CB installation problems - 05 Patrol SVE

[andrewk]

Hi All,

I've bought a Midland 78 CB recently with a mini-springer aerial and a magmount.

I've had a good read of all the stuff about using a SWR meter to tune the aerial and read the entire radio manual (or at least, the English bits). So, I should now be ready to have a go at installing it all - (semi?) permanently. Despite all the reading and the research, I've got a couple of problems - or at least, issues I'm still head scratching about.

1) The best way of getting the aerial cable into the car. Feeding it past a rear passenger door seal is an obvious option - but is there a better way (one that doesn't involve gaffer tape or trashing the cable or the the door seal )? Are there any unused, plugged holes in the floorpan or bulkhead (or anywhere) that could be used as a route into the car without drilling the bodywork or compromising a door seal?

2) The Patrol must be just about the only car I've had that doesn't have a single flat surface anywhere big enough to mount a CB radio. The top of the dash is all curvy - apart from a few square inches at the passenger side, which I can hardly reach anyway. There's no space in or under the dash itself - it's full of levers, buttons, knobs, SatNav, DVD player, CD player - all sorts of stuff. There aren't any flat surfaces anywhere on, near or around the transmission tunnel. It won't fit in the ash-tray and screwing it to the roof liner isn't really an option.

Has anyone had success in fitting a CB radio into a recent Patrol so that it doesn't look Heath Robinson? If you have, please do tell .........

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Guest]

If you wish to use it for green laning etc SWR is not really need as other CB's are not to far away, Ive never SWR'd mine an I can pick up others from a mile (or so) away??

Which do you need semi?? or permanent?? Depends what your use is......I would rather risk rain through a door seal for each day I use it than drilling bodywork, plus when not in use it can be removed and put in the boot etc. away from vandals. If you require permanent then its not a magmount you need but a screw in the body type which gives a great earth base.

As for finding somewhere to mount it...........not sure but if you stare at it long enough it will appear. :lol: :lol:

 

[iandouglas]

cb mount

hi andrew.
i thought about same thing and went for a couple of tye raps to hook cb onto 4 wheel drive lever, power from cig lighter socket and ran coax through passenger door at bonnet height and placed mag mount on bonnet (put something between to protect paint).coax wont come to any harm and you can remove the whole lot very quickly.
OUT OF SIGHT OF THE TOE RAGS WITH BRICKS .
see you soon .
rgds.iandouglas

 

[Guest]

Mine is a fixture of the Disco, but for the Mav I have the radio on a cig lighter plug, the antenna on a mag mount with a piece of cloth between it and roof, cable just trapped in door. If you buy quality cable its thick and strong and can take the punishment, the door seals are ok too as its not disturbed for long enough. The radio I just trap between the seat and cubby box.

Works for me, but I'm never extreme in the Mav.

 

[andrewk]

If you wish to use it for green laning etc SWR is not really need as other CB's are not to far away, Ive never SWR'd mine an I can pick up others from a mile (or so) away??

I'm sure that's right, but as I bought a meter I might as well.

As for finding somewhere to mount it...........not sure but if you stare at it long enough it will appear. :lol: :lol:

I'm glad you said that. It's exactly what I was thinking. :smile:

Cheers
Andrew

 

[jims-terrano]

Just a quick point about SWR, it is not about being able to transmit or receive further away stations. I wont get too technical but the SWR should be as low as possible on the middle channel (20 on a 40 channel radio) and not above 2 to 1 on the lowest and highest channels. Above a reading of 2 to 1 and you risk damaging your rig, instead of the signal being transmitted out of the aerial it is being reflected back down the coax and back into the rig. The lower the swr the more power being sent where it should out the aerial. Moving the aerial about can eefect the SWR as well. It is an important thing to think about. Sorry but not knowing the Patrol I can't give any other info.

Jim T

 

[Whatmot]

ive just mounted my cb on top of my dash in my mav. it was a pain in the @$$ to mount: because the dash is a soft on top and then has a hard plastic shell underneath, my mounting screws wouldnt 'bite' into the plastic. also, the windscreen is only a few inches from the top, there wasnt enough room to get a drillin to drill some holes for the mounting screws. i tried everything to try and make some holes in the plastic shell (hammer and nails, swearing at it) but it wouldnt budge. then my dad came over, gave me some longer self tapping wood screws (25 in 5) and i just managed to get them through the shell. once they had made a holes, the original screws went in no probs.

as for my aerial, mines a stinger with mag mount. i ran my cable down the side of the car and through the bottom of the opening rear window the ones that only open a couple of inches)

(ill go get some pictures)

 

[Deleted Member]

Just a quick point about SWR, it is not about being able to transmit or receive further away stations. I wont get too technical but the SWR should be as low as possible on the middle channel (20 on a 40 channel radio) and not above 2 to 1 on the lowest and highest channels. Above a reading of 2 to 1 and you risk damaging your rig, instead of the signal being transmitted out of the aerial it is being reflected back down the coax and back into the rig. The lower the swr the more power being sent where it should out the aerial. Moving the aerial about can eefect the SWR as well. It is an important thing to think about. Sorry but not knowing the Patrol I can't give any other info.

Jim T

I agree with jim,make sure your SWR is as low as possible,you will end up damaging your rig!! :?

 

[Whatmot]

my cb setup (sorry about quality, taken on my phone)

 

[Paul]

Andrew Have a swr meter you can borrow if you haven't got one.
Paul

 

[Deleted Member S]

Hi andrewk :smile: Sorry but I don't know what the inside of a patrol looks like , but i've got the same CB as you & i've mounted mine along the drivers side of the transmition tunnel. I made to metal brakets 1 whish hooks under the centre console & the other which screws into 1 of the lower dash mountings so I did'nt mark the trim :smile: If you want any pic's of the brakets etc just ley me know :smile:

 

[BIGBADWULF]

http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=366&stc=1&d=1140392127

try the above link for a pic, have you got that space you could use?

 

[andrewk]

http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=366&stc=1&d=1140392127

try the above link for a pic, have you got that space you could use?

Thanks for the reply - but unfortunately, no. Nissan have already seen fit to fill it with a panel with three switches on it - two for the heated front seats and the third for the electrically demountable rear anti-roll bar.

Providing I put it on a bracket (probably the one that comes with it), I could probably fit it on the drivers side of the transmission tunnel. It might, though, prevent forward movement of the (electrically adjustable) drivers seat and maybe get in the way of the drivers legs too.

Still looking ......

Thanks again

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Guest]

Not that this will help but Ive now installed mine......screwed to the top of the dash. :lol: :lol: Great when it doesn't matter!!

In my other Mav I put it in the passenger foot well attached to the side of the centre console.

Another place is the lid of the centre console thingy behind the hand brake with elastic bands?? Also gives you good cable length to the rear door etc.

 

[BIGBADWULF]

could you get a remote unit for it and hide the main body away
somwhere and then just find somewhere to mount the small
unit?

like the remote in this pic,

http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=2627&d=1183271911

 

[andrewk]

I think I've found a place!!

We don't really need the rear ashtray (behind the centre console thingie). I could attach the CB bracket to the back face of the centre console with double sided sticky pads (the kind you use for registration plates - they have very strong adhesive) - so the radio itself could be installed there (semi) permanently. It would prevent the ashtray opening, but so what.

Now if you'd checked before you tryped that, you'd have realised that the plastic is sort of dimpled and is slightly curved - so although the bracket gives the impression that it's stuck, the first time you try to operate the radio, it falls off. Back to the drawing board ........

Cheers
Andrew

 

[andrewk]

could you get a remote unit for it and hide the main body away somwhere and then just find somewhere to mount the small unit?

I could install the radio under the front passenger seat (the CD changer in my Trooper was installed there) - just switch it on when I go laning and off again when I get back. The CB microphone allows you to change channels - but if I did, I'd never really be sure which channel it is on.

I think with this radio, the front has to be visible and reasonably accessible.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Guest]

Another place is the lid of the centre console thingy behind the hand brake with elastic bands?? Also gives you good cable length to the rear door etc.

I think I've found a place!!

We don't really need the rear ashtray (behind the centre console thingie). I could attach the CB bracket to the back face of the centre console with double sided sticky pads (the kind you use for registration plates - they have very strong adhesive) - so the radio itself could be installed there (semi) permanently. It would prevent the ashtray opening, but so what.

All I'd need to do each time I go laning is plonk the magmount on the roof, run the cable through the rear off-side door seal, connect up and away we go.

Mmmm ...... I think that'll work.

Cheers
Andrew