay in the Mojave
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top