Antenna placement

I've been having reception issues with my antenna. It seems I cannot hear even a mile away. When I talked with the guy at a nearby CB shop, he said the antenna coil is being blocked from the rear defrost and third brake light. I find it rather odd Wilson would make a product if it is going to be hindered by such things. Can anyone else confirm this?

If true, I'm thinking of going this route: WILSON 305-550 5000 http://www.amazon.com/WILSON-305-550-5000-Watt-Trucker-Antenna/dp/B003H3G24A/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1ZMYBWXCC2HAY&colid=31LP0K2T9O1P2

I'd also need a trunk mount and some cable. Where can I pick those up?

You want to get the trucker mount cb antenna. Is this going on a passenger car? If so, I would think your Wilson 5000 should be doing the job. Check to see if you have rust on your mount, corrosion under your trunk mount and anything else that may be hindering your performance.

It is highly possible that the heat defrost "metallic strips" could very well be hindering performance. I have noted this on my satty from various objects from radar to scanning receivers.

Some other things that could be hindering you. First off how long have you had this wilson 5000. If for some time and parked outside perhaps as Rdetecting Man stated. Perhaps you have correded connections somewhere, a frayed cable, TOO HIGH AN SWR could very well be causing this. Are you getting all the bars out of your S meter you should on your rig? Lastly, perhaps water entered the coil, and it caused an, "open circuit" Aka a short.


RemoteInstall-

rdetectingman wrote:You want to get the trucker mount cb antenna. Is this going on a passenger car? If so, I would think your Wilson 5000 should be doing the job. Check to see if you have rust on your mount, corrosion under your trunk mount and anything else that may be hindering your performance.

Like I said in my OP, I'm only getting about a mile range on my antenna. How do I take apart the antenna? I know there is no corrosion in the mount, but I'm not sure about the coil. Maybe between the antenna and the coil there is some?

RemoteInstall wrote:It is highly possible that the heat defrost "metallic strips" could very well be hindering performance. I have noted this on my satty from various objects from radar to scanning receivers.

Some other things that could be hindering you. First off how long have you had this wilson 5000. If for some time and parked outside perhaps as Rdetecting Man stated. Perhaps you have correded connections somewhere, a frayed cable, TOO HIGH AN SWR could very well be causing this. Are you getting all the bars out of your S meter you should on your rig? Lastly, perhaps water entered the coil, and it caused an, "open circuit" Aka a short.


RemoteInstall-

I've had my CB setup for just under a year. My car does stay out year round, so it is very possible something got in the coil. I just need to know how to get it open. I haven't taken a SWR meter to it yet.

You most likely should have a SWR feature right in the rig itself. See if the swr reading is high. Then try an external antenna if the reading lowers from inside to outside the vehicle then it is the metalic banding inside the window causeing your issue and you have no need to look into the coil. If your reading is normal on the rig inside the car from the git go, then most likely it's the coil, or something else antenna related, frayed coax etc. If the swr and watt meter shows accuret then it's definetly not the rig iteself causeing the issue. But a SWR reading would help you make that call more of if it's the coil or placement.


RemoteInstall-

Languy knows how to take apart a Wilson 1000/5000. The coil can get rust on it and you have to soak it in acid to get that corrosion off of it. Languy knows this area.

I think I may just take this off and sell it, then get me the 305-550 5000.

Ok, I'm positive I'm going to go with that antenna. I want to drill a mount but I have no idea what mount to go with. I've been searching for PL-259, but my results mostly come up with the connectors or trunk lips. I want to order this soon so I can get my CB working.

I personally just run a mag mounted antenna. Though, a fastened or bolted antenna will give you better resonance at the desired frequency range. Though, me personally I do not care to drill holes into my car. The only downfall of mag mount is the potential of scratched paint, or the noticing of it by officers. It makes you a lot more of a target to enforcement procedures. Hence, the best way to arm yourself is an internal antenna mount. That is concealed right in your back window area. The only problem with this is the potential for harmfull interference from the wattage being sprayed into the vehicle . Also therein lies a problem of exposure to RF which is never good for any human's body. Lastly there is the issue of decreased performance of your radios abilities to chat with fellow radio goers. Keep all of these things in mind when deciding which way to go. Each antenna method has it's pluses and minus's this is why I personally mix it up with my antenna use. If I know I am going to be in an area of questionability I may opt that day to use an internal antenna for my run. If I have had problems in that area I may do the same, go covert. If I don't feel covertness is of the need I slap on my mag mount for full out performance.


RemoteInstall-

My car is soon to be 8 years old, so I don't care. I care about performance. I have two Auston Spectre antennas for each of my scanners, so being "concealed" is of little concern to me. If I run a mag mount on my trunk, I'd assume I'd have the same problem as I'm having now.

What antenna do you use internally and what kind of performance do you get out of it?

Here is their response:

The 305-550 is meant to be used on the mirrors of the tractor -trailers. You have a 10" shaft on the bottom that is designed to fit into a mirror mount. If you have a 5000 trunk lip already, to make it a roof mount, all you need is the roof mount assembly. If I were you, I would take the trucker antenna back and check out some of the dealers to see if they have a roof mount assembly available. If not, then let me know and if I have one in stock, I will sell to you.

Well, I was speaking of using scanners in moving vehicles with the internal mounting. You can use rubber duckies mounted inside the car for stealth. I know a man that does just that. He doesn't get that bad of distance out of it. I was quite impressed to tell the truth. Does he get staggering distances, "NO." Though, as I mentioned above that method is not recommended for performance related usages. It is more along the lines of overall stealth. It just depends on your mounting desires. All of us have different desires here. All of us have different needs. One may differ very much, so from the next. Thus, we all have our own setups. Yet that is good. This way we get to see all aspects of every install instead of just one persons way of doing things, and we gauge better ways to install our electronics.


RemoteInstall-