i am not a expert !

i have seen a few mounts that are in the corner of the front and side of the bed, use a bracket going across the corner and bolted into the rails (front and side). makes it a bunch stiffer !
did you run a good ground wire? "back in the day" we would use braided ground wire ( FLAT AND HEAVY GAUGE)

and with all the plastic back there not sure if the bed sides are at a true ground or just "luck out and get a ground"

my guess is you might have a good ground from the frame but at the antenna not a good connection at the rails and that is why the swr's are all over the place
(if the rail is not at a good ground then you have a "ground loop"

 

the swr was all over on my mount as well (same spot as yours). it def. doesn't help that there's no metal in our beds, but most of all we're transmitting towards the front of the truck and not to the rear for the most part. either way, mine runs ground to the cb unit and i grounded that to the underside of my center console. i tested with a buddy of mine, with him being stationary. if you can, you should test it out with a buddy and maybe you won't be too let down by how far it works. if you do find a solution, please let us know!

 

I grounded mine the same way (same mount) as you, only one wire to each side. SWR is acceptable, but not ideal. And a braided strap won't make any difference if that's the only change you make, or it didn't when I tested it out. Your two best solutions are a) relocate to a hood channel mount or b) try an NGP antenna. I'm intending to do the latter eventually.

 

I totally agree with acidchylde. The bed mount is probably one of the worst locations. For the amount of work it will take to make it acceptable - go with a hood channel mount.

I have a nice adjustable one from Right Channel Radio's. also, added the quick remove mount, so can take off the Wilson Flex when not wheeling.

SWR was within spec with only minor tweaking, and on trail runs, I can hear & talk to all the group, so I know it works there.

Check out this link: http://www.wilsonantenna.com/tspu.htm

Note #2 is the drivers rear on the truck bed - but my understanding is that assumes a metal truck bed for a good ground plane. 2nd gen tacos do NOT have that. Thus either drill your roof for #1, or #3 is the hood channel.

D

 

Thanks

Hey guys.
Thanks for the info. @Dante - I'd rather not drill any holes. I understand the roof is the best for tx/rx but like i said i'd rather not drill a hole in the roof of my brand new truck. @Acid - Do you mean you ran a grounding wire from each side of the mount to each side of the frame respectively? I might try this and see if that helps. I also intend on eventually grabbing a NGP Firestick. This is my first cb setup ever and I got sold on the Firestick II by the local tech before he saw my bed. Being as it's never really been used maybe i can return it even though it was an open package?

Thanks for the info. Does anyone have pictures of the mount/wiring for their cb antenna? Here's a picture I found of someone running a very similar mount...

 

@Acid - Do you mean you ran a grounding wire from each side of the mount to each side of the frame respectively? I might try this and see if that helps. I also intend on eventually grabbing a NGP Firestick. This is my first cb setup ever and I got sold on the Firestick II by the local tech before he saw my bed. Being as it's never really been used maybe i can return it even though it was an open package?

Yes, that's correct. At first I just had one, then added the second to the passenger side. Didn't make much difference. They're attached to the frame at the rear cab mounts. You can read the whole long-ass story here if you want, and there's also a link to a picture gallery (note it has two pages, the second one with the last two pictures kind of hides) of my install.

I would definitely try taking the antenna back and exchanging it for an NGP, especially if he recommended/sold it to you without really knowing what you needed. Note the Firestiks come in both versions.

 

How tall is your antenna? If it is a couple of inches taller than the cab, that will cause a lot of problems. The signal may be bouncing off the cab and that will cause problems with SWR. I know you don't want to use a magnet mount, but that is what I have along with a K-40 antenna and I can get out a few miles. I live in Las Vegas and work on Mt. Charleston at an altitude of 8,500 feet. I have been able to talk over 25 miles from where I work to another mobile in the valley. SWR is not the best as it's 1:1.4 using a meter that checks the swr of the antenna without being hooked to the radio. Not sure what kind of a tester the tech who checked my antenna used, but I can talk for a long distance.

 

@y784110 I'm installing a Firestick antenna and want the harware to mount on my tacoma's side rail similar to your photo. I need the spring set up and I'll try the "jerry rig" with 3/8th's washers if necessary. Please let me know what works.

 

I've currently got my 4ft fiberglass antenna mounted in the center of the bed behind the cab. Grounded to the frame. I havent tuned the antenna yet though (need a meter).

Is it worth it to move the antenna to the back of the bed so the cab isn't in the way?

 

Hi. The original link I posted in the thread is gone with Wilson's new site design. Too bad, as it showed the best mounting spots on pickups. Behind the cab window was like dead last. The closest I can find is this, off their FAQ page now (see below my post) But if you corner mount it (Note: that is assuming you have a METAL truck bed), you will get directional radiation. But as only the tail-gate & quarter panel are metal (the "ground plane") , and they are vertical anyway, & the composite bed (fiberglass) is useless for helping radiate signal, who knows how well it will radiate.

I still advocate the hood channel mount if you don't want to drill your truck, if you are hoping to get any use-able distance out of your CB.

EDIT: or go with a NGP (Non- Ground Plane) antenna like acidchylde mentioned.

D




Will the signal be affected by where I mount the antenna?

Yes it will. The general opinion is that mobile antennas mounted on vehicles are omni-directional. While true, it is not the complete answer. The actual radiation pattern (or direction of signal) is influenced greatly by the body of the vehicle. The radiation patterns shown below are a graphic depiction of the relative field strength transmitted from or received by the antenna. In the drawings below, the lines show the typical radiation pattern you would realize from the antenna when mounted in three different positions of the vehicle. As you can see, the pattern varies from position to position and its shape depends on where you mount the antenna. This variation is the result of the amount or lack of metal around the base of the antenna. The pattern is pulled to areas where there is the most vehicle body. The pattern is the worst in directions where there is no or very little metal body to act as a radial. As you can see below, the best overall radiation pattern is achieved when you mount the antenna as close to the center of the vehicle as possible.

 

Acess Plugs

Can anyone help me with the access plugs under the truck..? I found one or two pretty far back on the cab, but I don't know where/what is the best carpet to pull up and wire under. My Firestick is on the bed rail right rear of the truck. Also, I'm concerned about my antenna height, I have a 2' and a 3' both of which are above the cab installed. What should I run for optimal reception?

 

Can anyone help me with the access plugs under the truck..? I found one or two pretty far back on the cab, but I don't know where/what is the best carpet to pull up and wire under. My Firestick is on the bed rail right rear of the truck. Also, I'm concerned about my antenna height, I have a 2' and a 3' both of which are above the cab installed. What should I run for optimal reception?

go to this link and you'll see the many plugs available. Lots of choices.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129468&highlight=sound+proofing&page=13

 

If you look closely, you'll notice that there's an access plug right under the driver's seat of the truck. Depending on where you're mounting you're CB radio, I'm assuming you're putting it somewhere near the dash close to the stereo, this might be your best bet for running wires. Just have to pop up some of the foot and kick panels and pull the carpet up a bit to get access to the plug right under the seat.