2019 F250 Lariat Diesel
I'd like to add a CB. I'm assuming I can get power from the upfitter bundle on the driver side. True? (I understand this will make the CB power switched.)
What's the best way to get the CB antennae cable into the cabin? My plan is to mount the antennae in the front right stake pocket, and run the antennae cable under the truck to the engine compartment, then through the firewall. BUT, I can't figure out the best way through the firewall for the antennae cable. Any ideas?

I'm also open to other options, if there are any. But it's a "no" on the handheld CB. Horrible reviews where range is concerned.

Thanks!

 

I ran my coax for my ham radio, as well as my power lead from the battery through a half dollar sized grommet under the passenger seat carpet. The prerun passthru power cables are too short to do anything with in my opinion.

 

Look for general firewall stereo type threads for where to poke through. But for the how part of the equation, I highly recommend the Firestik MU8R9 2-piece design. This makes it infinitely easier to run that thick coax through a grommet or hole.

Range is almost always a function of antenna. All of the radios will be transmitting in the 3-4 watt range, out of the box, with 5 W the legal maximum. Range is how well that power gets out of your truck and into the air ... that will be mostly due to antenna design and how the user tuned his antenna (SWR).

 

Also, with transmitters..........a good ground plane. I.E. Antenna mounted in the center of the roof.

 

here is mine

using upfitter 1 to power it. Ran the cable down drivers side and out the back. Antenna is mounted on a headache rack

 

Many amateur radio systems mount remotely in the vehicle with only a small control head mounted on the dash and a microphone hung in a convenient place. Reduces clutter in the truck. So if I wanted a CB I'd go with something like this, where the radio is under the seat and all the controls are on the microphone. Especially nice if you are a bit nearsighted, like me.

https://smile.amazon.com/Uniden-CMX7...748401&sr=8-21

 

Just make sure you do your research first. I bought something like that (but not exactly that model) that promised all the controls right on the mic that I installed in my old Ram. The unit ended up with a Mic the size of a handheld, and the 'hideaway' portion was basically just a box that handled the power and antenna connectors. Overall, the unit, entirely housed in the mic, was bigger than my old CB that was dash mounted in my previous car. Look for one that mic is truly minimal, with context pictures to give you a good idea of what it's true size is.

 

Any idea's on antenna's for the 2017 up? I have a truck camper that has an overhead cab of course. So no antennas up on roof or in bed,etc. Would have to be fron fender types. Hopefully there is a clean custom one out there for our years to mount between fender and hood?

 

Every standard size CB radio has a PA out. Every handheld radio like that Uniden or the Cobra 75 WX ST fails to include this. Why? I don't know. But, I used my PA all the time when I had a CB -- more than the actual CB. Super useful and fun. I'd have installed one of these already if they had the PA out. That Uniden gets pretty spotty, uneven reviews. I'd probably stick to the Cobra 75 WX ST if I were to go down that route. It's been the de facto standard for years on the handheld style CB radio.

 

Like another poster here, I ran my coaxial cable through a grommet under the cab. I also did my upfitter wires that way since the 2017 pass through wires were so short.

I know the OP is not keen on the remote mike setup, but a Cobra 75 WX ST has worked very well for me. I have the main unit mounted behind the drivers seat, with the mike cord run between the seat and console and the mike resting in the forward open console pocket.

 

From past CB and Ham radio installs on various vehicles I can share some general rules of thumb not in any particular order. Always disconnect the positive battery cable before starting work. I like to remove the seats at least. Center console, some of the trim so I can get to the underside of the roof, usually a bit of the dash. I know it's a pain in the butt, but, I like neat installs. Know exactly what is behind where you drill holes. Take the time to verify it. Trust me. All it takes is one time drilling through existing vehicle wiring to make you a believer on this. Running through rubber grommets is a must. A coax shield abraded by the sharp metal of a hole is a pain. A power wire abraded by the sharp metal is worse. AKA, a short or a fire. Both hot and negative leads are direct to the battery always. Fused on both hot and negative. Shortest runs possible. I make sure I check the key down amperage draw of the transceiver, the length of the hot and negative power leads from the battery to the back of the transceiver, and the voltage drop due to the length of the run. On my, mostly modern, 100w ham radio transceivers I've been using automotive type 10 ga twin lead. Comes in black/red too. I think I've used "the Wireman" before but any good electrical supply house should be able to get it for you. I almost never use those t-type taps on automotive installs. I'm not a big fan of crimps but I do use them sometimes. You will notice the amount of engineering that goes into the electrical connections and terminations on any vehicle. I'm no engineer but I figure if they spent that much time and energy on their connections, maybe I should at least pay attention to my installs. I prefer soldered connections, high quality heat shrink, then 3M 88 electrical tape. Dirty, oxidized connections are a no, no. Clean, shiny connections are what I want, then assembly with just a bit of Noalox antioxidant. I try to run the hot and negative leads on one side of the vehicle and coax/antenna on the other. I try to not run them in parallel to each other, but there's only so much space in a vehicle. If high current leads have to cross antenna coax, I do it at right angles. Same with data cables such as your cat 5 cable between the transceiver box, the head unit, and the mic. In general, I try to keep high current conductors away from antenna feed lines. Bonding is important. On newer vehicles you'll notice all sorts of braided bonding leads attached to/from different parts of the vehicle. Mobile antennas want as much metal under the antenna as possible. Antennas mounted to the center of the vehicle roof generally perform best, but of course that is not always possible. If mounting to a headache rack, grill guard, etc., run braided bonding cable from the mounting locations and/or actual antenna mount, to known, low impedance bonds of the vehicle metal. Bond and bond some more. There's lots of plastic and non-conductive materials in today's vehicles. I look for where the manufacturer already has attached their bonding. Oh, and I always scrap off paint, crud, adhesives, etc, as necessary and check them "ground" connections with a multimeter to make sure I have good, low impedance connections. I touch up after to help prevent rust. Always, stay away from moving parts and hot stuff like exhaust parts, turbos. I'm probably forgetting stuff, but that's all off the top of my head.