Quote:
Originally Posted by Wrangler338
No Drill CB Radio and Antenna installation
Motor Home with drivers side slide out
My buddy and I who travel together wanted something that offered instant communication and that meant a CB radio. But neither of us wanted to drill holes in our coach's.
Well, we worked up a plan and just this last weekend installed CB's and we are now writing up a PDF to share for those who want a CB but don't want to drill holes.
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INSTRUCTIONS
No Drill CB Radio and Antenna installation
Motor Home with driver’s side slide out
PARTS LIST
• 22 gauge 3ft X 3ft metal – not aluminum, needs to be magnetic
• RV roof calking
• Two sided 3M tape
• Wilson magnetic CB antenna (Model #)
• White spray paint or color to match roof
• Denatured alcohol
• CB radio
I started this project when I decided I was not going to drill holes in my new diesel
pusher motorhome as I did in my old Class A gasser for a CB radio.
A buddy of mine who also had purchased a new diesel pusher felt the same way so we
begin looking for ways to communicate while traveling down the highway.
None of the hand held type FM radios worked consistently nor our cell phones. The
drawback to the cell phones are you don’t have instant communications and there are
still areas in the United States that may have dead zones.
I watched a YouTube video one day and saw an individual was using a 12” X 12” piece
of galvanized metal has a base for a magnetic CB antenna on his RV but he still drilled
the hole to run the coax cable.
Then the light bulb came on, why could we not attach that metal plate on top of the RV
near the driver side slide out, and then run the coax cable through the rubber side seals
of the slide-out portion and into the interior of the coach.
We then contacted a ham radio shop and talk to an expert about our idea and the size of
metal plate we would need that would work properly with a magnetic CB antenna. The
conclusion was nothing smaller than a 3‘ x 3‘ square of galvanized metal.
So here is how we did it.
We started off by cleaning both sides of the metal plate with denatured alcohol,
scrubbed both sides clean. We then painted both sides with white spray paint. This was
done to help protect the metal from rusting.
We then used the 3M two-sided tape on the side to be facing down on the roof. We ran
the tape along each side approximately 1 inch from the edge of the metal plate. We also
ran tape from each corner to make an X for extra adhesiveness of the metal plate.
Next came the roof prepping. We washed the roof with soap and water in the area where
we would be placing the galvanized metal sheet. After drying we then used denatured
alcohol in that same area.
Then we removed the film from the two-sided tape and positioned the metal plate on the
roof. Walking on the metal plate also helps the tape to make contact with the roofing
material.
We then used Dicor self leveling roof caulk generously applied to seal the edges of the metal plate to the roof. You want to be sure to cover all the edges of the metal plate so air cannot get under the plate and cause it to lift and fly off.
We chose not to use metal screws to hold the metal plate in position feeling that its
located on top of the roof would be far enough away from the front that no air would be
able to get up underneath it to lift it. This will be check periodically during our travels to
see if we will need to use metal screws.
Next is the CB antenna.
We chose the Wilson brand which comes with approximately a little over 15 feet of
coaxial cable.
We placed the antenna in the middle of the metal sheet and ran the coaxial cable to the
front portion of the drivers side slide out. You can use some of the roofing caulk or
silicone to hold the cable down as your running it off the roof towards the slide out.
To hold the cable in position we used some more of the two-sided tape and we’ll go back
and put silicone as extra hold for the cable.
We then ran the cable inside the rubber seal for the slide out until we passed it through
to the interior.
In the interior of the coach, we again use some two-sided tape to hold the cable as it was
ran from the interior portion of the slide out towards the CB radio.
Once you pass the coaxial cable into the coach interior the cable will dictate the position
of your CB radio. I chose mount my CB radio to the left of the drivers seat. He chose to
place his in the center console between the front seats.
After the mount has been completed, be sure to check the SWR of the antenna to
ensure it is tuned for maximum efficiency. Tuning the SWR means lengthening or
shortening the antenna for a reading of 2.0 or less. A reading more than 2.0 can
seriously affect your signal.
We hope this write up will be helpful.
Roy Bertolucci
Paul Dumke