Worldwide DX Amateur Radio Forums - Ham - CB - HF - VHF - UHF

Looking for some assistance before I buy a new mobile radio system for my truck. I have an 02 Silverado extra cab with a center console and want to put a good CB in it. Problem is with the center console, there really isn't any room for a bigger radio and I don't like the Cobra 75 series, "all in the mike type".
The other problem is that my truck spends the evenings in a garage with an 8 foot door, so antenna location and height is an issue.
Any direction would be appreciated, unless of couse it's comments like "park it outside."
Thanks

Try a Magnum 257 and a 102 inch steel whip .. They really work great!!

__________________
"I drink well with others"

Master Mason
32 Degree Scottish Rite

ok natch,

here's the way it works, and this is not meant to be derogatory at all; its just the way it is.

what you want cannot be done the way you are thinking about it.

you say you want a "good" cb in the truck, but when it comes to mobile CB operation; its ALL about the antenna.

all cb's put out 4 watts, so the difference in how far you can transmit and receive is in the antenna you choose and where you choose to mount it.

the rule is, most or all of the antenna (preferably all) must be above the roof of the vehicle.

any antenna that is short enough or is mounted low enough on the vehicle to get you into your garage is going to work like crap.

if you just want to talk to the guy behind you on the freeway, then this is fine. just dont key down for too long thereby burning up your radio due to the high SWR that almost always accompanies this type of antenna setup.

get yourself a wilson 1000 roof mount if you dont mind drilling a hole in the roof, or a magnet mount version if you do mind, and simply unscrew the antenna from its base when you pull into the garage at night.

yes, this may seem cumbersome, but if you want your CB to work half way decent, you MUST have a big obnoxious looking antenna on the vehicle.

thats just the way it is.
why? because CB is on 27mhz, and at those freqs. wavelengths are pretty long (34ft.) so a 1/2 wave antenna is 17ft. and a 1/4 wave antenna is 8.5ft.
anything shorter than a 1/4 wavelength needs to have some sort of matching device such as a coil on it to simulate a 1/4 wave antenna.

the shorter the antenna, the more matching needed, and the more matching needed, the less efficient the antenna.

a 102" whip (1/4 wave CB antenna) is about the best you can hope for on your vehicle, and the little through glass cell-phone look alike antennas are the worst you can hope for.

hope this helps,
LC

__________________
"Man shall never reach the moon, for such a quantity of gunpowder would be needed as to gravely injure the crew."
~ Children's Encyclopedia, 1926

One thing you should consider is an antenna mount that lets you fold over the antenna. That way you can fit it into the garage. If you don't mind, snap a few pictures of the inside of the cab and post them. I'm sure we can figure out a way to mount a good radio. When I set up the forum store, I found mounts that I had never thought of before, so I'm sure we can come up with something that will work.

One other thing...those Cobra 75's are the worst....