CB Antenna Mount

CB Antenna Mounting Bracket

I currently only own a Cobra 45 WX handheld CB radio. While the smaller hand-held units are very versatile, they do have their limitations when using them in a moving vehicle. Among those limitations are the ability to easily see there small displays while driving, hear them (especially with the wind blowing around in a topless Jeep), and having decent reception and transmitting distance.

The handheld CB comes with its own antenna that works quite well when you’re walking around out in the open. The handheld CB radios, though, are very limited when they’re within the confines of a vehicle or building. In these situations, a better solution is to have an exterior mounted antenna.

I purchased a BNC/SO239 adapter for the handheld radio (you can get them at a Radio Shack). This adapter fits into the radio’s antenna mount and allows a typical CB radio antenna cable to attach to the handheld unit. While I was at it, I purchased a remote lapel microphone/speaker for the radio.

All I needed then was an antenna. I went to Radio Shack and purchased a basic antenna kit that included the mounting bracket, 10-feet of co-axle cable, and the 24-inch fiberglass antenna. The kit cost about $24. The mounting bracket was the key part to my decision to buy this particular kit. This bracket could be purchased separately for about $10, but I needed everything the kit had anyway.

The particular bracket I got was made of aluminum and is designed to clamp around a small diameter rod, like a mirror bracket. But actually, all I wanted was one piece of the bracket – and half of that one piece at that. This piece was the part with the antenna mounting perch. The "perch" was on the upper platform, and the "mounting" surface is below, after a 90-degree bend. The mounting surface also contained half the serrated notch that would have held the small-diameter rod like a mirror bracket. I didn’t need that part, so I cut it off and filed down the edges on the bench grinder. What was left was a clean-looking mounting bracket that could attach to any flat vertical surface (like the side of the tire stop on the right rear corner).

I chose to mount mine on the inside front of my Jamboree Rack. From there, I can easily route the cable straight down into the back of the Jeep’s and along the upper lip of the tub (with the wire for the dome light). Once the cable reached the floor behind the driver’s seat, it runs under the seat to the handheld radio, which is now attached to the floor mat on the "hump."

The radio still has its other limitations (sight and sound), but for about $30 the CB should be able to transmit and receive along with the others.