CBs and CB antennas

Here is how I mounted my Galaxy DX979

 

What mic is that?

 

Astatic Road Devil

 

How did you wire yours? Radio not Antenna

 

Cobra75 mounted under the passenger seat, with the mic on a clip beside the shifter.
Antenna is mounted up front on my nfab lightbar;

 

Diggin' the white steel wheels!

 

I installed 2 communication antennas, one for CB radio and one for ham radio. For CB, I selected a K40 antenna, and for ham, a Laird NMO mount. Both antennas were mounted through the roof.

I like the roof mount for several reasons. On the roof, the antennas are high off the ground, and not obstructed by any of the metal body. The higher the antenna, the farther the transmitted signal will travel. Also, roof mounted antennas are in the center of the vehicle, yielding the most uniform/even transmission pattern. Using the radio off-road, an omni-directional pattern is preferred. (Over the road trucks, with their dual antennas, prefer a more uni-directional pattern.)

Here's what I installed:

K40



Laird NMO:



On to the installation. First remove the headliner. On these trucks, you start removing the headliner by removing the door sills....


I like to add a backing plate under the thin roof sheet metal. Extra material to carry the load when the antenna hits tree limbs and such.

Backing plates:



I used 1/8" aluminum for the K40 backing plate, and thinner aluminum for the NMO mount. I had to modify the K40 to use the thick plate. Unfortunately, the NMO did not allow for a thicker plate. But, something is better than nothing.

Here's an expanded view of the K40:



I also added Part # 1 - a 1/8" thick rubber washer. Part # 3 needed to be shortened to allow for the plate and washer.

Using a chassis punch, I punched 2 holes in the perfectly good roof:




Assembled:




Now to put the interior back together!

 

This is the exact set up I plan on running with a cobra 75wx st. How does your set up work? @HBGIBBY

 

Really simple setup. The Circuit Wizard at Blue Sea Systems recommended 18 AWG but I had 12 AWG laying around so that's what I used. I pushed a wire coat hanger through the firewall grommet (highlighted in the picture below); added an inline fuse, crimped some ring terminals to the ends. I wrapped the whole thing in wire loom, routed it to the battery along existing wiring and zip tied it in place.

 

haven't tuned or tested yet, just looking for short range vehicle to vehicle communication, so anything more than that is a plus for me !

 

@HBGIBBY What antenna mount is that? I like it.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cb-stud-mount-recommendation.366846/

Relentless Fabrication

 

Has anyone used the stake hole mount for their antenna? I need to know how large the top plate is. I am thinking about using it through my tonneau, a few inches back from the cab.

http://www.wearecb.com/firestik-ss294a-pickup-truck-stake-hole-cb-antenna-mount.html

 

Does anyone have any good second gen pics with their cb above the rear view mirror? I've seen a couple but I'm still brainstorming how I want to mount mine and weather or not to upgrade back to a full sized radio with more features.
Thanks in advance.

 

I tried to mount a full size radio above the rear view mirror and there was just not enough room. It looked pretty terrible too. Thats why i came up with my ceiling mount system.

 

I mounted mine behind the center console.

 

Happy with mine...

 

That antenna out front doesn't bother you?

 

Cobra 75WXST - mounting clip is zip tied to plastic hook, then glove box is closed on the hook- EZ removal


Control box under pass seat - Velcro secures box to carpeting. Can be left under seat or removed for storage or use in another vehicle


Wilson magnetic antenna, excellent SWR - easily removed



Idea was to have no visible CB installation when not in use - can be hidden in a minute or two.

 

Actually...no.

May not be for everyone but I don't mind it for the last 40k miles.