CB specifics

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A couple questions for the HAM operators.

I've been having a ton of fun with my new CB setup but think I'm gonna get licensed and pick up a 2 meter radio. Probably just a handheld unit to begin with. I'm actually really enjoying reading about radio theory so what would yall recommend as far as study resources? I just ordered the ARRL HAM radio license manual. Any other good resources?

Ive also been having fun with a handheld

$100 Uniden BC75xlt Handheld Scanner, 300 Channels, 10 banks, Close Call Technology, PC Programable, NOAA Weather, Aviation, Marine, Railroad, NASCAR, and Non-Digital Police/Fire/Public Safety

Uniden BC75xlt scanner. If I swapped out the rubber antenna for a 20+ inch collapsable antenna would I possibly get better range?

Thanks!!

 

I have a cb and a hamm.
I do not prefer one over the other.
I don't see why it's necessary to obtain a license to talk through a walkie talkie but then again I can appreciate socialized conversation instead of all the spam sometimes you get to the cb, and in some cases I get with the ham as well.
From my understanding if you switch out the stock rubber antenna with anything it's much better

 

The tech license test is fairly easy. You don't need to buy a study guide. Just google the "Tech class pool questions" and find a result that gives you the current 200 questions and answers, read them a few times, practice a few times, you should be good to go. There are 35 questions out of the 200 question pool on the test and they are all multiple choice and the answers are exactly as presented, even the wrong answers are exactly as presented.

For a scanner, yes, the longer (taller) the antenna in theory you will get better reception. For transmitting, this isn't always correct, though.

 

Did you custom make that bracket? I just picked up what looks like the same CB and I'm considering different mounting options.

 

So months ago I bought the

$167 Uniden Bearcat 980 40- Channel SSB CB Radio with Sideband NOAA WeatherBand,7- Color Digital Display PA/CB Switch and Noise Cancelling Mic, Wireless Mic Compatible

Uniden Bearcat 980 SSB because I really liked all the new features and really wanted to go with that radio. A few weeks ago the actual radio I will be installing arrived and I will now be going with the President Johnny III. Here are a few pics to compare. I'm sure all of you know we dont have much room to play with in these trucks to install things. The smaller the better.

 

I've always thought that CB radios seemed cool, but never bothered to seriously look into it, or think that I should mess with a setup. I saw a wheelin' trip coming up in March, and immediately the wheels started to turn, and sure enough I found a guy on craigslist willing sell me his used Cobra 29WXNWST and Mic for $40. It's a good solid radio with all the bells and whistles, just huge.




At this point I can't wait to start hooking this thing up so I hop online, and order the other parts I need (and maybe one I didn't) then waited for them to arrive.




Thanks to our good friend Amazon Prime my stuff showed up two days later.


Power Cord-$6




Tram 703-HC Center Load CB Antenna Kit-$19. I didn't take any photos of this mounted, but I just ran the antenna cable under the driver seat, and out the passenger door on the drivers side. I wasn't able to pick anyone up, but the weather channels came through clear, so I know it was working. I'll take the time to tune it later.




The CB already had Velcro on the back of so for now I'm simply sticking it to the carpet on the driver's side of the console, but I'm still trying to decide what other good solutions I have without drilling holes.





So I got a working CB radio setup for $65. That's where the fun stopped and started.


Obviously any man who still talks to his inner teenager knows that a CB radio is worthless unless you can scare innocent civilians, so while browsing Amazon I ran across this.




For only $8 I could not pass this up. It comes with a mounting bracket, and the cord from it is a pretty good length, 12ft maybe? You should also go read the first review, it's worth the click.

$21 Pyle Portable PA Speaker - All-Weather Mono Trumpet Horn Speaker, 5” Outdoor PA System with 25W Peak Power, 8 Ohms Impedance, 180° Adjustable Swiveling Bracket for Easy Maneuverability

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001D0LMG2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1


So after I got the power hooked up the CB I went inside to go open the box I was really excited about




After searching around my engine bay for a while trying to find the easiest place to mount this without drilling holes, and just using some zip-ties, I decided to set it up between the passenger headlamp and radiator.






I mounted it with a few zip-ties, then to try it out I ran the cable through the passenger door and plugged it in to the CB. I turned it on, tested it out, and my fiancee promptly ran out of the house to let me know that she couldn't hear the TV over me. Needless to say I was one happy camper, and was ready to run the cable for real.


I ran the cable around the engine bay, and notice I'm getting short on slack. I squeeze the cable between the grommet and firewall, go the driver side door, start to pull it through when the cable strips. I tape it up, pull it the rest of the way to the radio, but it no longer works. *womp womp* I tried to trim, and splice the cable a few times with no luck, and just admitted defeat.


I ordered another speaker, and an extension cable for it for an additional $12.


I left the old speaker in the truck while I waited for the new one to arrive just to make sure that it wasn't going to have any issues in that location, and I didn't notice anything, and the speaker still looked good when I pulled it out when the new one arrived.


Tonight the new speaker arrived, so I mounted it in the same location, tested it out, and then ran the cable around the engine bay. I just used zip-ties to attach it to the the existing wiring.




Once through the firewall I only pulled the cable about 2 inches, but this time I used a screwdriver to make space between the grommet and firewall, because I learned my lesson. I attached my extension cable, ran it under the floor mat, over to where the CB is mounted.



I went ahead and hooked all up, and now I have a working CB, and PA for under $100.


I'm sure there's things that I'll go back and change out, or things I should've done better, but for a what I need it works great.

 

i bought some metal strips at loews and fabricaded it up and sprayed it with plasti dip it works great looks clean i didnt want to make any holes in my truck.

 

LOL, I NEED to be back on the forum more often???!!!

I need to go back a few pages and check on some people to see if things are good???

 

You left a dirty mop in your passenger side floor board.

LOL

 

In all fairness he was probably cleaning up some mess on my floorboard. I think he enjoys the truck more than I do.

 

getting lots of noise on my CB coming from blower fan any help?????

 

Wire direct to battery and ensure a solid ground. That's about the best you can do. CBs are not super advanced and are prone to electrical noise.

 

thx

 

What the hell is in the last pic on the passenger floor?

 

Told you your knowledge would be missed

 

That's Herman, he's usually trying to help out anytime I'm messing with the truck.

 

Lol nice

 

Been around cbs my whole life since my family owns a trucking company. Best thing I recommend is getting your radio peaked and tuned by a shop. Shouldn't be expensive and it helps with range a lot.

 

We have had a couple customers report some rubbing on their brackets as well. Its a tight fit to get the bracket between the tailgate. It seems as though some tailgates must fit closer to the bedside than others. Can you post up any pics of exactly where its touching so that we can try to make some adjustments if possible? Also please quote or tag us so we can get back here and respond as soon as we can, thanks!