CB Radios and ground planes

[Dray]

A lot of the guys I ride with use CB radios for communication and I need
to get something set up on my 2017 F3L so I will not be left out in the cold
so to speak. Any help/advice/opinions on what it takes to establish a good
ground plane on a fiberglass body would be greatly appreciated. Also, what
is the best length for a antenna cable. It was suggested that 15' would be
ideal but how do you hide that much cable without coiling it up which evidently
is not a good thing to do?

Thanks in advance!
Dray:yes::yes::yes::yes:

 

[Easy Rider]

Any help/advice/opinions on what it takes to establish a good
ground plane on a fiberglass body would be greatly appreciated.

Also, what
is the best length for a antenna cable. It was suggested that 15' would be
ideal

Forget making an efficient setup on a motorcycle. It just AIN'T gonna happen.
Just be sure that the shield side of the antenna mount has a good metallic connection and don't worry about the coax length.
I've been doing CBs for about 50 years now so I'm not an amateur. Most of the "rules" that work on other vehicles don't apply to bikes.

Our group, with all kinds of bike models and various CB setups, find that good communication is only possible for about a mile and a half, maybe two. A longer antenna is a tiny bit better but it's really hard to notice.

What kind of radio do you intend to install ??

 

[Marker]

When I had my 2015 RT I used a midland handheld CB with a long rubber antenna. I used a sena two way radio bluetooth dongle so I could hare through my sena headset.
You could use a firestick no ground plane antenna for a permeant mount.
I used a ram mount and lamonster cuff .

 

[Dray]

I am using a Midland hand held unit with attached rubber antenna. Just
experimenting at the moment and trying to get the best range possible.
it has been 40 years since I messed with CB's and I have a learning curve
to content with. I am set up with a ptt and earphones. If I understand
correctly a 6 ' or 9' cable would work? I also have a couple different
wire wound fiberglass antennas to play with if I can figure out a good
way to mount one. I also need a good way to mount the radio to the handle
bars. Suggestions appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Dray:yes::yes::yes::yes:

 

[Easy Rider]

If I understand
correctly a 6 ' or 9' cable would work?

Any reasonable length of cable will be fine.
Do not coil up extra cable just because you think it needs to be a certain length.

The cable shield at the antenna end should go to a good metallic ground nearby; best if the mounting bracket is grounded.

Just a "stubby" on top of the radio might work for what you need; probably less than a mile range though.

 

[Dray]

Thanks Guys for all the info. I am gonna just go with the stubby
for now and see how it does.

Dray:yes::yes::yes::yes: