by Glenn Guinto
The following is the installation procedure for installing a Cobra 19DX III CB radio in my 99 Discovery I SD. There are obviously far better quality CB radios within the Cobra line up but I wanted one that met the following criteria
a.) No silver/chrome face plates (just personal preference - lol)
b.) Must fit on the overhead console (where sunroof switches are supposed to be - I don't have them)
c.) Just for shits and giggles, I wanted one with the PA system - that eliminated the 75WX ST from my choices.
Basic tools are needed to do this and the installation is really simple.
Materials/Tools:
The first thing to do is to remove the overhead console that is held to the roof with 10 screws, 5 on each side. You don’t have to take the sun visors out to remove the console but I did just to see how I can route the various wires I would need for this installation. They are held in place by 3 screws each.
Once that is down, you can just push the blank piece of plastic filler plate from behind (non-sunroof Discos only). This is where the CB is going to reside. The Cobra 19DX III fits very snug in this space and the mounting brackets weren't needed (YMMV). I did a little trimming to leave enough opening for the speaker, which is under the CB unit. Below are pictures of the CB in place.
I decided to mount my antenna in the front middle section of my roof rack. I use a 4ft Firestick II antenna on the trails and alternate it with a 2ft Firestick when I’m driving around town.
Before mounting the console back on the roof, the headliner required a bit of trimming in order to push the CB in deeper. You can avoid this step if you don’t want to trim your headliner but the 19DX III will stick out further. Pushing it back gives it a far cleaner appearance in my opinion.
Since I am putting a PA Horn, I would also need to route that wire from the engine bay to the CB. I decided to mount my PA Horn tucked behind the front bumper away from anything that will touch it. Take into consideration your front articulation if your mounting it somewhere else. Also, if you’re mounting it in the engine bay, move it from any moving parts or things that emit excessive heat. I plumbed the wire through my firewall using an existing grommet plug that I drilled before for my Hella 4000s.
Hook everything together and get ready to put the console back in place. For the non-sunroof Disco, you already have a 12 volt line in there that you can tap into. Make sure you have an inline fuse and ground it properly.
Now for the usual disclaimers:
These instructions were performed by me on my 1999 D1. I am not an electrician by any stretch of the imagination; therefore, I am not responsible for any problems caused by these instructions or any actions performed by you to your vehicle. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, please consult a professional. Your mileage may vary.