| Author | Message | ||
     Jamie (Rover_puppy) Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 243 Registered: 05-2003 |
I received info on the Out-Back Expedition Antenna Mount http://www.out-backeam.com/ Is anyone using it with big tires and inverted wheel carrier? Would the antenna run into work lamp installed on the passenger side of rear roof rack? BTW, I requested that my rear worklamp be inverted when installed as shown on the EE website Hella page on the yellow Discovery http://www.expeditionexchange.com/hella/index.htm (don't ask me why, it just looked like a good idea). Will having the worklamp inverted make any difference in it's performance? Thanks, Jamie | ||
| Joey (Joey4420) Member Username: Joey4420 Post Number: 168 Registered: 04-2003 |
This info came off of the Web site listed for the CB mount. Note: Some Discovery owners have inverted the spare tire carrier on their Discovery's so they can mount a larger tire. If you have an inverted carrier please contact us so we can discuss the fitment of your mount. Note: Some owners use a larger than stock tire (i.e. 265.75 +). If you do use these wide tires speak to us about installing your mount. | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 247 Registered: 05-2003 |
Thanks Joey, I have been emailing with Jerry today because I do have 265/75/R16 tires which requires carrier to be inverted or the spare won't go on. I guess it takes some fiddling to get it to fit with that tire. Jerry was able to give me the name of an owner who did fit it on his Disco with big tires. I will probably get in touch with him for his input. Thanks again! | ||
| Axel Haakonsen (Axel) Moderator Username: Axel Post Number: 263 Registered: 02-2003 |
You may want to see if you can mount your antenna on your roof rack, as close to the center of the roof as possible. That is actually the optimal position for a cb antenna. That position will give you the best ground plane and close to equal range in all directions. - Axel | ||
| Greg (Gparrish) Senior Member Username: Gparrish Post Number: 1371 Registered: 04-2002 |
I had the mount for a while on my truck, but have since removed it. The mount looks nice, and is a nice compliment to the rear ladder. I removed the mount, my rear ladder, and a secondary light mount because I like the cleaner look without those items. To use the mount with an inverted carrier, I simply had to bend the lower mounting tab to a greater angle to match up with the inverted carrier, as the angles are different once you invert the carrier. Unless Jerry has changed the design, the antenna mounting tab will line up directly with the factory roof rack mounting tab for your rear light. As I wanted to use this mount, I ended up removing the antenna bracket, and relocating my cb antenna to the spare tire carrier. I made a few changes. With the expedition mount, I had a 3' K-40 flex antenna. I used the entire length of wire that came with the antenna mount, and could not get my antenna tuned to an SWR meter reading below 2. Once I relocated the antenna to the spare tire mount, I changed to a 4' Wilson Flex Antenna, and cut about 2' of the wire (coax) off to account for the lower mounting spot. My SWR meter reading now is almost 0. Can't say what actually caused the better reading, but it did improve. The mount looks great, but I decided not to keep it on. | ||
| Jerry Crawford (Jcrawford) Member Username: Jcrawford Post Number: 86 Registered: 08-2002 |
..this is an interesting string - for me anyhow. I don't have a roof rack so I don't know how close the antenna mast would be to that lamp we are talking about? 6" maybe? I'm looking at the customer feedback page picture on my web page from Ken Fray's install down in Connecticut and it looks about that - his lamp is straight up in the air (I'd be concerned that it might get swept off the rack by tree limbs?). I just don't understand how a 1/2" diameter antenna mast can be much of a light block to a high wattage flood light. Maybe I'm missing something? If it's thought that the recoil of the antenna may smack the light when you hit trees I wonder about that too. As rugged as these antenna's are today (Firestik & Wilson make great ones) there's no percentage in using a spring loaded antenna base which "might" might permit the moment of recoil needed to reach the light. A quick disconnect base is a much better choice as a base. Your antenna can be switched out for parking in low lots and taken down in motel lots or city street parking. As an aside, using a spring loaded base has a disadvantage in that at highway speeds it will allow the antenna to sway around in the wind which causes the antenna to lose "phase" and disrupts communication...your signal goes all over the place. It may look sexy with that antenna trailing out behind you at 80 but your not going to talk to many people. CB radio is not an exact science and we can't expect it to be like picking up our cell phones and getting that quality of communications (when THEY work). As I remarked recently to a correspondent, cell's are a packaged system that are tuned to operate within that system envelope. It's my view if we were to assemble our CB rigs in a system approach our results would be much more consistant, I designed the Outback to be as stable a part of the system as possible. Anyone be able to tell me the distance from the antenna to that light I'd like to know. Also - would the antenna actually hit it or does someone just think it might? The recoil wave on a non spring loaded mast is not much. Think I'll do some tests next year and find out. My plates kinda full right now. FWIW - I'm sure the original poster appreciated this feedback on her options. Good word of mouth is wonderful for good products and an excellent way for learning. I'm shut down and on a road trip for the next 4 weeks. Headed to Boulder/Niwot area. Drive safe and keep the ruber side down. Jerry Crawford Out-Back Expedition antenna mounts. | ||
| Greg (Gparrish) Senior Member Username: Gparrish Post Number: 1377 Registered: 04-2002 |
Jerry, My antenna used with the mount at the time, a 3' k-40 flex antenna would bend completely in half. So, if you travel under a heavy low lying branch, you can expect that antenna with no spring, to bend accordingly without damage. When the antenna did recoil, it would hit the light, which was within an inch or two once mounted on the light tab. Also, if the light was off center, as was the case in my original setup, the antenna would sometimes recoil in different directions depending on the direction of the obstruction to the truck. To be fair though, my antenna mounted on the tire carrier sometimes bumps the light when I bounce through a dip at an angle, so I guess it is possible that it could develop enough force to break the light in the right circumstances, however it isn't a direct hit. Personally, I think the product looked great, but it just didn't work for the way I eventually set my truck up. I think a modern flex antenna mounted up there could easily split open a hella double bulb lamp such as the one I have. Maybe if someone had a chrome or metal lamp on the rear it wouldn't do much damage, but even then the glass is in jeopardy. Again, I think the product looks nice and has it's uses, it just didn't work for my setup with a rear light on the roof rack's built in light tab. | ||
| Jamie (Rover_puppy) Senior Member Username: Rover_puppy Post Number: 259 Registered: 05-2003 |
Thanks Guys, My techs did get install done of wheel carrier mounted antenna. I can't wait to see what my NEON PINK firestick antennas look like on it!! Jerry, thanks for sending me the info. Someone told me that a spring holds the antenna tighter so that it does not move around much - looks like they were wrong after reading your posts. Thanks again for help, Jamie | ||
| Axel Haakonsen (Axel) Moderator Username: Axel Post Number: 265 Registered: 02-2003 |
It is possible to do both, if one desires. Both a spring and a quick disconnect can be attached at the same time, the diameter of the studs are all the same. How much sway you get at speed depends on the spring rate used. - Axel |
