After running the CB for two weeks straight on The De-Tour, there are a few notes I'll make about it for anyone considering the same setup:
- It's a really nice setup. It fits so perfectly, especially with the AC housing "mod," that you don't even really need to secure it in any way...which is nice if you have to remove it for any reason (I did a few times to tune it). Even when wheeling, it didn't dislodge at all.
- The antenna setup worked out well - it tuned up really nicely once I got a SWR meter on it. There's one caveat to this - the Firestiks come with a little rubber cap that fits over the adjustable end of the antenna - and the antenna tunes significantly differently with that cap on vs. off. The first time I tuned it, I tuned it with the cap off; the second time, I tuned it with the cap on (which seems like a better long-term solution).
- The mic that comes with the CB is pretty cheap. I'm still using it, but consider a better mic if you're a heavy user of the CB.
- With a setup like this, you really need a spring for the antenna. I didn't have one for the initial install, but a a couple guys on the trip had an extra, so I was in luck. I first used one of Mike's, which was a "medium" duty spring and it wasn't strong enough (@Digiratus , I owe you a new one). @Blackdawg had a heavy duty one that worked well - thanks Monte! I recommend this one, which is on it's way to me as I type this: Firestik SS-3H Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Spring