GMRS Road Trip Antenna Kit

GMRS Antenna Road Trip Kit

What's Included

• Magnet base
• High gain whip antenna
• 12 foot (~3.65m) Coaxial Cable
  • Heavy-duty
  • RG58
  • PL259 Adapter
• SO-239 to SMA-Male Adapter
• SMA-Female to SMA-Female Adapter
  (Installed in the SMA-Male end with a plastic cap)
• Allen wrench

Setup Instructions

Base Antenna Placement

• For best results, mount the antenna in the center of the vehicle and as high as possible. The front or rear of the vehicle is also acceptable if the antenna is not blocked on the sides or top.
• The antenna MUST be mounted on ferromagnetic material, such as a steel alloy. Non-ferromagnetic material such as aluminum is not acceptable.
• The mount's magnet is part of its grounding feature, and as such the magnet should be mounted away from places where the vehicle needs to be touched and with metal surface in every direction.
• The antenna needs to remain upright and at a 90-degree angle perpendicular to the ground.

Attach the Antenna to the Antenna Base

• Remove the protective plastic cap from the magnetic base and screw on the antenna.
• If necessary, use the Allen wrench included in the Kit to secure the antenna to its spring base.

Cable Routing

• The included coaxial cable is heavy duty, which improves routing options.
• The cable is typically routed from the antenna, through the door seal of the back door into the vehicle and to the radio. This provides a temporary installation while maintaining a waterproof seal at the door.
• Do not bend the wire to a degree more severe than about five times the thickness of the cable. Doing so may break the internal wire.
• Do not loop excess wire if avoidable. Instead, run length of wire back and forth but not overlapping. If overlapping is unavoidable, aim for loops at least 18 inches (~46cm) in diameter (as measured across the whole loop.)

Attaching to Your Radio

• The magnet mount antenna terminates in an SO-239 connector which is the standard connection type for GMRS and LMR mobile radios.
• For handheld radios, an optional SMA adapter cable is included.
• To connect to a Cobra TrailBlazer radio:
  • Turn off the TrailBlazer radio while performing these steps to avoid damaging the radio.
  • Remove the TrailBlazer antenna, being careful to avoid damaging the antenna or the radio’s antenna connector.
  • Remove the plastic caps from the from the adapter cable and connect the larger SO-239 plug to the antenna cable.
  • Remove the SMA-Female to SMA-Female connector from the adapter cable. Store this along with the Allen wrench in case it is needed in the future.
  • Attach the smaller connector SMA-Male end of the adapter cable to the TrailBlazer radio, being careful not to cross-thread.
  • Tighten the connection finger-tight, do not over-crank.

• When you’re done on the road and ready to take your radio out on your next adventure simply disconnect the antenna from the TrailBlazer handheld radio and re-attach its stock antenna or high gain performance antenna.

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