CB specifics

How is the sound, since the speaker is against the center cubby with this placement?

I'm debating whether to do as you did or mount it on the driver side.

 

How many of you guys take the antenna off when not in prolonged use? Does it throw off the calibration every time you take the antenna off and then on?

 

What length antenna?

 

3'

 

Got my bracket in over the weekend and never even thought about whether or not the Snugtop that I have might be an issue. Not a problem, AT ALL! The bracket fit perfectly between the bed, shell and glass. @C4 Fabrication I don't know if you had this in mind when you were fabbing these things, but you nailed it. Awesome job!

 

However, now my cable it too short as I had originally run it through the firewall. As I don't really want to pull It back through again, I am wondering if I can just splice it with another coax to get the extra length I need. I know cable installers do this all the time. Wouldn't it be the same concept? @WileECoyote do you see a problem with this?

 

When splicing it, do you mean "cut it"? I wouldn't cut the cable and use butt connectors or any of those types of connectors when working with RF cabling! All my life working with radios (talking about fire mobiles and in the radio rooms as well inside the buildings) I have never seen "spliced RF cable work", meaning, I don't honestly know what the results would be? I would imagine that your RF wouldn't really be toooooo affected, but not 100% sure?! I would either do one of two things, me on a personal level, I would do the following:
1) pull it back through the fire wall and re-route the cable (which you don't want to do)
2) use an RF SO-239 female barrel connector and buy RG8x os similar cable and run it that way. see the pics

As far as cable length goes, the "18ft rule" for CB, you know, I honestly really don't know and/or understand about this. I REALLY should finally put this thing to rest and do some TESTS of my own???!!! I won't be able to do it within the next few hours or days, but I think by MAY BE next week?! I don't know if you seen it, but I have a radio box I've been working on and I'm thinking I could use that as part of that TEST because it would be very easy to work with since it is "out of the car" and easily accessable? I just need to come up with some sort of "battle plan" about how to go about doing this? I'm already thinking of a few things right now on how to approach this TEST!!!

Anyways, if you were thinking about butt splicing or something similar, I wouldn't attempt it because again, I've never seen anything like that on a "personal level", meaning what I used to have to do for my previous job of 12yrs. Seeing butt splices for RF cabling would, honestly, be a first for "me"?! IF someone else has seen it done and it worked out fine, well, then I stand corrected. Just my 2cents on the matter.

I will most definitely post results and hopefully with pics about that cable TEST!!!

Hope this helps you??? As always, I try my best!!!

 

@WileECoyote that definitely does. I guess I'll go back through the firewall. I have the 18' cable so it should be fine if routes properly. As it stands, I'm about 4-5' short.

 

I have the same radio in my truck. After going to Moab to off-road I realized CB is next to useless though. Seemed like 80% of the people there were using HAM instead.

So two days ago I finally got a VHF/UHF radio installed in my truck. Now I've got HAM and CB - also got my HAM Tech license this summer. The range on CB is terrible. I've got a hood mounted 3' Firestick. It's a SOB to keep it tuned (even with the built in SWR in my radio). Every time I go to use it I have to re-tune the tip. Probably doesn't help the antenna bounces off my garage door every day....

But a CB @ 4 watts max power and a HAM @ 50W max power is a very different world of communications.

 

You're saying the 18' cable was too short from the cabin to the rear where the tail light antenna mount is?

 

Do you have to "cut" the one end off to come back through the firewall though? If so, do you have the PL-259 connector and crimp tool? OR, do you have a setup of how it is routed that you can easily push a BIG PL-259 type connector through your cab without cutting the end off? Me, I had to cut mine to go from inside the cab TO the bed itself and recrimp a connector (see the pic for the end result... that's the connector that I recrimped). I originally bought a 20ft cable so I wasn't all that worried about it. But, if you only have 18ft and you still have to reach towards the back, forget about the 18ft rule, would you even still have enough cable left?

 

I'm always a firm believer of having mulitple forms of comms. I don't know if you know this or not, but you can communicate, if need be and/or so desired, to those GMRS/FRS (see the pic for an example of what type of radio I'm talking about) radios on your dual band! Just punch in, for example, 467.5625 to communicate to ch8 on the GMRS/FRS radios.

NOTE: I would stick to the FRS "exclusive" channels only, as those are "FREE" freq channels to use.

Channel Type Frequency:
CH Frequency Use
1 462.5625 FRS / GMRS
2 462.5875 FRS / GMRS
3 462.6125 FRS / GMRS
4 462.6375 FRS / GMRS
5 462.6625 FRS / GMRS
6 462.6875 FRS / GMRS
7 462.7125 FRS / GMRS
8 467.5625 FRS
9 467.5875 FRS
10 467.6125 FRS
11 467.6375 FRS
12 467.6625 FRS
13 467.6875 FRS
14 467.7125 FRS
15 462.5500 GMRS
16 462.5750 GMRS
17 462.6000 GMRS
18 462.6250 GMRS
19 462.6500 GMRS
20 462.6750 GMRS
21 462.7000 GMRS
22 462.7250 GMRS

I know the pic shows a Baofeng HT, but just trying to show an example. This is just for back-up, back-up comms and/or simple car-to-car communications with family members who don't have radios in their cars and something as simple as this can be used?! Anyways...


Regarding CB usage, I can easily get, at the very least, 1mi to communicate with people on the trail? The front of the pack (or rear caboose) shouldn't be that far away anyways, LOL!!! I prefer CB myself as it is just, pick a channel, transmit, talk. More than good enough for trail comms. Antenna location is also key.

Finally, I don't know if you know this, but when tuning a CB, you could have it "tuned" and then, say, park next to a building while TX'ing or some HUGE TRUCK (semi) rolls by while TX'ing and your SWR is going to go UP!!! Your RF radiation is being reflected back by those close structures near your antenna! Once you get away from all of that, your SWR should fall back to approx where it had been tuned?! BUT, yeah, getting smacked around probably doesn't help matters either??? LOL!!!

 

Well the way I was trying to do it, yes. I originally routed it to a hood mount since there were no taillight mounts available. Now that there are, I I tried going down the firewall and under to get back there. I am a DCLB so I have a little extra to travel. I think if I were to go through the floorboard I can make it just fine. I just really really don't want to pull my carpet up to do it.

I do have the 259 style connector (I think). I was able to get it through the firewall where the main wiring harness goes in without having to cut it.

 

I have that same handheld Baofeng, I just have no idea how to use it.

 

Well, in this case you just MIGHT have to cut it to fit through the grommet/plug to route from within the cab TO the back of the bed! Those crimpers are expensive and especially if you're only gonna be doing stuff like this 1x or 2x! I don't know where the plugs are on a '16 (3rd Gen)? I know where they are on 1st and 2nd Gen. The 2nd Gen plug is sortof a PITA, but definitely doable. So maybe, you might have to go the original route and use a barrel style adapter and extra cable at this point? One thing is for sure, I see cutting the one end off and having to re-crimp? I'd help, but I'm a bit TOO FAR down the road, LMAO!!! But yeah, I would definitely be willing to help you out. At this point, at least for now, I'm fresh out of ideas?! But, like I said, and I'm not saying that you will do it, but I personally would NOT "splice" RF cabling!!! It SHOULD work, but it may cause more of a headache down the road for whatever retarded reason???!!!

 

Yeah I'm still learning the VHF/UHF stuff for sure. Also realizing I need a handheld unit so I can talk to people I travel with if they don't have a radio.

As for the CB thing. In Moab the couple of us who had CB's were either given handhelds to use or we had to get someone else with a CB to "relay" communications to us second hand. It was terrible. Driving through terrain with canyons, ridges, hills, valleys, the CB's just didn't cut it. The front of the pack and rear of the pack simply couldn't hear one another if someone drove around a bend, etc. I know this can happen with HAM too but there was a notable difference. Power output helps!

Plus, if you hop on a repeater channel you can talk across town from one another much better. That way you can communicate with another group member who had to go fetch parts/supplies for the rest of the group.

 

Regarding canyons and what not, yeah, I was thinking about that possible scenario *ahem* after I had "replied", LOL!!! How does that go, make sure to "drop the grenade and throw the pin", LMAO!!!

Regarding repeaters, I'm a HAM as well and I would NOT jump on a HAM repeater if not licensed!!! No, no, no, no!!! I know you plan on being licensed and/or already have one (?), but I'm talking about people that are not, of which, most are not. NOT a good thing and trust me, they WILL eventually find you and slap that $10k fine with a possible, I believe, 3-5yr jail time!!! I doubt the jail time, but the fine, most definitely!!!

 

Yeah I got my Tech license this summer. So I'm good to go!

Over two days, during my commute, I've yet to raise anyone on the primary repeater here in town. But there's like 8 repeaters here in the valley. I think most of them are probably private setups. Couple are setup on mountain ridges so I'm guessing they're probably more municipal backed radio towers. I know we have a fairly active HAM club here in the valley too - they allowed me to test and provided study materials in advance. Some time I'll have to get together with them during a Field Day so I can learn experiencially with them.

 

Of course we had it in mind when we designed the bracket haha actually no we did not have a topper to fit the bracket to. Im happy to know it fits though!

 

Good info here!