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CB Radio

108K views 360 replies 38 participants last post by  Thorosborn 
#1 ·
just curious to see if anyone has done a radio set up in their cherokee, if so where did you do the install.
 
#2 ·
Lots of use have. Some put the smaller ones in the center console. Others have used all in ones and just set it on the seat next to them. Mine is mounted to the dash.
 
#4 ·
I have a full-size CB that was recently installed. I generally have it off, and on the floor of the rear seats. If I'm operating it, It's propped up on the center console.

I'm not sure where / how to mount it.

I like Len's solution, but I don't want it visible all the time.
 
#5 ·
Mine is mounted under the lash above my left knee. It fits fine and doesn't bug me even though it's big. If you sit further forward it may bump the knee though.



My antenna is mounted on the rear attached to the Gobi ladder.




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#8 ·
The uniden 510XL is popular among jeep owners.


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#9 ·
Center console in the passenger compartment. It does keep the seat from going all the way forward. The antenna is a problem. If you can attach it to a rack or ladder, like in the photos, that's great. I've got mine on the rear deck lip, using a bracket and it's killing the paint on the hatch.

My ham radio is an HT with a Pro Clip mount on the dash and the antenna mounted permanently on the roof. Much better set up.
 
#12 ·
thank you for your service.....
 
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#14 ·
I have a Midland 75-822 that I use. It is a hand held radio that comes with an attachment to connect it to the jeep cigarette lighter and you can attach an antenna as well. I have a magnet mount antenna that I hook it up to when I need to use it. That way I only hook it up when I need it.

This radio works very well. Even in when using the hand held antenna.

I would suggest taking a look at this radio if you don't want to permanently install one. I am sure you will get a lot of opinions on how well this radio works.

I have never been on a Jeep jamboree so I am not sure what they require for radio's.
 
#16 ·
just another plug for CBs. wish more car drivers had them. anyway, on the way to work this morning heard about a 3 car fender bender in the hammer lane. I was heading north right into it in the right lane. found out the exact location and was able to detour quickly around it. while doing so I reported back to those that were behind what they could do as well.

the traffic was still moving in the right two lanes but that would soon come to a halt as first responders began to arrive, state troopers in the left lane, two flatbeds in the right breakdown lane which would then have to cross 3 lanes of traffic to reach the accident, pus the rescue truck and fire truck that passed me as I detoured. that highway north was shutting down and I just zipped past it. thank you CB (& gps...)
 

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#19 ·
We had a CB on the Trailhawk, with a tall antenna on a magnetic mount on the hood. The door clearance in our old garage is so low that we would wipe the antenna off if we left it in place so, when we headed out on a trip, we set it up after we backed out of the garage. We'll mount it on the Wrangler in about 2 weeks, when we head to the back road to Barkerville. I can't wait! - Ted
:grin:
 
#23 ·
So what is the best option for mounting an antenna if you don't have any external mods? No rack, no ladder, no bumper to mount to. The CB choice is pretty simple, I'm just trying to figure out the other bits and pieces. Probably would like a Firestik antenna ... just a n00b about all of this and would like to get it right the first time without having to go to a shop and get bent over. Would love to do it myself :)
 
#24 ·
posts #5 & 6 of this thread
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f77/cobra-75wxst-40-channel-cb-radio-616377/

shows a little of what I like. right now I like the mag mount. simple, easy immediate. the hatchback mount works great too, however even tho my hatchback mount had set screws into the hatch with ground off paint as a connector I had to make a short grounding strap to a bolt on the car body. annoying as heck, but not nearly as annoying as breaking the bolt head when I de-installed it and then had an epic task of removing the broken bolt
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f80/broken-bolt-removal-469858/

so I'm very happy with my mag mount :)

the antenna I use is a very thin "center" load which works with my weather radio/cb. the weather radio part of it needs a top load or center load antenna. I like the thin antenna opposed to a firestik cuz it's almost invisible. I got the widest largest mag I could find and painted it black. comes off easy for car washes. held fine through last winter

more about hatchback mounts
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/1466993-post18.html
 
#36 ·
My take on the CB game is this. Do it right the first time and don't compromise. But I'm a storm chaser and I need my radio equipment to just work. I have my CB antenna hard mounting to the roof rack. If you are doing a trail radio just do a mag mount, but be warned. The roof doesn't have enough steel in it to keep the antennas attached to the roof. Mine fell off all the time. Also keep in mind, any excess RF cable you have left over DO NOT coil it.


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#38 ·
As a rule of thumb, for tuning you don't want to use less than 18' of RF cable.


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#40 ·
I am just going to make a temp mount with a spot for an A pillar light for the front of the Jeep. I don't like mag mounts for the reasons already mentioned and they also can cause paint scratching and stuff.

Is tuning absolutely required or is this something that just optimizes performance?

I was thinking of running a 3ft firestik mounted on the driver side hood hinge area with the radio inside the cab. Shouldn't need more than 6ft of cable to make that run. Do I need anything more than the radio, antenna, mount, and wire?
 
#41 · (Edited)
The longer the intended range, the more important antenna, grounding/mounting, cable, and tuning are. "Power" is generally less important than quality for the radio.

RF does weird things. I'm not recommending doing it cheap, but inexpensive could be good enough depending on intended use.

@Len1304 has a requirement for quality product and installation that I fully endorse, but the expense of getting to the point may not be practical for general purpose, short-range use.

EDIT: As a rule of thumb, if the radio advertisement focuses on power, there's likely a corresponding lack of quality.
 
#43 ·
Alright guys, here's the deal. Give me 30/45 minutes and I'll type something up with some ideas on where to mount, ground and run RF cable. I'll try and explain as best I can. I'll recommend antennas, radios, RF cable, the whole nine. Just give me about an hour. I'll try and keep the cost as close to 150$ or less as I can.


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#45 ·
Still typing it up. Providing links to all kinds of products so people can pick and choose. Just a little while longer. Having some attachment issues.


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#46 · (Edited)
I'll start with radios. Depending on your needs I'll start with super small hand held radios.



The first is a Cobra 75, easy to remove in a pinch and can be put anywhere.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/c...dios/products/cobra-75-wx-st-compact-cb-radio



The second is a midland 75-822, it too can be removed and installed very quickly as it uses an accessory spot for power. It also has the benefit of being able to be run on battery and having a small antenna attached so you can walk around with it. Good for maybe a 1/4 mile.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/c...ucts/midland-75-822-mobile-cb-radio-w-car-kit



The next is a very popular radio for jeeples. The uniden pro 520 XL, it has all the basic functions you need for a trail radio and it's very small.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/c...os/products/uniden-bearcat-pro-520xl-cb-radio



For full size radios I recommend either the cobra 29 LTD classic or the Uniden BearCat 880. Both are nice reliable radios.



Uniden BearCat 880

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/uniden-cb-radios/products/uniden-bearcat-880-cb-radio



Cobra 29 LTD Classic

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/cobra-cb-radios/products/cobra-29-ltd



I have personally ran all these radios in my cherokee. The best performing radio has been the cobra 29.



Now, onto antennas. Everyone things you have to spend a small fortune but to be honest you really don't. A legal radio only puts out up to 5 watts of power. Now I'll list two mag mount antennas that were okay for what they did and wouldn't require grounding but are a bit difficult to tune in my opinion.



Wilson Little Will antenna was a reliable little radio but range is limited.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/c...nnas/products/wilson-little-wil-cb-antenna-36



Wilson 5000 mag mount cb was a good antenna if you want near full size but it's tall. VERY tall. So clearance may be an issue.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/c...nas/products/wilson-5000-magnet-cb-antenna-62



Next are more durable antennas. The Firestic II 2', 3' and 5'. I currently run all of them believe it or not on quick disconnects so I can switch them out as needed.



You pick from the drop down. I use my 2' antenna for clearance and believe it or not it's tuned the best. My 3' for flying a flag but keeping radio available and my 5' for storm chasing as it provides me the longest range.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/firestik-cb-antennas/products/firestik-fs-cb-antenna



RF Cable: Typically Coax is Coax, some is shielded more than others to help improve performance but in the end they all work the same. You can get Coax with a built in grounding wire so you can ground the setup easier.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/cb-coax-cable/products/rg-58-cb-coax-cable



Compatible with: All CB radios and mount studs that accept a PL-259 coax connection. For most uses, we recommend 18' over 9', because the longer cable is more resistant to performance and installations problems. The 9' length doesn't cause problems, but 18' lengths tend to work better in most installations, which is why we recommend them.



SWR Meter for tuning the antenna. Fairly easy to use and instructions are easy to follow.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/cb-swr-meter/products/10-watt-swr-meter



Now mounting solutions. You can do hood mounted between the seem, you can do a mount on your roof rails, mag mounted, I have seen some that install a mount onto the rear tow hook, etc. I personally recommend the rear of the vehicle as those that have installed on the front of the vehicle complain about noise from all the electrical stuff in the engine bay.



Depending on where you mount your antenna and which antenna you choose you may need a quick disconnect. I personally use the one linked below but I am very abusive to my antennas.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/c...nects/products/heavy-duty-cb-quick-disconnect



You may also need a spring so the antenna can flex without breaking. This is the one I use and it's wonderful. Very heavy and provides wonderful spring for even the heaviest of antennas.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/c...s/products/super-heavy-duty-cb-antenna-spring



Here are a TON of mounting solutions based on your needs and location.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/collections/cb-antenna-mounts



I wonder if you could do something with the two studs on the hatch behind the tail light. Or, if you can get your hands on a Gobi ladder mount you can mount to that.



Now, range will vary greatly base on the location you have the antenna mounted. The higher up on the vehicle the better range you will get and easier it will be to tune as the body of the vehicle won't be in the way. ALL antennas require tuning. Don't fall for the "pretuned" antennas, theres no such thing as a one size fits all. An untuned antenna can actually damage the radio and cause it to go out early and severely limit your range. In today's world the likelihood of getting 3 miles out of a radio is difficult because vehicles are a nightmare to ground on and there is SO much interference. Even with the best setup at legal power levels you are looking at a mile maybe 2. Even with my setup I can only get out about 4-5 miles and receive even less but I'm not running a "legal" setup. My radio has been tuned for more power but I have NOT had an amplifier installed. Instead of running 4 watts of power I'm running 10. Each setup is unique and one person to the next may have different results. Around here I get 4-5 miles of transmit range, out on the open road in flat country I get 7-10 miles. In the mountains I get far less at maybe 2 miles.



Now yes, my needs are a bit more critical and I need something reliable. In the end as long as you can get the antenna tuned you should have okay results. I'll add photos from my phone since the forum won't let me upload in bulk.



Approximate Range:

Approximate ranges are provided for comparison purposes only and are subject to numerous installation and environmental variables. For more detailed information, please see our reference article on CB Radio Range.



2' Length: 2 to 3 miles

3' Length: 3 to 4 miles

4' Length: 4 to 6 miles

5' Length: 5 to 7 miles

Pictures:
 
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