The 2020 Annual Citrus Meet!

Depends on your antenna, really. Mine is in an almost ideal mounting location (roof mounted), but being as it's only a 3' Firefly, I can only get it down to 1.6 on 1 and 1.7 on 40 (I deliberately biased a tiny bit it toward the lower channels). I'm getting 1.1 on 20.

@Alfuh has the best tune I've ever done. He has a 5' firestik and he's getting 1.1/1.1; the needle on the SWR meter barely twitched on 20. It's crazy how good his setup works.

 

True, lots of factors involved. 1.1 is incredible! I had a 8.5' whip on my old Ford and I never touched that.

 

I could hardly believe it myself, but he's running good equipment: Cobra 25LTD Classic with a 5' Firestik FSII. Not sure what his coax is, but it's doing it right.

Even though I'm not getting those crazy low SWRs on the ends, from what I can tell, I have one of the best performing setups in our group. I don't have any issues transmitting from the front to the back of a line of 18 or 20 trucks...which isn't bad in the woods, haha. Dunno what kind of range I'd have on the road though. Frank was meeting me at my house before the October meet and with my truck parked in the driveway with the antenna about a foot or so away from the eves of the roof, we were able to talk from about a .5 mile out. He said he could hear me for a while before I was able to hear him though. Dunno if that was because of my antenna being too close to obstructions or if it was just his radio wasn't getting out very far though.

Oh and I'm running a 25+ y/o (1990 year model) Cobra 25 LTD Classic with a 3' Firestik Firefly and 9' Fire Ring coax.

 

Since last citrus I've upgraded to a

$69 uniden pro520xl pro series 40-channel CB radio. compact design. ANL switch and PA/CB switch. 7 watts of audio output and instant emergency channel 9. - black

uniden pro520xl with a 4ft Firestik mounted right behind the cab. Sooo much better than my unicorn magnetic setup

 

I have a meter as well and can help people get tuned.

 

that was with the factory fenders lol, no idea how good it is now...I had to run a ground wire to the chassis, so I'll have to get it tuned again and make sure everything is grounded now....it's not gonna be as good as last year was lol

 

I bet it will as long as you have it grounded well. I think it has far more to do with the antenna length than it does with where it's mounted or else my SWRs would be a lot better. Now as far as how well the radio sends and receives, that's a different story and that's probably why my radio does as well as it does even though my SWRs aren't that great, since I have a much better ground plane than you guys with your antennas mounted on the bed rails.

 

No flange as yet?

 

Nope

 

If yalls got room for one more I'm down with 65mph and pinstripes. I'm on 35 MTs now. Hopefully wont get stuck this time.

 

One last weather report. It hasn't improved any, but at least the chance of rain hasn't increased.

 

looked pretty nasty coming into work today..

 

Ayup, that'd be our very short lived cold front coming in that will make Friday nice.

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Started getting the truck loaded up and I cleaned the windows so I can at least start the trip being able to see out of them.

Just gotta hit the grocery store for supplies and then re-ice the cooler then it's just a matter of waking up tomorrow and loading up my clothes, bedding, and toiletries before heading out.

 

I have done nothing yet to get ready plus I still have to change my carrier (again) after I get off work

 

Thanks for bringing this up, in order to avoid anymore shit from the forestry nazis, we won't be bombing down trails anymore at 50+ mph. I'd say the fastest we can go is 45 and even that is pushing it

 

I'll be hitting camp around 11.

 

the wife will be packing clothes as i will be packing the truck tonight, going to get all supplies during out walmart run friday, cooler etc...

 

So, what you're saying is...Your wife dresses you.