CB specifics

My 2cents:
1) having multiple forms of communications is best and, yes, CB's are not all that expensive
2) having a HAM is realistically only really beneficial if you have a license so you can jump on the repeaters! Not having a license and using a repeater is a big NO NO!!! I agree, maybe for emergency use, but then it begs the question, why not just get a damn license???!!! It is NOT that hard to get a license and is NOT expensive at that!!!

I have stated earlier in another thread somewhere of what I would consider good use for a CB/HAM combination:
hypothetical situation
1) An offroad meet is taking place and people are coming in from all different directions and/or are NOT familiar with the area and some get lost or even stranded (due to whatever). I've heard more than enough stories where people are "lost" and are having a hard time trying to reach the group/camp!!! Hell, "my" caravan (there were 3x trucks, including mine) were "lost" going to a spot I was not familiar with. If someone at camp had a HAM "license" and connected to a repeater, then we could have easily made contact as I have a HAM license, but no one else did, so it just F'd things up for that situation and made things more difficult than it really needed to be. Cell phone coverage, well, let's just hope you have NO "immediate medical emergency", LMAO!!!
2) Instead of using a phone (i.e. cell phone/smart phone... a PHONE, LOL) you can jump on a HAM/repeater and talk "real time" to other members instead of using a cell phone for talking/texting because of possible "dead spots". If texting, you won't have to wait for text replies and you will be able to easily, actually talk, while driving while using the HAM radio (i.e. utilizing a repeater when talking about fairly extreme long distances). Not only that, more than likely, a repeater can be connected to for just about any situation and/or anywhere you are!!!
3) Then when on the actual trail, switch over to CB for short range communications!!! This way, you don't have to worry about your language, HAM rules, etc etc etc!!! I'm all for anyone saying just about anything they want on the air, but it does get a bit ridiculous listening to bad mouthing, which has just PLAUGED CB usage!!!
4) Finally, when done with the trail and leaving the group and/or each other, if someone is NOT familiar with the area, again, a person can jump on the HAM band and talk to a member and/or whomever to find out how to get back on the right path to go back home!!!

real life situation of what happened to a couple:
I was watching a show and it was about a couple that got lost in the snow up in the mountains. The guy was familiar with the area, but not that particular path/route AND there was severe weather in the area! They proceeded onward until he decided to finally turnaround and go back, but as he was backing-up, his rear tire got stuck in the snowbank/ditch. He tried everything he could to get out, but it was of no use! Sooooo, they were stuck and the weather continually got worse. He ended up leaving the vehicle to go look for help and had is fiance/gf wait in the vehicle because of the weather. She ended up staying IN the vehicle for about 5-6days and only surviving on whatever was left to eat!!!!!! At the time, friends/family were also looking for them, but were searching the wrong area!!! Anyways, the fiance/gf leaves the vehicle because there was no help in sight and she was surely going to die out there due to the weather was still bad and there was practically NO food left!!! She eventually found her fiance/bf and he had died while out in the severe weather. Eventually, one of her family members commandeered a snow plow and found her.

Moral of the story, a CB maybe "old" technology, but you just never ever know???!!! Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!!! I always wonder if having a CB MIGHT have helped this couple out??? Maybe, maybe not!!! Again, you never ever know. Having multiple forms of communications is ALWAYS a good thing to have in my humble opinion!!! I would NEVER rely on a cell phone out in the sticks and/or during an emergency crisis/situation!!! NEVER!!! To each their own, I guess???!!!

Again, just my 2cents about having both CB/HAM setups on a persons rig!!!

Happy Wheel'n people

 

And try to bring the cable into highest point of the undercarriage.

This is where I entered in the cab, there was a factory hole with a nice rubber closed grommet that led straight into the center hump right at the center console. I pierced the grommet with the smallest hole possible that allowed the cable to enter the cab. Cable was bare (I soldered the connector after entry in the cab) so intrusion was a very small diameter hole. Then I siliconed the heck out of it. Both below and topside.


I'm pretty sure that if i didn't do everything that I did, my toes would have been soaking in the muddy waters of Rausch Creek PA inside my truck. LOL.

 

Here's a link to my setup if anyone is trying two radios. Has worked out well for 25k.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cb-radio-and-icom-radios-installed.431692/

 

Sub'd

 

Looking for a CB Antenna mount that rotates down when not in use. I want to mount on the side of the roof rack.

Any recommendations?

 

I don't know of any that "rotate", but that would be a bit interesting for sure! They have quick disconnects if that helps any?

 

I have seen the quick disconnects, I just want to have everything onboard rather than storing it in my garage. Sometime I forget to bring it with us, so having it attached makes it easy for us not to forget.



Here is another one I have seen.
http://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/cb-antenna-fold-over-adapter


But looking for something more sturdy. These adapters are more of an after thought than a solution.

 

Spoke too soon. I think I found it. Anyone else have experience with these?

http://www.theantennafarm.com/catal...ts-467/pl-259-style-luggage-rack-mounts-1209/

 

Friend runs one on his 4runner roof rack. Seems to work just fine. I think he has a 3' on it

 

Very SWEET!!! Learn something everyday?! Never even thought about a "rotating" piece/mount???!!! LOL, I might look into the fold over for a CB I know about the fold over for HAM antennas (I have one), but never heard/thought about it for CB!!! Again, very nice and thank you for the education!!!

 

Just following

 

Ok. 17 pages in the bag and I see a CB setup in my very near future. Here's my question (and disclaimer: you will make fun of me. I'm a 9 year old at heart, and there's nothing I can do about it). I want this setup:

I suspect I can do whatever I want, but there seems to be a lot of science and math behind making a CB setup work right. Is this kind of antenna setup workable for CBs? It seems, in addition to being awesome looking, an answer to the question of detachable antenna, or shorter antenna, or scraping antenna, etc.

Thoughts?

 

You are starting at the wrong end of the horse, my friend.

You have to buy a vintage army Jeep first.

 

Okay, got one for you fine folks. Finally got my CB installed and running.

When I accelerate getting onto the freeway I can hear my engine through my CB speaker.

My CB is powered by the Cigarette Lighter in the Center Console.

Any ideas? Is this normal?

 

It works:
AB558 with m116-117-118 sections. It's an old pic where I was just mocking it up so I've since trimmed the antenna down and semi-permanently affixed the base.

SWR like 1.3-1.4 on channel 1-40, after a bit of troubleshooting. Initial readings were trash. Key is to use a hose clamp and braided strap to ground the coax to the mount itself since the antenna is built around a fiberglass base.

 

Bah! You're not helping!

 

I ran the Breedlove fold over brass mount like what's in the first video you have linked. You do have the option of leaving the antenna mounted on it, just have to unscrew enough to fold the mount over, then screw it back relatively snug, and have something to hold the tip of the antenna down so it doesn't bounce around.

 

Try running your positive straight to the battery, and make sure your ground is grounded to a good spot. Cigarette lighters can have "dirty power" meaning the power from a cigarette lighter is going through and coming off of other things. The noise you are hearing is your alternator. Running your power off of the battery is not near as convenient but gives you cleaner power. If your still having issues after that then there is other things that need to be tested. On my old truck, even though the CB was hooked directly to the battery, I would get noise coming through every time I used the windshield washer button. It wasn't something I used all that often, and it never really bother me, so I never bothered to figure it out. Hope this helps.

 

Exactly the answer I was looking for. Thank you Sir!

Looks like I'll be using that Rocker Switch for my CB after all!

I tried to do a stealth mount with everything in the center console and figured I'd use the cigarette lighter in there, guess that's not working out.

 

Got noise, then here's some useful info:

http://downloads.cobra.com/CB/Models/MiscInfo/CBnoise.pdf