Hi Ray,
I've a CJ-7 myself and have some good insights for you. If possible, I
think you're 100% on the mark for mounting on the light bar. However,
consider grounding. Make sure that your light bar's Electrically connected
to the windshield frame (typically, the metal screws into the steel
windshield frame are good). If it's a multi-piece bar or the type that
pivots down, you should remember those junctions. Also, remember that the
windshield hinges aren't Electrical connections for a good ground. Since we
rarely drop the windshield (I've done it once in 11 years only for
maintenance), you could run a wire from an upper screw to the lower on both
hinges. Then, there's your antenna selection.
If you're only running VHF/UHF, I'd just buy a good dual-bander. I think
diamond makes some good ones that have a fold-over feature for when you run
the trails. That hinge is great when the antenna's up but, IMHO, I'd
definitely hold it in place when down with something. If you're bouncing
around, it'll go flop around til it snaps. You could still just leave it
upright permanently if that happened. HF is a different animal for
antennas, though.
For an HF antenna, your best bet's mounted behind the spare but consider
the grounding issues I mention above. It would be on centerline and out of
the way of antenna-hungry limbs and bushes. A little lower, you'll find a
good location on a bracket on the rear right corner (I'm not sure if your
model has that tire bump stop). It's a little out there for bushes, though.
Finally, there's the rear bumper but as a ham-jeeper you already know about
the vehicle as a ground plane and how "height makes right" The only other
advice that I've found with my Jeep is in the hard top.
If you run a hard top, even though it's fiberglass, it can still do a
whammy on your antenna system. I just put one on and the rear hatch has a
metal frame. Since I mounted my UHV-6 on the rear bumper, the HF
performance is trashed when the hatch is open. I tuned the antenna with the
hatch closed and noticed that the darned thing is heavily affected with that
metal up and next to the radiator. Also, if you tint the glass like mine,
that tinting can have, I think it's metal in it. So, it can have an effect
as well, however small or big.
There you go. That's my brain dump of many years in a Jeep and on the
radio. Let us know how it works out for you and good luck.
o_o_o_o
Best Regards, /| ,[_____],
Jim, WP3JQ |¯¯¯L --O|||||||O-
()_)¯()_) ¯¯¯¯¯ )_)
EM60qk 30.447439N 086.628959W