CB Radios for Convertibles

by **Tater Raider** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 4:45 am

I'm seriously considering a CB for my Jeep Wrangler, but since I have a soft top I'm looking to keep theives from being attracted to my rig. From what I've read, the Cobra WX ST has gotten some good reviews and everything being on the handset means I can unplug it and lock it away when I park. I'll probably have to install a plug in an external speaker so I can do the same with it unless I can hide it out of sight as well.

Does anyone have any other recommendations for a CB alike this with NOAA Weather Radio?

Thanks ahead of time.

by **gary in ohio** » Fri Feb 11, 2011 5:53 am

You can also get an overhead tuffy box and put the CB in that, That will keep most people out of your radio.

by **nacho** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 1:26 am

gary in ohio wrote:You can also get an overhead tuffy box and put the CB in that, That will keep most people out of your radio.

That's what I did, well I got the console one with the space for a traditional auto radio, and installed a ft7800. I can lock all sorts of goodies in there, radios, ammo, tools, sunglasses, whatever I don't want to walk.

by **crypto** » Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:31 am

I like this one better, tater:

http://www.midlandradio.com/CB-Radio.WYQ/75-822

It does everything the Cobra one does, including WX radio, and it also detatches from the vehicle mount, and comes with both a Ni-Cd and AA battery pack, and an external antenna, making it a handheld unit.

If you want an external antenna you'll have to either put a magnetic mount on the hood (not recommended) or a whip on a side mount of the tub in near the back (recommended).

by **Tater Raider** » Sun Mar 13, 2011 8:30 pm

crypto wrote:I like this one better, tater:

http://www.midlandradio.com/CB-Radio.WYQ/75-822

It does everything the Cobra one does, including WX radio, and it also detatches from the vehicle mount, and comes with both a Ni-Cd and AA battery pack, and an external antenna, making it a handheld unit.

If you want an external antenna you'll have to either put a magnetic mount on the hood (not recommended) or a whip on a side mount of the tub in near the back (recommended).

Perfect and thank you!

I'm thinking cophased ¼ wave whips side mounted low down on the tub, but with the Midland setup I can get by without the antennas until later, meaning I can get it quicker. this is perfect because the 4x4 club I'm looking to apply at requires all members have a CB.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I appreciate it.

by **epirider** » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:39 am

This is in my 2001 Jeep wrangler. I have since replaced the radio with a Galaxy 959, I have a 102" whip off the back of the jeep and an Astatic noise canceling mic. Works great and I can take it out of the jeep in under 5 minutes - however others can not. Go to your local fastener shop. Get a High Security Star pattern head with the center pin. Of course ask for the screwdriver bit that goes with it... Under a $1

BTW... I didnt have the screws in on this pic. I will try to get you a pic.

by **Dronac** » Tue Mar 15, 2011 9:28 am

I have a Cobra 75 in my Wrangler. The processing unit is behind the glovebox and a wire just comes out under the dash for the mic and controls. The mic can quick disconnect and be hidden, so it looks like you have no CB inside the vehicle. For the antenna, I got a bracket that bolts to the spare tire carrier and mounted a 4' Wilson Flex antenna. THe setup works great.

My setup is on a JK, but I'm sure similar stuff exists for a TJ.

by **uncleben03** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 2:11 am

If you're looking for the sweetness factor, co-phase the whips. If you're looking for performance from your radio, don't bother. To correctly co-phase them bigass whips, you have to have them 9 feet apart from eachother. Soft tops don't block much RF to necessitate co-phase, anyway

by **Tater Raider** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:08 am

uncleben03 wrote:If you're looking for the sweetness factor, co-phase the whips. If you're looking for performance from your radio, don't bother. To correctly co-phase them bigass whips, you have to have them 9 feet apart from eachother. Soft tops don't block much RF to necessitate co-phase, anyway

To correctly co-phase antennas to provide directional amplification you need to have them 1 wave length apart you are absolutely and unequivicably 100% correct. Keep in mind that your vehicle acts as a ground plane as well, pulling the signal in the direction of the sheetmetal. So if I mount an antenna on the Wrangler on the spare tire carrier, which is a common place to mount it, the signal will not be blocked in the forward direction but instead will be pulled that way when transmitting. So I will end up with an increased forward range and decreased rearward transmited signal. Even so, this will do about 80-95% of what I want.

Co-phasing mobile antennas will, due to their close spacing, have the effect of creating their own virtual ground plane and make the transmitted signal a lot closer to omnidirectional. A single antenna in a central location on the roof does the same thing for a lot less effort and for less than half the price but I own a ragtop so that eliminates that as an option, and I would like to get as close as I can to a uniform wave propogation as I can.

Well, all that and the twin antennas look "right" to me. There, I admitted it. :mrgreen:

Now I'll admit I don't tinker with coms gear like most in this section do, but the above is based on what little I remember from 4 years as an electronics tech in the navy, 3+ years trucking, and some in-depth researching on my part. Even so, there is a lot of contradictory information on the internet on the subject so.

Here is the illustrated info I trust on the subject for anyone wanting to check it out: http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/mobile_antennas.html

After all of that, I think I'm going with Crypto's recommended radio as a little handheld will do for my bare minimum needs at this time, and I can add the antennas and fixed vehicle mounting at a later time. Something is better than nothing and it leaves me nothing to undo as I go. Win-win. :wink:

by **dukman** » Tue Apr 05, 2011 1:27 pm

nacho wrote:
gary in ohio wrote:You can also get an overhead tuffy box and put the CB in that, That will keep most people out of your radio.

That's what I did, well I got the console one with the space for a traditional auto radio, and installed a ft7800. I can lock all sorts of goodies in there, radios, ammo, tools, sunglasses, whatever I don't want to walk.

That is the idea I was thinking when reading the OP.. A lockable center console. You can open the top to have access to the CB and stereo.

Just because you have a softtop, doesn't mean you can't have a good alarm system. They make them to work with convertibles too nowadays.

Midland and Cobra are one in the same company I believe, at least some of the Cobra products at Wally World are copyrighted by Midland :oops:

by **Tater Raider** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 7:37 pm

JK came with locking center console and locking glove box. I am not sure if that provides adequate ventelation for the electronics so I'm looking at under the dashboard and using the center console to stroe the mic.

In the handheld configuration I'll just keep it in the lockable storage or bring it inside like I dod the rest of the stuff that isn't nailed down.

by **uncleben03** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 3:58 am

You're also 100% right on the ground plane. I played foxhunt (radio track and find) with CB's for YEARS, experimenting with all sorts of antenna setups and placement. Strangely enough, although it wasn't the best for transmitting, the best tracking setup I ever had was 2 mid-load antennas placed on the very back 2 corners of my old XJ, mag mount on the roof. The difference in signal between facing the transmitter and facing away from the transmitter was amazing.

I also agree, dual whips has a certain badass factor.

by **Tater Raider** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 6:24 pm

Necro:

Time is near for the actual purchase (September). I'm looking to locate the CB antenna on the license plate bracket, freeing up other locations for future ham antennas, so back corner on driver's side. I'm going with the whip because whips are IMO the best bang for the buck plus they look like they mean business.

No, I'm not going with a trucker's rig.

There is an all-in-one system out there by Cool Tech LLC link. I am not going this route but wanted to put it out there for others considering this option. Why am I not going this route? Cobra says to avoid temp extremes (<-5° or >140°F) and since I don't have a garage that pretty much eliminates leaving the radio in the Jeep, so just for durability's sake the Midland is the way for me to go. If you have a garage then it's a bit of a toss-up.

Tip: If you don't like the sound of the speaker you can run a cable from the CB to the AUX jack on the stereo. You lose the tunes but I imagine clarity would be excellent. I may try this down the road if I get bored.

Gear List (click for links to products):

I also need to replace the belt clip with a microphone hanger.

If I'm missing anything please let me know.

And because I'm me:

by **KJ4VOV** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:13 pm

Tater Raider wrote:Necro:

Time is near for the actual purchase (September). I'm looking to locate the CB antenna on the license plate bracket, freeing up other locations for future ham antennas, so back corner on driver's side. I'm going with the whip because whips are IMO the best bang for the buck plus they look like they mean business.

No, I'm not going with a trucker's rig.

There is an all-in-one system out there by Cool Tech LLC link. I am not going this route but wanted to put it out there for others considering this option. Why am I not going this route? Cobra says to avoid temp extremes (<-5° or 140°F) and since I don't have a garage that pretty much eliminates leaving the radio in the Jeep, so just for durability's sake the Midland is the way for me to go. If you have a garage then it's a bit of a toss-up.

Tip: If you don't like the sound of the speaker you can run a cable from the CB to the AUX jack on the stereo. You lose the tunes but I imagine clarity would be excellent. I may try this down the road if I get bored.

Gear List (click for links to products):
Midland 75-822
Cool Tech Versamount 2
Cool Tech JK Ultramount
102" Stainless Steel Whip Antenna
Beldon 9913 Coax Cable
8 rechargable AA Batteries
SWR Meter
I also need to replace the belt clip with a microphone hanger.

If I'm missing anything please let me know.

And because I'm me:

How much 9913 do you need? I have (literally) a mile of the stuff. I bought 13 500' rolls of it not long ago. I'd be more than willing to send you what you need.

Also, I recommend this Cobra 75 WX over the Midland, though the Midland is still a great choice. The Cobra has been left out in the truck at temps of -25 overnight, and interior temps of over 180, with no problems. But it also unplugs and goes with you in just a second if you prefer.

by **Tater Raider** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:49 pm

Jeep is only about 13' long so... 15' would be more than enough.

There is one thing about the Cobra I like...

What a Cobra 75 WXST looks like in an '11 JK, what Dusty is.

Even Crypto has to admit that looks sharp, though the Midlands might better suit my needs based on ease of complete removal vs. leaving a box permanantly installed and just taking the handset inside.

I'm leaning hard towards the Midlands at this time though. Odds are I'll change my mind between the 2 at least 30 times between now and September.

by **KJ4VOV** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 7:57 pm

Tater Raider wrote:Jeep is only about 13' long so... 15' would be more than enough.

There is one thing about the Cobra I like...

What a Cobra 75 WXST looks like in an '11 JK, what Dusty is.

Even Crypto has to admit that looks sharp, though the Midlands might better suit my needs based on ease of complete removal vs. leaving a box permanantly installed and just taking the handset inside.

I'm leaning hard towards the Midlands at this time though. Odds are I'll change my mind between the 2 at least 30 times between now and September.

Want to know what that "box" is? Nothing more than a piece of tin you screw down under a seat and which has a power lead, antenna lead and radio connection. If you look inside, all it does is combine the power and antenna connections into one for the radio. That's it, nothing else. Hell, you really don't even need the box, you can just mount a matching DIN jack in the dash and wire your power and antenna to the correct pins on the back and you're in business. The handset is the complete radio.

by **Tater Raider** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 8:13 pm

KJ4VOV wrote:Want to know what that "box" is? Nothing more than a piece of tin you screw down under a seat and which has a power lead, antenna lead and radio connection. If you look inside, all it does is combine the power and antenna connections into one for the radio. That's it, nothing else. Hell, you really don't even need the box, you can just mount a matching DIN jack in the dash and wire your power and antenna to the correct pins on the back and you're in business. The handset is the complete radio.

Sorry Crypto, the squirrel got to me. That and how shiney the Cobra 75 looks on the dash like that...

Cool Tech sells the complete set for $200. That's radio, radio and antenna mount, and your choice of 3' or 4' firestick in red or black. I still want the 102" antenna but if this saves cash I can wait a little bit on the whip.

by **KJ4VOV** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 8:30 pm

Tater Raider wrote:
KJ4VOV wrote:Want to know what that "box" is? Nothing more than a piece of tin you screw down under a seat and which has a power lead, antenna lead and radio connection. If you look inside, all it does is combine the power and antenna connections into one for the radio. That's it, nothing else. Hell, you really don't even need the box, you can just mount a matching DIN jack in the dash and wire your power and antenna to the correct pins on the back and you're in business. The handset is the complete radio.

Sorry Crypto, the squirrel got to me. That and how shiney the Cobra 75 looks on the dash like that...

Cool Tech sells the complete set for $200. That's radio, radio and antenna mount, and your choice of 3' or 4' firestick in red or black. I still want the 102" antenna but if this saves cash I can wait a little bit on the whip.

$200???

The radio is about $95, the antenna is about $20, and an antenna mount is about $15. What else are they giving you to make up the $200?

by **Tater Raider** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:02 pm

The kit includes a Cobra 75 WXST CB Radio, an UltraMount CB antenna kit (or the GateMount amtenna kit) and a VersaMount which provides an excellent place to locate your 75WXST microphone. Please specify the year of your wrangler when ordering so that we can include the correct VersaMount!

2 brackets, coax, antenna, radio. 1 bracket is $25 and the other is $90.

yeah, $90 for a bracket seems a bit much to me too. Still shopping...

EtA: $90 includes bracket, hardware, coax, and antenna so not as bad as I thought but still... link thingy

by **KJ4VOV** » Sun Jul 22, 2012 9:15 pm

Tater Raider wrote:
The kit includes a Cobra 75 WXST CB Radio, an UltraMount CB antenna kit (or the GateMount amtenna kit) and a VersaMount which provides an excellent place to locate your 75WXST microphone. Please specify the year of your wrangler when ordering so that we can include the correct VersaMount!

2 brackets, coax, antenna, radio. 1 bracket is $25 and the other is $90.

yeah, $90 for a bracket seems a bit much to me too. Still shopping...

EtA: $90 includes bracket, hardware, coax, and antenna so not as bad as I thought but still... link thingy

Hmmm... That's not a bad looking mount. Worth the extra $$ I think.

by **Tater Raider** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 8:28 am

I'm resurecting the thread again.

I have now scraped together the cash to get the dual band HT or the CB w/ NOAA Weather, but can't do both at this time. The HT will be less expensive to get talking while weather radio makes sense too.

Which do the ZS coms folk recommend I get first?

by **ghost792** » Tue Jan 15, 2013 10:16 pm

Tater Raider wrote:I'm resurecting the thread again.

I have now scraped together the cash to get the dual band HT or the CB w/ NOAA Weather, but can't do both at this time. The HT will be less expensive to get talking while weather radio makes sense too.

Which do the ZS coms folk recommend I get first?

A lot of HTs get WX these days.

by **Tater Raider** » Wed Jan 16, 2013 4:26 am

That's what I'm hearing, so it comes down to which suits me better for coms I'm guessing. Both really, but which first? ATM I'm leaning towards HT.

by **uncleben03** » Thu Jan 17, 2013 8:40 pm

HT. I've found that CB usage, at least in the CR area has dwindled massively lately.

Plus, you can get Wouxun or other cheapo-HT's for so cheap these days it's insane. I bought a Wouxun thinking it would just be a piece of garbage I could mess around with, but I ended up loving it, and the quality is great.