DIY: CB Radio Install; Lots of Pics!

[willbt]

Excellent content guys! Thanks for the ideas.

@TheForger Could you take an external shot of your antenna and mount? I'd like to see what this looks like and how far the antenna sticks up above the roof line. I'd like to still be able to fit in my 7' garage if possible and am curious if this would allow for that.

 

[TheForger]

@willbt I took this photo just after I installed it. I will post another one showing it in reference to the top of my roof rack plus all the measurements of it tomorrow.

 

[TheForger]

Also, I've heard that there is a little bit of maintenance that comes with these antennas. I've heard you should wipe it down with everything from Armor-All to silicon spray and even peanut butter. Does anyone have any experience or input on this?

 

[nnnnnate]

I have a 4' firestick that I ran on a JK and never had heard about any maintenance. I wiped it off when it got real muddy but that was about it. I didn't leave it mounted all the time though.

Thats pretty slick how you got the coax from the rear to the front through the panel. I didn't know that was possible but will need to do something like that since I have the same Labrak mount and plan to get a mobile ham radio installed in the next few months.

 

[TheForger]

@willbt Unfortunately, fitting into a 7' garage is going to be a no-go with a setup like mine unless you want to test out the spring. I too have a 7' garage and with the LabRak bracket, stud, spring, and antenna, it all comes to 7'8" tall. That is with me sitting at 19.5" in the front and 20.5" in the rear. Just 8" too tall and I would still be 5" too tall even if I didn't have the spring. Here are a few photos:

Taken by the passenger front fender in reference to the top of my roof rack, you can see it poking up in the back:

 

[willbt]

Thanks for the reply! I really appreciate it!

 

[TheForger]

Sooo, I took my first SWR reading and it measured ~4.1....somethings wrong but what could it be? I didn't have any excess coax from the 18' supplied with the FireRing, and it's not the soldering connection because it works flawlessly when plugged into my Midland.....???

 

[TheForger]

Keep in mind that my engine wasn't running while I performed this test, I had the key at the ON position. But this wouldn't effect it though, would it? I actually picked up a few voices on Ch19 about a minute before I did the test.

 

[wildsmith]

In theory the spring has lengthened the antenna so that will affect the SWR, you could try it without? Any time I have mounted an antenna close to bodywork like that it has had an adverse effect on SWR so it may never be great, but that's more like 1.8:1 maybe 2:1 not 4 ... If the cable is ok then 4:1 at least means it is quite efficient cable. Some is so lossy that you get a good SWR reading due to very little of the reflected signal getting back down the cable to the meter so it looks good but doesn't perform well.

 

[Jay470]

Got my front panel mount installed today.

 

[jemsec]

@willbt I took this photo just after I installed it. I will post another one showing it in reference to the top of my roof rack plus all the measurements of it tomorrow.

View attachment 1186327

You may wish you had put those stickers on glass rather than on a painted area. Just my opinion.

 

[TheForger]

@Jay470 How hard was it to drill that panel? I looked at that area as that was the original location where I wanted to put the connector, but I noticed it was angled downward more than I thought. Did you remove the middle console to drill the hole? I never sized it up but it appeared as though it would take some persuasion to make my drill fit there. Maybe I'm just overthinking it...

 

[Jay470]

The panel with the 12 volt, cig lighter and ashtray just pops out enough that you can get behind it without taking a significant portion of the center console out (I used a small standard screw driver to gently pry the panel out from the plastic clips that run along the top). Removing the transfer case shift knob will buy you some extra room for the drill (pro tip: go slow since the bit will want to walk on you. Also use tape on the bit to mark your desired depth / size). I used a stepped drill bit and had to drill out the hole slightly larger than 5/8's so that the mount would fit with the slight dash panel angle since the panel mount will want to tip up slightly then just screw it in place. It's best if you attach your cable to the mount first before screwing it in. I had a good amount of room in this area with the cable installed so there were no figment issues.

If you need a stepped drill bit (makes a perfect hole and de-burrs too)... You can get one cheap off of eBay or Amazon. Buying from Home Depot / Lowes will run you like $50. I bought mine for $12 with free shipping.

 

[TheForger]

@Jay470 Ahh that makes sense! Thank you for taking a shot at it before I do, now I know what to expect But I plan on doing this in the coming week. One thing I noticed about the connector that I purchased, when I screw the coax coming from the radio into the collar it still wants to move around. Not unscrew, but just spin in place...this has me skeptical about the connector and I'm wondering if I should try to purchase another one from a different source. Have you experienced this at all?

 

[Jay470]

@Jay470 Ahh that makes sense! Thank you for taking a shot at it before I do, now I know what to expect But I plan on doing this in the coming week. One thing I noticed about the connector that I purchased, when I screw the coax coming from the radio into the collar it still wants to move around. Not unscrew, but just spin in place...this has me skeptical about the connector and I'm wondering if I should try to purchase another one from a different source. Have you experienced this at all?

I don't have a problem with movement after making a firm mechanical connection. However I did buy some PL-259 (male connectors) from Radio Shack (stop laughing) and they were crap. The stinger and insulator pulled out of two of them after one use.

 

[SmoothLC]

@Jay470 - Is that the panel mount you purchased from China via fleabay?

I've got everything else, but didn't want to wait months for the mounts from China.

 

[SmoothLC]

^ Never mind. Just re-read your post. Nice install.

 

[Jay470]

@Jay470 - Is that the panel mount you purchased from China via fleabay?

I've got everything else, but didn't want to wait months for the mounts from China.

I ordered several items (panel mount with dual SO-239 (female), and panel mounts with a PL259 and So-239) since I have both a ham radio and CB. In all cases it took about two weeks for items coming from China to arrive.

If you have a local amature radio shop you might be able to source the parts locally. My local Radio Shack does not carry these items.

 

[TheForger]

@Jay470 Got around to installing mine today. Remember that movement I was talking about? That was because the first 1/8" of the screw collar contacted the coax coming from the Midland. I noticed that you mentioned you had the same Midland kit as mine, however that coax in the picture you posted looks nothing like mine. Mine is black. Anyway, the rubbery insulation that secures the SO-239 connector prevented the connectors from properly seating. I spent the first 45min (unfortunately I didn't get any photos during this process) taking a hacksaw to the first 1/8" of the collar just before the textured grip, then deburred and filed smooth. Had to put electrical tape around the center pin to prevent any contact from the saw and file. Here's the finished product, sorry for the crappy iPhone pics.

On an unrelated note. Yes my touchscreen is missing....and yes, it puked and died. Lasted a little over 8 months and worked flawlessly. Called Kenwood customer service and they advised that I ship it back to their repair facility for them to try and repair. If it is beyond repair then hopefully I can get a brand new one in exchange. I sent it out today and it should get to them by Friday, but they probably won't open it up until Monday. I am not a patient person when it comes to car parts....

 

[Jay470]

H

@Jay470 Got around to installing mine today. Remember that movement I was talking about? That was because the first 1/8" of the screw collar contacted the coax coming from the Midland. I noticed that you mentioned you had the same Midland kit as mine, however that coax in the picture you posted looks nothing like mine. Mine is black. Anyway, the rubbery insulation that secures the SO-239 connector prevented the connectors from properly seating. I spent the first 45min (unfortunately I didn't get any photos during this process) taking a hacksaw to the first 1/8" of the collar just before the textured grip, then deburred and filed smooth. Had to put electrical tape around the center pin to prevent any contact from the saw and file. Here's the finished product, sorry for the crappy iPhone pics.

View attachment 1190878

View attachment 1190879

On an unrelated note. Yes my touchscreen is missing....and yes, it puked and died. Lasted a little over 8 months and worked flawlessly. Called Kenwood customer service and they advised that I ship it back to their repair facility for them to try and repair. If it is beyond repair then hopefully I can get a brand new one in exchange. I sent it out today and it should get to them by Friday, but they probably won't open it up until Monday. I am not a patient person when it comes to car parts....

Hey, man the install looks good. I run my CB from the rear center console mounts, I posted pix earlier. The dash mount (with more to come) is for my ham radio (Icom 2730) so that cable in the dash pix are for the ham. Also I replaced my CB antenna lead connector first with a SO239 and now with a PL529 since I changed my mind mid / finalized build but it was not the OE connector so I did not have the same issue with excess connector movement.