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CB radios and "the
ground plane"
I suffered with CB radios in
my Jeep. No matter what CB or antenna I used I
suffered with poor performance. Noise, inability to
hear, and even engine electrically problems. My Jeep
would literally shut off when I would key the mic.
After some research I realized I new nothing about CB radios
and antennas. Like anything else involved with a Jeep
- nothing comes easy except the need to refuel or fix
something.
The ground plane and my
lack of one
Since my Jeep has a fiberglass body there isn't any
surface (ground plane) for the radio signals to use to move
outward from the antenna. Also, the fact that I am
mounting the antenna on the rear of the Jeep makes things
worse. The optimal mounting location for an antenna (a
single antenna system) is on the roof of the vehicle, hard
to do on a CJ with a soft top. The lack of the ground
plane plus and an un-tuned antenna was the cause of so much
radio interference to cause my Jeep's fuel injection
controller to go haywire.
Enter the
Firestik
"No Ground Plane" antenna system
Firestik manufactures an antenna system that is
specially designed for vehicles with little or no metallic
surface available to serve as the ground plane. The
system consists of a special antenna, mount, and matching
coaxial cable. A particular oddity of this system is
that the antenna is not grounded to the vehicles ground
surface.
Firestik makes several models
available in various colors.
Installation
The system is installed in a usual manner like most
antennas taking care to use the isolated bushings to avoid
contact with the vehicles ground surface. I installed
a spring mount at the bottom of the antenna and a quick
disconnect for easy removal.
Tuning
After installation the antenna (all CB antennas) must be
tuned using an SWR meter of one kind or another. See
this article on
offroaders.com for tips on SWR tuning.
Performance
After all the above I can now use my CB without fear of
a stalling Jeep. I also can now hear and participate
in CB conversations. Shows a little research and
knowledge can always lead to improvement.
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