Where to route CB coax cables?

[great white]

Cool, thanks for the info. I'll keep that in mind on my next radio.

One more question. Does that same info go for a VHF radio as well?

Not sure off the top of my head.

I believe VHF/UHF is the same deal with antenna cabling, but don't quote me on it.

I'm not as up on that theory. I've got "fraggles" at work that deal with that stuff, I just use the radios....

 

[IOWNJUNK]

I know there's some legal issues to using them, or at least certain channels, but more and more are switching to VHF radios. A little pricey, but more power without running a linear.


Again, thankyou.

 

[great white]

I know there's some legal issues to using them, or at least certain channels, but more and more are switching to VHF radios. A little pricey, but more power without running a linear.


Again, thankyou.

Legal issues is right:


30–46 MHz: Licensed 2-way land mobile communication.[4]
30–88 MHz: Military VHF-FM, including SINCGARS
43–50 MHz: Cordless telephones, 49 MHz FM walkie-talkies and radio controlled toys, and mixed 2-way mobile communication. The FM broadcast band originally operated here (42-50 MHz) before moving to 88-108 MHz.
50–54 MHz: Amateur radio 6 meters band
54-72 and 76-88 MHz TV channels 2 through 6 (VHF-Lo), known as "Band I" internationally; some DTV stations will appear here. See North American broadcast television frequencies
72–76 MHz: Radio controlled models, industrial remote control, and other devices. Model aircraft operate on 72 MHz while surface models operate on 75 MHz in the USA and Canada, air navigation beacons 74.8-75.2 MHz.
87.5–108 MHz: FM radio broadcasting (87.5–91.9 non-commercial, 92–108 commercial in the United States) (known as "Band II" internationally)
108–118 MHz: Air navigation beacons VOR
118–137 MHz: Airband for air traffic control, AM, 121.5 MHz is an emergency frequency
137-138 Space research, space operations, meteorological satellite [5]
138–144 MHz: Land mobile, auxiliary civil services, satellite, space research, and other miscellaneous services
144–148 MHz: Amateur radio 2 Meters band
148-150 MHz: Land mobile, fixed, satellite
150–156 MHz: "VHF business band," public safety, the unlicensed Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS), and other 2-way land mobile, FM
156–158 MHz VHF Marine Radio; narrow band FM, 156.8 MHz (Channel 16) is the maritime emergency and contact frequency.
159.81-161.565 MHz Railways [6] 159.81-160.2 are railroads in Canada only and is used by trucking companies in the U.S.
160.6-162 Wireless microphones and TV/FM broadcast remote pickup
162.40–162.55: NOAA Weather Stations, narrowband FM
174-216 MHz television channels 7 - 13 (VHF-Hi), known as "Band III" internationally. A number of DTV channels have begun broadcasting here, especially many of the stations which were assigned to these channels for previous analog operation.
174–216 MHz: professional wireless microphones (low power, certain exact frequencies only)
216–222 MHz: land mobile, fixed, maritime mobile,[7]
222–225 MHz: 1.25 meters (US) (Canada 219-220, 222-225 MHz) amateur radio
225 MHz and above: Military aircraft radio, 243 MHz is an emergency frequency (225–400 MHz) AM, including HAVE QUICK, dGPS RTCM-104

Some stuff you can "probably get away with, Like the GMRS/FRS freqs, but get caught on anything aviation, military or civilian official and they will find you.

Interfere with anything aviation and they will come down on you like the angry fist of God.

Get on the "cry baby" HAM freqs without a license and they will report you just because....well, because. Bunch of pimply old farts with nothing better to do with their time and want to keep it their own private little club....

 

[great white]

I know in Canada, truckers out west use VHF freqs termed LADD1 and LADD2.

Here's a list:

MULLEN----------165.030 MULLEN2 165.030 MULLEN LA 166.920 MULLAND2 166.920
LADD 4----------173.370 MULLEN4 165.480 MULLENNW 172.860 MULLWC2 172.860
LADD1-----------154.100 LADD2 158.940 LADD31 154.325 BCFP 151.625
WAPITI----------153.530 SWANBER 153.500 GP 170.700 HAUSLER 153.020
SUKUNA----------151.325 FTNELSON 151.115 ROAD4000 166.140 CANFOR 153.380
CANFORT---------152.990 CNDFORE 150.260 WEYHAEU 168.840 WEYHAEU2 150.635
WEYHAEU3--------169.545 WEYHAEU4 169.125 WEYHAEU5 150.215 WEYHAEU6 150.785
BCHWAY----------163.545 BCROAD 152.030 TAKAMA 153.410 STUARTLK 151.685
MILE98----------150.995 DMI 164.175 DMI2 169.725 DMI/WEY 171.555
MOSTOWI---------164.655 MANNING 162.210 EMERGEN 150.815 WCE 154.815
AINSWORT 172.035 BLUWET 166.380 BLUPASS 163.050 BISSELL 159.630
BUCHANA 168.630 SLPULP 164.565 VANDEXL 164.310 ZIEDLER1 153.1000
ZIEDLER2 166.4100 TOLCO 171.3300 LAIRDMNL 151.8350 MPO 162.9600
ATKINSON 153.2900 PREMAY 151.9850 MILLGILL 151.0550 NORTHERN 152.3900
MILE95 150.9550 GROUND 152.2700 TWILIGHT 164.0700 PREMAY2 151.8800
LADD32 152.1200 CANFOR 166.4000 AB OPEN 168.1200 DMTYARD 170.2050
DMTHWY 166.6200 BTLTRUCK 162.6300 WEATH1 162.5500 WEATH2 162.4000
WEATH3 162.4750 ETARCO 171.0000 ABOPEN2 153.0500 ARTIKOS 168.6000
LIKELY 153.6350 NRT 152.3900 TEMP1 154.4900 TEMP2 167.7300
TEMP3 170.9400 L GRANT2 148.4350
L GRANT1 143.4150

MONKMAN ---------------159.600 N TAKLA-----------152.450 BOWRON ---------------159.720 WHITE FISH--------152.180
GISCOME ---------------159.750 TAKLA DISPATCH----152.360 PRINCE GEORGE----------159.900 APOLLO RD---------153.770
MACGREGOR--------------160.080 PLATEAU 3---------153.635 PG WOOD ---------------150.815 PLATEAU N---------152.030
PAS ---------------153.350 L & M-------------151.655 ANZAC ---------------153.930 BOND--------------152.975
ARTIC ---------------153.650 STUART LAKE-------154.340 E FRAISER/APOLLO-------153.530 TANIZUL-----------151.295
POLAR 1----------------153.530 CRANBERRY--------- POLAR 2----------------151.985
LAKE-------------------150.995 LADD 1------------154.100 FF1--------------------151.115 LADD 2------------158.940
BCFD RD----------------151.625 LADD 3------------154.325 BCFD BUSH--------------151.835 LADD 4------------153.050
GRATTON----------------151.745 ALBERTA OPEN 1----162.210 LAKELAND KLIMEK--------151.355 ALBERTA OPEN 2----
SLATTON----------------151.265 ALBERTA OPEN 3----153.530 RUSTAD-----------------158.790 CALGARY TO KICKING HORSE
CARRIER----------------151.995 153.635 McDERMID---------------153.230 ALBERTA-BC OPEN 173.370
NAZKO------------------153.515 KETCHEM-----------152.330 DUNKLEY----------------151.685 BLACK WATE--------153.200
COTTON WOOD------------151.715 W.FRASER 1--------152.390
ZIEDLER 1--------------158.460 ZIEDLER 2--------------158.160 ARROW NORTH-------158.490
CTP#5------------------157.400 -----------169.785 CANYON CREEK/MAT LAKE--153.170 MULLEN------------160.140
BOBTAIL----------------153.020 KOOTNEY-----------157.245 TEARDROP---------------153.140 M&L/DEKINSTIEN----

Some of those are commercially owned IIRC. IOW, get caught on them and you could be in big KaKa. Mainly because those companies PAID for the exclusive use of those freqs and Industry Canada (who regulates spectrum allotment in Canada like the FCC does in USA) will come looking for you. Mainly to keep their paying customers happy.

Don't quote me on it, but I think it's legal in Canada to transmit on LADD1/2 without a license. IIRC, it's like the unofficial Canadian trucker "channel 19" CB is in the States. It might not be legal to transmit on it without a license, but in my experience it seemed mostly not enforced if it isn't legal. Truckers chatting away on LADD1/2 out west was pretty common when I was out there. Not as bad a "CB trash mouth 19", but you could tell it was just "average joes" wankin' on about stuff. Not standard radio comms procedure by any means...

Industry Canada also has HAM licensing and requires it for Armature radio use (IE: HAM). Completely different ball game in the states for Canadians and HF. Canadians using LADD1/2 could be transmitting on local police bands I'm told. Most turn it off when they cross the border. They use it for the same reason you've quoted above: more transmit power since distances in Canada are typically larger between trucks.

I have a handheld HF unit. It's called a Baofeng UV-5R. I had it for monitoring the logging road freqs when I was out west and listening to LADD1/2. Technically, I should have a license for it and technically it illegal since it's user programmable. But I'm smart about it. I don't transmit on anything but the GMRS/FRS freqs and monitor the rest.

Kind of important to know if a 60 foot loaded logging truck is headed down the 1 lane logging road you're on so you can pull off at the first pull out so he can go past. Logging truck will often just hit you head on since there's no where else to go and no way to stop even if they tried. You either get crushed flat or shoved off the road down a ravine or into an 800 foot deep glacial lake.

My BAOFENG is actually a really good unit for the price (about 50 bucks). I've gotten out around 25 miles on this little unit so it's no slouch although 25 miles was probably ideal conditions. It only puts out about 5 watts, very good for a handheld, but only half what my barefoot cb does. Can't explain why it gets out further, must be related to the spectum length.

CB is about 5-12 miles depending on how good your set up is and ambient conditions. That's barefoot. When I power up the "footwarmer" it gets out juuuust a wee bit further.



Remember that your unit is limited by it's transmitting power, not it's receive. Your receive is mostly dependent on the transmitting power of the other guys set. That's why I can hear Skip from the big CB transmitters hidden in the "southern woods", but I can't talk to them.

I also turn the baofeng off and put it away when crossing borders....no need causing any more issues with the "highly educated" individuals on either side of the border than necessary....

 

[IOWNJUNK]

Joined a hunting club a few years back and I was the only truck with a CB, everyone had VHF. Picked up a small handheld just to be in the loop when the dogs hit the ground. Never had a problem. I also hunt/fish/work on a military installation, between 50 ranges, 3 airfields, military police, and the new unmanned drone site......... Yeah, I don't need to tell you we don't use them there.

 

[CDHenry6]

Hey, Great White, are you a ham by any chance ? That was textbook demonstration of HF ground bonding, very nicely written ! ( And yes , I saw the "pimply old farts" remark in there , not all of us hams are old. Lol.) I have several VHF two meter rigs, and an HF mobile rig. All of them can transmit out of the ham bands. I also have some commercial gear , and that are type accepted for land mobile use.

Interestingly enough, LOTS of people here in WI either use VHF Marine radios in their trucks , or buy an opened two meter ham transceiver and use it on the Marine freqs. I couldn't figure that out since it's so flat here.

 

[great white]

Hey, Great White, are you a ham by any chance ? That was textbook demonstration of HF ground bonding, very nicely written ! ( And yes , I saw the "pimply old farts" remark in there , not all of us hams are old. Lol.) I have several VHF two meter rigs, and an HF mobile rig. All of them can transmit out of the ham bands. I also have some commercial gear , and that are type accepted for land mobile use.

Interestingly enough, LOTS of people here in WI either use VHF Marine radios in their trucks , or buy an opened two meter ham transceiver and use it on the Marine freqs. I couldn't figure that out since it's so flat here.

Nope.

My job has that info jammed in my brain...

 

[CDHenry6]

Well ,either way, that's impressive as hell ! As soon as it starts warming up, I'll be putting HF in the truck. I am not looking forward to making those ground braids ! I just use old coax and strip the jacket and center conductor from it. Cut to length, and a little solder and a washer and you've got a ground braid ! Right now, I'm trying to plan where to mount the radios, being a stick shift, I don't have as many options as everyone else.

 

[great white]

Well ,either way, that's impressive as hell ! As soon as it starts warming up, I'll be putting HF in the truck. I am not looking forward to making those ground braids ! I just use old coax and strip the jacket and center conductor from it. Cut to length, and a little solder and a washer and you've got a ground braid ! Right now, I'm trying to plan where to mount the radios, being a stick shift, I don't have as many options as everyone else.

I do the same thing.

Or, I use copper strapping/flashing cut to size in areas that don't require a lot of flex. Not a lot of cost, creates a large amount of surface.

For example, I usually use copper flashing for the bed to cab and bed to frame straps.

Things like doors, hood, tailgate, front cab mounts, front fenders, exhaust, etc get braid.

 

[TerryD]

What that does is make an RF coil that behaves like a choke and reduces your signal going out and coming in. excess cable should either be loosely laid in out or if you must coil, make a figure "8"....

Not exactly true. A few coils in the 6" range do create a choke, but it removes excess currents from the surface of the wire that come in on the ground but are not present on the center conductor and can help keep static out of the system. I always thought it would kill it too, but I did a good bit of research on it and everything I found said that it was simply another myth as long as you don't have 20' coiled up.

I did this on my K5 since I was out of RG8X when I set it up and had some extra. It works great and has very little static in it with a perfect 1:1. Of course, using a 102" whip and spring help that too.