- Location
- Amarillo, TX
Noted.
If you do, run both all the way back not just the hot....
Noted.
If you're planning to down the antenna on a regular basis, give thought to a mag mount setup. Wilson, K40 sell great ones. I have a Wilson now and I use to have a K40. The K40 is loaded at the base on top of the mag and the whip is tunable. Solid magnet great range and can handle power.
And how they ran their cable from outside to inside. AirMapper? I think we have a similar setup.
I've got it all figured out except grounding the antenna. I'm going to do a mini write up later.
Looking forward to the write up. Looks like your gonna have a clean set up. I have the same radio as you also. You still mounting it in the tray in front of the shifter?
Bringing this back from the dead. Would like to get a CB set up as well. However, not to savvy with CB's. For instance, I know i have to get a speaker, CB, antenna, cable, antenna mount, running hot and cold wires, also tuning the CB seems difficult as well. Anyway hope some tips would be coming this way.
1. Speaker is optional, most CB's have decent ones already.
2. CB yes, for small and easy to hide, I recommend Cobra 19DX IV, yes there's one out there smaller that the mic holds all of the programming, what channel, etc, I don't like that, if that mic breaks, you can't stop at any truck stop and get a replacement mic.
3. Antenna/cable/mount: decide what your goal is here, if it's just off-road CB use, get one of the midland glass mount CB antennas, they're cheap and have everything you need, and are tuneable. If you have aftermarket tint, this probably won't work so hot.
4. Wiring: DIRECT TO BATTERY, that's it, no further discussion.
5. Tuning: get a SWR meter from Amazon and follow the instructions, the only hard part is that you really need two people to do it correctly.
Also, start studying to take your HAM tests, it's growing in popularity in off-road uses, especially since you have the possibility of running off of a repeater...which makes a $35 handheld radio a good possibility for that.
A tuned antenna makes all the difference. I have the Cobra DX 19 iii (one generation earlier than the iv). 30 bucks at Wal Mart. I bought a cheap mag mount antenna to use with it for 15 bucks...well...I couldn't hear or talk to anyone.
I then upgraded to a 4 foot Firestik Fire Fly antenna. I could hear people better, but they couldn't hear me.
I then finally found someone with an SWR meter...and WOW. I can actually talk to and hear people great and at a decent distance (at least a couple miles as far as I have confirmed).
All in all, my set up cost me:
Radio: $30
Antenna: $16
Stud mount: $5
Coax cable: $18
Wiring accessories to hard wire it in the cab: $10
Tuning the antenna took maybe 10 minutes and was very easy once I had an SWR meter. They aren't too expensive...but it is one of those things you will probably never use again, so I didn't want to buy one. Of course, going a year with a "CB Setup" that didn't work...I should have spent the extra $20.