So like the thread name says i need to help with my CB. I have the radio mounted under the dash but i have no clue how to put power to it. I want to tap in to something behind the dash, but have no clue what. Any help on this would be greatly appretiated.



Thanks
Chris

 

Tap it into the power wire for the radio and the ground for the radio

 

^^that, or tap the cigar lighter power and ground. Just make sure you have an inline fuse.

 

If you tap into the radio it will come one with the truck

 

I stand corrected. haha Good call Myke.

 

Yup - tap into the radio, and youll be able to keep it witched on - tap into the cigarette lighter, and youll have to operate the on/off switch all the time.

Personally - when I do my own down the road - I will probably go ahead and just tap into the cigarette lighter - I dont use it, and should probably just convert it to a 12v plugw/ a cap - but heck.. ya never know, you might want to start a fire out in teh middle of the woods and forgot to bring some matches or somethin

 

Hmm. I think I could tap into the wire to get a sat. radio to always be on. Thats a good idea.

 

Thats how my sat radio is wired I just got a replacement cig lighter deal and hooked it to the radio so when I start the truck the sat. radio comes on

 

I just ran a stright power line to the batt. The wire kit that i got for it has a inline fuse for it and it was **** simple to put in. I tried this morning to tap in to my 12v accesore plug this morning but it did not work for some dame reason. I checked with a volt meter before i started to find out if there was power and there was. after i hooked it up....nothing. But like i said it is goot to go now that i have it hooked up stright to the batt.

Cheers
Chris

 

That even nicer. I think I'll do this for my dad. I got the FM modulator hidden, fish taped the wires through the body. Now I need to intergrate the power supply to the trucks "key on/Acc."

Those newer F-150's got a **** ton of room behind the radio.

 

I just ran mine to the battery and grounded it on my fender. When we're hunting, we all leave our cb's on when the trucks are off so constant power is good.

 

Is the in-line fuse close to the battery or the CB.

it should be as close to the battery as possible to reduce any possibility of a fire.

Also, the ground wire should be run to the battery too.

Just the way other people do it.

 

Ground wire to the battery is good, but any good clean chasis ground will work. As long as your power wire is directly to the battery. If you tap into a wire that supplies power to something else, like the radio, you'll get a lot of cyclic background noise.

 

Yes but IMHO with both wires to the battery you end up with a filtering effect through the battery and you can create a ground loop by attaching close to or on top of other grounds.
Just the way I have always done it and for me it works out the best.

Now there is antenna location, high centered on vehicle is best, a good quality antenna, buy the best you can afford and a good name. Wilson makes a great magnet mounted antenna that come with the coax (don't change this coax it is part of the overall antenna system).
Wilson also makes a good quality fiberglass antenna, the Flex-i-Whip, 3 or 4 footer, this one needs additional coax and a good mount.
The antenna type will depend a lot on where you mount it and how solid the mount is.
Last but not least is the coax buy good quality Belden Coax, RG-58U is good and will work but I like the RG-8U a little larger in diameter but a better coax.

Luck

 

I just went out and bought a antenna kit yesterday from the truck stop came with the cable and everything i needed to hook it to the truck. I mounted the antennas like 4 inches behind the cabe on the box. I will post pics.But there is still plenty of antenna sticky up above the roof...... I think. But i am not getting any signal. I have it all hooked up but i can not get any signal. I parked near the highway last night for nearly an hour and could not pick up anything. The CB came pre peaked and tuned when i bought it off of 4LO 4.0. So i am kind of stumped for why i am not getting any signal.

 

Here is what I think... IMHO.

The antenna is too low and may not be grounded.
Although mounting behind the Cab is a good location for looks, the cab can de-flex the transmitted signals and will block incoming signals.
Depending on the antennas, some antennas need the full length to receive properly.


Check the following :
Is there power to the CB ?
Any noise when the squelch is opened up and the volume is turned up ?
Is the Mic installed ?
Coax hooked up ?
Not sure what Mount/Stud you have, Chk the Antenna Mount for a short, did you put it together correctly ? (fiber washers in the correct place ? )
Check the coax for a shorted condition; cntr to outside of connector.

A lot of things can go wrong, careful assembly, good grounding and attention to details make a good radio install.

Chk it out and let us know ?

Oh ya, just for grins... what is the SWR for the system ?

 

I know on my truck the power to the dome lights and one of the sig lighters turns off after 10 minutes to prevent the battery from dieing. Make sure you arn't on that circuit.

On my radio, if you disconnect it from a power source it will start up on channel 1. It gets annoying really quick. Dont worry if you leave it on over night on accident. I left mine on a couple nights while I was out at the Dunes. Truck started up ever morning.

As for no signal, make sure you have the plastic washer in the right place on the mount. If you dont, youll just be grounding out the antenna.

Heres a pic of how it should be. The blue piece of paper is the body or the mount. Also make sure that the body/mount has a good ground. Also notice how the plastic washer has a small size and a large side. The small side goes down. your hole should be the same diameter as that smaller side of the washer.

 

Have you checked it with an SWR meter, or did you just hook it up then try to talk?

Make sure that there is no kinks in the coax, antenna is properly grounded, the mount is grounded. You can check each out with a meter to make sure it is grounded.

There is a lot of variables that can cause a CB to have problems.

 

If you want a ton of info on cb radio install, this is the place to

http://www.cbradioforum.com

 

Ok i will check this all again in the morning But just so you know i have no clue what a SWR is. Also i dont think that it is a grounding fault because the mounts are bolted right to the box. But like i said i will check again in the morning

 

It is not unusual not knowing what the SWR is (Standing Wave Ratio).

What you need to do is get all of the other stuff together and working, powered up and at least some noise coming out of the speaker.
Now either, find a friend who has an SWR Meter and have him do it or walk you through tuning the Antenna OR find a shop or a Truck Stop and that sells CBs and have then tune the antenna for low SWR.

Tuning the antenna, although not hard is probably the most complicated part of the setup and it has to be done.

If you can't find a friend or a shop to help you, do you have any Amateur Radio Clubs near you, they usually can help you out too.

sorry I can't do it, unless you are around the North East part of MA or coming here.

The idea that the Box is grounded is not always true, there is corrosion, dirt and poor connections that determine if the ground is good enough.
What you might do is run a ground braid from the box to the frame.

ltr and luck,
SandyB

 

Ya i have power running to it and, on the top right corner og it there is a gague with a needle that moves about half way across when i turn it on and it stays there. so it has power and i think it is getting some kind of signal. Volume is maxed Squelch is maxed everything is maved on the dials.

 

Operating the CB with too high of an SWR reading will damage the radio, do not use it until you can get it checked.

The squelch should only be turned up until the white noise isn't heard.

 

OK we have pwr...
How about the antenna, where do we stand with it and the coax ?

Maybe we should talk on the tele... if you want to.
Send me a private message or use my e-mail "nnf000@gamil.com" and give me your number and the best time to call.

OR we can continue to do this the way we are, either way no problem.

ltr,

 

I checked the way it was hooked up again this afternoon and noticed that i dont the crimp washer that is in the pick i have everything else, but the washer. As for white noise i am getting nothing. Even when i key the mic it does nothing..