Need some help with CB setup

III%er

III%er

Member
Hi fellow Jeepers, looking to install a CB system soon and I'm trying to finalize the setup. I know what unit I'm going with which would be the Cobra 29 or maybe the Cobra 75. I searched but unfortunately nothing came up that had the info I was looking for. See I need some help with the antenna side of the CB radio and trying to figure out the pros and cons of having a spring and or quick disconnect. The setup I'm looking to do is a firestick ii (either 4' or 5') mounted on the back of one of my tire carrier mounts. I just want to know is having a spring just for the antenna to bending under branches and such on the trail and for entering and exiting garages or is it just for whip type antennas. And of course the quick connect I guess is obvious but I'll still ask, is it better to have it for theft purposes or just thread the antenna in tight on the mount?

Thanks in advance for any help.:thumb:
 
fiend

fiend

Caught the Bug
I have a 4’ firestik on a spring. The firestiks are not as flexible as whips. It’s basically a rod of fiberglass. Yes it will bend a little, but not a huge amount.

The spring helps when the antenna hits trees and, at my house, getting through a covered breezeway between the front and back of the house.

5’ sounds pretty long to me. Most of the guys I run with have 3’ antennas. My 4’ seems long to them. But mine’s hood mounted, so the extra foot gets the tip above the roof about the same amount as their rear mounted 3’ antennas.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
III%er said:
Hi fellow Jeepers, looking to install a CB system soon and I'm trying to finalize the setup. I know what unit I'm going with which would be the Cobra 29 or maybe the Cobra 75. I searched but unfortunately nothing came up that had the info I was looking for. See I need some help with the antenna side of the CB radio and trying to figure out the pros and cons of having a spring and or quick disconnect. The setup I'm looking to do is a firestick ii (either 4' or 5') mounted on the back of one of my tire carrier mounts. I just want to know is having a spring just for the antenna to bending under branches and such on the trail and for entering and exiting garages or is it just for whip type antennas. And of course the quick connect I guess is obvious but I'll still ask, is it better to have it for theft purposes or just thread the antenna in tight on the mount?

Thanks in advance for any help.:thumb:
Click to expand...

You'll want to run a spring and the bigger one especially with a Firestik that long. While the antenna can bend quite a bit without breaking, the mount it's attached to won't be able to take the stress and will break.
 
III%er

III%er

Member
fiend said:
I have a 4’ firestik on a spring. The firestiks are not as flexible as whips. It’s basically a rod of fiberglass. Yes it will bend a little, but not a huge amount.

The spring helps when the antenna hits trees and, at my house, getting through a covered breezeway between the front and back of the house.

5’ sounds pretty long to me. Most of the guys I run with have 3’ antennas. My 4’ seems long to them. But mine’s hood mounted, so the extra foot gets the tip above the roof about the same amount as their rear mounted 3’ antennas.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info that what I was thinking, I just wasn't 100% sure.
 
III%er

III%er

Member
wayoflife said:
You'll want to run a spring and the bigger one especially with a Firestik that long. While the antenna can bend quite a bit without breaking, the mount it's attached to won't be able to take the stress and will break.
Click to expand...

Would you recommend one spring over another or will any heavy duty spring do the job? The following are some I'm leaning towards.

Hustler / New-Tronics Antenna Corp. No. SSM-3 Stainless Steel CB Antenna Spring with Coupling Stud
81HAgCtwzcL._SL1500_.jpg

Firestik SS-3H Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Antenna Spring
41r9vjnytrL._SL1000_.jpg

ProComm Heavy-Duty Barrel Spring
51glgnVGKNL.jpg
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
III%er said:
Would you recommend one spring over another or will any heavy duty spring do the job? The following are some I'm leaning towards.

Hustler / New-Tronics Antenna Corp. No. SSM-3 Stainless Steel CB Antenna Spring with Coupling Stud
View attachment 291710

ProComm Heavy-Duty Barrel Spring
View attachment 291712
Click to expand...

Either one of these is what I would recommend. The one in the middle is too weak - trust me, I've tried it and your antenna will be all over the place at highway speeds.
 
III%er

III%er

Member
wayoflife said:
Either one of these is what I would recommend. The one in the middle is too weak - trust me, I've tried it and your antenna will be all over the place at highway speeds.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking... But with these I'd have to go with a different cable, Right? I couldn't go with the standard RG-58A/U Coaxial Cable With Pl-259 Connectors pictured below.

91sE4z+82wL._SL1500_.jpg
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
III%er said:
That's what I was thinking... But with these I'd have to go with a different cable, Right? I couldn't go with the standard RG-58A/U Coaxial Cable With Pl-259 Connectors pictured below.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. I mean, the cable is what you need but the end that connects to the antenna will be different depending on what stud mount you use. The spring will attach to the stud mount and then the antenna to it.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
You will need something like this to make it all work.
http://amzn.to/2EwfE08
41p4yBzm6UL._SY450_.jpg
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
III%er said:
when I click on it, it takes me to the right page. but the links don't work...
Click to expand...

Disable your add blocker. If you're viewing our site from a phone, you will need to go to the full site. Sorry for the trouble.
 
TrailHunter

TrailHunter

Hooked
I personally don’t see the need for the spring if mounted behind the tire and a hardtop... It’s got nowhere to go. (Slanted rear top may have benefits) The firestik will still snap if you hit something, like a garage door (ask me how I know). My quick disconnect is that it’s hand tight and I just unscrew it when I want it off.... Pretty easy. I have a 3’ and a 4’.... the 4’ has a flag mounted to it and is only used in sand dunes or when it’s required for the flag to be 8’ from the ground. The 4’ is kept strapped to my roll bar for a spare as well.
 
JAGS

JAGS

Hooked
III%er said:
Thanks guys I really appreciate all the info.
Click to expand...

wayoflife said:
You will need something like this to make it all work.
http://amzn.to/2EwfE08
41p4yBzm6UL._SY450_.jpg
Click to expand...

Eddie, if it is not in the store already, you should add this cable. It is what I use and makes many install issue go away. It's what I used and has worked well for years.


FireStik K-8R18 18 foot Fire-Flex coax cable with Fire-Ring https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X3C8L8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_zu1CAbHNXNPR9



TrailHunter said:
I personally don’t see the need for the spring if mounted behind the tire and a hardtop... It’s got nowhere to go. (Slanted rear top may have benefits) The firestik will still snap if you hit something, like a garage door (ask me how I know). My quick disconnect is that it’s hand tight and I just unscrew it when I want it off.... Pretty easy. I have a 3’ and a 4’.... the 4’ has a flag mounted to it and is only used in sand dunes or when it’s required for the flag to be 8’ from the ground. The 4’ is kept strapped to my roll bar for a spare as well.
Click to expand...

Hand tight will work in some cases, but I've been extended washboard roads and have had my antenna come loose. Also seen others antenna fall off completely.

Mine is now wrenched on pretty tight and if I need to pull into the garage, the spring allows the antenna to pulled to side with ease.

As a daily I also encounter the occasional parking garage and the spring allows me to tuck the antenna into the flap on my soft top. So long as the spring is a quality one and has good connection, it won't hurt anything in the set up.
 
TrailHunter

TrailHunter

Hooked
^^^^ Now that you mention it Jags, I did see someone rig up a strap so they can pull it to the side in certain situations.... I do keep a spring in my tool box. Just in case....
 
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