James,

The factory AM/FM/CBs that I've seen used one antenna with a splitter. Pics compliments of waterdowg.

Your second antenna is either a dealer or PO add-on.

I have no clue what the bracket on your spare tire carrier is. I'm pretty sure it's not factory.

Hope this helps,

Matt

 

All AM/FM/CBs were dealer installed thus the variance in antenna location. The correct AM/FM/CB antenna is the one you got there which is missing the stalk. The triangle base antenna next to your tri-way base is just the standard factory AM/FM antenna.

It looks like you Jeep originally came from the factory with a radio, thus the triangle base antenna. Those were all in a standard location. The spring antennas you see on some CJs are the dealer installed ones and therefore have varying locations. On my 86, the dealer installed it on the driver's side. But it looks like the PO wanted the AM/FM/CB so the dealer just installed the tri-way base next to the standard triangle base without removing that factory antenna. Or the PO just wanted a standard radio and went and bought the triangle base antenna and mounted it next to the tri-way base. Whatever you do, do not hook you CB up to that standard triangle base antenna....hook it up to the tri-way base.

By the way, that tri-way base is super rare. You're lucky its still there.

Agree with Matt that that bracket on the tire carrier is definitely not factory.

 

Interesting info there Mr Boh. I have an AM/FM/CB with splitter I haven't yet installed, and planned on using the standard antenna. If I cannot locate an original tri way base, how can I hook up the radio and CB antennas? Is there a decent looking aftermarket antenna I can use?

 

Thanks, good information.

Whatever it is I know it was dealer or factory installed, the original owners family has pictures of the Jeep the very day they brought it home doing that classic "family in front of the new vehicle with dad holding up the keys and the sticker still in the window" picture and it's already in the Jeep in that picture as well, plus he told me it was always there. I queried him about it because really radio antennas should not be that close together, I'm a ham radio operator and you should have at least a minimum of 18"-24" between antennas, not as important if they are receive-only but if one is transmit then being that close can cause it's signal to bleed into the other antenna when you transmit and just being that close can cause attenuation/SWR problems. Both antennas are still being used, that is to say the radio antenna goes to the current radio and the CB antenna also goes over there but is just hanging there since there is no CB to connect it to. Apparently the original owner took off the CB antenna years ago and screwed on the plastic dust/rain cap that he said came with the Jeep in the original packet of papers. So apparently Jeep (or the dealer) thought ahead enough that someone might want to take the CB antenna off at times and would need a cap to keep dust/rain out of the mount. I could throw a Firestik on that mount now, put in my CB under the AC unit and be good to go except for how close it is to the AM/FM antenna and I figure if I transmitted on the CB while the stereo was on with the antennas so close they might bleed into the radio. I'd prefer to have a CB mount on the back using one of those taillight mounts. The wost part about that factory or dealer CB mount if I don't use it is that it's not really that great looking. The original owner said it was originally a darker grey but has faded over the years and I could take it off and repaint it which would help with the looks some. If I remove it I would have holes in the body there plus I hate to remove something original to the Jeep, but that is just not a great location for a CB antenna, I'd rather have a much taller antenna on the back right corner on a taillight mount with a matching mount on the left taillight for my dual band ham radio. I remember those splitters to allow you to use one antenna for both CB and Radio from back in the day and they didn't affect the radio much but were absolutely horrible for any reception/transmit range at all with your CB.

 

They are out there but are difficult to find since they went out of fashion in the 80s. Harada made a nice tri-way antenna that very closely resembled the dealer installed spring antennas. There is actually one on ebay right now:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Harada-TL-11-Tri-Way-Am-Fm-Cb-antenna-Adjustable-tip-NOS-fender-mount-/370979249048?pt=US_Radio_Antennas&hash=item5660161b98

 

Agreed, that AM/FM triangle base antenna should not be there at all. The AM/FM/CB came with a splitter allowing operation with the AM/FM portion of the radio, thus solely using the tri-way base antenna for both radio and CB transmit operation.

If you get rid of that tri-way base, let me know, I'd buy it off of you. And if you go ahead with your plan with a rear mount dedicated CB antenna, then you wouldn't need the splitter anymore either.

 

Yea but like I said, mine does not have a splitter and apparently never did. Which of the two mounts are you referring to as the tri-way base, the CB one or the AM/FM one?
The stock AM/FM antenna is still used for the radio and the CB mount goes solely to the CB.

Maybe someone at the original dealer knew about radios and knew how bad those splitter things performed.

What's really funny is that link on eBay to a splitter, is the exact SAME one that I tried YEARS ago on a car where I needed a CB for a cross country trip but did not want a separate CB antenna so bought one of those but the thing barely got out 1/3rd to maybe 1/2 of a mile even with the best tune I could get on it. Every time I got too far away from the group I lost communications. After the first day and half of driving (this was in a military convoy so slow moving and only 1/4th way across the country I stopped and picked up a trunk lip mount and quickly mounted/routed it sitting in the parking lot and even without having an SWR meter with me it INSTANTLY got out 3-5 miles by comparison and never lost contact with the guys in the group again even when I'd jump off at en exit to quickly grab a drink or snack and jump back on the highway again.