CB Radio

[BznLR4]

In the past I have installed Wilson 5000 CB antennas on Toyota trucks and Land Cruiser, and been really happy with the performance. Using the permanent installation with threaded base, the antenna removes easily and there is just a 'button' cover on the mount base when the antenna is not in use.

Of course installing it involves drilling a hole in the vehicle (usually the roof) and running the antenna wire above the headliner and down the 'A' pillar (maybe 'B' pillar would be easier in LR). Clearly, this isn't a 30 minute job, but the result is a very nice installation with great performance (and easy to remove when antenna is not needed).

 

[NASdiesel]

Go with a whip antenna. Firestick will break and the breakaway base doesn't work that great in thick brush.

 

[BznLR4]

Go with a whip antenna. Firestick will break and the breakaway base doesn't work that great in thick brush.

In my experience firesticks work fine bumper mounted (ie to a brush bar, etc), but are too stiff for mounting to any sheet metal.

Whip gives better reception, makes for a nice sleek installation, and the actual wire whip is easily replaced if/when it gets damaged (like that time I caught it in the garage door...)

 

[bushway9172]

Here's an update for anyone following this...

I ended up going with the OPEK AM-204-7-SM mount from American Radio Supply... http://www.americanradiosupply.com/opek-am-204-7sm-3-8-24-heavy-duty-trunk-lid-hatch-back-antenna-mount/. I received it in the mail today. It seems solid. Due to the lines on the LR4, I had a little bit of a hard time figuring out where to mount this. The best (and really the only) place I could find to mount this was on the lower half of the tail gate, by the driver's side tail lamp.

A few things to note... The antenna is slightly in the way of the top half of the tailgate. This is not a problem for me since my 3' Firestik is mounted on top of a spring, so I can simply pull it to the side out of the way before opening the top half of the tailgate. Another thing... my LR4 has the rear lamp guards. One of the small tabs on this mount wants to grab onto the lamp guard when opening the lower half of the tailgate. If you don't have lamp guards, this won't be a problem for you. And if you do have lamp guards, depending on how picky you are, this may be a deal breaker for you. It doesn't bother me since I rarely open the lower half of the tailgate, and if I need to, I can pull on the lampguard and guide the tab away from it as I open the tailgate.

The good news is, like I said, the mount seems very solid and well-built. I just took a ride down the interstate and the reception is way better than it was with the magnetic roof mount I used a couple times before. Also, the look is exactly what I was going for. This set-up only adds a few inches to my overall height, so I plan on trying to leave this on all of the time (yes, I already hit the antenna into the parking garage ceiling... Lol!).

Let me know if anyone has any more questions about this, and despite the few inconveniences with tailgate access, I think it is worth it.

 

[BznLR4]

I will be interested to hear how you like that after some off-road use. I used to have a similar configuration and for desert 4-wheeling I got really tired of the antenna slapping the vehicle every time a branch snagged it - but snagging palo verde and mesquite is near incessant in deserts around Phoenix (where I was living then).

Clearly it is nice to get a clean mount without having to drill holes or get into the headliner. As long as slap doesn't get annoying, this looks like a great solution.