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cb radio install

11K views 25 replies 19 participants last post by  davn  
#1 ·
ok i bought the $35 cobra cb radio from walmart and a magnet base cb antenna. what is the best fuse to plug my cb into? any help is greatly appreciated :D
 
#4 ·
^^^^^very true collyluvr lol
 
#7 ·
man pa's are fun stuff I'm wanting to get one but i would run it off like a 10 amp fuse and get power off the battery terminals where the fuse will turn the cb off once the truck is turned off so it wont drain your battery
 
#9 ·
If I do the cigarette lighter route will the cb turn off when I turn the truck off?
 
#10 ·
No, well mine doesnt at least. Its sort of annoying, but hell its soooooooo worth it. You know, yelling at all the ladies and people are like what the hell...haha.

I love my PA. I still need to mount it though, It just sits there in the center console.
 
#11 ·
Where did you mount your speaker? I definately want it in a location where it can be heard.
 
#12 ·
Just installed my Cobra 19 and a 25 watt speaker from radio shack. I ran the power off the battery and the wire through the large gusset (Over the emergency brake) with a paperclip. It looks awesome in the cab! Also I mounted the speaker behind the intake box. If you get my speaker and mount it in the same spot it definately helps to remove the air box.
 
#14 ·
I'm picking up converstations from a few miles away with my 4 foot whip. The problem is I don't put off enough power to get the signal to them all the time. If you want a fun little talker that isn't too big for the inside of our trucks and doesn't break your wallet, then I would definatley suggest it.
 
#15 ·
if your going the cig lighter route, make sure the power cord that plugs into the cig lighter does NOT have a power status light. They usually mean they are low power and you wont get the signal you want from your CB. I made that mistake and figured the CB was fucked, but i wired it directly and I can hear my buddies miles away.


We use CB's for coyote hunting with hounds up here. Works in the dead of winter in the middle of nowhere.
 
#18 ·
I run the positive wire directly to the battery terminal, with the negative grounded to the chassis. There is an in-line 2amp fuse on the pos wire.

04Z71Rado said:
Where did everyone mount there CB's at?
Here is where I got mine:
Image
 
#19 ·
BWA said:
I run the positive wire directly to the battery terminal, with the negative grounded to the chassis. There is an in-line 2amp fuse on the pos wire.

04Z71Rado said:
Where did everyone mount there CB's at?
Here is where I got mine:
Image
Nice radio. I got the same thing (80 bucks peaked & tuned from Sparkys CB) except I have to send mine back to Cobra due to a short in the antenna connector. Where did you get yours? What kind of antenna are you running?
 
#21 ·
Sarge said:
Nice radio. I got the same thing (80 bucks peaked & tuned from Sparkys CB) except I have to send mine back to Cobra due to a short in the antenna connector. Where did you get yours? What kind of antenna are you running?
Thanks. I bought it on amazon, though when I bought it, it was few bucks cheaper. Still not a bad deal at the price it's listed, since the shipping is free:
http://www.amazon.com/COBRA-29LTD-Class ... 492&sr=8-1

I'm running a 3 footer steel whip with magnet on the roof. Got that one from a buddy that had bunch of cb stuff laying around in his garage, not sure who it's made by. I had a 3 foot magnet fiberglass before, but that one was toast. With this one, I plugged it in, and from the get go it was getting SWR of 1 on CH 19. Not much CB traffic around my parts though, so I haven't had a chance to really test TX, but I RX some distant chatter pretty good.

Did you get the CB from Sparky's for $80 with peak & tune, or was it $80 for the peak & tune alone?

canyon007 said:
hey tex red can you post a pic of where you mounted the speaker. and that is a badass cb in the pic above.
I'm assuming you're talking about my picture. If so, thanks :wink:
 
#22 ·
80 with the peak & tune although honestly, I'm not sure what difference it made except the volume was a lot louder than a stock 29LTD. But I'd stay away from him now. His customer service has gone to crap over the last year. Check some of the trucker forums and you'll see what I mean.

I'm running a 3ft Wilson Superflex on a magnetic mount. Had the 4ft but it kept blowing off the top of the truck. LOL
 
#26 ·
rubber air vent below window between cab and bed, if you cant find it simply close all doors and windows then open a rear door and shut it while looking at rear of cab you should see the rubber louvers "puff" out. simply remove some plastic wall material (snaps out) and you can fish the cable in with bare hands. then run the cable along the door sills or under the rug to the unit. easier to do than to explain..