When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I special-ordered the truck, it was the Shift-On-The-Stop Option, I ordered the manual (Lock-or-Free) hubs as well, or it came with it, I do not remember exactly. My order confirmation gad me nervous, it did not quite spell out the two, but luckily it came in with them.
I would imagine they don’t put them on the showroom floor that way.
I installed a $30 fender mount for one of my ham radios the other day. If you pry up the wiper cowl cover, there’s a fender bolt under there that hides the mount a bit. Haven’t ran the coax yet but there’s a body plug under the drivers seat I removed to pass a video cable thru I may use. I like the fender mount because it’s easy to pull the 5/8 wave antenna off before going thru a car wash.
I always favor a hood-mount antenna that's custom fit for the hood of the truck I'm working on. It's easier to wire, easier to mount, and easier to tune. I also highly recommend grabbing something like the Firestik MU-8R18 coax cable, because it has the FME screw-off connector. This makes getting the coax out of the cab so much easier, because you don't have to work with the entire diameter of the PL-259 connectors that CB radios use.
SNIP
I finally heard back from Acari Products (https://acariproducts.com/products/) which is no small feat, three tries voicemail or website they never answered, so finally I reached someone on the phone during business hours. Their products start at $300 for the base model, which is pretty steep.
I sent in my order last night. Thanks for all the advice. The 3rd brake light options were overpriced imho, so I went with the front fender mount. I used https://www.rightchannelradios.com/ instead of Amazon, and the price was about $2 more overall. At least I'm not helping Jeff Bozos get richer. Amazon has several alternative fender mounts for sale but none look as solid, as they only use one bolt, and several buyers mentioned excessive flex. Bozos sells this same fender mount as well but for $4 more. The Firesticks were slightly cheaper at Right Channel Radios dot com which also offered free shipping like Amazon. Only the coax was a little more. So it was a wash.
Soapbox on.
Amazon kills smaller businesses with its prices, in general. We need to patronize smaller businesses in order to keep markets competitive. Amazon will never have deep product knowledge on things like CBs. Run an Amazon search for CBs and you get a bunch of FRS/GMRS radios. They don't understand spit.
Soapbox off.
I sent in my order last night. Thanks for all the advice. The 3rd brake light options were overpriced imho, so I went with the front fender mount. I used https://www.rightchannelradios.com/ instead of Amazon, and the price was about $2 more overall. At least I'm not helping Jeff Bozos get richer. Amazon has several alternative fender mounts for sale but none look as solid, as they only use one bolt, and several buyers mentioned excessive flex. Bozos sells this same fender mount as well but for $4 more. The Firesticks were slightly cheaper at Right Channel Radios dot com which also offered free shipping like Amazon. Only the coax was a little more. So it was a wash.
Soapbox on.
Amazon kills smaller businesses with its prices, in general. We need to patronize smaller businesses in order to keep markets competitive. Amazon will never have deep product knowledge on things like CBs. Run an Amazon search for CBs and you get a bunch of FRS/GMRS radios. They don't understand spit.
Soapbox off.
.
.
As soon as my new truck comes in, I'll be placing that exact order, and I am with you in that I'm 100% anti-Amazon.
The only way I'll buy there is if its really the only source. I'll pay more from a real vendor.
I wanted my CB antennae to be near the same location on opposite side of the radio antennae. I fabricated my own mount, attached to a fender bolt.
I have a Cobra 75 WX ST with the main unit mounted behind the driver seat mount, with the mike wire just run between the seat and console.
That will be my next question, find a suitable radio and mounting spot. Either a head unit small enough to mount or fit in the little slider compartment at the front of the console....or something like your Cobra.
Can you manage all ops just with the mic unit? Change channels, etc? I go to different quarries with my truck and each has its own home channel. Is the speaker in the mic unit?
I'll get the Cobra WX 75 ST as soon as they put the standard 5 W PA speaker output on the box. Honestly, every CB radio has that except the 75 ST. Deal killer for me. I use the PA speaker as much as the CB. It's super fun.
That will be my next question, find a suitable radio and mounting spot. Either a head unit small enough to mount or fit in the little slider compartment at the front of the console....or something like your Cobra.
Can you manage all ops just with the mic unit? Change channels, etc? I go to different quarries with my truck and each has its own home channel. Is the speaker in the mic unit?
All functions are right there in the mic.......squelch, volume, channel selector, etc. Surprisingly, the speaker is relatively good, not like a different unit I had in the past.
Originally Posted by 67L48
I'll get the Cobra WX 75 ST as soon as they put the standard 5 W PA speaker output on the box. Honestly, every CB radio has that except the 75 ST. Deal killer for me. I use the PA speaker as much as the CB. It's super fun.
If I remember correctly, there’s is a plug for an external speaker in the main box, but no PA speaker option.
All functions are right there in the mic.......squelch, volume, channel selector, etc. Surprisingly, the speaker is relatively good, not like a different unit I had in the past.
If I remember correctly, there’s is a plug for an external speaker in the main box, but no PA speaker option.
Nice. So, if you wanted a PA, you'd need an inline amplifier? Perhaps 300 watts under the hood?
Umm, yeah. That's what I just said. No PA out on the 75WXST. Not a big deal to 99% of the people out there. For me, it's deal-killer. It's a pretty simple circuit that appears on most CBs and I'm surprised that Cobra opted to save $0.63 by excluding it from an MSRP $130 radio (which is middle to high end consumer grade).
Originally Posted by RenoHuskerDu
Nice. So, if you wanted a PA, you'd need an inline amplifier? Perhaps 300 watts under the hood?
Only if you wanted to amplify and broadcast what other people are transmitting. If you want to amplify and broadcast what you are saying, you need a PA output on the radio.
Umm, yeah. That's what I just said. No PA out on the 75WXST. Not a big deal to 99% of the people out there. For me, it's deal-killer. It's a pretty simple circuit that appears on most CBs and I'm surprised that Cobra opted to save $0.63 by excluding it from an MSRP $130 radio (which is middle to high end consumer grade).
Only if you wanted to amplify and broadcast what other people are transmitting. If you want to amplify and broadcast what you are saying, you need a PA output on the radio.
Oh perfect. That's just what I want to do here in the quiet Texas countryside.
Why-0-why would Cobra make that choice? Bet they're all made in China now anyway by the lowest bidder each fiscal quarter.
Yeah, that's why I said that it's not a big deal for 99% of the people out there. I like it for camping, screwing around with the kids, and other entertainment (yelling at friends at the office parking lot, e.g.). Again, I don't use it often ... about as frequently as I use regular CB function. I wouldn't ever use a PA in the wild, as I'd hate to have any "impersonating an officer" nonsense. 3-5W isn't enough to get yourself into trouble, or drive around like a moron scaring people, or other forms of tomfoolery and ballyhoo.
I've asked a few deer to move for me ... it really gets their attention, as it's a completely different noise than they're used to hearing. They scatter faster than a horn.
A PA speaker costs about $7 on Amazon, so when you're wiring a normal CB radio, it's super easy to toss on the PA speaker. Most CB radios above about $30 will have a PA output jack on it. If you're installing a CB radio ... for less than two cups of coffee at Starbucks, you too can have PA output!
That particular vendor Right Channel has nothing similar to the aforementioned Cobra, but with PA. The closest is the President Johnny (Carson?) https://www.rightchannelradios.com/c...ent-johnny-iii
But while it has buttons on the mic to change channels, you don't have any way to tell which channel you're on without looking at the head unit.
So I guess I'll keep looking for something like the Cobra but with PA too. Scaring deer away might be fun, but here in TX it's cattle on the road that really need to be startled off.
Q: Why do so many TX pickups have Ranch Hand bumpers?
A: Cattle encounters of the too close kind.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
