Shift and T-Case lever consol removal and CB antenna

[MickeyMiller]

I am in the process of installing a Cobra 75WX but could not get the plastic drink holder/lever consol off. I removed the two screws on the bottom of the drink holder and squar cubby, but it is still solid back to the rear of the T-case lever. I pushed forward... pulled back... pried, afraid I would break something. How does it come off?



Second question... CB antenna coax. Do you cut it to length and re-fit the lugs, or coil up the excess?



Thank you in advance!



Mickey Miller

 

[Spooled-up]

My console is the same as yours. There are a total of 3 screws under the little rubber mats, one under each drink holder, and one under the square cubby. I remove these and it comes right out. There is a "pin" on the front of the console that fits into a hole in the lower part of the dash. It may be hanging up there.



As far as the coax, leave it at the length it is now. It should be a multiple of 9'. Don't coil it up as this creates an "rf choke" I believe. You can bundle it up and tie it in the middle or run it randomly around until you get the correct length.



Lots of good info here:



http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs.htm

 

[Mhannink]

yeah when i bought my wilson antennas it said not to wrap it but to stuff it around randomly and leave it kinda loose because of the choking affect

 

[MickeyMiller]

Thank you for the response... I'll snake the cable around to take up the extra lenght.



There must be two ways they anchored the '03 consols... mine only has two visible screws, one in the far right cup holder and one in the left front square cubicle. The second cup holder doesn't have a screw (or even a screw hole).



I'm out of town tomorrow... tackle it again next weekend.



Thank you both!



Mickey

 

[Spooled-up]

I just remembered where that third screw was. It's under the transfer case shift lever boot, not under the left side cupholder. Sorry about that. The boot is clipped in on the sides. Just use your finger through the vinyl to undo a couple of clips and it'll pull up.

 

[MickeyMiller]

Spooled Up,

Thank you... how in the hell did you find the hidden screw the first time? I actually started pulling out the t-case boot but the vinal started pulling out of its frame... I'll re-visit.



Thanks again!

Mickey

 

[Mhannink]

mickey miller are you going to run dual whips or a single also what size i have dual 5ft wilsons w/ antenna stars at the bottom and its really good i would suggest it to anyone its really clear and good range for a fiberglass whip under good conditions ive seen something like 6 7 miles away and still pretty clear the 75 thats the hidden all in one on the mic i think i looked at it a while back but i liked the 29 nightwatch which i really like be careful tho these cb radios are like bombing trucks once you start you dont stop im in 200 on this curret set up hopefully it will be the end anyways good luck w/ mounting and have fun w/ it pm me w/ any questions ive run a couple of set ups and my freinds have a bunch of different ones so i can be of some help

 

[Spooled-up]

Spooled Up,

Thank you... how in the hell did you find the hidden screw the first time? I actually started pulling out the t-case boot but the vinal started pulling out of its frame... I'll re-visit.

I had the same problem you are having. I have a copy of the service manual and found it in there.

 

[sethAdams]

If you havent got an antenna yet i would highly recomend finding an antron 1600 it is a kick *** antenna and gets great range. stick with a single antenna setup duals are a pain in the butt and they really dont provide you with any benifit on tucks that are our size if anything they could possibly hinder your brodcast range if you really wanted the look od duals i would run one antenna to the radio properly setup and just have a second antenna set up as a dummy antenna for looks. the coax should be kept in lengths of 3 foot IE 3' 6' 9' 12' 18' etc... once you get your antenna make sure you get it properly tuned with a SWR meter it doesnt matter how good or a radio or how good of an antenna you have if their not properly tuned they wont do you any good. the same goes for buying and setting up a great radio and running it through a junk antenna you can have all the power in the world but if the antenna sucks you wont get out. swr meters are pretty cheap to buy or if you go to most CB shops they will help you get your antenna tuned with theirs. Also while your there if you havent already had your radio peeked and tweeked by a cb shop now would be a good time to do it. Relative cost for this atleast around here is somewhere around $60 and well worth the money they turn the radio up so that it can actually put out what its supposed to. All radios are turned way down from the factory due to FCC mandates and usually dont put out very much. Mhannink is right on with the statement that bombing of radios its contagious i probably have a easy $600+ into my setup and i definatly get out and i dont get steped on by many people. if you have any questions feel free to shoot me a message.

 

[Mhannink]

hey i run duals on my mirrors it was not hard did the whole thing in half hour that was assyembling everything and hooking it up just a 9ft from each side into a tee straight to the transciever and i noticed a big difference in my signal not so much farther but much much clearer at the same ranges the little stars i have at the bottom are what really boost range and yes i have them on both antennas