I have a Toyota Sienna van that we will be using for camping this summer 2025. We will be traveling to New York state and possibly Canada. A friend of mine gave me an older 40 channel AM CB radio. I want to use one of those gutter mount NMO type mounts. I found online a Browning cb antenna with NMO base. I am only interested in receiving local traffic not anything long distance. Will this type of antenna mount suck? I realize a good mag mount is much better but I want to keep the antenna a little less noticeable. Its a 49" long antenna whip with NMO base. Years ago I remember using a thin mag mount called a "Whippet" and it was a great antenna.
I love the CB hobby and enjoy having one in my Ford F150. I have it on at all times always on channel 19 with the squelch all the way up.... I hear a few people asking for a radio checks... during the day it's all skip from all over the country so not much to hear... at night say after 6PM I can talk to locals on the local channels all around my area within 10 miles.... but on channel 19 NOTHING... I keep my base station on channel 19 also when I'm out working in my garage......again I hear NOTHING... sometimes in the day I hear two truckers talking to each other but not too often.
we have quite a few guys come in and ask questions like you're doing now, before they go on a long trip..... some come back after the trip and tell us they NEVER heard a sole!!!! and those are good CB's and good antenna's!!
so you may just want to skip the whole CB for traffic reports
if you're going to put a CB in for the trip.... you really should put a MINIMUM 5 foot tall magnetic antenna in the middle of the roof.. if it's not in the middle of the roof it will transmit and receive at strange directions ... meaning you may only transmit / receive from the right side of your vehicle... meaning your only hearing signals from the woods and not where you want to be transmitting receiving... see the below chart..... if you put the antenna in the middle of the roof you will transmit / receive in a 360 degree direction..
I keep seeing people buy the 3 foot tall Lil Will.... K30 ......Cobra and midland 3 foot magnetic antenna... THEY ONLY WORK ABOUT 3 MILES MAX... if your VERY lucky... and you need to know about something ahead long before you get to it!!!!! 3 miles just isn't worth it...... get something that works good.
this Tram 3500 is 5 feet tall and transmits and receives very pretty good and is only $55.00 bucks!!!!!! cheap antenna but will do a great job for you.
click here to see the Tram 3500 for $55 bucks
if you can afford more and don't mind a little taller antenna the best magnetic mount antenna is the Sirio 5000 performer at $120
Sirio 5000 performer with mag mount ebay
and a really good antenna is Stryker Sar-10 for $130
Stryker SAR-10 at Amazon
the Wilson 1000 is also a fine antenna at $115 bucks at Walmart
wilson 1000
you will also need a SWR meter to set your SWR
I have found the older CBs don't work half the time and if they do they get nothing for range and don't receive too well....... you get what you pay for ... most of the radios under $100 bucks are not worth bothering with
for $100 bucks I would by this little radio and modify it, after it's modified it puts out 7 watts and I was able to transmit 9 miles to my base station.. THIS ALSO HAS FM.... this is SMALL and will not take up any room... it has NRC which clears up a lot of the static, hiss, back ground noise so you can actually hear people further away..... to modify it just search youtube ... but you just move a jumper that slides on a couple of pins.
I think for a trip this would be good enough the Radioddity CS-47
the CS 47
so for about $200 bucks you could have a very nice working CB here is the little radio I did a youtube video on.
good luck
