How to Mount a CB Antenna in a Truck Bed?

Mounting a CB antenna in your vehicle may seem difficult, but it’s not that difficult. It is only a bit tricky if you’re not getting the right kind of instructions.

There may be various models of CB radio and antenna available in the market, but when mounting the antenna properly, the rules are pretty much generalized. So, if you want to know how to mount a CB antenna in a truck bed, then keep reading.

Step 1 – Know Where to Mount

Knowing where you will be installing your CB antenna beforehand is useful. For many, it is a guide to buying the best CB antenna for 18 wheeler.

If you wish to mount the antenna, for example, on the roof of your truck, you can buy the magnet mount, a base-loaded antenna.

The magnetic base sets on the metal, and there’s no need to fix the antenna. However, if you wish to mount it on the bumper or truck bed, these may not work for you.

An ideal location to mount your CB antenna would be your truck’s roof, as it would get the best ground plane coverage.

This ground plane functions as a horizontal surface to reflect the radio waves from other radio elements.

Another popular location is the stake holes lining the truck bed. This is advantageous since this does not require any drilling of holes to fix the mount.

Antenna mounts, specifically designed to fit these holes, are also available, known as the stake hole CB antenna mount.

In the truck bed, you can either mount your antenna in the stake holes or you can also choose the toolbox. But this choice usually leads to the hassle of drilling holes.

Step 2 – Fix the Antenna Mount to the Truck

As mentioned earlier, antenna mounts specific to stake holes are available on the market.

Mount the antenna on the driver’s side and as close as possible to the cab for the reception of the best possible signal.

One thing to remember is to keep the antenna length at least a foot above the cab since keeping the length shorter can give you a high SWR reading, which can be damaging to your radio.

You can keep your antenna as tall as you want, but not so much that it hits overhead passes.

You should have all the proper instruments that are required. The antenna mount, after fixing, should be attached to the coax. There are various ways of doing this.

Some antenna are accompanied by studs which will need the ring terminal connector on your coax wires, and others will require the PL259 connector.

Step 3 – Routing the Coaxial Cables

It means getting the cable from the radio to the antenna. Keep the cable so that as little as possible is visible to others.

There should be minimum slack in the coax cable, and properly store the excess coax at the end. It is essential not to store the coax in a coil as it may increase the SWR reading.

Step 4 – Tuning the Antenna

You only need to go one step further to start using your radio- the most important step. You need to tune your radio antenna before the antenna can pick up signals and allow an SWR reading.

Keep checking the reading that the SWR meter gives in between adjustments. Compare the reading on channel 1 and channel 40. The two readings should be more or less equal or also below 2.0.

High SWR readings can damage your CB radio. And it can also act as a guide for adjusting the antenna length.

If the SWR reading in channel 40 is higher than that of channel 1, it indicates that your antenna is too long. And vice versa in the opposite scenario.

You may need to park your vehicle in an open space, away from trees or buildings. A 10 to 20 meters distance between the antenna, the trees, and the buildings is appropriate.

The space should be clear of any obstruction, and you should be inside your vehicle with the door, and windows closed to minimize any interference.

This makes sure that the reading the SWR meter gives is accurate. Now you only have to learn the codes. When that is done, you are ready to go!

FAQs

Conclusion

Even if you have the best CB radio for truckers, and the antenna isn’t mounted well, you won’t have a good experience. So, the mounting must be done properly.

These steps can be simple or tricky depending on whether you know what you are doing. In case of confusion, please consult your radio manuals.

With these instructions that we have written for you and with the help of your manual, we hope that you will get your CB radio and antenna set up in no time at all. Best of luck, and I hope you have an amazing experience with it.