5' Firestik II CB antenna / spring

Since my old antenna kept breaking on the weak point in the middle where a nylon separator screwed into the metal parts, I purchased a firestik II with tuneable tip.  It was easy to set up and all I did was modify my homemade mount/bracket by drilling bigger holes and insulating the antenna from ground.  Once it was up, I hooked up the SWR meter and tuned it.  It seemed to work best when the tip was screwed out as much as possible.  The SWR readings were much lower than that of the old antenna.

I also came up with a contraption to hook the antenna when not in use.  I had a few stainless steel items and chose the best one.  The rope on the other end was tied to the roof rack.  It bent the antenna just right and it did not touch the rear door.

The first time out with the antenna up, the homemade bracket swung way back and hit the plastic pieces.  To fix the problem I placed a bend in the bracket which touched the door hinge.  This kept it from swinging up and down.

SWR reading for channel 40 - Perfect.  No reflected signal whatsoever.

SWR reading for channel 1 - under 1.5

Antenna sticking straight up.  Only using a rope to hold it down.  The stainless steel contraption I made was slipping against the outside and rubbing the antenna.

Ocean City/Assateauge - Yakima RocketBox 12 / Roof Rack Mount Locks

Went to Ocean City in MD on Memorial Day weekend and needed way more space than I had in the trunk area so I decided to pick up a roof top box.  After researching all the soft rooftop bags and reading that they all leaked, I opted for the hard box.  The Yakima RocketBox fit perfectly on the stock roof rack cross bars.  The hard part was lining up everything to be sitting perfectly in the middle.  After that, it was simple and easy to load/unload since I have the rock rails to step on.  The box can also be opened from both sides which is convenient.

I decided to go offroad on the OSV trail in Assateauge.  Unfortunately the trail was backed up by three hours and, since we were on our way home, we decided to try it out next time we go.  It was nice seeing some of the horses and the beaches.  Also took a nice pic of the FJ, with the RocketBox, next to a flag when leaving Ocean City, which was very fitting for this weekend.  You can see the locking lug nuts I used on the roof rack mounts, which was much easier than using a bike lock.