Does a magnetic CB antenna need to be grounded?

There’s always a ground. Whether it’s what you intend it to be or not is another issue… A mag-mount antenna is grounded through capacitive coupling between that magnet and the metal it’s stuck to. At VHF/UHF frequencies, this effect is adequate for good results which explains the popularity of these mounts.

Where should a magnetic CB antenna be placed?

Choose A Location

  1. The best place for your standard antenna is the center of your roof, where you will have the greatest ground plane coverage.
  2. When you install a CB antenna on the fender, bumper, or anywhere else around the edge of your vehicle, you will have a weaker signal going away from the vehicle.

What happens if you don’t ground a CB antenna?

If you’re using a standard CB antenna (i.e., anything except a no ground plane, or NGP, kit), you’ll need to make sure your antenna mount is solidly grounded to the vehicle’s chassis. A bad ground will result in an un-tunable antenna and sky-high SWR levels.

What is the best length of coax for CB radio?

We recommend 18 feet of coax even if you don’t need that much. If you use a length that is shorter or longer, you might risk having trouble achieving good SWR readings. Properly store any excess coax in a figure 8, about one foot in length, and bound in the middle- it should look like a long, skinny 8.

Does length of coax affect SWR?

Coaxial Cable Length Does Not Change Antenna SWR.

Can you use TV coax for CB?

The PL-259 coax connection is the most popular in the CB world. It has a barrel / screw-on type look, as can be seen in the picture below. All CB coax will have a PL-259 connection on at least one end, as this is the standard type of connection that plugs into the back of all CB radios.

How do you ground a CB antenna on a toolbox?

First of all, if the antenna being used is a standard ground-plane dependent antenna, the toolbox MUST be grounded to the vehicle. In most cases a short wire (at least 12 gauge) or grounding braid may be attached to the front side corner of the toolbox and to the underside of the left or right side bed rail.