CB antenna: Hard mount vs. magnetic?

[WyldWeasel]

I'm planning on purchasing a CB for 'ZuZoo this year. Since my car is currently stripped down for painting, running wires and drilling the roof to mount a permanent antenna or modding the cladding for a bumper mounted one is a possibility. Would this be worthwhile to do, or should I just get the Lil Wilson magnetic antenna?

Of those who have hard mounted antennas, where did you put it? I was thinking a good spot for it might be next to the stock radio antenna, or directly behind or before it. However, since I've never had a CB before or had a vehicle with a working CB radio, I thought I'd pick some brains here before I committed to anything.

[SPAZZ]

hard mounted Wilson means drilling/cutting a hole in roof.

I have the Wilson 5,000. Works awesome, but sticks way up. Although it is magnetic and you can leave the base magneticly stuck to the roof and unscrew the whip whenever clearance permits.

One good option would be to mount one of those thick short whip antena'a to the rear of your VX down low by the rear door. Would never worry about clearing anything.

when mounting on roof I believe you should mount closer to the center of the VX.

[Joe_Black]

You can get some aluminum and fab a simple mount that goes behind your tag. ProFit makes a small one, but it's simple to make a beefier one for larger more stable antennas. Then you can route your cable through a number of existing openings around the tag area and you still have an unmolested VX.

Let me know if you need any drawings and I'll post some.

[Ldub]

I got a nice chunk of 3/16" steel plate from a scrap dumpster (had already been cut into about a 7" circle), cleaned up the edges with Mr. grinder & gave it a coat of black primer.
Then bolted that to the center rail on my roof rack (aluminium). Lil Wil now has a perch to sit on.

Also, I read somewhere that they don't allow whip antennas at ZuZu events as they are a danger to spotters.

My two cents, Ldub

[WyldWeasel]

Joe, by tag do you mean the license plate? If so are you talking about the front or rear license plate area?

And yes, pix would be very much appreciated.

[erland]

I would suggest going by a cb installation place and having them go over the vx with a swr meter to find the best location for optimal reception.

[Triathlete]

HERE is where I ordered my antenna from (recommended by Todd Adams). They had the best prices I could find. The service was great. They shipped it out 2 hours after I ordered it. I went with a mag mounted antenna (Lil Wilson).