Austin Area TW Chapter (all gens welcome, even T4Rs; heck, just make it a Toyota and we're good)

Thanks for the info. That CB radio is a bit more than I was expecting. Everything seems good. I like the Relentless hood (passenger) mount.
http://www.relentlessfabrication.com/products/05-tacoma-hood-hinge-cb-aux-mount?variant=6137200900
If I go with that I shouldn't need much coax right? What spring rate for this mounting location?

Where should I mount the radio itself?

I park in a garage with an 8ft ceiling. What length antenna should I get?

I appreciate any and all input!

 

You can grab any CB radio- that one is the one I went with, and it's out of the way. You wouldn't need 18' of coax if you're hood mounting the antenna. You may need to go with the sideways joint coax there instead of the regular/straight joint.

I know @tacopromatt mounted his CB in the glovebox. Mine is "mounted" (a/k/a crammed) by the fuse box near the driver's left knee. I take out that little coin tray thing and mount up the handheld radio when I go wheeling. Some folks mount it below the climate controls, leaving just a little spot to plug the handheld portion into.

8' ceiling means you probably don't want a 4' antenna unless you want to tie it off to a roof rack while not in use. (If you're tying it off, get a medium duty spring so you have some flex.) 2' should be fine, as that'll barely clear the cab.

You can also just go battery powered handheld for ease of use and "installation."

 

I just redid my CB set up and provided @ChadsPride with some input recently.

I run the CBI offroad ditch bracket for my antenna mount and use the fire wire coax cable. The fire wire uses a round inline mount because with ditch brackets there is very little room to accommodate a 90. It will likely hit the windshield which mine did before i swapped it out.

Like @wagerhope said you can get any CB its just a matter of where you want to put it and how much space you have. Wallmart stocks one that fits in the center console quite nicely but its a bit of a pain to use on the trail when its in there because you have to leave the console open. There are options to alleviate this however. With my new set up I just mounted it on the passenger side of the console. (you can check my build thread to see pics of both my set ups. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/sarsaparillas-dcsb-4wd-build.429665/ )

The installation is pretty easy, but im sure any one of us would be willing to help you out when you get your kit together.

As far as antenna length goes it really depends where you mount it. If your mounting on the hood a 3' fire stick will work and is only slightly taller than the stock antenna. But it should be taller than the roof of the truck, and generally taller is better. I ran a 4' firestick until i lifted my truck 6" and couldn't park in parking garages with it any longer and now i use the 3' and it works just fine.

 

CB's FS
http://austin.craigslist.org/tld/5954073520.html

 

wants - Looks knd of oldish though

( I know nothing about these things - nothing )

 

They may be older, but those are solid units

 

You tha man!

 

I had a Cobra 75XST in my 07 that was installed in the glovebox, with the main unit mounted under the dash on the passenger side.
In my new truck, I have the same CB with the unit mounted under the dash on the driver side, and the connector installed in a blank switch.



@wagerhope listed out everything needed. I will have an SWR meter with me on the weekend of the 28th for tuning needs.

If you don't want to go through the trouble of installing anything, you could pick one of these up:

$61 Uniden PRO401HH Professional Series 40 Channel Handheld CB Radio, 4 Watts Power with Hi/Low Power Switch, Auto noise cancellation, Belt Clip And Strap Included, 2.75in. x 4.33in. x 8.66in.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N43KM5S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I just got one to use when spotting or for anybody riding with us that doesn't yet have a radio.

 

THAT is exactly what I did actually!

 

Even a lot of brand new ones look exactly the same

 

Shows you how much I know lmao

 

May I introduce, the beauty and the beast:



Pick which one is which

 

Very nice man!!!

 

Looking for thoughts.
I'm working on a bed rack to help carry camping stuff. No future planes for a RTT at this time.

I keeping changing my mind on full lengthish (4' 6") or just 3'.
Help me make up my mind.

 

I like that height right there the best.

And something tells me you will be getting an RTT before too long lol

 

the beauty is on the right!

 

I'm asking about the length not how tall.
RTT may be in the distance future but I'm already planning a trailer and using a poor mans RTT.

 

Id say it depends on what youre carrying and how you plan to carry it. But the rack looks rad already! Do you plan on mounting a basket or rack like you see mounted to say the roof or on a shell?

 

Oh right on. It looks a little bit too spread out from the racks I've seen.

Can you move the bars closer to each other?

 

No basket at this time. There will be 1"x1" tubing between the risers, but who knows how it will turn out.