Dual CB antenna

[SolidusJ]

I kicked around this idea in the past and would like more info, damn dress right dress OCD. I've been reading for dual antenna set up you need to keep them 4 feet apart so they they don't fight against each other? If I was to go about this task I wouldn't want to redo my antenna cable so the plan would be to run the second cable and then have them meet with a T point to the radio.

So any info would be great and pros and cons. Thanks for the help!!!

 

[Corey Barnes]

Mine work fine. No outstanding reception but enough to get the job done.


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[SolidusJ]

View attachment 11798
Mine work fine. No outstanding reception but enough to get the job done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've been told that for the CB to work at it's peak the antenna needs to be 2 feet taller then the vehicle. How was it when you tune them? Did you do it one at a time or both together?

 

[Corey Barnes]

I've been told that for the CB to work at it's peak the antenna needs to be 2 feet taller then the vehicle. How was it when you tune them? Did you do it one at a time or both together?

I work at a commercial tire shop and deal with nothing but truckers and 90% of them told me when I asked about tuning that it was bs. Now they did say about the 2ft. above the roof helps your signal. And when I need them I have 2 4ft. fire sticks but for everyday use I leave the 2footers on there.


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[SolidusJ]

I work at a commercial tire shop and deal with nothing but truckers and 90% of them told me when I asked about tuning that it was bs. Now they did say about the 2ft. above the roof helps your signal. And when I need them I have 2 4ft. fire sticks but for everyday use I leave the 2footers on there.


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When the antenna is tune it only works best for about 10 channels but all in all it will still work. I'm set at channel 20 so 15-25 is my peak. Have you plugged in a SWR meter for kicks?

 

[ReconH3]

I have three antennas for my truck. A short one that sits just above roof height. That's the one I have on there all the time since it doesn't affect parking structures. The reception is ok, but it took some work to tune it properly. Then I have my trail antenna that's just over a foot above the roof. The reception is considerably better and it tuned quite easily. I didnt want something too long to avoid it get stuck in all the trees here in NC. The last antenna sits about 4 feet above the roof. It's my "emergency" antenna that I would use when reception is critical. The reception is amazing and it didn't need to be tuned. Here's a pic of my short every day antenna. The advantage of having the slant back is that opens up reception even with the short one. When I get my 2m setup, I'll be replicating it on the left side.

"Ex Umbris Venimus"

 

[f5moab]

I had dual antennas on my 06 H3. Did not do anything to increase range from my opinion, they were a big pain in the rump to tune (and yes, you should tune to prevent damage to the transmitter inside the radio), but they were great at holding snow. When I purchased the 08, I went back to a single antenna, and it appeared to have a better range. Range is hard to determine due to the inadequacies of the CB radio and conditions were hard to exactly duplicate.

They were installed with custom made brackets to each rear luggage rack rail, cable ran down under the rear, exterior D pillar trim, inside the vehicle.

 

[SolidusJ]

I have three antennas for my truck. A short one that sits just above roof height. That's the one I have on there all the time since it doesn't affect parking structures. The reception is ok, but it took some work to tune it properly. Then I have my trail antenna that's just over a foot above the roof. The reception is considerably better and it tuned quite easily. I didnt want something too long to avoid it get stuck in all the trees here in NC. The last antenna sits about 4 feet above the roof. It's my "emergency" antenna that I would use when reception is critical. The reception is amazing and it didn't need to be tuned. Here's a pic of my short every day antenna. The advantage of having the slant back is that opens up reception even with the short one. When I get my 2m setup, I'll be replicating it on the left side.

"Ex Umbris Venimus"

One of the best H3's on the planet!!! Have you every thought about getting the military antenna and mount?

 

[SolidusJ]

I had dual antennas on my 06 H3. Did not do anything to increase range from my opinion, they were a big pain in the rump to tune (and yes, you should tune to prevent damage to the transmitter inside the radio), but they were great at holding snow. When I purchased the 08, I went back to a single antenna, and it appeared to have a better range. Range is hard to determine due to the inadequacies of the CB radio and conditions were hard to exactly duplicate.

They were installed with custom made brackets to each rear luggage rack rail, cable ran down under the rear, exterior D pillar trim, inside the vehicle.

I had my antenna covered in NC red clay a few times like that!!! Did you have a wipe and a FireStik at the same time?

 

[ReconH3]

Have you every thought about getting the military antenna and mount?

Tried buying spring base, antenna, and tie down rope from a HMMWV salvage guy in Texas. He refused to sell it to me because he says my PayPal would send emails in Spanish. I contacted PayPal and they said it was a problem that was caused when I bought something one time I was in Spain. They fixed it, but seller refused to sell to me because he was scared I was going to send it overseas. I told him the vehicle was in NC and had no plans to export it. He still refused. Oh well.

I do plan to paint the ones I have to match the vehicle.

"Ex Umbris Venimus"

 

[SolidusJ]

Tried buying spring base, antenna, and tie down rope from a HMMWV salvage guy in Texas. He refused to sell it to me because he says my PayPal would send emails in Spanish. I contacted PayPal and they said it was a problem that was caused when I bought something one time I was in Spain. They fixed it, but seller refused to sell to me because he was scared I was going to send it overseas. I told him the vehicle was in NC and had no plans to export it. He still refused. Oh well.

I do plan to paint the ones I have to match the vehicle.



"Ex Umbris Venimus"

I'll keep a look out for all 3 items for you, we have a ton of them laying around and some brand new ones. Also if you want I can look for the new antennas we use.

 

[ReconH3]

Thanks Jay. The new ones are too big and stiff for my little rig. They look badass though.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

 

[frumaker]

Tried buying spring base, antenna, and tie down rope from a HMMWV salvage guy in Texas. He refused to sell it to me because he says my PayPal would send emails in Spanish. I contacted PayPal and they said it was a problem that was caused when I bought something one time I was in Spain. They fixed it, but seller refused to sell to me because he was scared I was going to send it overseas. I told him the vehicle was in NC and had no plans to export it. He still refused. Oh well.

I do plan to paint the ones I have to match the vehicle.

"Ex Umbris Venimus"

There is a guy in marble falls tx that has all that stuff. If you tell/show me what you want, I can get it and ship it off to ya


FRU

 

[f5moab]

I had my antenna covered in NC red clay a few times like that!!! Did you have a wipe and a FireStik at the same time?

Both were stainless steel whips. My single on my 08 is a Firestik Firefly.

 

[ReconH3]

There is a guy in marble falls tx that has all that stuff. If you tell/show me what you want, I can get it and ship it off to ya


FRU

That might be the same guy. I'm overseas now. Once I get back I want to get some projects I have off the back burner going. Especially making the hood vent functional. Crazy thing is immediately when I return home, I get back into training two days after, so who knows when I'll get some spare time.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

 

[Steve #1]

Why are you wanting dual antennas?

 

[ReconH3]

I've always heard (I'm no expert) that if you have a dual antenna front and rear, you will notice a difference when transmitting. Not so much in reception. It really doesn't matter if you have them on the roof, but when they sit at bumper height it does.


"Ex Umbris Venimus"

 

[SolidusJ]

OCD is a B%$%^.

 

[Steve #1]

The reason I ask is because typically, when used off road, dual antennas would not be beneficial. A trucker will tell you you get better range with duels but this isn't exactly true. Dual antennas change the pattern that the radio waves transmit. With a single antenna without obstructions, the radio waves transmit in a circle. With dual antennas the waves are transmitted in an oval with the narrow part of the oval between the two antennas. The benefit is that with an antenna on each side of a vehicle, the range is extended to the front and the rear which is good on a strait highway. When off roading you often want to talk to people who are not directly in front of or behind you and you are better off with a single antenna.

 

[SolidusJ]

The reason I ask is because typically, when used off road, dual antennas would not be beneficial. A trucker will tell you you get better range with duels but this isn't exactly true. Dual antennas change the pattern that the radio waves transmit. With a single antenna without obstructions, the radio waves transmit in a circle. With dual antennas the waves are transmitted in an oval with the narrow part of the oval between the two antennas. The benefit is that with an antenna on each side of a vehicle, the range is extended to the front and the rear which is good on a strait highway. When off roading you often want to talk to people who are not directly in front of or behind you and you are better off with a single antenna.

You have a great point, for me it would be for I'm dress right dress but if doesn't help me much then there no true reason to put in all that work. I ran my cable under the truck and back into the firewall and it wasn't a pain but not something I really want to do again. Thanks for the info!!!!

 

[LagunaH1]

*cough*HAM radio*cough*

:-D

 

[f5moab]

The reason I ask is because typically, when used off road, dual antennas would not be beneficial. A trucker will tell you you get better range with duels but this isn't exactly true. Dual antennas change the pattern that the radio waves transmit. With a single antenna without obstructions, the radio waves transmit in a circle. With dual antennas the waves are transmitted in an oval with the narrow part of the oval between the two antennas. The benefit is that with an antenna on each side of a vehicle, the range is extended to the front and the rear which is good on a strait highway. When off roading you often want to talk to people who are not directly in front of or behind you and you are better off with a single antenna.

Agree. On my 06 dual antennas looked cool...on my 08, the one Firestik is practical.

 

[Rooster]

OCD is a B%$%^.

^This.

I too rock the duallies. However, I have one as a CB antenna and the other as the truck radio antenna.

 

[SolidusJ]

^This.

I too rock the duallies. However, I have one as a CB antenna and the other as the truck radio antenna.

Very cool let's see what you got!!!

 

[Mb30sdl]

I had twins 5ft on top of H2 and I didn't see much of the gain.disconnected one of them now.
H3t I only installed 3ft and it seems to work just fine.
dont forget CB is only ~5 watts output so it's weak. You can go with FRS or GMRS radios they are handheld and put out just as much. I only deal with FRS and GMRS with guys that run HAM radios. Having 3 separated radios in the truck is space consuming.