Phantom01Pathfinder Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 I was thinking of installing my CB radio and Wilson antenna on my '01 LE. I just wanted to get everybodys opinion on how to do it and do it so it looks good. i dont wanna drill holes to install the antenna on the outside of the truck. Maybe clamp it to the roof rack? and then the trick is getting the wire from the antenna into the cab...maybe through the rear hatch? and finally placing the cb radio inside, in the right and best looking place... much to think about...thought from everybody would be great! thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted January 9, 2008 Share Posted January 9, 2008 What CB do you have, how big is it?? CB clamped to your rack is prob the best bet... I used to have the cable from mine running to the back, and out of the top of the hatch... that didnt work too bad, although the odd time, (not often) it would cause the hatch to leak a bit... I guess if the weather stripping/moulding didnt seal well around the wire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygz19 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 If you have AllMode (which you do b/c you have an LE) Trainman's got a great pic. of where he stuck his radio which you could do too. I stuck mine in the cubby a the bottom of the console, but IIRC yours is a bit different. Use a magnet mount if you don't want to drill in the roof, or get a door jam bracket and put it in the trunk. But what Pezzy said is probably your best bet. Just search this forum for CB's...there's a lot of threads that have already been discussed with pics. from various members. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trainman Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 To follow up on navygz19 post, here is my set up (not a CB though): Radio: Antenna, fender mount, no visible holes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWC5S2 Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 (edited) I mounted my CB on the passenger side of the center console just in front of the seat. It is a slim profile CB and does not get in the way at all. I went with a Wilson Magnetic mount antenna and just run the lead thru the rear door or the rear hatch. This works very well and the Wilson is very easy to tune. I have not had any leaks of other negative problems. I used a 12volt power adapter (cigarette lighter style) so I can take the radio out quickly if needed. The wiring tucks down into the right seat and goes under the rear floor mats. Edited January 10, 2008 by RWC5S2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeysentra Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 I also have my CB mounted to the Passenger side of the center console, in front of the passenger seat. Its out of the way of passengers legs. I ran my antena wire under the passenger seat and passenger rear floor mat and up the inside flap of the RR Door weatherstriping and out of the forward top corner of the RR Door. I have my magnetic base ant. mounter on the right side of the roof in front of my yakima roof rack. Its convienient to take off and put up and looks good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csutke Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 heres how i have mine my antenna mount is in the same place as trainman's, i used one of the orignal fender blots and had to drill a new hole, as for running wires, if you have an auto tranny there will be a little access hole where the clutch master should go that makes wiring really easy. as for power i wired directly to the battery main in the relay box, so that means that my radio is always hot and have to make sure that i turn it off when im not using it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Here's mine: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygz19 Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 Here's mine, though, wasn't as snug back then. I've since cut a piece of plexi glass and painted it black, to replace the cubby piece that can be seen in this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom01Pathfinder Posted January 12, 2008 Author Share Posted January 12, 2008 thanks everybody. i have a UNIDEN PC 68 XL. so its a decent size. i will probably try and find a mount for the roof rack and adapt my antenna that i took off my other truck. (wilson antenna) As of where to install the radio...im still thinking about it. im at college right now, and dont have my cb with me, so ill put it in the next time i go home. (living 4 hrs away from home means i dont go home that often). ill probably not wire it directly to my battery, maybe just plug it into the cig. outlet, because all power shuts off when the key is turned off. ill do more research on where to install and see how others have done it...and go from there... thanks again to everybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygz19 Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 . ill probably not wire it directly to my battery, maybe just plug it into the cig. outlet, because all power shuts off when the key is turned off. You can tap into that power wire too, as well as the ground wire associated with it (that's what I did) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 /\ mine too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navygz19 Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 /\ mine too! copy cat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pezzy Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 meow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDCCD Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Here's how i mounted my PC68 in my 02': I chose to use a Wilson 5000 with a Mag mount to get maximum performance. Center of the roof is the best place as it uses the metal as a reflector, and i didn't want to drill a hole... yet lol. I get great results, but my radio's been peaked and tuned. Good luck. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom01Pathfinder Posted January 12, 2008 Author Share Posted January 12, 2008 Here's how i mounted my PC68 in my 02': I chose to use a Wilson 5000 with a Mag mount to get maximum performance. Center of the roof is the best place as it uses the metal as a reflector, and i didn't want to drill a hole... yet lol. I get great results, but my radio's been peaked and tuned. Good luck. Pete That install looks great! i was thinking of doing the same thing...but my 4wd switch is located in that same area... thanks for the pics and idea! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDCCD Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 (edited) That install looks great! i was thinking of doing the same thing...but my 4wd switch is located in that same area... thanks for the pics and idea! Yeah, i was pretty proud of myself lol. I also ran wiring up to the roof console behind the molding and mounted a external speaker. I'm rollin like a big rig now lol. Another place i considered was actually inside the armrest/center console. Nice and hidden there. You might also mount it to the backside of that armrest, in the backseat area. The pc68 is probably the best radio going for the price, it's got super high quality internals (galaxy), but it's a challenge to mount due to it's size in our rides. Good luck. Pete Edited January 12, 2008 by PDCCD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOVA_mudfinder Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Little bit of ghetto grinding and that beast fit right in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom01Pathfinder Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 You can tap into that power wire too, as well as the ground wire associated with it (that's what I did) how exactly would i go about tapping into the 12V cig outlet wire? last time i had my cb wired up in my other truck, i had it tapped into the radio...and i had a friend help me. i forgot what kind of connector thingy he used...and i wired it up with the radio because i was replacing the radio...so i figured while it was out, i might as well hook up to it. but i dont want to take the radio out and i dont wanna rip apart the counsel to much in my pfinder, so what im getting to is, the least amount of work possible with hidden wires, haha thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NOVA_mudfinder Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 What I did was just removed my 2 screws on the dash right there where my cb is and removed that plate. Bottom of the piece are a couple of aux. slots and i just removed one of those and put the wires through there. And at any radio shack you can find a connector for a cb wire to connect to a cig lighter but i'm not sure how to hardconnect it into the back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDCCD Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 how exactly would i go about tapping into the 12V cig outlet wire? last time i had my cb wired up in my other truck, i had it tapped into the radio...and i had a friend help me. i forgot what kind of connector thingy he used...and i wired it up with the radio because i was replacing the radio...so i figured while it was out, i might as well hook up to it. but i dont want to take the radio out and i dont wanna rip apart the counsel to much in my pfinder, so what im getting to is, the least amount of work possible with hidden wires, haha thanks It's easy to get back there taking the above mentioned two screws and pop off the plastic. My advice is to do a good job on the install so you don't have problems in the future. Which would mean, again in my opinion, running a whole other lead for the power. Tapping into the cigarette lighter is gonna tax the wiring. To run it, is easy. Go over the foot petal area and out the firewall, theres a little hole already there. Use a rubber grommet so it doesn't rub against the metal and get cut over time. Then run it to the passenger side along the firewall inside the engine compartment, along those black hard lines that are there, can't remember what they were. Use zip ties and i padded mine where i ziptied it to prevent vibration/friction. Then run it up to the black box with the fuses in it on the passenger side half way forward. There is a terminal for aux use all by itself with nothing else on it. Put a female on your wire and plug in.If you can't find it yourself, let me know, and i'll get you a pic. I'm going from memory here so sorry for the crappy detail. I also cut a hole in the black box and sealed it with silicone to water proof it to run the wire through. Take your time, pay attention to the little details, and it will last you. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom01Pathfinder Posted January 17, 2008 Author Share Posted January 17, 2008 It's easy to get back there taking the above mentioned two screws and pop off the plastic. My advice is to do a good job on the install so you don't have problems in the future. Which would mean, again in my opinion, running a whole other lead for the power. Tapping into the cigarette lighter is gonna tax the wiring. To run it, is easy. Go over the foot petal area and out the firewall, theres a little hole already there. Use a rubber grommet so it doesn't rub against the metal and get cut over time. Then run it to the passenger side along the firewall inside the engine compartment, along those black hard lines that are there, can't remember what they were. Use zip ties and i padded mine where i ziptied it to prevent vibration/friction. Then run it up to the black box with the fuses in it on the passenger side half way forward. There is a terminal for aux use all by itself with nothing else on it. Put a female on your wire and plug in.If you can't find it yourself, let me know, and i'll get you a pic. I'm going from memory here so sorry for the crappy detail. I also cut a hole in the black box and sealed it with silicone to water proof it to run the wire through. Take your time, pay attention to the little details, and it will last you. Pete Hey thanks for all your advice. I am going to make sure and do this as soon as i am home for spring break in the beginning of March. Yah a while away...so i have time to figure all this out. the only other thing i have to do is buy a new mount for my antenna. any suggestions? do you think a magnetic mount would be better then mounting to my roof rack?? Would the magnetic mount cause any problems to the roof? such as paint rusting or scratching? i know that seems like a dumb question, but on my last truck, it rusted a ring where the mount was... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PDCCD Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 (edited) Hey thanks for all your advice. I am going to make sure and do this as soon as i am home for spring break in the beginning of March. Yah a while away...so i have time to figure all this out. the only other thing i have to do is buy a new mount for my antenna. any suggestions? do you think a magnetic mount would be better then mounting to my roof rack?? Would the magnetic mount cause any problems to the roof? such as paint rusting or scratching? i know that seems like a dumb question, but on my last truck, it rusted a ring where the mount was... Well, i'm no pro remember. I'm sure someone else will come along and squash me lol. Like i said, I went magnetic for two reasons. From what i read, the center of your roof (on a metal roofed car) is the absolute best place for mounting because there's no shadow due to the cars profile, and it bounces the transmission out, like a satellite dish. Also, i didn't want to drill a hole in my roof. Now conversely , it could be said that for off roading you wouldn't want a antenna mounted that high, no matter how you mount it up there. I have knocked the antenna over a couple of times now. It sticks way up. I guess that's why arb and others have a cb mount on their bumper. You lose range, but if your in the woods, your trying to talk to others with you, who are probably close by, so no need to go super perfect and mount it center on the roof. Get my point? Me, i use mine on the highway very often, and i love it, it's better than the car radio for entertainment, and traffic problems. So i like the range, and i'm no hard core off roader so it works for me so far. So, magnet does scratch my clear coat a little, but like the instructions tell me, i move it around to prevent corrosion or severe damage. You can also put a cloth between the two surfaces. Your antenna mounted to your roof rack? Should be more than adequate for off road use and plenty good for most on road usage. Make sure you get a flexible mount so if you do smack it with a tree branch (or mcdonalds drive through cover ehhem LOL) it dosn't bust off. Also, research SWR and get a meter somewhere and tune your radio/mount/antenna combo. Really the most important part after proper wiring. Hope this helps and doesn't confuse. Also, if you haven't already, and can get the search to work for you, other folks here have posted great input on this subject just hit search. You'll have to play with it to get hit's. CB never did much for me. Lastly, updates and pics on your project are required payment for requesting help lol. Edited January 17, 2008 by PDCCD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zibi Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 Couple previous threads:& http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=11299 http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=13355 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RWC5S2 Posted January 17, 2008 Share Posted January 17, 2008 A good quality magnetic roof mont will have adequate protection bewteen the mount and your roof. Yes, it can get knocked around by over hangs and such. You can put a spring base between the base and antenna but make sure you are using a wire whip (like the Wilson) and not a glass whip which weighs much more and requires a really big spring. A good stainless steel whip will not really need a spring base since it flexes easily. And if the base should get knocked over it rarely does any damage. The really good part of the magnetic roof mount is that your entire metal roof becomes the ground plane which makes the antenna easier to tune with the SWR Meter plus increases the antenna's over all range and efficiency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now