CB Radio Confusion?? -Need Help!!

[cellar]

Problem is it is working when I think it shouldn't. :wow: I'm re-installing my CB on my current truck. It worked prefectly well in when I had it installed in the other truck. Once, the ground connection came loose and it didn't work. Hooking the ground wire back up fixed the problem.
The CB is a cheap Radio Shack unit I got for next to nothing.

Now what really has me confused, is that hooking up +12v power to the CB with no GND connection causes the CB to seemingly work fine! (I say seemingly because it turns on and static is heard. I'd have to drive to the truck stop to get any reception to test.)

I have the power running in from a new aux fuse box I installed with some equally new Hella lights. Originally, I had the CB +12v connected with the power feed to the light switches. Figuring that the CB might be shorting to ground via the switches, I ran the CB power off it's own fused terminal and encountered the same thing.:redbrick:

There seems to be no other electrical connection to the CB other than +12v power . So how is it turning on???? Must I be shorting to ground somewhere?

 

[performance mp3]

I used to be into the CB thing before cell phones (ouch!) That is how we used to communicate from car to car lol

I can see that happening if the mounting screws are either in metal or touching it from your bracket.

The CB might either have its chassis grounded inside or there is a short on the ground wire and it is exposed to the CB chassis/bracket.

Or if you have ground straps in the back to help mount the CB it also will ground it if it is touching metal.

The ground wire should be grounded to chassis. The truck also serves as a ground plane for your antenna. More area to catch signals and send them. Back in the day, people used to mount multiple ground straps for better signal. I think it was a myth, but people did it.

You gonna hook up a linear?

 

[cellar]

Thanks for the reply.

I found out where it is grounding out, but the probem is still there. Once I disconnected the antenna from the back, it turned off. Operation was then as expected. (re-connecting the proper ground wire turned it on)

I never had this happen before and I hooked everything (including the antenna) the same way. Antenna is grounded to the roof of the truck.

I'll check the antenna cable for shorts.

The antenna wire does not seem to have any shorts either. I'm not sure if there should be continuity between the antenna wire and ground with the the wire connected to the antenna and the other end disconnected from the CB or not. (there isn't)

Any cues??

 

[performance mp3]

The antenna is bolted into sheet metal or bumper, right?

and the coax sheilding is soldered/crimped on the coax connector

the coax connector is screwed into the CB, thus making a ground.

The case of the CB is probably also grounded

It makes sense

Now, if the antenna was on a fiberglass piece like the 1st gen 4Runner removable shell, that would be different... My friend made a bar similar to a light bar across the top on his 1G so the antenna would get better support.