CB Radio

[TheNiceLips]

Hey all,

I'm looking into getting a CB radio with PA system hooked up to my '99 SE, and having found no forums on the matter I figured I might as well start one...


Just wondering if anyone has experience with CB transceivers and/or antennas, and would know of any good mounting locations and any additional useful information?

I'm currently looking at a CB transceiver with WX (weather) capabilities (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RO3RBE/ref ... U09XRUT08P), and so far it seems that a center or top load antenna is best for this kind of transceiver, but was wondering if anybody had any experience with this subject...



Thanks in advance,

TheNiceLips

[SuperHbody]

I have an older Cobra CB and just use a magnetic base antennae. I placed it in the middle of the trunk and just fed the line through the slit in the deck lid. Works great and good reception. Pretty sure I'm the only person using it that think he's the Bandit

[TheNiceLips]

Okay cool.

And yeah I was looking at either a magnetic mount or mounting it to the trunk lip...

What size/kind of antenna do you have? And where did you mount your transceiver?

[Evan0801]

Here is my set up. I use K-40 antenna with uniden scanner. k-40 is just too big i'm actually looking for a smaller one at the moment









Trunk mount vs magnet mount

[Bugsi]

I used a K40 trunk mount when I had a CB back in my old 1978 Bonneville. I recommend the trunk mount over the magnet mount. The magnet mounts tend to leave a lot of scratches, where the trunk mount doesn't really cause any problems. You can always twist off the K40 from the trunk mount if you need to secure it, or for car washes or low parking garages.

I'm kind of nostalgic when it comes to CB radios, I really liked having one a couple decades ago. Do people still use them much? If possible, would you share your reasons for installing one? I haven't been able to justify putting one in my cars for a very long time. I'm just curious.

[TheNiceLips]

Personally, I can't attest to how frequently the CB is used anymore other than by truckers and etc., but my roommates who have them on their Jeeps say they still get their fair share of use these days, although still not as popular as the "Golden days."

My main reason is because I'm on the road a lot, and it's about a 3 hour commute between where I go to college and where my family lives, and when I'm not driving home, I'll be driving somewhere else across the state of Florida. And during these long commutes, my roommates say that the CB comes in handy by using it for traffic updates, upcoming speed traps, and one reason I never would've thought of: in case of witnessing an accident, you can directly call the police instead of having to dial 911 and be routed through them. Or if you were in an accident, and let's say went into a ditch or somewhere where your car isn't visible from the highway, you could call out to get some help.

Also, I'm thinking of adding a PA system/speaker to it to have a little fun with it

[KelvinVV]

Everybody (rednecks) and their dog around here with a truck has a CB and intercom system hooked up. Most people hate it, and say its too loud and annoying, but I think its hilarious when giant trucks zip around town with loud sirens and such coming out of the speakers. Another bonus, when we play football in the park, usually the rednecks come by and narrate the game with the intercoms.

[Bugsi]

I think I'd use the P.A. more now than I'd use the CB radio!
I used mine when I was in college in Columbus Ohio, where I'd drive home for some weekends to Cincinnati. Ohio's state troopers are notorious for their speed traps. I credit having a CB radio for never getting a speeding ticket on that 100 mile drive while I was in college.

[SuperHbody]

I installed one just to keep me awake and listen to the ridiculousness from the truckers. Plus having the PA hooked up as I do is great for letting people know how well they're driving ha

[TheNiceLips]

[quote="Evan0801"]Here is my set up. I use K-40 antenna with uniden scanner. k-40 is just too big i'm actually looking for a smaller one at the moment





How/where did you run power for the transceiver?

[Evan0801]

I used a AUX fuse slot and put one of them Add a circuit fuse in it from autozone . I grounded it through the ground bus behind the hood release. Then I put (I think a 20amp fuse and a 15 amp fuse on it)

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/access ... id=1367770

After that I installed a 12V 4 Way Car Cigarette Lighter Socket Splitter.

http://i.tfcdn.com/img2/-yOjX0YAY5r8j0k ... fvUG-v8A.B

[TheNiceLips]

Gotcha...and did mounting it directly underneath the ashtray/cupholder impede the movement of that tray? And did you mount through the fascia/plastic trim?

[Evan0801]

I mounted the bracket as far back on the pull out tray as I could. When I pull open the tray the radios come with (make sure you got plenty of cord)



and yup. I sure did drill holes straight threw the plastic trim. Even if you remove the radios you won't be able to see the holes( that's why i mounted far back on tray)