Firestik CB Antennae Excess Cable - Where'd You Stuff It?

[kdsmalljr]

I bought a Midland 75-822 and RAM mounted it on my handle bars. The stub antennae worked well the first ride and not so much afterward. So, I bought a Firestik NGP antennae. The thing came with an 18' antennae cable. In speaking with the Firestik reps, they told me:

"The NGP cable is actually a tuned circuit and the length of the main cable controls the frequency so, if it gets cut, the operational frequency will take the entire system out of the CB frequency range. It is very sensitive and removing as little as 1/8 of an inch can change the SWR to a point where the antenna adjustment is no longer effective."

So, they told me to stuff the excess cable somewhere on the bike in a bow tie configuration, not coiled (see attached).  If you have done so, where did you put the excess cable? I am thinking under the seat, but, am open to suggestions.

By the way, the plan is to mount the antennae on my trunk with a quick disconnect to get in and out of the garage.

Thanks!

 

[smithr]

They may be correct that cutting it will change the SWR and you will loose transmit power.  If you add a quick disconnect that could also do the same thing.  Most people that care about getting full power would just cut it and re tune the SWR but that requires a lot of knowledge.  I would say if it is on the trunk and the radio is on the bars then under the seat is fine for the cable, maybe behind the battery box if not already in use.  For me I would do the disconnect with the proper connectors and as little over all length change as possible and just see if you have enough power to transmit the distances you need to.  Most units will not fry just because of some SWR resistance and still transmit plenty far.

 

[lrbuck]

KDS

You can get a figure 8 by going around the ignitor & turning the coil to get the 8. Another way is to put the turned coil behind the taillight.  Per your pictures, the bigger the 8, the better.

I would suggest mounting the antenna on a horizontal bar running under the trunk mounting plate rather than the plastic of the trunk. I did this with a Givi trunk, don't know about other brands. If you have interest in this method, I probably still have the bar.

The Midland is a great little radio, but not waterproof. I went through 2 of them before finding a Honda/Cobra, 2 piece unit that was waterproof. I finally made the switch to a Sena bluetooth because I got tired of the expense of J&M cords, push-to-talk switches, and frequency of having to resolder connections inside the radio due to vibration. 

After you get everything mounted the way you want it, find a CB shop and have the antenna SWR matched to your bike. It makes a big difference in transmitting range.

 

[Outback_Jon]

After you get everything mounted the way you want it, find a CB shop and have the antenna SWR matched to your bike. It makes a big difference in transmitting range.

Or find a local, friendly, ham radio operator.  95% of them will probably have the equipment, and the other 5% can steer you to someone that has it.

And putting a quick disconnect will likely significantly change your SWR anyway.  If you want to use a quick disconnect, go with a regular (not NGP) antenna and have it tuned for you.  Reading up on the Firestick NGP antennas, it doesn't look like anything should be added to the setup.

The C10 has a reasonable amount of metal to act as your ground plane, so installing a regular antenna, even mounted to the trunk, with a ground strap to the nearest piece of metal ground you can find, should work well after a tuning.