CB Radios and no idea what im looking for

[bluex]

Well my early morning Walmart run has now been cancelled, guess I'll have to wait for some other suggestions

Sorry, but its for the best I'm sure...

 

[77Concours]

Check Craiglsist! I found a used Cobra 25 LTD for $40 and took a chance on it. The CB worked perfectly and I had a full tune on it and run cophased 4' Firestiks. I'm on my phone so I'll post pictures later. When I had it installed the guy had a transmission hump mount that works great and doesn't interfere with my 4x4 shifter.

Best picture I have of the antennas:

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The CB/mount:

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[LOH CHO]

So anything higher then a cobra 19 is decent?

 

[BigV]

When it comes to radios start with a good antenna, good ground plane and good coax. A cheap radio with a good antenna will beat a great radio with a cheap antenna any day.

For radios the Cobra 29 LTD is pretty much the go-to radio for most people. I just looked and at Amazon they are $80.

In our semi-trucks (I work in trucking) we installed these Uniden SSB Radios.. So far they are holding up well and perform as well as any other radio we've used.

 

[-sin-]

When it comes to radios start with a good antenna, good ground plane and good coax. A cheap radio with a good antenna will beat a great radio with a cheap antenna any day.

For radios the Cobra 29 LTD is pretty much the go-to radio for most people. I just looked and at Amazon they are $80.

In our semi-trucks (I work in trucking) we installed these Uniden SSB Radios.. So far they are holding up well and perform as well as any other radio we've used.

So are you saying the Cobra 19 would be okay, IF it had a better antenna/mount/coax?

 

[Old Goat Ninja]

Hmmmm, replying so I can read more replies. Next weeks check will have OT pay on it and I was planning a CB install with that $.

On a side, I had a cheap a$$ Radio Shack jobbie in my old Jeep, but I guess I got lucky and it "tuned" well with antennae I had installed out back. I had truckers all the time telling me how clear I sounded and asked what I had, etc. One thing I think I learned, is mount antennae as far from metal as possible. I had Jeep antennae installed way in the back on door/spare tire stopper thingy. On my truck I think I will put it all the way on the back of the bed on top. Ugly, but best placement sound wise. Or so I've been told. I was told many times that's why my Jeep sounded so good. And it was a POS CB Radio.

 

[great white]

Ok, here goes.....

first, some definitions:

1. Listener - how your radio picks up signals
2.Talker - how your radio gets out
3. Front talker - radio gets out predominantly to the front
4. side talker - gets out mostly to a side
5. Ground - this is not electrically ground, but RF grounding. Different animal altogether...
6. ground plane - a bit of a misnomer, but in a mobile application it's the amount of metal immediately perpendicular to the antenna
7. co-phase - dual whips. ineffective on passenger vehicle as they need to be 8 feet apart to be effective in the co-phased config.
8. SWR - standing wave ratio. this is essentially feedback into the antennae and to the set. Too much and your radio will fry when you talk.
9. SWR meter - what you use to adjust your SWR. NOT the pretty little meter on your radio.
10. "tune" - tuning antenna means adjusting it's length to reduce SWR's.
11. "peak and tune" - generally, how a guy takes your radio and just F's it right up....
12. Dead key - Generally, what your radio puts out when you hold the mic down and don't say anything. You'll often hear "RADIO" transmitted over the airways. this is someone adjusting their deadkey for the most peak wattage they can get. Or it's some A-hole who wants to make it sound like he knows what he's doing....
13. Linear - this is a linear amplifier.

Antennas:

1. The absolutely most important part of your radio is the antenna. Both in construction and mounting.

The ideal in a mobile setup is the infamous 102" steel whip mounted right smack in the center of the roof. Now, that's just not practical on a day to day rig so guys move them to the bumper or front fenders which is not ideal but a reasonable compromise.

In a nutshell, the 102" whip is significant because the length is multiple of a radio wave length. This is what makes it the best listener and talker on 11 meter band.

The next best is the base/center/top load antenna's. These are essentially the same length as the big 102" whips, they're just a 102" wire wrapped around a fiberglass core. They are a compromise to try and get that 102 antenna in a shorter overall length. The shorter they get, the more of a compromise they are. If you can fit a 5 foot whip, use it.

Next best (some say better than the fiberglass whip) is the base load antenna. Again, it's actually 102" but coiled up at the base of the antenna. Many report good results with the Wilson base load style lil' Will or the Wilson 3000/5000 series.

Once you decide on the antenna, you need to decide on location.

As mentioned the best spot is dead center of mass and as high as possible. this makes for the best all around talker. Since it's high, there is no signal blockage from the cab or other components. Since it's center of the metallic mass, it radiates out in a nice wide circle. The signal is "pulled" to the direction that has the most metal in front of it. IE; mount the antenna on the driver rear or the bed and it will be strongest talking to the front left. A pic is worth a thousand words:

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here's more to maybe make it clearer what I'm talking about:

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2. co-phased antennas. Not much use on a passenger sized vehicle other than looks. Co phased antennas need to be 8 feet apart to be effective and even when they are, they become front talkers. Great if you're on a big rig running down the interstate, not so good if you're on a trail ride. they still work, just don't fool yourself into thinking you've cheated the RF gods and found a way to make you radio get out further. About all dual whips do on a pickup is round out the front side talker . IE: put one on either side of the rear bumper and you get closer to a round radiation circle. There is not gain like on a properly phased set of duals. Dual whips are also a biotch to get the SWR's down on, are very difficult to tune, require very specific types of different coaxs at different points, specific lengths, connectors, wtc. Just an all aeoun PITA if you dont know exactly what you're doing and minimal to no gain if you so. Very different story in a base station properly co-phased array though....

Most guys you see running dual whips on passenger vehicles or even rigs have one antenna hooked up and the other is for looks (dummy antenna). Or the second is there in case they frag the working antenna on something and they can just switch the coax over to the remaining one.....most "in the know" guys just dropped the dual antenna thing a long time ago. Still, they persist because A. they look cool B. Misinformed users and C. well, they look cool.....

Here's the best you can hope for from them:

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myself, I run a 3 foot wilson silverload smack dab in the middle of the roof on a folding mount:

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gets out like nobodies business even with the standard 4w. Since my rig is big and has a pretty heavy diesel block hanging over the IFS, I often end up on a hill somewhere as base camp for everyone else doing more serious things. I get everyone within my 10-12 mile theoretical range with ease. I can pick up and shoot skip across some pretty wild distances when the atmosphere is right. Alaska, Brazil, Alabama, Texas, UK....I've talked to them all at one point or another. On only 4 W mind you. Not too shabby....

There are drawbacks to it in my mount though. It howls on the highway to the point where I usually fold it over if anyone is with me. Longer antenna's just howl louder.

I'm considering moving it the rear drivers quarter to see if I can quell some of the howl on the highway yet still maintain decent usability. It will make it a front left talker, But I can live with that if I can keep it up during highway running and still have a reasonable conversation with the missus. I MAY try dual in an attempt to pull the signal back to center like so:

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But that brings other problems with it. Some I've already mentioned, some I haven't.....also, it looks even more (no offense intended) "red-necky" than the truck already does:

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Coax;

1. Do not cheap out here. You want RG-8X with factory installed pl 259 style ends. Some guys go ring and terminal, but the screw on connectors are hard to mess up for a novice. Belkin makes pretty good stuff, but it's not cheap.

2. Length. Lots of controversy here. Some say it should be 18 feet because of wave lengths, noise reduction etc. I've never had that problem. I use the length that fits my application. If you do go with a longer length, make sure you don't coil it up in a round coil. This creates and electrical "choke" and will mess up your signal. Better to just leave it randomly loose (under carpet or something) or if you must coil it, do it in a figure 8.

3. Do not pinch or crush it in a door opening or window. The center conductor needs to be held a specific distance from the outer conductor or your signal will suffer. Crushing the cable ruins this by crushing the dielectric insulator. Same with a sharp kink. It will still work, you're just giving up some range and clarity.

SWR;

1. your need to buy a separate SWR meter from the entertaining little bouncy needle on the radio and learn how to use it. Nothing extravagant, 30 bucks will get you one good enough. here's what I use:

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I think I paid around 30 bucks after shipping. It's no precising instrument, but will get you close enough for 11 meter radio use.

2. Rather than type it all out, there's lots of decent write-ups on adjusting SWR. Here's one from firestick:

http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/Setting_SWR.htm

3. in a nutshell, you're adjusting the length of the antenna to get the lowest SWR. Most quality antennas have an adjustable tip. My wilson does:

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Turn and allen key and I can adjust to tip length. It doesn't take much. We're talking less than an inch usually....

FYI, Wilson is a very old and respected name in 11 meter radio (CB). They make good stuff. Well, as old and respected as a CB manufacturer name can be that is.....

No I don't work for them, I just like their stuff and have good luck with them.


Radio;

While i don't want to downplay the need for a decent radio, it is true that a cheap radio and a great antenna will always sound better than a great radio and a cheap or improperly set up antenna.

that being said, It's hard to go wrong with the classic cobra 29 setup.

I run a Cobra 29 with nightwatch (backlighting), weather band (NOAA radio warnings) and Blutooth (pairs with my iphone for handsfree).

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Mine is in a custom lower console I built:

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I'm considering pulling it out for a newer LX unit with blutooth, weather, NW and channel scan:

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Mainly so I don't have to reach down to flick the channel knob when looking for convo's on the road. The new one scans them for you....and it also looks a lot neater than the classic knob and switch face on the cobra. It's still a good old solid cobra 29 under all the fancy bits, so it's a good solid radio at the heart of it all.

I also have an external speaker. The cobra in unit speaker is ok, but a bit weak and hard to hear at speed. Most units are, worse if you're in an open cockpit like a jeep.

Peak and tune:

Generally, avoid this crap. All it usually does is mess up your radio. What it is is some guy working in a shed or beat up camper trailer modifying your radio in an attempt to increase the deadkey wattage. What you usually get back is a radio that is a scratchy squealing noisy mess. Most peaked and tuned radio's are nearly unreadable on the listeners end. Stick to a stock radio with a good clean 4w output. Again, it's hard to beat a good solid cobra 29....

Linear:

A inline amplifier that increases the wattage of your signal, often 200-500 watts from your stock 4W. Highly illegal and just plain annoying. If the FCC cares enough and you become enough of a problem, they show up at your house, seize the set and can hand you a hefty fine. Typically, you have bled over on to an aircraft band or someone has complained about your voice coming out of their TV or stereo at that point. A 200W linear hads enough power to bleed into aircraft bands.

You can get out pretty far with a linear (even without a good skip), but it's pointless as the guys listening to you can't reply because their normal radio can't get out far enough for you to hear. it also usually bleeds through on other channels, which is another PITA for anyone around you. Your stock radio often has to have it's deadkey lowered in order for you to be clearly head on a linear. 4W input is often too much for a linear and even if it can handle a 4 W input, the output is so over amplified it's a mess. This means the guy int he beat up camper trailer gets to have another go at your radio to try and reduce the deadkey. No thanks....

Anyways, that's a fair bit of info in a short time so I'll stop and let it process. I may have made some small errors here and there so don't jump all over me if i'm a touch off the beam in places guys.

So, in summation:

1. Get a good antenna

2. mount it properly

3. get good coax

4. get a decent radio

5. adjust your SWR's

6. Enjoy jawing your face off on the next trail ride.....

 

[-sin-]

Thank you very much, excellent info!!!

awesome center console too!

 

[thz71]

subbed thanks for starting this thread so i didn't have to haha

 

[DonYukon]

Nice center console Old goat that really looks good