Hey I want to put a cb radio in my 2000 ram but the 4wd shifter is in the way.also im trying to figure out how to get the antenna wire into the cab im guessing I have to drill a hole maybe. I dont see any rubber plugs to remove under the cab.Anyone here have a cb radio can show me some pics of how they put in there cb radio and how they got the antenna wire into the cab.and where the mount the antenna.Pics would help and info would help to thanks.

 

I ran my wires in through the 4x4 shifter boot just pull it up and feed your wires through, then you won't have to drill any holes in your cab

 

There's like a 64+ page thread of pictures of cb radios installed in second gens, you could probably search for it and find it easily

 

ok thanks for the info ill do a search.If i run the antenna wire through the 4x4 shifter boot did you have to cut a hole in it?or did you just lift it up?any water get in when it rains?

 

I mounted mine on the floor by shifter I have a small cobra. I ran my wires thru the firewall under dash. There's a few small wires feeding thru a rubber groumant and I ran it thru there and underneath truck than came up between cab and box.

 

I run a 2-meter rig in everything I drive, plus I install stuff in squad cars on occasion. You will have the best reception if you are mounting the antenna to the roof, to drill a 3/4 inch hole with a hole saw for an NMO mount and run the coax to the rear view mirror area if you are putting the radio on the ceiling, or run it down the weather stripping under the carpet and bring it out somewhere up front on the floor if you are putting it down low. Your power wire can easily be brought in thru the plug in the firewall, and you can ground the radio at the seat bracket.

 

Good fresh thread. I've seen that one about install of cbs, however, it really only shows post-installation and not much about the details of said installation.

I have not searched myself as I'm not ready yet, but have been researching.

@kadetklapp -- per your response I thought to ask you this from your experience. My thought from looking about the past week or so is that antenna mount location is the most critical of the 3 part configuration. Other parts being the CB itself and the length of the whip. To be brief, I was intending to mount a classic 102" whip (SS) to front of bed, centered (on the bed rail). Run the wires down and into the front firewall.

I've read that the 102" is the most optimum b/c of its length to wavelength "match up", hence distance and quality. However, its so long for most people's tastes and of course the concrete jungle obstructions (parking or other). Needless to say I was curious about whether operation of the cb is fine where the whip's tip is bowed to mount on tail gate or bumper etc. I've read that its reduced but still fine, just maintain isolation from the chassis.

Any input you might toss at me?

Thanks

 

In antenna speak by bending the whip over you've effectively reduced electrical length of the antenna element and unoptimized it in doing so. In this case, a quarter wave whip antenna, it is the perpendicular length of the whip above the ground plane (your truck body in this case) that counts. 102 inches plus the other 6 or so inches from the mounting hardware and spring is actually quite an ideal length (nearly perfect 1/4 wave at cb wavelengths) for the antenna to operate efficiently in the citizen band. By bending it over you not only alter the electrical length from optimal, chances are that unless you are doing the bending with an SWR meter you are probably doing quite a bit to unoptimize the length for 27ish MHz.

Best bet is to choose a length you can live with and leave it unbent. You might look into one of these coil loaded antennas which simulate longer antennas but are much more convenient lengths. For example a Wilson 1000. They are supposed to be a fairly good tradeoff but nothing smaller will ever beat a quarter wave whip.

You are correct that dead nuts center of the roof is best. It's highest up and most centrally located to the ground plane. However to stick a quarter wave whip on the roof of a lifted truck mens the thing will probably scrape off the moon when you drive by and anything lower than that.

 

Awesome sauce on the elaboration Ugly1.

Those are much better words as I didn't want to attempt mucking them up. Let me elaborate on my intended use, as no doubt it will speak to antenna length to decide upon.

My use is primarily off-roading in the Sierra Nevada. So lot's of mountains and can be a PITA when others have a short whip 2-4 foot and we can't contact anyone. (Of course, other factors could have contributed, overshadowing the length aspect). Hence, I was thinking of having the 102" straight up scraping the moon while on trail. Their flexibility seems to take trees just fine. Then when off trail...bow it for road driving. Usage of the CB is minimal, however not completely obsolete due to no mountains on the street. I understand the optimism is reduced, just not sure how much. Is it reduced so much that the Wilson 1000 is a better balance?

Not sure if I pitched that very well. Feel free to direct me elsewhere for better technical guidance.

Thanks!

 

In my CB experience, I've used three antennas: Cheap crap mag mounts, which are only good on interstate drives and LOS (line of sight) contact say if you are road tripping and the like. Then on my Jeeps I ran FireStiks since that's what the trails required. They are also pretty much LOS only, unless you've got a tuned radio and then you might be able to get some distance on flat terrain. The last that I use most often is my Larsen NMO27B which is a commercial-grade low-band antenna that can be tuned just fine for eleven meters. That's what I'm using on my truck. It's been the best antenna I've seen in use to date. Since it's an NMO mount antenna, it means you have to conjur up some sort of mount on the bed sides, or if you have a tool box with a fixed top section you can drill the mount in there. In my case, my tool box lid is the entire length, and I don't some crappy mount hanging off the bed side or the hood. I'm drilling right thru the center of the roof with a loose NMO mount. Two actually, one for my new CB and another for my two-meter radio which I run a quarter-wave on. The center of the roof is a really good ground plane, probably the best. The next best thing would be the tool box if you could pull it off. Everything else after that is a crap shoot, including mirror mounts.