J&M CB Installation

[debbiepalamar]

Has anyone installed a J&M handlebar CB on the RT? We need to know where to run the wires to not impede the steering. Hubby has it all torn apart and is getting frustrated. Thanks in advance!

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[debbiepalamar]

It's not pretty, but we got it.

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[pitzerwm]

Not a lot of choices there. Can you zip tie to the back/underside of handlebars to the center, then leave a bit of slack for turns?

[debbiepalamar]

After working on it for a couple of hours last night, he fed the wires through the empty accessory plugs. The battery drained from listening to the radio, so we put it on a tender. When he finally got to test the cb, it could transmit but not receive. Just too late to figure it out. We're stressed needing to get it working and back together to ryde to the Run-A-Mucca Motorcycle Rally on Friday. Why can't it just be easy?

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[SpyderSteveFL]

I needed to get a wire from my ham radio PTT button on the handlebar to the dash. I routed it down the hole that the GPS uses. See the little cover between the handlebar bolts? That's where the factory GPS wire runs. It's a bit tight but goes down the center so not interfered with when turning, etc. I need to get some pictures together with all the stuff I just did...

[Vidman]

What are you using for an antenna?

Very interested in how this works out for you. The BRP CB has a bad rep. I, along with others, use a portable cb and Sena units (SR10 and helmet set) for our helmets.

Good luck and keep us informed.

[debbiepalamar]

We got the J&M replacement cb antenna. All that is missing is the boot. I ordered from my dealer.

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[debbiepalamar]

I needed to get a wire from my ham radio PTT button on the handlebar to the dash. I routed it down the hole that the GPS uses. See the little cover between the handlebar bolts? That's where the factory GPS wire runs. It's a bit tight but goes down the center so not interfered with when turning, etc. I need to get some pictures together with all the stuff I just did...

We had to use 3 of those holes. One holds the connector to hear it in my helmet. The other two for the wires. I am waiting for the hubby to get home to troubleshoot the problems with transmission. Now I have a dead battery. It's been on the tender since last night, but still won't start. Ugh

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[k7xi]

If you think it's transmitting and not receiving, I'd check your connection at the coax- to- antenna connection.

[debbiepalamar]

Got it all installed and working. The problem was with the battery. It needs to be cleaned up, but works great.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Got it all installed and working. The problem was with the battery. It needs to be cleaned up, but works great.

Are those cable connections correct? It looks like both the antenna feed and ground wire are fastened to the antenna mounting block. Or is the ground connection insulated from the antenna feed? You certainly do not want both the antenna and ground connected together.

[debbiepalamar]

This is a picture before we realized that it was backwards. The wires go on the other side.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

This is a picture before we realized that it was backwards. The wires go on the other side.

But they are not both connected to the block are they? The ground, or shield, on the antenna coax needs to be connected to the bike frame somewhere and not to the antenna block. Only the center conductor of the coax is to be connected to the antenna mounting block.

[debbiepalamar]

Yes, the other end of the ground is connected to the frame.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

Yes, the other end of the ground is connected to the frame.

I don't think you're catching what I'm asking. You do not have the ground wire connected to the mounting block, right? You have only ONE wire connected to the brass mounting block, right?

[debbiepalamar]

The coax and the ground wires

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

The coax and the ground wires

That is incorrect. You want ONLY the center conductor of the coax from the radio connected to the brass mounting block. The shield of the coax is to be connected to frame ground. The two MUST NOT make contact with each other. The brass mounting block MUST NOT be connected to ground in any fashion whatever. If you have both the center conductor and the shield connected to the mounting block you are shorting out the CB. You will kill it in probably a pretty short time frame, plus it will not work properly.

[debbiepalamar]

I will let him know. Thanks

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

OK, I just looked at the J&M installation instructions. The ground strap eye connector must go around the same bolt that goes through the coax ring. But the ground strap connector makes contact only with a metal ring on the coax ring. It must not contact the bolt nor the antenna mounting block. So in your installation you will not connect anything to the small stud that has the two nuts on it like you show in the picture above. The metal ring that the ground strap eye connector touches is connected to the coax shield. The mounting bolt will touch a different metal ring in the coax ring which is connected to the coax center conductor. It is a little bit of a complicated system and you have to be very careful that you do not have electrical contact between the various parts of the coax ring.

If your hubby is brave and capable I would suggest he consider cutting the the ring off the end of the coax, peel back the shield and connect it to a new ground wire, preferably a braided strap type, and connect that to the bike frame. Solder a ring terminal to the center conductor and connect that to the small stud on the mounting block. That will allow you to use a bolt to very securely fasten the brass block to the bike housing. Doing it this way will also make it easier to keep the ground and center conductor apart from each other and would duplicate the OEM setup.

[debbiepalamar]

He says thanks for the info.