FULL-SIZE CB: Placement and installation

[LandCruiserSteve]

To read the original full thread and post questions/comments on this topic, please go to Uniden CB Install - Pics



I already had a Uniden PC68XL that had the 15 watt boost mod done several years ago. It has served me well over the years, so I wanted to install it in the FJ someplace within easy reach and out of the way of everything else in the truck.

The most logical place for me happened to be on the rear of the console. Since I always have my seat all the way rearward, it's just a matter of looking straight down onto the CB's controls.


I started by installing the antenna with the Bandi Mount. (What a great invention.)




I fed the antenna cable down to the rubber gromet that leads into the rear quarter-panel of the FJ. From there, I fed the cable behind the rear interior plastic molding and then along the underside of the factory floor mat under the driver's seat to the console.




I removed the entire center console assembly to feed both the antenna cable and the power wire to the back of the console. The CB radio bracket was mounted high enough so the protruding antenna and power plugs would clear the floor.




The power lead was routed under the shifter console, then behind the dash and eventually to the fuse panel, where I tapped into an Accessory circuit with an "Add-A-Circuit."




The Uniden CB was mounted on the bracket vertically.




Even though my rear seats have been long since removed, this type of mounting would still work with the rear seats installed with plenty of room to spare.





Anyway, a CB installation idea for full-sized units that happens to work good for me.

[LandCruiserSteve]

nevadaesh previously said:

Do you have to take off the interior side mouldings to fish the coax? The power does not have to go to the battery?

No, I didn't have to remove the interior panels to fish the coax through, but I did pop a few corners of the plastic off their respective clips . . . just enough to squeeze my hand behind the panels to aid with the fishing. (A straighened-out old wire coat hanger has served me well for years as my "fishing rod.")

You could connect you CB directly to the battery, provided that there's an in-line fuse between the two. However, many find it easier to either tap into an existing fuse terminal with an Add-A-Circuit, or mount an auxillary fuse block to handle the aftermarket add-ons. That fuse block, in turn, can be connected to the battery (preferably via an in-line 50-75 amp automotive circuit breaker).

Or you could install a relay between the battery and the fuse block, so that it will be activated (and deactivated) with the FJ's ignition turned on or off.