Page created: 23-Dec-03

Re-published: 1-Nov-09

RELATED LINKS

Ancillary Wiring

Roof Racks

Midland 48+ Details

CB radios could have almost been invented for use in Land Rovers. They are incredibly useful in many off-road or convoy situations and are also great fun. I've had a CB fitted in most of my Land Rovers and my Discovery was no exception. The installation, however, was a little more complicated due to the nature of the interior and body shape.

The radio itself is a Midland 48+, which boasts 80 channels (40 UK and 40 European) and a PA output. It's not the smallest of radios and fitting it in the Discovery was something of a compromise. I didn't want it to be too visible, so the top of the dashboard was out, but I wanted a clear view of the display and to be able to reach the controls. It ended up fixed to the passenger side of the transmission tunnel, which worked ok.

In addition, I  mounted a remote speaker, salvaged from a mobile phone car kit, in the centre of the dash underneath the heater controls, which makes the sound quality much better.

Installing the aerial also posed a few problems. I wanted to locate it centrally on the vehicle as this gives the best all round transmission range. As the Discovery has a steel roof I could have used a magnetic mount, but I wanted something more permanent and also something that wouldn't interfere with using the roof rack. I eventually settled on a mirror mount clamped to the front of the roof rack with the cable running down the side of the snorkel alongside the wiring for the roof lights.

The aerial itself is a 1.5m steel whip with a large coil sprung base. This has proved to be very robust, standing up to all sorts of abuse when driving through trees and the like.

In addition to the vehicle mounted radio, I also carry a hand held unit, which is useful for communicating if it's necessary to walk ahead of the vehicle to check out a track. It's also proved its' worth when marshalling on various off-road events. The unit is a Maycom AH-27, although the same unit has been sold under a variety of names. This is an excellent 80 channel radio with good range and clear reception. In fact, some people, with the addition of a remote mike and aerial, use this as their main vehicle radio.

All of the radio equipment I've used over the the years, including that fitted to my Discovery, has been purchased from Communication Eleven - a small company based in Surrey. The owner is a keen Land Rover fan and his website, www.4x4cb.com, offers a huge amount of helpful technical information. The prices are good too.

There used to be a requirement to purchase a license to operate a CB radio, which used to be administered by the Radiocommunications Agency. However, this license was abolished in December 2006 and CB operation is now free..