Want to Mount CB Antenna Where Radio Antenna Was...

I am hoping somebody has some advice or suggestions for me. I have a 1979 CJ5 and the original radio was removed (or stolen) long ago, and there has been nothing filling that dash hole since. I bought a Cobra Classic CB radio that I want to mount there. I am hoping to run the coax cable behind the dash to the radio antenna hole on the passenger side of the body (the one that is in front of the passenger door frame, high up near the mirror). I don't want to drill any holes at all in the body, so that's why I'm hoping there is some kind of CB antenna mount out there that that will fit in that radio antenna hole without drilling. Can I use the plastic ball mount that held the little rubber radio antenna there? The radio antenna threads off the mount. Can I just thread a CB antenna onto it? It's probably a long shot but maybe someone knows. Thanks.

 

CB antenna is a different beast from AM/FM. Has to be impedance matched, 52 ohm. Has to be SWR adjusted etc. I doubt if you can stick the CB antenna on a AM/FM mount, but it might work.

 

If this Jeep is to be used off-road, I would rethink the antena placement. Where you are looking at mounting it is a dangerous place and it could get ripped off.

The rear of the Jeep is a much safer place to mount it. Also you will need either a spring or a flexible antena to keep from snapping it off with tree branches.

 

Some companies make am-fm-cb antennas that were used on autos. I would try Googling for this type of antenna and see what jumps up. Check the CB stores at truck stops. They have a good selection of mounting hardware to choose from also.

I would also rethink the placement of the CB antenna. The rear would be better for many reasons but the best one would be to get the antenna away from the ignition source.

Good luck........

 

Any of the CB shops that do 18 wheelers can do it for you. Running the cable there isn't difficult and radio shack has mounts that will fit the existing hole.

How ever I agree about the rear mounted antenna. Just run the cable out through the firewall through one of those rubber grommets, over to a frame rail, down the inside of the frame rail to the rear and hook it up to the antenna mount. Bolt the mount to the rear bumber or up on the spare tire carrier.( higher is better). then wander by the CB shop and ask them to set the SWR. Shouldn't cost you much. You've already done the hard part by running the cable, yourself.

 

I should say that I mounted my radio up between the two inner spreader bars on my cage, and wrapped the cable around one of them back to the cross bar and then down to where my antenna is mounted in one of the bow notches above the rear wheel on my CJ5. I'm going to upgrade to a co-phased set with an antenna on each side. They tuck in close to the side there, and are easy to get to when I need to.

 

info for your reading pleasure....

http://www.cbradiotalk.com/index.php

 

Phased antennas for the CB band really are not effective until you mount them a quarter wavelength apart. Phased mobile antennas were meant to be mounted on road tractor size vehicles on the mirrors where you could achieve this measurement. The spacing for 1/4 wave is roughly 8'6".
You can run these antennas at closer spacing with no adverse effects, but you won't get the benefit of a phased system.