Emergency and Disaster Preparedness (and Official CB Radio Thread)

I was doing some searches on CB radio installs on Subaru Imprezas and I came across this thread. I've got a Subaru Impreza as well and I'm considering getting a CB installed. The big issue is the antenna. I might go with the stealth cell phone glass mount style mentioned in an earlier link.

Do you have any pics of your setup with the antenna?

Thanks

 

the through-the-glass style may look good, but let me warn you: it is to cb antennas as memorex dvds are to blank media. if you're going to cheap out, you want to cheap out on the radio, as the antenna is the most important thing. you can't expect more than a mile or two with the ultra-weak signal of such a style of antenna.

what i'm back to using is a magnetic mount antenna you can find here. there's lots of options, from fiberglass to steel whips, and a plethora of mounting systems, but that is what works best for me. it is extremely easy to run the wire from the trunk to up under the dash through plastic edging around the doors.

as for pictures, i'm back to my original setup right now:





to be honest, the cb antenna i currently use looks like it *belongs* on my car--the single antenna barely catches an eye, and it works pretty well. all i have to do is close my glove box and pop the antenna in the trunk, and my car looks completely stock. the sleeper effect is a good one. ^.^

*edit*
krees, from what i can tell, i'm the first guy both online and in the US to put a cb in a subaru impreza. while cb installs are basically universal and i'm still relatively new to the the fun of it all, i can probably help you quite a bit. so feel free to ask away.

 

My cb car cell phone and wrist cb radio

 

i don't remember if i added this on an earlier page or not, so i'll say it here: the same setup i have in my car i also installed on the truck of a friend of mine, and it works well for him, too. i also see the same antenna he and i use on vehicles all over my small town, krees. i can safely say that it belongs to at least 1 in 3 cb rigs that i see. the rest are either the long fiberglass whips on tractor-trailers or long steel whips on heavy-duty farm vehicles.

 

@Aus...the have cb's on farm equipment? Much traffic between the rows of corn? Report a stray bovine perhaps? LOL!

Edit: Oh, I know ... it's got something to do with sheep ;-)

 

let me correct myself on that one and say "farm equipment and work vehicles." on farm plots of several hundred/thousand acres, you know it's necessary to have easy communication, lol. a lot of hauler trucks and whatnot also have them, as they tend to haul in convoys around here.

 

Thanks for the pics and the info. The trunk mount doesn't look bad at all. For radio, I was thinking of getting this one:

http://www.walcottcb.com/galaxy-dx959-cb-radio-sideband-p-537.html



I'm sort of toying with the idea of putting the radio where the ashtray / cigaratte lighter is. I'm hoping that the size is close to single DIN.

My car where I'll be putting this in will be a 2005 Subaru STi

 

same year as mine, but two steps up. the last year of the pretty imprezas, lol. *hates the 2006 front end*

the problem with most cb radios is that they are frickin' huge. i got the smallest one currently made, and it just *barely* fits in my glove box.

do you have the cd changer in your dash, or do you have the empty space below the radio as i do. that would be a far better place to install the cb, in my opinion, as that is at least of traditional size.

if you do stick it *in* the dash, you're going to have to wire the radio into your sound system, as the speakers on a cb radio are built into the base and will hence be muffled by your dash.

i would honestly recommend either getting a box and mounting it to your headliner or on the side of your center console, with the radio mounted vertically. you would still have leg room that way and you wouldn't have it sitting on top of your dash (something that just doesn't look right in the impreza).

*edit*
or you could get this options kit and stick it where the clock is currently on your dash. i was going to do the same thing when i upgrade radios, and it would look pretty frickin' sweet.

 

Cool, I was kinda thinking about that option too. I would lose the stealth factor unless I could somehow do a "quick disconnect" type of mount.

Here's a shot of my interior:



Lots to think about, but I'm going on a road trip in September 2006 and definitely want my CB installed by then.

I appreciate your comments and ideas on the install, if you have any more, keep them coming.

 

september 2006 has come and passed. i think you mean '07, don't you?

we have virtually the same interior, at least around the dash with design and whatnot. what works for one would work pretty well for the other.

that dash options kit i linked to was offered by subaru as a gauge pack option; the only difference would be the silvery face of a radio crammed in it, not three gauge faces. it's not really losing a stealth factor. all you have to do is unplug the mic when you're not using it and throw it in the glovebox. methinks this would be very sleek and unnoticeable most of the time.

---
the clock panel basically just pops out of your dash. you disconnect a few wires, and its free. then you have a nice big opening inside to run your radio wires through. you bolt the radio cage down and pop the cover over. you could probably switch one out for the other in a matter of a few minutes when you get good at it.
---

i can guarantee you that radio will not fit in your cigarette lighter/ash tray socket without some cutting and creative fitting, and i'm fairly sure you don't want to do that.

a headliner box painted to match would be pretty cool. just like the truckers do, you could push the mic and radio up and lock them in when you're not using them, making them very hard to steal. however, that would trade in all your stealth right there.

the only other option that really comes to mind is, as i said earlier, mounting the radio sideways on the passenger side of your center console. however, if your passenger wants to mess with it, he/she would need to be able to read upside down pretty well. and you'd also have no stealth whatsoever with that. it would quite obviously not be a factory thing.

just to clear it, which antenna have you picked then if one yet? have you picked up an swr meter? if you're anywhere near missouri, save yourself the money and visit me. i can tune it for you and save some cash. or, if you've got buddies with one, just have them do it. the best option is to have a local cb shop do it, but these days few are lucky enough to have one around. once an antenna is tuned, it doesn't need to be retuned unless you mess with the setup by changing connections, cables, or the position of the antenna.

*edit*
i love your gauges. that setup is beautiful. i really wish that subaru has put the same package in the RS. but hey, you get what you pay for. i have ultra-reliability and efficiency, and it is lovely. XD

*re-edit*
i was thinking with a radio that size, you wouldn't be able to mount it in the glovebox. that's not entirely true, though.

you would have to cut a section of the back of the box off, and it would mount almost horizontally, hanging from the dash section above the space of the box. i keep mine in my glovebox, and it is an excellent place for it, but my radio is substantially smaller. that one would require a bit more work.

in my opinion, the glovebox is the best place, especially if you're in an area where people like to rip off car stuff. people have asked me what my antenna is for and i have to pop the box open and show them. no one ever thinks to look their, either. plus, the glovebox on imprezas locks, and that's just a small bit more protection.

 

You get get the instrument cluster bezel, it should work for Impreza. Here's the link: http://www.rallysportdirect.com/shop/autometer-wrxsti-instrument-cluster-gauge-bezel-p-507.html



I will definitely consider the glove box as well as the clock pod. This Saturday, I'll take the car to a local guy that does installs and I'll see what his opinion is as well.

As far as the ashtray goes, one option I was considering is to buy a separate enclosure (used or junk yard) and have that modified and keep the original for if I want to resell the car.

*** edit - FYI, the left gauge on the pod is Boost and the right is EGT

 

when my warranties run out, i'll look into that.

i think, overall, it really depends on how stealthy you want to be and how much damage you're willing to inflict permanently.

the clock pod is completely reversible, but it's not stealthy per se, just factory looking.

being in the glovebox is complete stealth, but it requires a good amount of cutting (albeit hidden from the non-suspicious eye) that would take a new dash section to repair, should you decide to remove the radio and revert to stock status.

also, if you have a *big* passenger, it can cut off leg room while in use. however, i will say that i has a 6 foot guy in my car and it didn't bother him. and i've had my pops, who is about 250 pounds at 5'9" in there, and it didn't bother him, either.

as for in the ashtray again: if you do that, not only will you need a separate enclosure, you'll need a new faceplate for your console and probably more for whatever is behind that faceplate. you need to measure how wide the console is at that point (i can't remember right now) and compare it to how wide the radio itself it. that would be extremely hard to work out, i think, but it could be done. i'm just not sure how satisfied you'd be with it.

personal preference, yes, but it will take a massive amount of work to get that fitting there, and i'm not certain it would be reversible at all without replacing a huge section of your console.

just to ask you, are you planning to wire it up to your sound system? you'll have to if you bury the radio in the dash. if so, you won't be able to use the stereo head unit and the cb radio at the same time. i'm not sure if you would, anyway--that's just something i do a lot.

and because you didn't reply before, did you settle on an antenna yet? i'd like to see what you've picked. ^.^

mine's stayed on at 105 mph...it's a beauty

 

I swung by Radio Shack today at lunch to look at the one you have. It looks great. I'll probably go with that.

 

you couldn't be happier with a magnetic-based antenna, krees. just be sure to keep a good layer of wax under wherever you put it (i'm assuming on your trunk deck) and consider a few layers of saran wrap on the base to minimize any possible scratches. the wrap isn't visible unless the antenna is popped off, as it's stuck underneath it.

it has been very good on my paint. i only have a slight ring from it--far less than any other antenna i've seen leaves. scratches are completely preventable with wax and the wrap as mentioned above.

 

hi, all good? I use this www.musicasonline.up.md.up.md functions well at least… of pra seeing TV www.tvonline.up.md i liked

 

oh yay, my first spam! see you in hell, spammer. ^.^

*reported*

 

^^^ I agree ^^^

I decided what I want to do... and that's by going the clock pod route. Now the big problem is finding a CB radio that fits single DIN dimensions:

Chassis Size
(W x H x D) in:
7" x 2" x 6-3/8"

Going through Google, I did find one radio-

Midland Model 79-290
Specifications
Size: 6-1/4” W x 2” H x 7” D

But unfortunately, it's been discontinued and has had poor reviews of having the removable face plate being fragile.

Basically, I'm looking for a SSB capable radio that will fit in single DIN.

Have you seen any?

 

i think the best thing would be to go through Cobra's website and look around. once you find one at the right size, you can find competitors in the class and then settle on a winner.

 

cobra has one that is 5/8 of an inch too deep, but other than that is good. i'll keep looking.

 

Which model is that? I must have missed it.