bwake21
New member
So I had some left over sears gift cards after the holidays and thanks to their retail affiliations I was able to find a CB radio setup. With a little research I invested in a Uniden 520 XL CB connected to a Firestik 4' tunable tip antenna. My original idea was to run a Comet RS-720 mount but didn't feel like putting out the dollars and didn't trust the ability to get a good ground. So not wanting to drill holes in the body or interior I had to solve a few questions.
1. Where to mount the CB?
Originally I decided to try and recess the CB in the useless storage in front of the shifter, but after realizing the gf wouldn't have a place to put her soda water I had to go a different route. Since I decided not to hack up the center console I thought I might as well try and keep the install as guilt free as possible.
Made some brackets out of left over hardware to mount cb, hiding drill holes behind center console.
With the center console trim installed you cannot see any mounting.
Installed
Mounted mic to cb itself using existing hardware (Originally built a mounting plate to use 3m double sided tape, but it was just not strong enough)
2. Where to mount the Antenna?
Original idea to mount at the rear would have required too much drilling to stick to the no sweat theme. So, after a bit of searching I found a good mounting point up front.
Found an excellent ground off the bumper mount. Note* Just bolted mount against original bumper hardware (laziness).
Standard 1/8"x1" steel bent at about 9 degree angle to get the mount through the grill
Bracket location (checking the ground again)
After running the coax through the firewall and a coating of paint for the bracket the install is complete.
I have a spring for the antenna but do not feel the need to install it just yet as I am only running at about 6'8". In terms of signal I am averaging about 1.5 on the swr with little tuning. I am happy as the whole install only required drilling 2 holes for the cb mount (not visible), not that I really needed it (t4r already ridden with trail scratches) but once you get locked in, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.
1. Where to mount the CB?
Originally I decided to try and recess the CB in the useless storage in front of the shifter, but after realizing the gf wouldn't have a place to put her soda water I had to go a different route. Since I decided not to hack up the center console I thought I might as well try and keep the install as guilt free as possible.
Made some brackets out of left over hardware to mount cb, hiding drill holes behind center console.
With the center console trim installed you cannot see any mounting.
Installed
Mounted mic to cb itself using existing hardware (Originally built a mounting plate to use 3m double sided tape, but it was just not strong enough)
2. Where to mount the Antenna?
Original idea to mount at the rear would have required too much drilling to stick to the no sweat theme. So, after a bit of searching I found a good mounting point up front.
Found an excellent ground off the bumper mount. Note* Just bolted mount against original bumper hardware (laziness).
Standard 1/8"x1" steel bent at about 9 degree angle to get the mount through the grill
Bracket location (checking the ground again)
After running the coax through the firewall and a coating of paint for the bracket the install is complete.
I have a spring for the antenna but do not feel the need to install it just yet as I am only running at about 6'8". In terms of signal I am averaging about 1.5 on the swr with little tuning. I am happy as the whole install only required drilling 2 holes for the cb mount (not visible), not that I really needed it (t4r already ridden with trail scratches) but once you get locked in, the tendency is to push it as far as you can.
