Sponsored

Cool Tech's CB Antenna Kit for JL Wrangler - Available Now

jeepnjam

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jameson
Joined
Jun 19, 2018
Threads
3
Messages
89
Reaction score
192
Location
Chattanooga, TN
Vehicle(s)
2021 Sarge Green Rubicon 392
Vehicle Showcase
1
The longer bolts you will supply, will it be a grade as strong as the Mopar kit. I ask because that bracket is under a lot of stress from my 37 tires. How is this shipped, I'm in Fl.
I am about to install one of these on my Jeep Rubicon. I'm going to run a spring with my antenna. Is it recommended to install the bracket on the top door hinge over the bottom door hinge? I'm worried the antenna will hit in my parking garage if I mount the bracket on the top hinge, was thinking of putting it on the bottom one.

Thank you - Great product!
Sponsored

 
OP
OP

CoolTech

Well-Known Member
Rock Sponsor (Level 1)
First Name
Kendall
Joined
Feb 5, 2018
Threads
8
Messages
337
Reaction score
526
Location
Santa Clarita, CA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Rubicon
Generally speaking, the higher the antenna, the better the reception.... but then there's the practical side!! Choose the height (hinge( that will work best for you!
 

Andy2434

Well-Known Member
First Name
Andy
Joined
Dec 4, 2017
Threads
3
Messages
903
Reaction score
1,223
Location
Las Vegas/San Francisco
Vehicle(s)
'19 Billet JLUR, ‘20 Mustang GT/Prem/6MT/PP1
Occupation
Retired/Leisure
LOL . . . Ordered my CB antenna kit from CoolTech a few moments ago. Now, I find this thread.

Looking forward to receiving it and setting it up.
 

jeepnjam

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jameson
Joined
Jun 19, 2018
Threads
3
Messages
89
Reaction score
192
Location
Chattanooga, TN
Vehicle(s)
2021 Sarge Green Rubicon 392
Vehicle Showcase
1
Generally speaking, the higher the antenna, the better the reception.... but then there's the practical side!! Choose the height (hinge( that will work best for you!
I am having trouble tuning my antenna from the cool tech kit.

Channel one SWR reading is 1.1; channel 40 reading is 2.5. I have adjusted the antenna at the top to the shortest possible length - so what do I do now?

I was tuning in a wide open parking lot at a high school. It’s on top of a hill with no power lines within 100 ft of my Jeep. Top was up, all doors closed and Windows rolled up.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

80C8A060-5B51-4633-9971-88C1FFCFF843.jpeg
 

Andy2434

Well-Known Member
First Name
Andy
Joined
Dec 4, 2017
Threads
3
Messages
903
Reaction score
1,223
Location
Las Vegas/San Francisco
Vehicle(s)
'19 Billet JLUR, ‘20 Mustang GT/Prem/6MT/PP1
Occupation
Retired/Leisure
Installed my CoolTech kit with a Motorola 75-822. The install was a breeze. I opted to use a quick disconnect. The said allowed me to mount the 4' Firestik on the top hinge assembly and easily remove it for situations that may require its removal.

Have it all tuned and working really well. SWR of 1.4 on channels 1 and 40.
 

Sponsored

Jeep Generation

Well-Known Member
First Name
Kevin
Joined
May 12, 2018
Threads
45
Messages
1,327
Reaction score
3,414
Location
San Dimas CA
Website
www.youtube.com
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLU Rubicon, 2014 JK Willys, 1999 TJ Sport, 1966 CJ5-A
I am having trouble tuning my antenna from the cool tech kit.

Channel one SWR reading is 1.1; channel 40 reading is 2.5. I have adjusted the antenna at the top to the shortest possible length - so what do I do now?

I was tuning in a wide open parking lot at a high school. It’s on top of a hill with no power lines within 100 ft of my Jeep. Top was up, all doors closed and Windows rolled up.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

80C8A060-5B51-4633-9971-88C1FFCFF843.jpeg


I have a video on tuning it if you haven't seen it already. I would double check all of the following..
- Double check all connections, make sure they are tight
- Make sure you dont have any coils of coax if you have extra cable, run it somewhere to avoid coils
- Make sure you have a good ground
- When you tune it, make sure you have the rubber tip back on, plus the lock ring tight on the adjustable part.
- Make sure all doors, tops, windows are closed, no one outside.
- 10-15 meters Away from all buildings, cars, power lines, trees, be in the middle of no where.
 

Niteshooter

Well-Known Member
First Name
Kevin
Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Threads
1
Messages
224
Reaction score
140
Location
Toronto Canada
Vehicle(s)
86 Jeep CJ7, 86 T-Bird Turbo Coupe, 00 Saturn, 10 smart, 11 JK
Vehicle Showcase
2
I am having trouble tuning my antenna from the cool tech kit.

Channel one SWR reading is 1.1; channel 40 reading is 2.5. I have adjusted the antenna at the top to the shortest possible length - so what do I do now?

I was tuning in a wide open parking lot at a high school. It’s on top of a hill with no power lines within 100 ft of my Jeep. Top was up, all doors closed and Windows rolled up.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you!

80C8A060-5B51-4633-9971-88C1FFCFF843.jpeg
Antenna mounting on Wranglers is a challenge..... I read from the very beginning of this thread because I was curious. Mounting dead centre on the hood would be the 'best' spot but aesthetically not so nice. Dead centre on the roof of the HT would be good if it was metal and for cars with fiberglass bodies one solution was to install a ground plane kit which was basically along the line of adhesive backed foil. But on a soft top that option isn't possible.... Actually antenna mounting on most new vehicles is a real challenge especially if you don't want to start drilling holes in the body....

Rule of thumb with 2 way radios, mount on the highest part of the vehicle as close to the centre as possible. This all has to do with how the antenna radiates it's signal so mounting for instance on a corner tends to skew the signal slightly towards the opposite corner. Typically though say for use on the highway you go back passenger corner and that tends to direct the signal towards the front drivers corner which is good for hitting oncoming traffic. This link might help,

http://www.rfcafe.com/references/po...acement-popular-electronics-november-1966.htm

Your SWR issues may have something to do with how low your antenna is vs using the upper location, I understand why you did this but having the antenna sitting across from all that metal isn't the greatest. Also technically you want to get as much antenna as high as possible to optimize performance. Might be better to put the antenna on a quick disconnect and use the upper hinge bracket. Downside is this makes the antenna exceptionally easy to steal. I just wind up unscrewing the one on my CJ when I have to park it in the garage. Mount is attached to the metal bump stop bolted to the body tub which is a decent location since it places the antenna away from the tire.

I just bought a used JK and had a buddies shop make me a bracket which mounts to the top tailgate hinge. Not possible on your JL though due to the changes to the design of your hinges. But it was able to get the antenna away from the tire which is where many JL owners mount their antennas on the bracket for the spare. Not an ideal location because it's sandwiched between the tire and rest of Jeep.

As far as getting a decent SWR, way back when I first got into radio in the late 60's you could buy antenna tuners, amateurs called them trans matches and CB'ers just called them antenna matchers or something like that. They brought the SWR down but are not ideal in that they are in a sense tricking the setup into 'thinking' the SWR is good. Only bring this up in case someone suggests one.

When you say you've adjusted the antenna, I'm guessing it's a top loaded fibreglass whip? (eg there is a coil of copper wire at the top of the antenna). So to tune those styles of antenna you have to pop the cap and start cutting off the coil. Based on where you have the antenna, I personally wouldn't have done that since once that wire is cut you can't get it back. There are also antennas that you can tune by moving a short metal rod at the top of the antenna by loosening a set screw. If you have one of those and you've backed the rod down as far as possible it may need to be cut. Again though I personally would not do that especially if you decide to move the mount up to the top bracket.

Had a bracket fabricated at a friends shop for my JK, unfortunately the JL doesn't have the exposed bolt to be able to tap into.

47218150531_cd8ee7c56c_c.jpg


I've used the Cobra WX radio in my car for about 10 years, only thing I had a problem with was the volume control. It started to get crackly and eventually would cut out completely. A shot of Dioxit fixed the crackle but I eventually had to take the handset apart and re-soldier the wires as one had come loose. Otherwise not a bad little radio when you don't have a spot to put an actual transceiver. Midland also makes a hand held that comes with an in car mounting kit which is pretty handy. I also own one of these and it works well for what it is. It is a bit disconcerting to see an open TNC connection on the top of the radio when the antenna is removed though. FYI the rubber duckie antenna is disconnected electrically when the radio is attached to it's in car base. I just put a short ham antenna in the hole to make it look better. Otherwise you could just leave the stock antenna on the unit but then it gets kind of unwieldy in your vehicle.
 

TreeHugger

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jim
Joined
Feb 7, 2019
Threads
5
Messages
140
Reaction score
100
Location
Austin, TX
Vehicle(s)
TBD
Vehicle Showcase
1
@CoolTech do you have plans for a GMRS antenna mount? I'm looking at getting the Midland MXT275 but don't see much in the way of JL antenna mount options for that GMRS radio.
 

Dogboyslim

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2018
Threads
21
Messages
306
Reaction score
395
Location
Wisconsin
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLU Rubicon Punkn.
Question: Does anyone know the size of the grommet in the tailgate or where to source a spare? I'm notoriously bad with these things, and want to buy a spare or 2 before I begin running the wire.

Referencing the oblong grommet above the one this person used to route the wire.
20180605_194734-jpg.jpg
 

Sponsored

prerunner1982

Well-Known Member
First Name
Jon
Joined
Oct 19, 2017
Threads
0
Messages
129
Reaction score
110
Location
Oklahoma
Vehicle(s)
XJ Cherokees
@CoolTech do you have plans for a GMRS antenna mount? I'm looking at getting the Midland MXT275 but don't see much in the way of JL antenna mount options for that GMRS radio.
You need an NMO antenna mount, very common in the ham radio world. @Hgrace did a nice job with a simple L mount under the cowl.
hgrace.PNG
hgrace2.PNG
 

psuntlion

Active Member
First Name
Jason
Joined
Sep 12, 2018
Threads
5
Messages
27
Reaction score
10
Location
Devore, CA
Vehicle(s)
2018 JLUR, Camaro ZL1 1LE, BMW M3, R1250GSA
Just ordered the All-in-One Cobra kit after reading this entire thread. I'm really impressed with Cool Tech's responsiveness and detailed answers to everyone's questions. I opted for the 4' antenna with a quick disconnect so I can just store the antenna inside the Jeep when I'm not using it.

I had actually already ordered a Cobra 19 because that's what I had in my last rig, but the 75 looks like it will be much better to mount. Looking forward to getting it installed!
 

DeekT

Well-Known Member
First Name
Deek
Joined
Mar 17, 2018
Threads
0
Messages
72
Reaction score
59
Location
Illinois
Vehicle(s)
2018 Punk'n JLU Rubicon (mine), 2018 White JLU Moab (wife)
Occupation
Retired
Just ordered the All-in-One Cobra kit after reading this entire thread. I'm really impressed with Cool Tech's responsiveness and detailed answers to everyone's questions. I opted for the 4' antenna with a quick disconnect so I can just store the antenna inside the Jeep when I'm not using it.

I had actually already ordered a Cobra 19 because that's what I had in my last rig, but the 75 looks like it will be much better to mount. Looking forward to getting it installed!
One suggestion, I also purchased a 3' antenna along with the 4' antenna both with quick disconnects. I run the 3' daily so I can clear most everything especially parking garages. I keep the 4' strapped between the top and the sport bar and I switch to that for road trips or whenever I need to get more distance.
 

SSVi

Well-Known Member
First Name
Damon
Joined
Jul 8, 2018
Threads
14
Messages
124
Reaction score
270
Location
Idaho Falls
Vehicle(s)
2021 392XR
Occupation
Extreme metal drummer/ large cat wrangler / gun modder
Has anyone wired up their Cobra to one of the aux switches for power? How tough was it to do if so?
 

millerjl

Well-Known Member
First Name
Chuck
Joined
Jun 28, 2018
Threads
50
Messages
714
Reaction score
709
Location
San Diego, CA
Vehicle(s)
JLU Rubicon
Vehicle Showcase
1
Has anyone wired up their Cobra to one of the aux switches for power? How tough was it to do if so?
It’s easy, the wires are right up under the glove box which is where you can hide the module anyways.
Sponsored

 
 



Top