Thinking about a CB Radio!?

iDRiVaT4R

iDRiVaT4R

New member
Everyone,
I have been thinking of getting a CB Radio, I have yet to decide where I would even mount the box inside the cabin though. Any thoughts, opinions?

I have been doing research on where I should mount an antenna. Since we have no bumpers out yet, I was thinking of mounting it to the roof rack, but after researching CB antennas, that's like the worst possible place I could mount it for grounding purposes. The best solution I read is to get a magnet mountable antenna and slap it on the roof in the middle somewhere. I would get the best signal that way.

I think it would be cool to have it mounted to the roof rack, and have a mount so that I can rotate it down when not in use, parallel to the roof, and when I need it flip it up.

Anyways, I am wondering how ya'll think I should go about this. Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks for any input you may have.

Nathan
 
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iDRiVaT4R said:
Everyone,
I have been thinking of getting a CB Radio, I have yet to decide where I would even mount the box inside the cabin though. Any thoughts, opinions?

I have been doing research on where I should mount an antenna. Since we have no bumpers out yet, I was thinking of mounting it to the roof rack, but after researching CB antennas, that's like the worst possible place I could mount it for grounding purposes. The best solution I read is to get a magnet mountable antenna and slap it on the roof in the middle somewhere. I would get the best signal that way.

I think it would be cool to have it mounted to the roof rack, and have a mount so that I can rotate it down when not in use, parallel to the roof, and when I need it flip it up.

Anyways, I am wondering how ya'll think I should go about this. Thanks for taking the time to read this and thanks for any input you may have.

Nathan
Click to expand...
Ryan_S has a write-up here.....http://www.toyota-4runner.org/audio-electronics/69401-cobra-75-wxst-install-5th-gen.html

Definitely be nice to have on the trails!!I bought the same Cobra 75 WX ST but hav'nt installed it yet. Alot of people running the Cobra 75's and get great reviews and are pretty inexpensive.

I hav'nt decided on how I'm going to mount a permanant antenna yet but want to put one on the rear bumper.You can always just get a magnetic one for the roof and run the wire thru the sunroof just when your wheelin and need it.
 
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I have the same Cobra 75 but also haven't figured out what I'm going to do with the antenna or where exactly I'll mount the CB box part, probably under the armrest or near there.

Scott
 
As Harper said, I installed the Cobra 75 about three weeks ago. It worked out great on the trail, I had one of the strongest signals. I probably won't use the radio much, so the stealth install worked out great.

Check out that thread for how to properly ground it with a roof rack. That jumper wire makes it grounded to the battery, verified with a multimeter ;)

I got about 1.1-1.3 SWR so I'm happy, good enough for trail use.

More info in this thread too:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/accessories/70075-anyone-have-cb.html
 
If the roof rack is/can be grounded then you should be able to use it for the antenna mounting location. Remember, height = might. There are several Ham radio antenna mounts (Diamond and Comet brands) that work quite well for CB antennas too.

You could also get by with a hatchback/door/trunk lid type mount from those manufacturers as well. I use one and haven't had a problem on my vehicle yet! Just stay away from the glass mount type of CB antennas and you'll be fine.


Mike :artist2:
 
Thanks for the responses.

I ordered up the Cobra 75WX from Amazon earlier today, also ordered one for my dad to put in his 05' Wrangler.

I still am not sure how I want to go about with the antenna. I would like a permanent solution similar to Ryan_S but I think it would be cool to be able to rotate it down and strap it to the roof rack. I did read some posts of people doing something like this but all the mounts that can do this sort of thing look overcomplicated, I just want something simple, I might have the guy here at work in the machine shop devise something for me.

Ryan_S, my bajarack had foam pads under the feet, and the nutserts in the body/roof that the rack bolts thread into looked to me like plastic, so how do you have it grounded?
 
iDRiVaT4R said:
Thanks for the responses.

I ordered up the Cobra 75WX from Amazon earlier today, also ordered one for my dad to put in his 05' Wrangler.

I still am not sure how I want to go about with the antenna. I would like a permanent solution similar to Ryan_S but I think it would be cool to be able to rotate it down and strap it to the roof rack. I did read some posts of people doing something like this but all the mounts that can do this sort of thing look overcomplicated, I just want something simple, I might have the guy here at work in the machine shop devise something for me.

Ryan_S, my bajarack had foam pads under the feet, and the nutserts in the body/roof that the rack bolts thread into looked to me like plastic, so how do you have it grounded?
Click to expand...

There is a 90degree piece that you can buy to rotate the antenna and it also locks it into the desired position 0 or 90. Only thing that I would warn is that the antenna will get tossed around pretty good up on top since it is now a couple feet higher than the car.

Honestly, if you do not use the antenna all the time, why not just use a mag mount that you can easily detach and bring inside the vehicle when you are not using it. Mine resides in one of the rear cupholders with the antenna screwed in.
 
B'klyn_Mike said:
If the roof rack is/can be grounded then you should be able to use it for the antenna mounting location. Remember, height = might. There are several Ham radio antenna mounts (Diamond and Comet brands) that work quite well for CB antennas too.

You could also get by with a hatchback/door/trunk lid type mount from those manufacturers as well. I use one and haven't had a problem on my vehicle yet! Just stay away from the glass mount type of CB antennas and you'll be fine.


Mike :artist2:
Click to expand...

Mike, I checked out Diamond Antenna, their cheapest mount is $75 directly from them. Which mount do you have and how much was it? Thanks, Nathan
 
My antenna (Firestik3) doesn't move at all, even on the highway. I don't know what antenna you had that "whips around".

I also have a quick disconnect so you just push down and twist and the antenna comes right off, I usually just throw it in the back seat.

As for grounding, i had my doubts too. But I checked it and its good back to the battery. You can see the little wire jumper I made in one of the pictures. The top bolts of the rack were connected to the bottom, which go right into the roof/body.

I was going to go the magmmount route, but didn't know where I would put it, under the rack? Plus I like jiust being able to disconnect the whip quickly, and not have to deal with the wire.
 
I just pulled down the headliner in the rear. Too bad I use xm radio, the Wilson 1000 with roof mount could bolt right in where the xm antenna comes out of the roof.
 
iDRiVaT4R said:
I just pulled down the headliner in the rear. Too bad I use xm radio, the Wilson 1000 with roof mount could bolt right in where the xm antenna comes out of the roof.
Click to expand...
Pull the XM fin off and disassemble it, as it's mostly empty and you might find a solution that does both.
 
Ryan_S said:
My antenna (Firestik3) doesn't move at all, even on the highway. I don't know what antenna you had that "whips around".

I also have a quick disconnect so you just push down and twist and the antenna comes right off, I usually just throw it in the back seat.

As for grounding, i had my doubts too. But I checked it and its good back to the battery. You can see the little wire jumper I made in one of the pictures. The top bolts of the rack were connected to the bottom, which go right into the roof/body.

I was going to go the magmmount route, but didn't know where I would put it, under the rack? Plus I like jiust being able to disconnect the whip quickly, and not have to deal with the wire.
Click to expand...

I am sorry I was not clear. When you go off road you will sometimes find yourself around trees with branches that hang over the trail. When you drive, and in your case, have an extra 3ft sticking up, your antenna will continue to hit tree branches. I have seen this with magmounts as well with long/thick antennas and sometimes the force of the bend causes the mag mount to come loose.

Now you have a disconnect and not the 90 degree piece he mentioned, so that is another option as well for when you are not using it.
 
Thanks for the pic Mike.

Yeah, I have checked out the non grounded antennas, they do look nice.

If I were to figure out a way to put a CB mount where the XM antenna is, should I go with the Wilson 1000, which the whole antenna and the coil can be unscrewed when not using the CB, and it uses a 62" whip antenna, so it should handle low hanging branches and everything OK. I would be using the roof mount model.

Or should I go with a mount like this MK-DM18R Dome Mount Mini Kit, or just a mount like this Firestik circular disk mount. I would probably go with a Firestik 3' or 4' antenna with these two kits. On top of these mounts I would have a quick disconnect then a spring or vice versa, then the antenna.

I would probably use some aluminum or something under the roof sheet metal to help reinforce it since I do plan on the antenna hitting tree branches quite often.

Using the roof mounted options would give me the best signal strength from what I have read.

Thanks again for everyone's help.
 
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There are a number of antenna mounts for offshore fishing that will do nicely for a roof-rack fold-down kit (some are stainless - bling!). If you are will to put your radio in your tool-box, 400W 120 VAC will transmit to mars. If you don't get the grounding and impedance right, a wet blanket and a fire will work better, than a radio ...

smoke signals are digital signals based on optical transmission = state-of-the-art
 
Just to give everyone an update, Today I ordered the Wilson 1000 Roof Mount antenna. I'll probably end up removing the shark fin and installing the cb antenna in its place. I'll figure out something with the xm antenna, maybe just get a magnet mount standard xm antenna or just mount the fin elsewhere. I'll have more of an idea of everything when the Wilson antenna shows up and I start dissembling everything.

I decided to go with the Wilson 1000 Roof mount for a couple reasons, it's highly recommended, and will provide great reception. Mounting directly to the roof will provide a great ground plane, and should help the signal even more. It has a 62" stainless steel whip antenna which will help signal being so tall on top of the roof. The antenna and coil assembly can be removed, and a weatherproof cap placed on top of the mount when not in use which will look stealthy. I also will not have to run a coax cable through any of the doors or windows since it will already be in the head liner area.

I'll take pics and let everyone know how the install goes hopefully this next weekend. Thanks for everyone's help.

Nathan
 
iDRiVaT4R said:
Just to give everyone an update, Today I ordered the Wilson 1000 Roof Mount antenna. I'll probably end up removing the shark fin and installing the cb antenna in its place. I'll figure out something with the xm antenna, maybe just get a magnet mount standard xm antenna or just mount the fin elsewhere. I'll have more of an idea of everything when the Wilson antenna shows up and I start dissembling everything.

I decided to go with the Wilson 1000 Roof mount for a couple reasons, it's highly recommended, and will provide great reception. Mounting directly to the roof will provide a great ground plane, and should help the signal even more. It has a 62" stainless steel whip antenna which will help signal being so tall on top of the roof. The antenna and coil assembly can be removed, and a weatherproof cap placed on top of the mount when not in use which will look stealthy. I also will not have to run a coax cable through any of the doors or windows since it will already be in the head liner area.

I'll take pics and let everyone know how the install goes hopefully this next weekend. Thanks for everyone's help.

Nathan
Click to expand...

Nice choice, great thing about the 1000 & 5000 Wilsons you can take off the top portion when not in use.:bravo:
 
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