Member Contributer Bthomas Posted November 20, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted November 20, 2009 I just ordered a Jensen waterproof stereo for my 6th gen. see http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-radio/jensen-jhd910-radio/ I commute on my bike and leave the factory sidebags on year round. I don't use a trunk. I'm trying to figure out a place to mount a 14" rubber antenna without cutting into my bags or any other piece of plastic. I also don't want to conceal the antenna in a bag or use a different style of antenna. Have any of you installed an am/fm antenna? If so where? Totally open to suggestions. Thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer elizilla Posted November 20, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted November 20, 2009 I just ordered a Jensen waterproof stereo for my 6th gen. see http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-radio/jensen-jhd910-radio/ I commute on my bike and leave the factory sidebags on year round. I don't use a trunk. I'm trying to figure out a place to mount a 14" rubber antenna without cutting into my bags or any other piece of plastic. I also don't want to conceal the antenna in a bag or use a different style of antenna. Have any of you installed an am/fm antenna? If so where? Totally open to suggestions. Thanks so much! I have not installed an am/fm antenna. However I have installed CB antennas on a couple of different bikes. Here are my ideas... You can go to the truck stop and buy a variety of brackets. As for mount points, consider the mirror bolts, the license plate bracket, the passenger footpeg brackets, or a piece of aluminum flat stock mounted to the luggage rack, that sticks out far enough to attach the antenna and not hit the bags or tangle with your foot. With a CB antenna it's important that it stick up higher than your head, and that the load is at the top, and you have just the right length lead for it, routed just the right way, or you'll never be able to transmit well. So when I have to mount the CB antenna to the license plate bracket or footpeg, I buy a longer antenna to get that height. But for receiving only, it hardly matters. I don't know a lot about the radio properties of am/fm antennas; you're not trying to transmit, so maybe it can mount to a footpeg or behind the luggage rack brackets and still work fine. Since it's only 14 inch, you could probably hide it under the sidecovers, but I suspect that would reduce its effectiveness because it would end up too close to the coils and ignition. If it's sticking up above the seat somewhere, you need to be careful to put it far enough back that you won't hit it with your foot when you get on and off the bike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharged314159 Posted November 20, 2009 Share Posted November 20, 2009 Mount it to something metal (obviously), and make sure it has a decent ground plane. Also make sure the actual antenna element doesn't touch anything that is grounded (don't short the antenna to ground). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer elizilla Posted November 20, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted November 20, 2009 Mount it to something metal (obviously), and make sure it has a decent ground plane. Also make sure the actual antenna element doesn't touch anything that is grounded (don't short the antenna to ground). Does an am/fm antenna need a ground plane like a CB? If so, he can always ground it to the frame with a wire, if his mount point of choice doesn't turn out to be metal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Bthomas Posted November 21, 2009 Author Member Contributer Share Posted November 21, 2009 Thanks a lot for the replies. It doesn't look like I have to ground it. I think I'm going to either find or modify a bracket to fit on the top of my hard bag bracket between the seat and the bag, towards the rear of the seat. I'll post a pic when I finish. Again, thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbocharged314159 Posted November 21, 2009 Share Posted November 21, 2009 Mount it to something metal (obviously), and make sure it has a decent ground plane. Also make sure the actual antenna element doesn't touch anything that is grounded (don't short the antenna to ground). Does an am/fm antenna need a ground plane like a CB? If so, he can always ground it to the frame with a wire, if his mount point of choice doesn't turn out to be metal. Yeah, I'm not sure what I was thinking lol. A recieve only antenna does not need a ground plane. :warranty: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Bthomas Posted February 12, 2010 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 12, 2010 Thanks a lot for the replies. It doesn't look like I have to ground it. I think I'm going to either find or modify a bracket to fit on the top of my hard bag bracket between the seat and the bag, towards the rear of the seat. I'll post a pic when I finish. Again, thanks! I finished my radio and antenna install. I really like the radio--reception is better than I could hope for--no static, no issues with stations although I haven't ridden out of the Portland area with it yet. Volume is more than enough for freeway speeds... Finding a place to mount the antenna was a &^^%$%$!!! Tried the hard bag bracket between the seat and bag but without creating a custom bracket which I didn't have the patience or time to do, it wasn't going to happen. Drilled out a mirror bracket and installed to license plate. Seems okay so far although that bracket isn't the sturdiest and I do like how the antenna stays low and really isn't screaming "break me" to people walking by my bike when I'm not there... Anyway thanks again and here are pics of the finished product! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer doubled Posted February 25, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted February 25, 2010 I just ordered a Jensen waterproof stereo for my 6th gen. see http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-radio/jensen-jhd910-radio/ How did you mount the radio? I've always wanted one of those.... ---David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer sportrider Posted February 25, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted February 25, 2010 If you ever consider the satellite route, i velcroed my sirius antenna on the tail: http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/uploads/1185401347/gallery_2925_3229_24271.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Bthomas Posted February 25, 2010 Author Member Contributer Share Posted February 25, 2010 I just ordered a Jensen waterproof stereo for my 6th gen. see http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-radio/jensen-jhd910-radio/ How did you mount the radio? I've always wanted one of those.... ---David I used the following RAM-Mount items: Used this base and took off the U-bolt. The holes line up perfectly for the top two tank bolts. A lot of people use this for their GPS’s also…Got the idea on VFRD. http://www.ram-mount.com/CatalogResults/PartDetails/tabid/63/partid/082065077045066045050051049090085/Default.aspx I used the short B sized arm: http://www.ram-mount.com/CatalogResults/PartDetails/tabid/63/partid/082065077045066045050048049085045065/Default.aspx I am going to get one of these or just another type of locking nut to use in place of the handle on the arm to make it more secure: http://www.ram-mount.com/CatalogResults/PartDetails/tabid/63/partid/082065077045075078079066051076/Default.aspx This is the plate I mounted it to—it was a direct fit—no modification needed… I’m sure there are other plates that RAM makes that would also fit. There seems to be a “standard” size that Jensen stuck to on their radio. I drilled a hole in the lower “V” section of the mount to permanently affix the earphone female plug—came out nice I thought. http://www.gpscity.com/ram-mount-extension-plate-with-g1-hardware.html Summary: I’m pretty happy with the mount. It definitely places the radio in a good spot that doesn’t block the view of anything and it doesn’t hit the handle bars, screen or anything else. RAM Mount makes quality stuff—definitely strong enough to hold the radio and be able to push the buttons without fear of bending or breaking something… I like how the plate I used had a nice place for the earphones… That being said…The guy who wrote the review on Webbikeworld that I referred to above is a member of the FJR Forum (Checkswrecks). He built his own aluminum mount that would have been much cheaper and possibly better than what I did. Here’s a link to what he did—he has much more talent in this area than I… I hope I’m not breaking any rules referring to another forum in this string???? http://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?showtopic=113515&hl=jensen+jhd910 Anyway, the radio is really nice—I use in-ear speakers (V-Moda Vibe ear-buds with custom silicon surrounds) usually on volume setting 14 or 15 out of 40. The 15 watts the Jensen provides produces way more volume than you’ll ever need with ear-buds. I used Jensen’s antenna too—a little more money than others but seems to be built well and definitely works great on both AM and FM. If you mount the antenna in the rear, you’ll need an antenna extension (about 18” worth is what I needed). Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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