CB Help...

i'm running the cobra handheld unit also, have a small 2ft. antenna mounted on the front corner of the cab that barely reaches about the roof. does just fine for trail riding. i used to have larger antennas mounted in different configurations but hated hearing them smack tree branches on the trails, thats why i went with the 2ft. version. i have mine mounted in the center console, it stays there when i'm on the road out of sight. then when i hit the trails i pull it out and shut the lid on the cord... works great!

 

Sorry busy day on duty today! Yes, the guys would take them to the little radio shops and I assume they were somewhat illegal, although I don't remember it being an issue.

 

Thats the one! Great CB radio for the price!

 

I had a President with the Gold Eagle Mic. The Led was burnt out so I was always on channel zero. Hooked up a freq so I did go to the right channel. Also had extra channels and then of course the letter for FCC came in the mail.....Ahh the good oh days. Still got a K-40 in the garage, and the mic.

 

if its for a trail setup you really dont need anything quite so sophisticated. I use my radio when wheeling to talk to other guys on the trail, with the right antenna set up you can reach a few miles at most.

I got a cheap 40 chanel uniden and it works great

 

http://www.unidendirect.com/itemdetail.cfm?item=B-PRO510XL

this is the one i have, nive and small and does the trick! only 40 some dollars too!

 

I have the cobra model 19 with the PA. They key to clear reception is tuning your antenna to the radio. I had to knock off about 6 inches off of my antenna to get it tuned in properly.
I picked up the tuner at radio shack . Best palce to by the radio and acessories is a truck stop. Thay can offer great technical support as well.

 

Pure curiousity, what do you guys think of the handheld units, like this guy?

 

they work just fine.. just dont have the range of a mounted unit. but if your only using it to talk on the trail it should do the trick...

 

..one of my old cop buddys had a beautiful one right in his living room...I would sit there and just marvel at the majesty of it! That was essentially a serious HF ham transmitter, sort of tuned down to the 27MHZ. Kind of like yanking the V12 out of a Jag and putting in a V6. And the D104 "chrome lollipop" mic too. He didnt have your typical roof antenna no-he had what looked like a missle mounted smak in the center of his back lawn with its own dedicated concrete base! Jees CB was SO big then!

 

Ahh, good ol' CB's. I used to be hard core into this hobby... But what everyone has said is dead on... Center of the roof would be best for the antenna, and any radio should work. Just depends on what you want to do with it. If you're just out using it during the weekend off road trips, then the basic radio will work. If you're looking into making a hobby out of it, then start with the basic radio, and then upgrade later once you know what everything is. Just my two cents...

EDIT: Oh, and if you want your radio to work its best, then make sure you tune your antenna to your radio. Its called SWR (Standing Wave Ratio)...
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question490.htm

Pics are worth a thousand words:

I used to have the 3/4 wave antenna sitting off my chimminy.. stood 27 feet If I recall!


Had a TRC-458 Base unit with the D-104 and some extras.... and the SuperStar 3900-B (black)... Loved that radio!





the little guy I kept in the truck....


But yeah, I got out of the hobby for the same reasons HeyNameIsLucy mentioned... People bing dicks keying over other people, making the local channel a personal radio station, etc.. Maybe one day I'll get back into it..

 

What about external speakers? I assume that normally, the sound coming from the CB comes from the handset. Is that correct? Do external speakers like this provide any benefit?

 

Also, the cable from the radio to the antenna, is that just a regular coax cable, like you'd use for cable tv?

 

Most radios have an internal speaker on the bottom of the unit it self, so an external isnt a bad idea so you'll get better sound.

Coax cable is similar to the kind used for TV, but they are rated different ohm ratings... Its been a few years, so im just going off memory here, but I think the TV kind of coax is 75 or 90 ohm, and the coax for CB's is 50 ohm. You dont want to mix them. RG-58 which is 50 ohm coax, is pretty common for mobile units if I recall.

 

..so nice to see another member with a passion for radiocomm...and you are correct, radiocomm needs 50ohm. RG58U is generally OK for short runs like under 20' but like for a home where you would have 25-50' runs of feedline, you need a low-loss cable like RG8 or LMR which its all about shielding

 

Thanks for the info Daniel!

 

So, would a run from my rear bumper to the cab be short enough for normal coax cable? I ask only because I have miles of that shit at my house and I really don't want to buy MORE if I don't really need it...

 

Yeah, you'll be just fine for your truck if you dont plan on pushing any extra power. I used to run 90 feet of it at my house, pushing 400 watts through it, so you'll be fine with 25-30 feet... But the key to a good system is making sure the antenna is tuned to your frequency. A good all around frequency to tune at is 27.205 Mhz, which is channel 20 on your radio (good to tune at that one since its right in the middle of the channels...)

The way you tune your system is to get a SWR Meter or have a radio with one built in, calibrate your meter, and test the SWR Rating. The lower the better. So a 1 is great, a 1.7 no so great and 2.5+ is starting to get to the red zone... You adjust your antenna height to get the correct tuning... Most whip style antennas have a set screw that you will use to adjust the length of the whip


The fire sticks or whatever they're called im not real familer with so I can really advise you on how to tune them if they are tunable.

Hope this helps some... Sorry for the book