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Running the Cable!

CyberRider

Member
Aug 21, 2018
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Last night I ran the cable for the antenna. Still unsure about exact antenna location, but I know I need to run it from the bed into the cab. I chose to run the cable underneath the cab on the passenger side, up the firewall of the engine compartment and then in through the firewall where all the other wires go.

Do you see any problems with where and how I ran the antenna cable?
 

Just a tid-bit of advice from a guy that seen this and it does happen...

Careful with any Zip ties - use wide width ones versus small short and thin ones...

The Coax can get crushed, too much tension on the Zip tie and the coax can pinch and ruin the 50 ohm impedance by creating a pinch point that changes the spacing of the outer conductor to inner one, you affect the symmetry of the shield to center geometry if you cause kinks, or tight bends or crush the our braid towards the center by a too tight zip tie...you may have a good antenna - but the coax can reflect it's own internal issues and you'll never see a good SWR from the now pinched and crushed - coax section - its' like a kink in a hose to water your lawn, too tight no water gets thru, even a little kink and the water is restricted but even with that, the outer protective sheath of the hose will fail and eventually that hose will develop a leak at that point.

I've seen this in vehicles even done by the factory that cut into the insulation and cause a major fail short - so even with zips, be careful where you use them and what ties to what - you don't want to have more problems on top of the problems you already have.
 
Last night I ran the cable for the antenna. Still unsure about exact antenna location, but I know I need to run it from the bed into the cab. I chose to run the cable underneath the cab on the passenger side, up the firewall of the engine compartment and then in through the firewall where all the other wires go.

Do you see any problems with where and how I ran the antenna cable?
Yes. If you are going thru the firewall; then you have to be sure there is no sharp edge that may potentially cut/fray the coax against the edge of the sheet metal. So a grommet of the appropriate size may have to be used. n This is also as true for any power wires you may be bringing thru the fire wall as well. Otherwise, a short may cause a fire.
 
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Just a tid-bit of advice from a guy that seen this and it does happen...

Careful with any Zip ties - use wide width ones versus small short and thin ones...

The Coax can get crushed, too much tension on the Zip tie and the coax can pinch and...
Thanks for the advice. I was very careful and there are no crimp points in the cable or spots where the cable may be frayed/cut.

Yes. If you are going thru the firewall; then you have to be sure there is no sharp edge that may potentially cut/fray the coax against the edge of the sheet metal....
Thank you. I ran the power yesterday so the CB turns on. Mounted the CB in the dash directly under the stereo and connected (and mounted) the external speaker. In fact, while I was running lines I also ran the lines for the wiring harness of my off-road lights which had been previously mounted but not wired-up. Anyway, concerning the CB now the only thing not connected/mounted is the antenna itself.
 
Depending on your RF output power and amount of computers/modules in your vehicle you may want to avoid any factory wiring harnesses as much as possible.

73’s
David

If you do RF grounding properly and use a fixed mount it should be a non-issue.
 
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