CB Install (Cobra 75 WX ST)

With the help of SCOTTS TACO LOCO we installed my CB radio a few weeks ago. Unfortunately I didn't take photos during the install, these photos were taken afterwards.

The install didn't take long. What took long was deciding where to run my coax and where to mount the antenna.

I decided to get the Cobra 75 WX ST. This unit is an all in one and doesn't require a lot of space, which was my deciding factor. I have used this radio on the trail, as well as on the road and it has done what a CB radio is designed to do: enable good communication from vehicle to vehicle. The drawback to this radio is the price. It isn't as inexpensive as some.

I used 18ft of coax from the antenna to the radio. I read somewhere that 18ft is a good length (something to do with radio wavelengths) It sounds like a lot of cable, but I used all 18ft. I have both a 2ft and 3ft Firestik antenna. I use the 2ft antenna for daily driving since my parking garage at work doesn't allow for anything longer and the 3 ft antenna for road trips or offroad use. I swap them out as needed. The 3ft antenna is tunable and I was able to it tuned perfect at 1 SWR. The 2ft antenna (for the parking garage at work) isn't tunable, but is still at a good 2 SWR.

Installing a CB isn't difficult (hindsight) and hopefully this write up will ease some minds for those considering what they need to do and how.

UPDATE: The Cobra 75 WX ST is a good radio. The speaker has plenty of volume and the controls are laid out nicely. I don't recommend buying or using a 2ft antenna and mounting it behind the cab of truck. The antenna barely extends above the cab of truck. The reception is horrid when talking to vehicles ahead of you. It's also very limited when talking with vehicles behind you. I've had much better results with the 3ft antenna and intend on giving a 4ft antenna a try shortly.

The power cable was wired direct to the battery and brought into the cab of the truck through this "thing". The cable was pushed through using a metal clothes hanger.



The power cable comes out into the cab of the truck through this "thing" under the dash. A following picture shows where the power cable was ran.


The antenna was mounted behind the cab, on the driver's side (preference) using the bedrails. The antenna mount is grounded (arrow) and the both coax and ground wire are ran down between the cab and the bed.


The ground wire is grounded to this bolt (arrow).



I ran the coax and secured them it zip ties.


The coax enters into the cab of the truck through this grommet beneath the driver's door. A small cut was made into the grommet and the coax was pushed through. You may want to cut the end of the coax off to get the coax through easier and re-solder the connector once the coax is ran.


Once through the grommet, the coax ends up under the a few inches under the carpeting of the truck ( arrow).


The coax is ran along this route (arrow). All the interior pieces snap off, no pieces were broke during this process.


The coax and the power wires are ran on the back side of the carpeting (arrows) and a metal clothes hanger is used to feed the cables back behind the console to the passenger side of the cab.


This is the junction box where the power, antenna coax and CB mic all connect. It is placed underneath the glove box. I didn't drill any holes to attach it, but used adhesive velcro. It holds up just fine.


I routed the mic cable (arrow) so it wouldn't get in the way of the passenger.


The unit is mounted using a mounting clip and two screws that come with the radio.


The end.

 

Good write up. Even though your radio wasn't cheap it is very nice.

 

Nice Writeup! I'll use this once I purchase my CB.

 

yes it is a good write up well done

 

Nice one Baker! I ran mine the same way after looking at yours!

 

Good write up! Just a thought here: If you ever wanted to reroute the wires so they come up through the bed, you can get replacement coax ends from radio shack. Just make sure you put a grommet in the hole to protect from chafing.
I'm still looking for a place to put the antenna with a cap on the bed, although not actively.

 

When I get around to it I'm going to drill a hole in my bumper and mount it there (towards the outside). I'll also get one of those mounts that collapse so the antenna lays along the top of the bumper if I'm going into a garage

 

sub'd

 

There is a rubber nipple just opposite of the hood-latch cable on that grommet.
You could have cut the end of it off and fished 2 12awg wires thru it rather than poking a hole thru the rubber.

 

Good write up. Very clean install too!

 

very clean installation, hopefully i'll be installing my CB this weekend.

 

Having two antennas is bad, they cancel out each other. If two are used they are supposed to be between 8' and 9' apart. This is why semis have them on opposing mirrors. !8' for the coax is very generic, make sure if there was any extra length it is not "coiled", as this also plays against you. Are the antennas grounded well? Just some tips I thought I'd throw out there. Looks good tho!

 

be sure to post up any issues you had during your install or any tips you have that might help other folks

i might not have been clear. i'm not running 2 antennas at the same time. i use my 2 ft antenna for daily driving (parking garage at work) and use my 3 ft antenna for long road trips or off road use. i just swap them out. you make a good point though and are correct about using 2 antennas. first post is edited for clarification.

 

10-4 Pink Flaminga! J/K

 

Are you talking about that nipple in the bottom left hand corner of that photo?

 

hey man just had a couple questions before i pull the triger on one. wat is the diff between a tuneable and a non-tuneable, pros and cons between the two and finally was is meaning behind the "1 SWR and 2SWR"? thanks man

 

good questions, im not too technical with cb radios so i'll refer you to links that i think help with your questions.

tunable antennas are easily tuned to adjust SWR http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/TUNABLE.htm

a SWR of 1 is considered optimal http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/swr-intro.htm

 

Clean install! I hope to do the same with the same radio and callapsible antenna mount. Looks great!

 

Old thread revival…going to attempt to install my Cobra 75 that I got for Christmas. I love the idea of putting the box below the glove compartment with velcro backing, and I definitely want to ground the radio to the battery for clear transmissions. Being a noob to electrical stuff, I assume the naked ends from the box can attached to the metal ring thingys that look like washers and have heat shrink applied over them? I want a better way to connect it to the battery than just sliding the naked end under the bolt. Where do you get them? My question about the grounding or the antenna is…I have the coax cable from the unit to the antenna, it's an 18ft thing, I just hook it up to the antenna and back to the unit. How do you ground it? I am using a Relentless tie down corner plate that attaches to the bed rails. Is that enough to ground it (it's spray painted black), or do I need to fashion a cable like the pics above that include two circular metal ring things- attach one to the bolt on the mount, and then another to a bolt on the frame somewhere?

 

Where are you drawing the power from and how did you do it?