Antenna Connection

[jdross440]

Is there a way to connect the antenna directly to the radio as I don't use the CB and I have short distance reception on radio even when DX is activated? Is there a better antenna for this purpose?

[saddlebum]

 

Not sure how much difference it would make, But one way you can go about running separate antennas for AM/FM and CB radio is to remove the radio consul on the left side and then the black cover from the top of the side fairing you will see the radio tuner and amplifier. Disconnect the antenna lead from the tuner, you will see it has one of the commonly used automotive antenna connections. Find yourself a quality automotive am/fm antenna with the same connection end and a cable long enough to run from front to were you plan to mount the antenna. Mount the antenna and plug the end directly into the short antenna connector on the tuner.  tape up the old antenna end and just tuck it out of the way. This will by pass the antenna matching box on the right side and give you a direct hook up from the tuner to the new antenna. If you wish you can also use a second CB antenna mounted on the left side for this purpose. In this case instead of a pl259 connector on the end of the coax you will have to install a male Motorola connector on the coax (

If you wish to preserve the CB function and by pass the splitter box completely simply remove the antenna cable from the splitter box (this is on the right side by the CB) cut the end of the cable and replace with a PL- 259 connector and hook directly to the CB .You need to use an SWR meter to adjust the CB antenna's length to get the correct standing wave ratio or you could damage the CB when you hit the transmit. button. This should be done well away from buildings and wires to get the most accurate adjustment. The AM/FM antenna can be mounted on the opposite side and requires no adjustment.

A PL-259 connector     https://vetco.net/products/uhf-male-solder-connector-for-rg-8-pl-259

A  male Motorola connector      https://vetco.net/products/car-radio-antenna-motorola-connector-plug-best

 

Edited May 4, 2021 by saddlebum

[cimmer]

There was a mod that some of us did to our radio setups and it was called Marshall Mod as a gentleman named Marshall Gammon came up with the idea. It involved adding a second antenna to the setup. Some of the travel trunk racks have a provision added to them at the factory for adding a second  factory antenna mount to the left side of the rack. We would add that mount and then add another antenna to the left side and run that directly to the radio antenna connection using a cable with a male Motorola connector to a male PL-259 connector. This bypass the splitter box that is connected to the CB radio and allows that to be removed with the CB antenna connector then move directly to the CB. You might be able to find this cable at a truck stop that has CB supplies for the truckers.

I ended up with a couple of 4ft Firecracker CB antennas on each side of the travel trunk with fold down adapters and the correct length of cable running up to each radio. This did improve my FM radio reception. I cant say much about the CB as I honestly dont use it but have left it in place and connected. Every now and then I turn it on just to see if I hear anyone out there still using it.

If I was going to do it over again, I would get 3 foot Firecracker CB antenna as the 4 ft ones are a little long..

I hope this helps.

Rick F.