CB Radio Mount
CB radio mounts come in various shapes, sizes, and installation kinds. This article is going to be a brief journey about the radio mounts. Although I am not going to make it into a purchasing guide, it will have effective help on that front as well.
A CB radio mount can sometimes also be referred to as a radio mount, a CB radio bracket, or a radio bracket. Know that if someone mentions a radio mount, it’s probably something that will go with CB radio as well because, at the end of the day, CB radio is also a kind of radio. Mounts are also common for the best handheld CB Radios.
As a rule of thumb, do extensive research on a CB radio mount that you like. In other words, you need to know whether your CB radio will fit in or not. Use forums, groups, e-commerce website question sections, and friends to learn more.
First of all: what is a CB radio mount?
A CB radio mount is used to install your CB radio unit in your vehicle. To have a functional CB radio service, you need various parts that work in tandem. You need a microphone, an antenna, a tuner, and the radio itself that will do most of the stuff. Sure, the antenna transmits and receives the signals and the microphone enables you to send your voice over, but the radio is the main part. Once a CB radio is tuned, you will use the radio to navigate the channels primarily.
To install a CB radio in your vehicle, you need a mount because vehicles don’t come with built-in installation space for a CB radio. And that is precisely where you are going to need a CB radio mount or a bracket. This mount will fit into the CB radio that you have and on the other end, into your vehicle, tethering them together.
No number of bumpy rides will have any damage on your CB radio if you have a strong mount that’s properly installed on the desired surface.
Why do you need a CB radio mount?
Surely, you are not going to carry your radio everywhere. Most CB radio hobbyists (and the truckers that use the CB radio service extensively to transmit and receive navigational information, traffic information, and chat with each other) have a static CB radio. Static as in it doesn’t move very much. They have it fitted in their cars so that they don’t have to be bothered by carrying it around.
Mostly, you will be fitting your CB radio (check here for examples) in your car dashboard. You need it there because it becomes easy to access it, thus enabling you to seamlessly manipulate the channels and do your stuff.
What are your options when you are looking for CB radio mounts?
There are many different kinds of CB radio mounts. More often than not, CB radio mounts are distinguished by the placement that they allow. Sure, some mounts allow multiple placements around the vehicle.
A few popular and common kinds of CB radio mounts would be:
- Dashboard (or in-dash, under-dash or simply dash) mounts: The dashboard CB radio mount is fairly popular. It’s usually a clip mechanism that allows you to “strap” your CB radio over or under the dashboard. Mainly, the placement is the center of the horizontal length of the dashboard, so the radio pretty much lives in the neighborhood with your hand on the gearbox. This simplifies switching from changing gears to changing channels.
- Floor mounts: The floor mounts enable your CB radio to look upwards from the floor using a shaft that’s about 20-30 cm long from the floor (some are way shorter, so always keep in mind what height range you want). For a very basic illustration, think drilling twice on the floor to fixate a piece of ply. On that, you drill the bottom (often circular) base of the mount. The mount then extends from this base and morphs into a clip. This clip screws to hold the CB radio box and can be rotated along the up-down axis. You might need to tilt a bit to effectively use a floor-mounted CB radio.
- Flush mounts: Flush mounting means fitting inside the wall so that the installation seems as if it’s a part of the wall. You might have heard of flush mount USB ports. These are installed inside the dashboard with only the interactive exterior being displayed and no mounting or fitting being visible. Same with flush mounts for CB radios. No fitting will be visible as it will go inside the dashboard.
- Adjustable mounts: The adjustable CB radio mounts are more popular among users with smaller CB radios. An adjustable mount enables you to mount your CB radio without any center bar, so the overall width is flexible, or adjustable. These are formed of plates that move to lengthen or shorten the effective width to hold your particular CB radio.
- Universal mounts: Universal mounts allow for more swivel motion and are also more general-purpose than others. They can be used on hoods, trunks, hatchbacks, and so on. Make sure the applicable installation placements before you purchase a universal mount as they don’t cover all parts all the time.
- Hump mounts: Hump mounts often sit on the floor. These are sturdy and spacious frames to set up further extensions. This space can be used to hide wires, attach an external speaker, and so on. Hump mounts can sit somewhere else too besides the floor, including frames in jeeps.
The importance of knowing antenna compatibility
You see, a lot of mounts are used to swivel around. While sometimes, all you need is a flush mount for your CB radio. It all depends. And just like that, it’s highly important to know what kind of antenna you want to fit in.
Base station antennas need more specific mounts and those are usually harder to find. The common user might have a mobile antenna on the vehicle or an in-vehicle radio. Options for those are many and there’s also healthy competition in that market, keeping the prices affordably low. Need help choosing? Find great CB antenna choices here.
William Johnson is the owner and founder of RatedRadarDetector.org. He writes about car accessories, with his passion stemming from a deep enthusiasm for all things automotive. His website, RRD, focuses on in-depth reviews of car accessories to help people find the best and latest products in the market.
