nevada
Senior Member
no sir, im in central Washington. im sure there are many others near you that could take a peak.
Any CB epxerts?
- Thread starter DannyLlama
- Start date
wcjeep
Member
Agree with everything "Nevada" said. You need a well tuned system first before thinking of extra power. My SWR is 1.2 on my Jeep, 1.0 on my truck. I have an old Cobra 21LTD ( I think). The Cobra has been tuned (power turned up). My truck also has a tuned Cobra. In the City I reach about 3 miles. The mountains is variable. I can easily go 1 mile. Anything beyond that is highly dependent on locations. My location versus location of other radio. Top of the mountain versus the valley.
If you can't find a local meet and greet look for Ham Radio operators. Ham Radio deals in much longer distances. Tuning is everything. You should be able to find someone that can help. Some Truck Stops have a service area or could at least point you in the right direction.
violation
Member
Just installed a Unidel 520XL in my 3rd Gen. Bought an SWR Meter to use this weekend. Antenna is a 4' firestik. Going to check that nylon washer thing this weekend too and hopefully everything goes smoothly.
Need CB because the rally I'm going on will be using CB. Already have ham unit.
Danny- did you finally resolve your issue? My buddy and I are getting together for all of Sunday to do final prep work and load up the truck so we are ready to roll out at dawn next Friday. I'm hopefully not going to need too much time to figure out the CB. It's really the last thing for me to do to the truck that isn't a part of just packing in the equipment.
Need CB because the rally I'm going on will be using CB. Already have ham unit.
Danny- did you finally resolve your issue? My buddy and I are getting together for all of Sunday to do final prep work and load up the truck so we are ready to roll out at dawn next Friday. I'm hopefully not going to need too much time to figure out the CB. It's really the last thing for me to do to the truck that isn't a part of just packing in the equipment.
DannyLlama
Elite Member
I haven't done much more ... I replaced my fried cb with a new one. I turn it on when i'm driving and don't pick up anyone. Could be that no one is near. I maybe able to stop by Sunday if you guys are up to it.
violation
Member
that was what i was getting too, but before i knew about this whole SWR meter thing. i'm hoping it's just needing a simple tuning or maybe the nylon washer is in the wrong place.
just in case, i also bought a multi-meter. i read that it may also be because the unit isn't receiving enough juice to receive/transmit. lighting up the unit doesn't take much juice but receive/transmit takes more. so if a tune doesn't fix it and the nylon washer checks out, i will need to figure out how to use a multi-meter lol.
you're welcome to drop by but we may not have a lot of time to shoot the shit. but at least we can figure out each other's CB set-ups hopefully, though it may be a bit of blind leading the blind.
i'm just south of LAX right off the 405. maybe you can drop by and we can grab lunch if you come to the 'hood.
DannyLlama
Elite Member
[MENTION=125434]violation[/MENTION] how'd your install go? I didn't get a chance to go out to HB, had the kids all day.
DannyLlama
Elite Member
back at it with CB issues. Any recommendations on shops in Orange County?
81runner
New member
So CB is limited in power because of where it lies on the radio freq spectrum. I believe it's something like 11 meters. That makes it an HF frequency. If you add more power you need a license to operate it, and at that juncture you might as well go ham and get 10 meter, 2 meter and 70cm at up to 100 Watts with an entry level license "legally." Btw, those frequencies at even 50 Watts can transmit and receive for miles and miles even with minimal line of sight, so in an emergency, ham usually out performs cb anyway.10 meter is also HF, but not many people use it because of the step and the amount of interference it is susceptible to and the traffic that is commonly attributed to it being HF. I believe it's more popular in Europe than in the states. That being said, there is only so much you can do for noise on cb. Make sure your antenna is more than your radio needs to operate, watch out for tight twists and turns in the antenna cable, make sure you have an ample ground plane for the antenna, make sure your radio is properly grounded, use ferrite beads on your power lines to the radio to help with RF interference, don't allow your antenna cable to run perpendicular to any power lines in the vehicle, and always test your setup with a decent swr meter before you actually try to transmit. Hope that helps. If you're ever coming out near Ventura county, let me know as I'd gladly take a look at it for you. 73!
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DannyLlama
Elite Member
Thanks for the info! I will contact you if I'm making it out to the area.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year!
rallypoint_1
Member
Ever get your CB woes fixed?? I just installed a CB in my truck and got real good results. I did use a ground strap for the mounting bracket as an extra ground point. Also running my external SWR meter in line so I can adjust if needed in the fly without taking the dash apart.
DannyLlama
Elite Member
[MENTION=128258]rallypoint_1[/MENTION] No sir, have not.. Found a place in Fontana that will repair.. Now its a matter of time for me to go out there.
rallypoint_1
Member
Ah ok. Which one in Fontana? Viking?
That’s the thing...finding some time. Happens to me too.
DannyLlama
Elite Member
CB Radio Stores | CB Radio Services and Sales | Fontana, CA
This is the one I found and called. They will take a look and provide cost for repair or....
Open Saturdays but not Sundays.
This is the one I found and called. They will take a look and provide cost for repair or....
Open Saturdays but not Sundays.
