I just installed a new Cobra 29 cb radio in my 2008 Ram. I mounted dual 4' Wilson antennas in the stakehole mounts on bed of the truck. Any idea how to get the wire from the antenna into the cab without going through the rear sliding window?

Also, to provide power to the CB radio the instructions recommend hooking into the fuse box - which just happens to be 1) Under the hood 2) at the very front of the truck under the hood. I can't seem to locate, at least by just eyeballing it anyway, a hot wire underneath the dash that I can tap into. Other than using a cigarette lighter adapter does anyone have any suggestions?

Aftet temporarily hooking up a cigarette lighter hookup I tested the radio antennas and got a real good SWR rating on one of them. The problem is the radio doesn't seem to have much range. Granted, I didn't hook up the ground lead coming off the antenna but the directions on the antenna packaging mentioned that it was only necessary to hook the ground up if the SWR went above 2 - it was reading less than 1 when I did the calibration. I'm wondering if the fact that the antenna only sticks maybe 2 feet above the actual cab is playing into it at all. The stakehole mounts I bought said they could only handle antennas up to 4 feet tall which is a bummer because I've got two five foot Wilson antennas that would give me more clearance above the cab.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

I ran the antenna wires through the bottom of my bed and up the frame towards the motor and then through the firewall. My CB is mounted right where my left knee is when I'm sitting in the drivers seat so I just ran it through the firewall and it hooked right up to my CB. Real easy.

 

On my quad, I found a drain plug behind the rear seat, punch thru it and ran the wire under the carpet. Connect the positive wire to the battery with an in-line fuse, connect the ground to somewhere on the body. Going off the battery will provide zero engine whine, and cleaner signal on transmit.

 

first off im dont want to come off like a dick but you need to get a top mount antena like a willsion 5000. duals look prety but are junk IMO.
second you need to hook the cb to your battery positive and negative.
third the cobra 29 is a 8 watt radio . i know because thats what i use but i have a seperate liner that is pushing about 300 watts. just because you have good SWR doesent mean you will be a talker . take it to a shop have them tune it . supper mod and swing kit should get you about 20 watts.
but really i am a cb junkie and the best advice i can give you is get a top mount willsion 5000 magnut mount and put her on top the rig.

 

Ramhunter....you got any pics of your antenna mount and location? Also, how did you run your wire if you had it top mounted?

 

i can get some pics in the morning. but in a nut shell its right in the middle of the top of the cab . and i have a cell antana that i dont use that is on the back of the rear window. nice drilled whole in the glass and it has a rubber opening. ran the cable threw it and down the side pillers . looks like a factory job . no leakes or problems. you are probably wondering about drilling threw your glass ... well i didnt paid a prof to do it . the drilling that is . after they drill it they seal the glass so it wont crackk . liftime warrenty against cracks . works for me

 

Nicely put RH. I will second that completely. I saw your name on the latest post and thought to myself... SOB beat me to it!

10-4. The Cobra unit you are running is a lower powered unit, a dependable rig from what I hear, but not the most powerful un-amp'd unit out there.

I also agree with the antenna sistuation. Im not going to go as far as saying that its "junk", lmao, but its not always the best option. Now before Hammer jumps on here as says the place for the antenna is in the trash, let me say this much...

The unit you have is a dependable one, and is a good one to learn on. I would keep it, then if you really like the CB life, find you another one and throw an amp on it. For an antenna, I have had the best luck with my wilson 1000, lil' brother of the wilson 5000 mag mount. Almost same antenna, but handles less power, minus a few details. Next step, mount that sucker on your roof!!!! Rule of thumb is the antenna should stick up 2/3 of the total length above the cab. If you have a 6' antenna, 4 feet should be above the cab. Also, top three antennas are the wilson 5000/1000, predator K40, and the 102" whip... common.

Next step is wire that thing straight to your battery. In my opinion, th only way to do it. I ran my antenna wire through my third brake light, into the cab, and down the back column. Another option i through the vents in the back of the back, which I have used before.

Good luck man, and let us kno what you come up with.

 

Thanks for the input. I'm definitely going to go with the new antenna idea. As far as the CB radio itself it sounds like RH thought it could be tuned for more wattage??? I just got the radio as a birthday gift and I really like it - I would rather not get rid of it just yet. However, I do want to put a radio in our car...I could easily stick the Cobra 29 in the car and use something else in the truck.

That said, what are your suggestions for a stronger watt/better radio?

Thanks guys

 

I thought I saw a black plastic piece on the outside of the cab - between the rear of the cab and the bed. I wasn't sure what it would take to get through that without destroying anything. Hey Nixon, how did you get through the firewall? Did you have to drill through it or is there an existing access hole...

 

There is an existing hole, just zip tie the antenna lines to the frame and run it up towards the firewall.