My CB install

[RamAirZ]

I posted this in my build thread but thought I'd make a thread for it in case people search for ideas. Installed the CB today, I'm running a Cobra DXIV CB, Firestik 9ft Firering coax, Firestik 4ft Firefly antenna and an adjustable Firestik hood/fender antenna mount. I really wanted to put it in the ash tray but it ended up being too long even if I cut out the bar in the back. It fits nice and out of passenger's legs on the side and I like where I ended up mounting the mic. I thought about mounting it on the roof but would need to trim my sunvisors, and mocked it up on the drivers side but didn't want it to interfere with my legs in an emergency. I am 50/50 still on the antenna mount. I didn't want it on the roof and I thought about mounting it in the rear door area but was also 50/50 on that so decided to go with my original idea. Let me know what you think

[Riff Raff]

Hmmm; not bad, but the slickest Cobra CB ever installed in a VX was done by MARLIN. He installed the Cobra #75-WX-ST (Remote Mount hidden CB) in his VX with the "guts" underneath the rear empty cavity of the center console (behind the jockey-box insert). Only the all-in-one MIC is on the dashboard, and can be removed to hide it from thieves. Do a search for MARLIN CB, and prepare to be impressed. A truly stealth CB installation for the VX.

Since you don't like a roof-mounted antenna, your FireStik location seems to be the best solution. It won't get hung-up on a low garage overhang, and it's still out of the way of the driver's main view. Plus, you didn't permanently mar or drill an exterior hole in a primary body panel or cladding for the mount. Your antenna installation is perfect. Well done.

[RamAirZ]

I've seen it, I've never been a fan of the Mic mounted CB controls but it's all personal preference, it is an awful clean look though and he did a good job. I had the CB in my 97' Rodeo mounted in the cubby insert at the bottom of the dash (where my CD player is now on the VX) and I loved it there. Thanks for the compliments on the antenna mount. I actually used one of the fender mounting bolt to hold the bottom of the mount and just had to "drill" 2 small holes to hold the side of the bracket but you'll never see them unless the hood is up. If I moved the antenna I think the only other place I would put it would be the rear door channel, basically the same setup as the front fender but inside the right rear 1/4 panel area above the tailight. The bracket is adjustable so I could turn it to have the antenna pointing straight up. Not sure If I want to move it though. I originally liked the idea of the fender mount because the VX doesn't have an antenna up there like most vehicles, so it wouldn't look so "out-of-place" to most people other than the 4ft tall antenna lol. Here was my setup on my rodeo:



Antenna mounted on spare tire carrier

[RamAirZ]

Here's my idea of an optional antenna placement:

[Riff Raff]

The rear-door antenna location would give you much better antenna "propagation" when talking to vehicles located ahead of you (on-coming traffic or convoy leader). However, I wonder if the rear-door antenna location would get snagged on a person's arm when loading cargo or hinder rear cargo door access. Further, you'd have to run the antenna cable all the way back up front to the CB (while trying to hide the cable under carpeting or body panels). The rear-door antenna location may be more headache than it's worth.

[RamAirZ]

Also having "vertical" sheet metal there and sometime's that messes with your signal field. I think it would be out of the way enough to not bother me loading stuff in but at the same time I use the rear door alot more than the hood so the chances of wearing stuff or knocking something is alot more at the rear. It shouldn't hinder access as the bracket has that little bend in it to push it away from the door "gap". I'll probably just end up leaving it up front

[alterastro]

Here's mine:



I didn't have a CD player, just a cubby hole, so its the perfect place.

I've got a Sirio Taifun 27 antenna, which looks just like a normal radio antenna. Reception is pretty good considering its size.




Nick

[Tookie]

I'll take pics soon, as well as put up all the mods I did, but I have a HAM radio antenna on the back door pretty much exactly where you pointed out.

[RamAirZ]

I like your setup Astro, that would have been the spot I put mine if I hadn't put gauges where the original CD player was and moved the CD player to the "cubby hole"(my factory CD changer was in that spot originally). I never had good luck with the shortie antennas with mine before but I haven't seen that one, looks great!

[Luna X]

I have a concern about the front fender placement... if you do catch the antenna on something, I see damage occuring to the fender.

Could you put it on the left, rear? Then it would be out of the way...

[RamAirZ]

I doubt the mount would move before the antenna breaks, it's a flexi antenna, it'll bend almost 180 degrees. And since the mount has the adjusting nut I would think that would loosen/bend before the mount ever moves but that's just my thinking. I wouldn't put it on the drivers rear because the door opens that way, If I move it I'll probably mount it in the passenger rear in the door channel using this mount. I don't want to drill into external body panels on this one even though I like jollyroger's setup on the backdoor.

[RamAirZ]

I was just outside doing some test fitting, one problem with the rear area, the angle of the body will have the antenna leaning forward a bit and I think that'll look retarded IMO. hhhmmmmmm

[RamAirZ]

Well with the help of a torch and a gigantic adjustable wrench (to use as my pry bar of sorts), the antenna looks like this now, I'm gonna stick with the rear mount I think. I used a cable clamp on the coax using one of the rear taillight screws and I didn't need to drill any holes in the rear plastic since there was this neat little spot that already had a small gap and the cable fit perfectly. I pulled the side paneling out just enough to slide the cable all the way under to the front and then ran under the carpet over to the CB. I mounted the bracket in a way that I could run the cable real tight without any binding so very little is actually exposed outside the truck.

[ZEUS]

KILLER! So much better man!

[RamAirZ]

Thanks man! I like it alot better too, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get the mount bent to straighten out the antenna but like I said, a torch and a big wrench (or hammer) can fix anything haha. I thought it looked stupid with the antenna leaning in towards the center of the truck with my original mock-up:



Finger feeling any better today?