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Thread: War Wagon's CB/Scanner install

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    Senior Member Getting Dirty The_War_Wagon's Avatar
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    Lightbulb War Wagon's CB/Scanner install

    Ok... since I'm going with FULL-SIZE gear that doesn't fit in any of the cubbyholes of our Jeep Commander's dash, I thought I'd start a seperate thread, since this isn't going to look like ANYTHING like what ya'll mugs have done!

    I THOUGHT I was going to get it ALL done in ONE day, on my day off yesterday. Well... THAT didn't work out as planned. Had to burn an hour+, to pick up #3 son, who got sick at day camp. Made FOUR trips to the hardware store - for mounts, bolts, nuts, screws, washers - TWO drill chucks, and finally, a 3/4" sanding bit (1/10th the cost of a 1" drill bit, I might add!), before all was said and done as well.

    The REAL pain in the arse though, turned out to be the scanner antenna mount. I basically spent the rest of the DAY, drilling and sanding it.

    It's an NCG Comet 730, which, UNLIKE the model 720, DOESN'T provide an NMO mount. So you've got to drill/sand the PL-259/Comet 5/8" hole, out to 7/8" at a minimum, to get the NMO base through! And brudda, it takes LONGER than you think...

    Getting the drill through it took a while, probably because I had the speed on my drill press set too low. Then I thought my Dremel tool would clean it up faster than it did. The metal base of the Comet is one TOUGH hombre! I was trying to err on the side of caution, and not leave myself too little metal for a soild mount; first off, it ain't no pot metal (appears to be some zinc/copper coating over decent quality steel), and it's 3mm thick, which is one more mm than I thought it'd be! The Comet is a GOOD piece of kit!

    So here's what it looks like NOW, with PLENTY of room for the NMO base to fit through (I may take some silicone gel and gasket it in place, for extra protection).



    Thankfully, my other hobby, will take care of the exposed metal. A little touchup with a Birchwood/Casey bluing pen, oughta do the trick!

    As it also poured rain yesterday (almost 2" worth!), that pretty much prevented doing anything IN the Jeep. So while waiting to go dashing to the hardware store for the FOURTH time last yesterday afternoon, I decided to assemble my pedestal mounts.

    Having found THE one spot around the console/dash, that doesn't conflict with opening the glovebox, shifting the transmission, or mount over an airbag... I'm going with the Ram 7" pedestal mount, attaching the base high on the plastic trim BESIDE & slightly FORWARD of the shifter.

    I can pull that piece out a bit at the bottom, work my hand behind it, and after drilling the seven, 3/8" holes needed to mount the round base, I can hold the nut and washer on underneath, as I tighten them down with a screwdriver from the outside (yes, turning the big handle on the outside of the mount releases the base mount and the radio mount, for ease of installation - also makes it easy to REMOVE the radios en masse, if you need to store them somewhere). And it WILL need to be STRONGLY secured, given what I'm about to load it down with!

    Because I'm running a full-size Uniden 980 cb and a Bearcat BCT15C scanner, and because I'm mounting them at such an obtuse angle, the traditional radio bracket mount will put a radio at an unusable angle. And besides which, I'm mounting BOTH radios, to this ONE bracket! "HOW?!?!," you ask? Through the magic of 90o "L" brackets!

    (From this point on, it's crappy cellphone pics - I'll use a REAL camera in the future... ). I was working at my office desk, FYI - hence the odd assortment of pens, packing tape, and other office detritus in some of the photos.

    Mounting the lower radio (scanner) HIGH on the bracket, assures maximum clearance, as it dangles precariously over the center console.

    The CB is mounted high... and slightly offset to the right (your eyes do NOT deceive you). This setup makes FULL use of the RAM mount, by getting two large radios, in ONE space, in a truck NOT condusive to aftermarket mounting. Yeah, the L bracket screws are probably too long, which makes for an "unsightly" build. That's really the LEAST of my worries at THIS point...

    NOW that the scanner antenna mount is good to go, running coax and power cables will be the biggest headache. More pictures and story to follow...
    '07 Jeep Commander, Rocky Mountain Edition - 287 V-8 - Superchipped - aFe Stage II R-5A CAI - Flowmaster Super 44 - 2" Daystar lift - Spidertrax spacers - 32x10.5x17 Cooper A/T's - Fastman throttlebody - Skyjacker 8000 shocks

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    Senior Member Getting Dirty lekmedm's Avatar
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    This is fascinating. You've got my attention!
    2007 Commander Overland / 4" SuperLift / 285/70R17 Cooper Discoverer ST Maxx / Rusty's adjustable rear UCAs / Carolina Driveline front drive shaft / Flashpaq / DRLs & Tilting Mirrors / Autolite Iridiums / Cobra 29LX Chrome LE CB & Firestik antenna / Rear fog lights / Mopar Grille Guard with HID driving lights
    "4 wheel drive does not mean 4 wheel stop!" -Lee Goldberg, WABC TV weatherman

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    Senior Member Getting Dirty The_War_Wagon's Avatar
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    Lightbulb

    Well, here was YESTERDAY'S adventure - trying to see if things will line up where I'd like them. Like, the CB antenna.



    Fairly high on the inside of the hatch, so my Wilson antenna gets maximum range, BUT... this area is mostly plastic (the mount isn't long enough to reach steel here), and with a pot barrel spring, and three foot antenna (and quick detach mount), I fear it'll be too much weight and stress on the plastic for it to last long. So I looked at another potential spot.




    Three or four mounting points, in tougher plastic, with a convenient ground under the screw holding the luggage rack on... it's a thought - I've ot to see HOW tough that plastic is, though. I'm thinking, maybe between the hatch and the roof topside, and drilling through the roof there. Tube o' silicone, here I come...

    Playing with the CB/scanner mount and the console, I see more problems.




    The ball mount base is too wide for effective contact.

    A different mount WILL work here, and power cords and coax can be stuffed under here...


    '07 Jeep Commander, Rocky Mountain Edition - 287 V-8 - Superchipped - aFe Stage II R-5A CAI - Flowmaster Super 44 - 2" Daystar lift - Spidertrax spacers - 32x10.5x17 Cooper A/T's - Fastman throttlebody - Skyjacker 8000 shocks

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    Senior Member Getting Dirty The_War_Wagon's Avatar
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    Lightbulb

    The mounts are still too close to the seat & the console , but I think I've found a solution. Much like Lego's, Ram Mounts can be snapped together - to become longer, more obtuse, but STILL effective!


    NEW idea for a mounting base!


    Add ANOTHER arm to the current mounting arm - to give me another 6" of height & clearance over the console (can also be angled a bit more towards the driver's side).

    Add some MORE ability to shape, angle, and locate the brackets PRECISELY where I want them! And connect them ALL with THIS!


    Which will undoubtedly look SUPER funky, BUT... we'll MAKE 'em FIT!!!




    Then again, this might be 31 flavors of AWESOME!


    '07 Jeep Commander, Rocky Mountain Edition - 287 V-8 - Superchipped - aFe Stage II R-5A CAI - Flowmaster Super 44 - 2" Daystar lift - Spidertrax spacers - 32x10.5x17 Cooper A/T's - Fastman throttlebody - Skyjacker 8000 shocks

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    Senior Member Getting Dirty Adondo's Avatar
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    You may have to come here and work for us!

    Those Ram ball mounts are heard to beat, and they tend to stay put too.

    You'll have to paint that bracket flat black to match, I hope you know.
    2006, 4.7L, QTII, Toyo Wild Country M/T 265/70R17 tires, Ultrasport 175 wheels, Rocky Road 2.25'' lift kit, HID off-road lighting, Surco 50x60 roof rack, Foxwing awning, Superchips performance programming.

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    Senior Member Getting Dirty The_War_Wagon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Adondo View Post
    You may have to come here and work for us!
    By the time I'm done screwing this up, you'll disavow ALL knowledge of me!

    Those Ram ball mounts are heard to beat, and they tend to stay put too.

    You'll have to paint that bracket flat black to match, I hope you know.
    I've been THINKING about that... I might well order a black one from somebody and do that.
    '07 Jeep Commander, Rocky Mountain Edition - 287 V-8 - Superchipped - aFe Stage II R-5A CAI - Flowmaster Super 44 - 2" Daystar lift - Spidertrax spacers - 32x10.5x17 Cooper A/T's - Fastman throttlebody - Skyjacker 8000 shocks

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    Senior Member Getting Dirty The_War_Wagon's Avatar
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    Lightbulb

    Well, the GOOD news is, my correct-sized mounts finally arrived (and I'm going to reserve the right to tear Ram Mounts a new one over their non-existent customer 'service' to date. They'll sell you a mount faster than you can say "How much?," but their ability to ACKNOWLEDGE an e-mail, drop a dime, or otherwise say 'BOO' after the sale, leaves MUCH to be desired... ), but the bad news is - even taking INTO account some foresight and additional planning, my tinkertoy setup may NOT work as envisioned. More on that later.

    Time to install antennaes! Starting with the CB, I finally figured out where to do it! TONS o' crappy cellphone pics a-comin'!

    Since the roof rails are aluminum, and given my choice of mount, that's where I decided to mount it - left rear edge of the rail.

    Yes, there will be some stress at highway speeds (which I rarely acheive), but I'm a BIG proponent of barrel springs on CB antennaes, to help offset mount stress in such a location. My antenna is a Wilson 3 footer, so it should be fine in this location. 18' of coax to run - should be plenty leftover in a Commander, right? WRONG! Turns out, it was BARELY enough!

    No holes necessary (aside from the rook rack!) - just a lotta routing, so here we go.



    Down and underneath the plastic trim, and behind the tailight.

    '07 Jeep Commander, Rocky Mountain Edition - 287 V-8 - Superchipped - aFe Stage II R-5A CAI - Flowmaster Super 44 - 2" Daystar lift - Spidertrax spacers - 32x10.5x17 Cooper A/T's - Fastman throttlebody - Skyjacker 8000 shocks

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    Lightbulb

    Ran it along underneath the hatch seal, to that split below the latch. A little of this helps keep it in place in out of sight places!



    All our plastic trim in the back makes running it around and hiding it out of sight easy enough!

    Hiding it underneath the plastic side trim where applicable, along the way!

    After making the turn out from underneath the left rear door trim, it's under the seats, and out behind the console. Zip ties help hold it in place up against the bottom of the driver's seat, by running them through openings in the rear edge of the seat tracks.

    That left JUST enough to come out, and mount into this doodad.

    NO entertainment center in my Commander means, E - Z mounting!
    '07 Jeep Commander, Rocky Mountain Edition - 287 V-8 - Superchipped - aFe Stage II R-5A CAI - Flowmaster Super 44 - 2" Daystar lift - Spidertrax spacers - 32x10.5x17 Cooper A/T's - Fastman throttlebody - Skyjacker 8000 shocks

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    Senior Member Getting Dirty The_War_Wagon's Avatar
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    Unhappy

    As for that radio bracket mounting issue...

    Installing a mount that actually fits on the trim piece - a little RTV silicone gasket goop to help it stick better was also used.

    Excess wipes away easily enough.

    Here's one possible configuration (I still have an additional 6" long arm and dual-ball joint to utilize). Problem is, it's so TOP heavy, I know it'll NEVER hold on this ball and where it's mounted (trim), even with city driving.

    KNOWING that would probably be the case, I ordered THIS double joint SPECIFICALLY, to provide an additional mounting point. Perhaps bolted to some 1/8" sheet plate, screwed in alongside the console on the passenger's side for stability.

    Shoot - I may just end up using 1/8", 2' long brackets mounted to either side of the console, to mount them above the console thusly! They've GOT to go there anyways - it may be back to the drawing board altogether on the radio mounts.
    '07 Jeep Commander, Rocky Mountain Edition - 287 V-8 - Superchipped - aFe Stage II R-5A CAI - Flowmaster Super 44 - 2" Daystar lift - Spidertrax spacers - 32x10.5x17 Cooper A/T's - Fastman throttlebody - Skyjacker 8000 shocks

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    Lifetime Member Getting Dirty 1USMC's Avatar
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    I enjoy and learn from your thread with your trials and tribulations.

    Your not alone out there with your good and your not so good days !!

    ;-)
    2010 Limited > 5.7 > Pearl Black > QDII > 4" Superlift w-SSR > Bilstein HD Struts + 1/4" spacer > RCV cv Axles > JBA 6" Springs + Matt's 1/2" Spacer > BDS adj LCA > 285-65-18 Nitto Trail Grappler MT's > Moto Metal 951 > K&N CAI > Flowmaster 50 > 4xGuard-Front/Belly skids + Grill Hoop w/ Front Receiver + Rear Diff. Guard > PIIA 520 ATP > Front Camera > Steel Armadillo's Rear Bumper/Tire/ Blitz Carrier/Super Sliders +Secure Console > Dual Batteries > OBA > JKS Rear-JBA Front Discos > FlashPaq

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