whats a good antenna

Wilson 2k trucker and RG8X coax

 

The best performing mobile antenna, bar none, is the 102" whip. If you can find some way to mount one on your truck, do it.

For CB, RG-58 or RG-8X is quite sufficient. Use a quality coax (which ISN'T the stuff sold at truck stops!). And don't trust the word of anyone who says that you need to run a multiple of 9 feet of coax. At best, they're repeating misinformation that they've heard; at worst, they're trying to sell you more coax than you need.

 

First, let me say the single most important component of your [non-amplified] bare foot cb radio setup is the antenna and nothing else even comes close.
As the previous poster stated, the 102" whip is the best overall antenna. However, it radiates the signal along its entire length. That can be a huge problem on a large tractor because of the signal being reflected off the truck body back down the antenna which raises the SWR ratio.
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.ANTENNA The simplest and least expensive setup on a tractor trailer is ONE antenna and 50 ohm coaxial cable from the antenna to the radio. My suggestion for an antenna is: any antenna with a loading coil if you can afford it. Or if money is a restriction, any 5 foot antenna or either a Francis CB26 [5.5 foot antenna] if you have overhead clearance or a CB25 [4.5 foot] if you do not have overhead clearance.
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.COAX With one antenna you use 50 ohm coax. If you run 2 antennas you need to co-phase the antennas which is more complex and expensive. Keep it simple and run just one antenna with RG58 or RG8; either is acceptable and relatively inexpensive. Other 50 ohm coax exists but they tend to be overkill and expensive. RG58 is most inexpensive and 0.195 inch in diameter which therefore easier to route through the truck body. All cable has some loss of signal associated with it. RG58 loses 34% of the signal per foot. RG8 is slightly more expensive and a little thicker at 0.242 inches in diameter and is a little harder to route through the truck body. RG8 loses 22% of the signal per foot. At the short lengths of cable used in tractor trailers to connect the antenna to the radio, it really hardly matters which coax you use.

 

Check the wilson antennas for a mirror mount a wilson 2000 if you are not using a amplifier a wilson 5000 if you are and use rg 8 mini foam coax for low loss of power some might suggest a 102 inch whip and that is great for a car but when it comes to semi your gonna hit every tree and bridge you pass under

 

Yep which is why I said Wilson 2k trucker. I presume he's driving a semi. A Wilson 2k is IMO the next best thing short of the 102 whip.

But yes a 102 would be the best if height weren't an issue. Smack all the trees and bridges you want with it, they're dang near indestructable. Just ask the bank tellers who were shocked at the sound of my 102 scraping the top of their bank canopy, only to drive out unscathed! I've whacked my share of tree limbs with it too. It just bounces back, then forward, then back, then forward....until it stops. On the highway it leans back so nothing gets smacked....well maybe a low flying bird.

 

Yeah that brings back memorys back in the day before I was a driver I use to run a 102 inch stainless in my crown vic and I remember I went through this hardees as a pulled through the antenna must have hit a light socket with no light in it the thing was like a shower of sparks and I killed the power in the whole restaurant to the thing is the guy had no clue what happened and I wasnt gonna stick around to let him know.. But you couldnt beat that antenna back in the day

 

LOL....did your radio work after that? Sounds like it took a 120 VAC jolt to the antenna.

 

There are several antenna companys making the large open-coiled type antenna's that are not too tall to be mounted on Big Rig mirror brackets...

Two that I am familiar with are the "SW" Dual Coil Predator 10K which tunes less than 5', and the Mr.Coily Punisher Antenna which tunes about the same, maybe a little longer but not much. Either of these antenna's will handle whatever you can throw at them watt wise, And are very well built.

 

First mobile set up I ever had was a Kris 23 channel and a 102" SS whip, with spring, mounted on the bumper of a 1970 Buick Skylark. Great performer!