Installing a CB in Ram 2500 Power Wagon

Equipment doesn’t matter, but here’s what I opted for (and thus what this guide will be based around):

• Uniden CMX760 Bearcat Off-road radio
  • Any “compact style” would install the same way. Some others:
    • Cobra 75 WX ST
    • Midland 75-822
• Firestik Firefly 3′ antenna
• Firestik Firering coax
• Ram 09+ hood mount

The hood mount goes on quickly utilizing an existing 10 mm bolt. A multimeter showed this to have a good ground without doing anything additional.

Coax, stud, and antenna connected. After installation, I found that there wasn’t a good connection between the bolt head and the Firering. So I ended up adding a washer between the two.

To get the coax inside and the power leads outside, I first tried using the existing cable routing on the factory wiring harness boot. On the bottom of the boot, there’s a “tit” that you can cut the tip off of (or poke a hole) and route cable from the inside out. Because of the shape, it’s almost impossible to route cable from the outside in. And because of that and me using the Firering coax (which has to be routed outside, in), I ended up also utilizing the clutch plate for the coax and the factory harness for power. If I could do it over, I’d leave the factory harness alone and run them both through the clutch plate boot.

I removed the clutch plate (two 15 mm nuts) from, drilled a 1-1/4″ hole with a hole saw, and then inserted from the inside out a Daystar firewall boot. This allows me in the future a lot easier access to run things in and out of the cab. And if I wanted to take it back to stock, all I need a is a new clutch plate.

For power, I opted for a direct battery connection after suffering through a fuse tap in my last vehicle. The fuse tap was fine but led to quite a bit of interference in the audio and the inability to use the radio without the ignition being on. Ring terminals, heat shrink, and a few zip ties finished up our work outside.

One of my goals in doing this was the ability to go back to a factory state easily and without holes or damage. Inside, I used command strips to mount everything.

Then I found a spot to install the brains of the radio. Here, I again used command strips and a couple of screws. So, yes, I drilled and put two holes in the floor vent. I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.

When mounting the CB unit, make sure to face the “front” to the floor and the antenna and power to the firewall. This allows you to take the unit in and out of the bracket and attach the power and antenna. If you install it the other direction, those are all blocked by the accelerator and/or floor vent.

Connecting up the mic, I found the cable a little tigher than I liked. So I used the extension to find a length I liked. I zip tied the rest and stuffed it under the carpet.

With the install complete, it was time to tune the antenna before use. I ended up chasing down a few problems (one of them being the lack of connection between the Firering and the bolt I mentioned earlier). So an SWR meter and a multimeter are both good to have on hand for this step.

Once tuned, it’s ready to go.