put in my cb radio and pa speaker today and wired it all up, except i havent put on the dual firestik antennas yet, cause i dont have my dual coax cable yet, i need to order it.

but here ya go:

 

 

ever heard about cleaning your engine compartment

 

Nice setup.

But that engine compartment.

 

i know i need to wash that engine compartment bad

i have like 5 times...keeps getting muddy i wonder why

the PA sounds really good too
i was playing music through it and it sounds good outside too.

even under the hood

 

double post sorry

 

Thats sweet man... im gonna do the same thing. I need to order the dual 3ft firesticks also. I'm gonna get this kit http://www.bellscb.com/products/ante..._FS3-64A9A.htm
Where'd you get the PA?

 

You might want to reconsider that PA mount. Having the horn tilt up like that will funnel water right down against the speaker--say goodbye to the PA.

If you can't tilt the speaker down, in it's current configuration, flip it over and screw the base onto the inside fender. You might be able to point the speaker down toward the space between the engine and the fender liner that way-get clearer broadcast outside, since it wouldn't be pointing up into the hood.

 

Nice install of that little Cobra. Clean, unobtrusive mount location. Pretty much where my TRC-503 is mounted in the SL2...

I am rethinking my mounting point in the truck for the radio (no big deal since I used Velcro). I would LOVE to have the mic mounted in the area you have it shown...

As far as the engine compartment is concerned. Get a can of Foamy Engine Brite and get after it.... That can NOT be good for keeping things in good shape in the long run.

Also, aim that PA speaker down. Like a poster above stated, the way you have it mounted will make the speaker a funnel to take all water and underhood junk and hold it to the coil and ruin that speaker... Nice idea though... I opted to not do the PA speaker, but I may do so in the future, just no need for it at this point.

Since you are going with co phased, shorter antennas, you might want to consider throwing a toolbox in the bed, and mounting the antennas to the box. You want any antenna that won't be more than 33% above the highest point of the vehicle, to be at least 12" away from the higher points...

I do try to discourage folks from using co phased antennas. The site the poster above even lists my concerns...

"There is also much talk regarding the spacing between the antennas. Many people believe that dual antennas will not work unless they are spaced 1/4 wave length (approx 9ft) apart. While this may be true to the nth degree, it does not mean that they will not work with lesser spacing. The spacing will have some effect on the radiation pattern but short of testing every installation and weighing the results against a 9ft spaced installation on the same vehicle, it cannot be assumed that the spacing is better or worse for performance on that particular vehicle. We have seen satisfactory results with antennas spaced as close as 5ft apart."

Honestly, satisfactory results sounds awfully low performing to me...

The 102" is a BIG A$$ antenna for sure, but there is a GOOD reason that it is the reference antenna every manufacturer is trying to beat...

Not saying you SHOULD go with a 102", But a single stick quarter wave of SOME sort, would be best.

The order of radiation efficiency for antenna types (mobile) is...

#1. Co Phased vertical 1/4 wave vertical whips with 1/4 wave spacing. (Seen, albeit infrequently, on 18 wheelers, or more often, on home brewed "Hamstick Dipole" antenna rigs. I've seen co phased run on Suburbans length wise that works, just looks screwy.)
#2. Vertical whip. (102" SS whip).
#3. Top Loaded Coil (shaft with a coil at the top).
#4. Center loaded coil, such as the Predator 10K and similar antennas.
#5. Bottom loaded coil such as the Wilson 1000, K40, Radio Shack CB / Ham Magnetic Mount etc...
#6. Continuous loaded coil such as Firesik, Radio Shack 4 foot fiberglass, Hustler, etc...
#7. Co Phased 1/4 wave Continuous loaded coils (with less than 1/4 wave spacing between them).

There are other design factors that influence antenna performance, so for example, a single well tuned and placed Firestik will out perform a Radio Shack mag mount any day of the week... And of course, co phased antennas can work exceptionall well, but there is a LOT of fine tuning to get them working right... But the above is a decent rule of thumb.

Good luck, snap some pics, and keep on truckin'!

 

well the PA mount is only temporary untill i get more speaker wire because where it is now just happened to be the exact length of both the wire coming form the PA (about a foot long) and my wire from my CB (6ft)

once i go get more speaker wire ill mount it in the front grille down.

and dbhost i have a toolbox already thats my plan, i already have the holes marked of where i will mount the antenns on the toolbox lid.

oh and i got the PA at radio shack.

 

on the top rail of the driver's side--- besides the great performance you'll scare the people behind you when you go thru drive-in windows!!! Make sure you get the heavy-duty ball mount, I had one of them break once (the std. duty one), the plastic insulator broke. Made a replacement by laminating 5-6 sheets of plastic together. Still have it.

Better yet, study to get your Ham radio license- 50 watts on a small 2-meter rig will vastly outperform anything you can do on 11-meters, plus you will have access to repeaters.

 

im not buying another antenna i already have my firestiks i already hgave the springs and mounts.

 

True, but most 4x4 club runs require CB. Amateur radio is fun, but honestly, the test is what keeps most folks away from it.

 

cb's come in ahndy off road.

talk to your friend behind or in front of you without having to get out or lean out the window.

though i guess you could use a PA system for that also

haha

 

Patshea098, i mounted my cb and pa today. I got the same pa and cb as you. I tried wiring the speaker wire from the pa to the cb but was unsuccesful while doing this. what kind of speaker wire did you use? what kind of pin connector did you use to connect the wire to the cb? thanks bud