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.