CB radio problem

I have recently out a cb radio in my taco. It picks up signals but not very clear and most of the time i hear a bunch of static even after i fuck with the squelch. Whenever i have got good connections to people when i talk they never respond like they cant hear me. I know that my mic is good so thats not the problem. When i hooked up the radio i taped the power wire behind my radio in the car. I was wondering if it was a possiblilty that the radio is simply not getting enough power from this source to work good. I was also wondering about the best place to mount the antenna because right now it is on the left side of the bed behind the driver.
cheers

 

First off, Did you tune the antenna and radio? if not I would recommend taking it to a local CB shop and getting it taken care of by the guys that know whats going on, should be around $15.

Second, how tall is your antenna? it is recommended that atleast 2/3 of the antenna is higher then the highest point of the truck.

I doubt the power to the radio is the issue but check those two things out..

 

How exaclly did you run your power wires? Best bet is always straight to the battery. Also RF noise has alot to do with the radio itself. Cheaper radios aren't always good at blocking it out. More info would be helpful: radio, antenna type, etc. And yes as stated already you have to tune the antenna to the radio, if not you're goin to have poor performance and possibly damage the radio.

 

its a 4ft roadpro and yes most of it is above the truck but i will get it tuned and see how it works...preciate the advice

 

No problem man, hopefully that should fix it. If not ask the guys at your local CB shop whats going on with it. im sure they will help! glad i could help man, take care!

 

Run the power straight to the battery. Then check the SWR.

 

where is the antenna mounted? if its mounted on the bed rail it probably doesnt have a good ground plane. you need a good ground plane to get good SWRs

running a ground wire to the mount is usually not enough since its not an electrical ground you need, but a ground plane, meaning the ground needs mass.

 

i originally had the power straight to the battery but when i turned off my truck it was still drawing power and i didnt want the battery to drain

 

The people you are hearing could be running more powerful cb's than you and they just can't hear you due to the distance between.

 

The symptoms described (static, weak reception, etc) suggest a very poor or missing ground plane for the antenna. With the typical automotive antenna, the metal body of the vehicle acts as part of the antenna. Without a metal mounting surface, this type of antenna will simply not work properly.

The Tacoma's bed is a fiberglass composite, so obviously will not provide adequate metal for a ground plane. You might be able to improve the situation somewhat by connecting the base (mount) of the antenna to the metal frame or metal body of the truck using either large diameter wire (fair) or flat, braided, wire (best).

An alternative is switching to an antenna design which does not require a ground plane. Antennas designed for motorhomes (often fiberglass as well) are good examples of this. The braided shield within the coax included with these antennas act as the ground plane, so the coax usually should not be cut or shortened.

Mounting the existing conventional antenna in the center of a large, metal, toolbox might work as well. This option often works best if the toolbox is also grounded to the truck's frame.

Finally, one other alternative is relocating the conventional antenna to some part of the metal truck cab using either a permanent mount or a magnetic mount.