Working my build now.

ordered a cobra 18 wx st II. mid priced, and comes with weather.
4' firestick II
cable: Roadpro RP-8X18CL 18ft Mini8 Clear Pl-259 To Pl-259
standard spring and standard base.

spring will come in handy since the firestick is pretty sturdy. rather it bend then a tree take it out.

 

I tried to go cheap on my CB thinking that the complete kits were too expensive. By the time you buy all the components individualy you will be in the same ball-park. So I am currently running a Cobra 19 Ultra III that I got on clearence from wal-mart for $20. It is a pretty decent radio, but I am wanting to switch to a full size. I will probably get a Cobra 29.

I am finishing up a portable CB project. I have a Cobra 18 that I mounted in a .50 Cal ammo can with a 12-volt SLA battery. It should run for more than 8 hours. My goal was to make something I could loan out to fellow wheelers who don't have a CB yet.

I will post my build when it is finished.

 

Def. want to see the pic when you get it done good luck?

 

Just a quick update. Thanks again for all the great advice! Ended up getting my setup from rightchannelradios.com. Very affordable at $140 shipped. Came with all the brackets for center console mounting too

The install was easier than expected. Only fishing the lines through the center tunnel gaskets was a pain. Got it tuned this morning and eavesdropped on trucker traffic on ch 19!

Only fubar was my antenna which is a 3 footer - 1 foot too short when mounted on my rear bumper !

 

Where'd you get your's tuned at? I am in need of a tune and the two shops that were near me are all gone... :(

Edit: Nevermind...I am just going to buy a SWR meter and tune it myself via online instructions. Hopefully I can do this tonight

 

Oops! Just saw your post. I'll carry my SWR with me to the BH trip. If you didn't get one by then you can use mine. It's super easy

 

Getting good range?

 

I bought the CoolTechLLC setup with the tailgate mount and a quick disconnect. I opted for the 3ft antenna and mounted the bracket so the antenna is the lowest possible. Sticks up above the roof just a couple of inches. Tunning was easy with the screw tip.

A friend bought a spring for his antenna and when I helped him tune it we ran into the problem that he couldn't make his antenna short enough. The ratio was still good but not great. Should I throw my tuner in the Jeep for Sunday's BH trip too, just in case?

 

I haven't ranged myself yet. But I swore that I was at mile marker 11 and picked up a trucker at mile marker 5. That's over 5 miles?? Unless I heard him wrong. I'll test my range again with you at BH. Getting my 4 foot whip today. My current 3 ft is too short on the rear bumper

 

Cool man. We'll exchange notes. I have mine set up already. Tuned too. Getting a 1 foot longer antenna today - my old 3 ft didn't go past my roof. Cya Sunday!