CB Antenna in Stock Location

[splitz]

Sting25 motivated me to put my CB antenna in the stock location, so I figured I'd share what I did with everyone. Now let me start by saying I have almost 0 RF knowledge, and winged a lot of it.

One thing I THINK you may be able to do is set this up on the driver's side if you get a second antenna housing.

Parts Needed:

1. 3/8" x 2" bolt with 24 threads
2. a few 3/8ths washers
3. a few 3/8ths nylon washers
4. a 3/4 inch nylon bushing with 3/8ths hole (I fond it at Lowe's in the specialty parts bins)
5. one 3/8ths electrical ring terminal that I pulled the plastic off of (goes around bolt for hooking the center of the coax to)
6. the top of a cb stud mount
7. Small piece of 10 awg wire
8. 10 awg ring terminal

Step 1: Remove AM/FM antenna
Step 2: Unscrew AM/FM antenna base. I used my RoboGrips to to this. The housing will fall out
Step 3: Hit the top of the AM/FM antenna base with a hammer to slide it out of the antenna base housing

POINT OF NO RETURN (kinda) Skip this step if you are installing the antenna on the driver's side
Step 4: Cut AM/FM coax and feed back through grommet. This is a great place for you to bring your CB coax through.

Step 5: Remove the outer sheath of the coax
Step 6: Unbraid the braided wire and twist into a one wire
Step 7: Splice braided wire, terminate 10 awg with a ring terminal
Step 8: Terminate center conductor on ring terminal
Step 9: Grind off nipple from antenna housing. This will allow the washers to lay flat.
Step 10: Assemble the antenna assembly in this order

1. Terminated center conductor on the 3/8" bolt
2. Metal Washer
3. Nylon Washer
4. Nylon bushing
5. Antenna housing

Step 11: If you removed the black trim from the top of the fender, put it back
Step 12: Feed the new antenna assembly up through the fender where it was originally
Step 13: Place black washer that came with antenna mount & screw on antenna mount
Step 14: Feed the terminated 10awg through the fender to under the hood
Step 15: Bolt 10awg terminal down using fender torx screw
Step 16: Feed excess coax back into cabin, replace the grommet

Like I said before, I don't know how well this really works. On my Cobra 75, the meter reads pretty low, but I don't really know what it means (I haven't read the manual, nice huh?) I was trying to test it out with my buddy's, but I we don't really know how good his is set up either. Time to invest in a SWR meter!

Special thanks to Sting25, he really helped me out with this. If you have any suggestions please post them up. I'm all about getting this thing set up right.

[riverfever]

Really nice write up. I'd do it but I'd go for the drivers side. Good stuff.

[Kittrell]

Originally Posted by riverfever

Really nice write up. I'd do it but I'd go for the drivers side. Good stuff.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showpost....3&postcount=17

You don't have to say it, I already know................

[riverfever]

Originally Posted by 91 Jeep Project

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showpost....3&postcount=17

You don't have to say it, I already know................

Now that's spooky. By the way...I just washed and waxed the "Limited" today. The Armor All is dripping down the lugs of the AT's as we speak. Kinda like milk cascading off a nice set of....I don't have to finish it...you already know.

[splitz]

Yeah, I thought about running 2 antennas. If I get a hold of another base housing, I might change the setup.

[Kittrell]

Originally Posted by riverfever

Now that's spooky. By the way...I just washed and waxed the "Limited" today. The Armor All is dripping down the lugs of the AT's as we speak. Kinda like milk cascading off a nice set of....I don't have to finish it...you already know.

I hope your Jeep falls to pieces.

[Mutant_Xj]

Did anyone ever do this to a pre 97?

[splitz]

I imagine it would be very similar. There's only one way to find out though

[JCS JP]

Part one...


I want to do the same as Splitz but want to keep the antenna for my radio.
What you need.
1. (CB cable end. My words)



2. Long nut 3/8 24 thread (found at a cb store)

The one on the left is the one that I rounded.

And here is about how much.
3. Washer 3/8 (Go to Lowes or Home Depo)
4. Lock washer 3/8 (Go to Lowes or Home Depo)
5. 12-10 Gauge Ring Terminals 3/8
6. CB antenna (I got one that you can tune)
7. Stock Antenna equipment (some of these pics are with cb installation equipment.)




8. Tools (table grinder, soldering iron, wrenchs, wire cut/strippers, dremmel, torx bits, ratchet to name a few)

[JCS JP]

Part two.....

Now on to the fun.
Round the long nut to fit into the bottom of your stock antenna base (Earlier pic under the sheet metal).

Test fit to see if all the lock washer will fit in the base of the bottom of your stock antenna with out going thru. This was a different way I was going to do it. You get the idea.

Test fit all the pieces together.


Test fit the washer and the top of the stock antenna.

Test fit all the pieces (these are with out the ring terminal).



Now I went with splitz idea of where to put the ground.


Now put every thing together.

[JCS JP]

Part three....

Test to see if the ground works.



Have not tested this setup. Don't have to SWR meter.

[JCS JP]

Now Splitz did not go into detail but I will try. How to install a PL-259 to the coax for your cb. First I followed this website pics. I did not have a great soldering iron (walmart is where I got mine, don't recommend theirs). It did work.
http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/coax_basics.html

Tools

Slide the these down the coax cable.

Took the outter rubber jacket off and unbraided the outter copper braid (shield). Not the recommend length as you can see. To have room for mess ups.

Cut the insulating material back about 1/4 inch or less from the outter copper braid.
Take the outter copper braid and lay it back on the inside of the PL-259 (smallest peice).

Now screw on the peice that is not on the coax. This peice is the one that holds the outter copper braid. I can't say that you need to solder this peice into place or how to solder it. But I soldered every hole. Also on the tip I enclosed the tip. I tried to fill all of the opening up with solder to get a better connection. Don't know if that will matter but it looked better then have a little center conductor in a big hole wiggling (sp) around. When I was soldering i left about 1/4 inch or more to pruted out of the PL-259. Later I cut the center conductor flush with the end.


Now I did not have anything to test the coax alone. So I pluged the new end into the CB antenna and tested it with a ground tester.



Looks like everything works. Like I said before I don't know if this is going to work. The coax is cheap. I don't know if the coax is the correct length. I guess I need to find a SWR meter.