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CB Radio install


Gatorman

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Hello everybody,been searching the forum for answers but haven't seen anything posted about this. (Unless I didn't look in the right section,lol) Wanted to know if anyone has installed a CB Radio in their edge. If so: where did you mount it..what kind of antenna did you use...and where did you get power for it ? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

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Lol, when I was a teenager, I had one of those long whips on one of my cars. We used cb's to keep in touch with each other.

I haven't seen a cb in a car in years, but if I were so inclined, I'd use a portable unit with a magnetic antenna. Because of the frequency, the physical length of the antenna is a reality, and any fixed installation would be unsightly.

Edited by enigma-2
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I have had a CB in every vehicle for the past 20 years because that is what Gold Wings are equipped with and I often need to communicate with our motorcycle team during events. That being said, cars used to have much better dash designs for mounting accessories but now not so much.

 

I used to have a Firestik Venice antenna mounted in place of the factory AM/FM antenna. It's a "no ground plane" 5/8 wave antenna that is base loaded and styled to look much like a standard 36" factory antenna. I hooked up a splitter to allow it to be connected to the factory stereo as well as the CB... FM reception was comparable to the factory setup but AM reception was almost nonexistent. CB range was fairly short - about 1.5 miles - but that's typical of NGP antennas and it was sufficient for my needs. Unfortunately, that antenna has been discontinued and it can be difficult to find even on eBay these days. There is a model DS14-FG antenna that is similar but has a coil in the center of the mast (sort of like those old cellular antennas).

 

I gave up on using a full size radio because of mounting difficulty and ended up going with one of those all-in-one handheld models. The Cobra 75WXST and the Midland 75-822 require no special mounting because everything is built in to the handset. The Cobra is designed to be hard-wired into the electrical system (12V power and ground) whereas the Midland plugs into a normal power outlet (cigarette lighter style). Both connect to an external antenna but the Midland can also use its own mini antenna attached to the handset. So, these days I connect the Midland to a good center-load magnetic mount antenna when I need it and remove it when I'm done.

 

One other option you can try is what I do with my full size HAM radio... get one of those beanbag mounts for a Garmin GPS and attach the plastic button to the radio's mounting bracket using a machine screw. Then you lock the radio onto the beanbag mount and put the assembly up on the dash with the beanbag mount keeping it from sliding around. Put a power (cigarette lighter) plug on the power wires and connect to a magnetic mount antenna to have a very functional setup without requiring a permanent mount. Now when I have an event, I have the HAM radio on a beanbag mount on the dash, the CB hanging from a microphone hanger on the console and two mag mount antennas on the roof.

Edited by TheWizard
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