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CB Radio in the XJ

Black1990jeep

NAXJA Forum User
Location
california
I wonder what you all do for a cb radio in the tight confines of the XJ? Are the tiny hand held units, all the controls in the handset, are they top quality, power, sound clarity, etc... if only bigger sets are really good, what are your mounting solutions?

I want a good cb system for trail talking, and highway use. it has to be of good quality sound wise, as my ears ain't all that good no more, so good clear sound is a must.

what is recomemded?
 
Most important is the antenna followed by the mounting location and least critical is the radio itself. I have a Midland "in the handset" model that hardly ever gets used, we moved early on to FRS and now with cell phones now.
 
Modern CB radios are smaller than old school radios. President radio makes all sorts of radios that are 1/2 to 1/3 the size of a Cobra 29.

CB is still the common communications mode for 4x4 events.
 
I mount mine on the passenger side of the console with the face just a bit above the level of the console and the body of the unit hanging down in the footwell. Wiring can be easily tucked under the carpet and run forward or aft as needed (forward for power, aft for antenna).
 
what is recomemded?

Virtually nobody in the SoCal Chapter uses a CB anymore. We’re pretty much all on two-meter ham radios, with most of us using inexpensive handheld Baofengs. I know it’s not what you asked, but I figured I’d just throw it out there.
 
I mount mine on the passenger side of the console with the face just a bit above the level of the console and the body of the unit hanging down in the footwell. Wiring can be easily tucked under the carpet and run forward or aft as needed (forward for power, aft for antenna).

same here
 
Lots of CB options out there that meet your requirements. If your ears are that bad I suggest an external speaker mounted on your dash. They're typically always clearer and louder than any internal speaker on any radio. CB radios are limited to 4 watts legally so you what you're paying for in most radios is extra features that you probably dont' really need. As mentioned above your antenna and it's mounting are far more important than what CB you get or where you mount it.

For what it's worth Jeep Jamboree has announced they are moving to GMRS/FRS and I expect to see more and more Jeeps setup with that in the future and a gradual phase out of CB but it's going to take a long time for that to happen. For what we generally use radio comms for HAM and GMRS fit the bill much more nicely than CB if for nothing else than much more compact antennas. For example quarter wave antennas for a CB are in the realm of 108 inches vs 18ish inches for 2M HAM and 6 inches for GMRS. That's a lot less antenna to whip around and get bent.

My setup as of Dec of last year. I've made a few changes since then but those mostly involved cleaning up my center console setup, and a move back to a dual band radio. I've also ran radios mounted on the passenger side of the center console (towards the dash) and on the lower dash of the driver's side. So far the overhead mount in this video is my favorite and it can be done on any XJ with sun visors.





And my mounting in my last XJ, a 97 model, I eventually moved the HAM radio over to the same side as the CB.
9474_10205653296197829_3543865462636810389_n.jpg


10857927_10205653296317832_3643692000313210376_n.jpg


-KK6RBI / WQYH678
 
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Virtually nobody in the SoCal Chapter uses a CB anymore. We’re pretty much all on two-meter ham radios, with most of us using inexpensive handheld Baofengs. I know it’s not what you asked, but I figured I’d just throw it out there.

CB can have such a short-range, that is can become worthless in a larger group, the leader cannot hear the tail gunner.
Our group switched to 2-meters/440 years ago, between the longer range and repeater, communications is possible in most places.
Kenwood TM-V71A
3840612234_d4be861252_w.jpg


Old CB location
4379716855_d747270220_w.jpg


Both antennas are base-loaded and mounted in the middle of the roof.
 
I ran a strip of aluminum diamond plate (about 1/8 inch thick, IIRC) between the sun visor retainer clips as a radio mounting point and mounted my radio to that plate. I tap-spliced into the hot lead for the vanity mirrors to power it (through the radio's own inline fuse holder, of course), and ran a ground direct to the body using a self-drilling screw into the structural rail right above the windshield. This gives me a constant-on 12V feed to the CB, so I don't need the ignition in ON or ACC to use it (if I'll not be running the truck for a while, I have a quick-disconnect right behind the radio so I can unplug it completely to remove the slight draw that allows it to remember the selected channel when switched off)

The antenna line is routed above the headliner to the back, where it dips down and transitions to the outside through the same body holes where the tail light harness comes out (this is a '92). From there, it runs up along the liftgate gasket to the roof.

The antenna itself is a simple stainless whip similar to the "President Iowa", mounted to the rear roof rack crossbar using one of those mirror mount brackets. I've got a 10-gauge wire running from that crossbar to the rack bracket, which is giving me good ground to the body.

Tuning of the antenna to the radio once installed is crucial to good results - I'm seeing VSWR of right around 1.6 at both channels 1 and 40 with the setup as I have it now; while I've never really tested my range, as far as I can tell it's working pretty well for within the group on a trail ride.

Also, so I don't have the microphone cord swinging around by my rear-view mirror, I have a home-made extension cable for it that runs across from the radio to the driver's side A-pillar, down that to the bottom of the dash, and across behind the dash to the driver's side of the center console, where the end is secured using one of those foam adhesive-backed zip-tie squares. The microphone's attached to that, and lays nicely out of the way on the notch between the driver's seat and the console. Easy to reach, and doesn't slide around when I'm off-road.

Having the radio up high makes its built-in speaker work better (IMHO), but this Cobra does have jacks on the rear for PA and an external speaker, which I suppose could be routed to the aux-in on your regular radio if you needed more audio power.
 
Also, so I don't have the microphone cord swinging around by my rear-view mirror, I have a home-made extension cable for it that runs across from the radio to the driver's side A-pillar, down that to the bottom of the dash, and across behind the dash to the driver's side of the center console, where the end is secured using one of those foam adhesive-backed zip-tie squares. The microphone's attached to that, and lays nicely out of the way on the notch between the driver's seat and the console. Easy to reach, and doesn't slide around when I'm off-road.

I’ve never seen a mic cord routed on a long cable like that, but it sure seems like a smart idea.
 
I mount mine on the passenger side of the console with the face just a bit above the level of the console and the body of the unit hanging down in the footwell. Wiring can be easily tucked under the carpet and run forward or aft as needed (forward for power, aft for antenna).

same
 
What radio is that, Tim? I can't make out the writing on it from the photo.
 
I mount mine on the passenger side of the console with the face just a bit above the level of the console and the body of the unit hanging down in the footwell. Wiring can be easily tucked under the carpet and run forward or aft as needed (forward for power, aft for antenna).

Same here for the 96......altho I did mount one to the cup holder and over the e-brake lever in the 88.....worked well there too.

as long as you didn't spill your coffee/soda on it....lol
 
So that's what it is. Ok, thanks.
 
This is what I did for my 99. This setup will work for 97 and up XJ's. I used a Metra double din trim kit for an XJ. They just came out with it. About $60.00 online. CB World makes a single din kit for some CB's. I used a Uniden Pro520XL radio, but I'm sure you could use others. Anyway, I basically stacked 2 single din units together to make this work. I had to fab some brackets, and it takes a little work, but it comes out nice. I did the same setup on my 97, but I modified the existing trim piece. It is alot easier using the Metra kit. Got my stereo and trim kit from Crutchfield, and my CB from CB world.

I mounted an external speaker on the firewall tucked above the pedals on the drivers side. Plenty loud enough to hear on the trail.

picture.php


Single din for CB's.
https://www.wearecb.com/dinxxxx-in-dash-radio-mounts-18057.html
 
This is what I did on my 95. I don't really like it there, but I couldn't find a good spot to put it in the dash. Uniden Pro520XL CB radio

picture.php
 
Hey thank you all for neat ideas!

Now I am curious about a HAM radio, if compact enough. this seems to overcome range limitations on the cb. For a HAM radio, what are the choices to be made in a small sized unit? I recall back many decades ago my dad had some old HAM radio stuff, big units, tube powered, and lots of bands.

Are all the compact portable HAM radios covering the same band range?

I am thinking for jeep to jeep convoy use the cb is fine, but if we are spread out with hill terrain between, limitation become apparent. Also say we need emergency help in the middle of nowhere, in hill terrain, 50 miles as the crow flies from anyone, would not the HAM radio work under that circumstance?

What are your thoughts on the utility of a compact HAM radio in the jeep? recommended units? I dont need to talk to someone in china or europe with it, but getting out a distress call in the mountains, over 50 miles say, that would be the real need for me.

As a kid I had and old wwii short wave radio receiver from a B-29 bomber, with a long copper wire run up a tall redwood tree as an antenna, I could pick up Australia, and even Europe at night. I still have that receiver, big as a suitcase.
 
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