Communications Radio Aux Speaker Mounting...

[GBourne]

So, I have a 2021 3500 SRW Big Horn Crew Cab.

I have a CB and a GSM radio mounted on a ICS Fab dash pocket mount.

My truck has buckets with the full console, and I am looking to see where others have mounted the auxiliary speaker for their radios.

I have drilled very few holes in this truck, and kind of need to keep it this way since this is my 3rd new truck in as many years... Not sure how long I will hang onto this one.

Thanks!

 

[Topzide]

@GBourne, What about trying to use a mount point where a clip or screw is already in the trim? That way you could make an aluminum mount plate to fit speaker then fit attachment point. Are you trying to get closer for you to hear or because of how they're mounted affects built in speaker? If using a small external speaker, you could fasten a mount the uses the headrest post where they go into the seat. That's the route I'm thinking about going. Easier for me to hear without bothering others and out of the way! Topzide is CB handle and WRTC971 for GMRS. Good luck on where to mount them! "Keep on Truckin' "

 

[TJJEEPER]

Depending on how often people are in the back seat, what I did was put a speaker in a wooden box with velcro "hook" side taped on it, stuck it to the carpet behind the console. Pointed up it's easy enough to hear and pretty much out of the way, unless you have 3 people in the back.

 

[GBourne]

Depending on how often people are in the back seat, what I did was put a speaker in a wooden box with velcro "hook" side taped on it, stuck it to the carpet behind the console. Pointed up it's easy enough to hear and pretty much out of the way, unless you have 3 people in the back.

People are almost never in the truck with me, let alone the back seat, but my rear seats are almost always folded up and the floor pans are out with a ton of stuff in the back.

I'd like to have something that can be installed one and be out of the way, and not look like a tumor...

@GBourne, What about trying to use a mount point where a clip or screw is already in the trim? That way you could make an aluminum mount plate to fit speaker then fit attachment point. Are you trying to get closer for you to hear or because of how they're mounted affects built in speaker? If using a small external speaker, you could fasten a mount the uses the headrest post where they go into the seat. That's the route I'm thinking about going. Easier for me to hear without bothering others and out of the way! Topzide is CB handle and WRTC971 for GMRS. Good luck on where to mount them! "Keep on Truckin' "

There are not many places to install two 5" x 5" x " 3" boxes and not have them look like an after thought or a tumor. I have toyed with the idea of the compact aux speakers and one on each side of the drivers headrest, but after some contemplation and prototyping, I decided against it. The possibility of one becoming a projectile in an accident is higher than I care for, and the airbag on the outboard side makes it so that both speakers would have to be in on the inboard side. This would partially block my rear view a bit.

 

[Ozymandias]

Can't you wire it into the stereo system and use that for a speaker?

More then ten years ago in the company Semi I drove it was setup that way. No auxiliary speaker was needed anymore.

 

[slowmover]

Under drivers seat firing into footwell.

This is a Kenwood KES-5 I recently installed in mine. Could go farther back. (Seat is all the way back and “up” for pic).

Location for audio is excellent.

This is a MIL-SPEC component used by EMT, Fire, Police, etc. Extreme efficiency. $65/new or $12/used. I bought a lot of (5) for $60 last year.

Several tests are that I can clearly hear NOAA (as control) across any CB I’ve had in the truck from 40-yards out with door open and engine idling. (Realized neighbors might not appreciate this).

I’d mount second behind first as experiment.
Angle as is best.

Cut carpet and then glue back over at removal.

.

 

[slowmover]

Can't you wire it into the stereo system and use that for a speaker?

More then ten years ago in the company Semi I drove it was setup that way. No auxiliary speaker was needed anymore.

Poor audio for voice. Not optimized correctly.
US CB is HF, and the difficulty of deciphering faint signals is an ongoing problem against the noise the usual below-average installation exacerbates.

.

 

[GBourne]

Can't you wire it into the stereo system and use that for a speaker?

More then ten years ago in the company Semi I drove it was setup that way. No auxiliary speaker was needed anymore.

To do that, I would either have to lose a speaker out of the factory stereo system, or use an aux input and not be able to listen to the stereo while driving.

Neither of those are ideas I care for personally. Also, as stated already, the sound quality out of the radios would suffer.

Under drivers seat firing into footwell.

This is a Kenwood KES-5 I recently installed in mine. Could go farther back. (Seat is all the way back and “up” for pic).

Location for audio is excellent.

View attachment 135182

This is a MIL-SPEC component used by EMT, Fire, Police, etc. Extreme efficiency. $65/new or $12/used. I bought a lot of (5) for $60 last year.

Several tests are that I can clearly hear NOAA (as control) across any CB I’ve had in the truck from 40-yards out with door open and engine idling. (Realized neighbors might not appreciate this).

I’d mount second behind first as experiment.
Angle as is best.

Cut carpet and then glue back over at removal.

.

I have been toying with this idea, or one similar to it in order to work around the 5th gen design, and I may have a solution. Have to wait on a couple things and should have something soon.

 

[GBourne]

so... I have been driving around with this for over 1,000 miles and I like it. I also made a single speaker unit as well, just in case..?

Now, I need to pull this one and get it coated, then finish the install on my radios. :-D

Pull the seat bolt, slide bolt through bracket and spacer, reinstall seat bolt.

It does limit forward travel a bit, but I am tall and have my seat more forward than most people that are 5" shorter than I am, and there is still room to go forward. And being 12ga steel, it will last as long as the truck.