Author Topic: CB radio question (Read 1294 times)

ariansworld · « **on:** September 22, 2007, 04:34:17 PM »

Yesterday I bought a cb radio and a cb antenna from radio shack. I have installed it in a ford focus. It will turn on I have heard a few things said on it... but mostly I get nothing but static. My question is is it supposed to do that, right now I have been tuned to the emergency channels and have heard absolutely nothing but static. I would like to mkae it so i can hear people all.

thanks

Masherbrum · « **Reply #1 on:** September 22, 2007, 05:13:01 PM »

A focus? I have one on my Jeep. My guess is you need to "tune" your antenna.

fuddu2 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 22, 2007, 05:15:05 PM »

Radio shack also sells Cell Phones last time I checked. I havent messed with CB in over 15 years. Besides it's no fun unless you can run over 150 watts and melt Antennas

Hornet33 · « **Reply #3 on:** September 22, 2007, 05:16:05 PM »

Hehehe OK CB radio is kinda a black art. First thing...what kind of radio is it (make and model) and what kind of antenna (make and model)? Also did you check the SWR with a meter?? SWR is your antennas Sine Wave Ratio. It's technical but the short and sweet of it is with a SWR meter hooked up to the radio and the antenna coax you check the low freq, middle freq, and high freq. All three should be no higher than 1.5. Below 1 is great. In order to tune the antenna for this there should be a set screw for the antenna stinger. You have to manually move the stinger up or down until you get a good reading when TRANSMITTING then secure the set screw so the stinger doesn't move. If you just bottom it out your SWR's will be all over the place and your radio won't work worth a damn. Radio Shack has SWR meters and they're pretty cheap. Remember the SWR's show your transmitting power and reflected power. SWR is your reflected power reading. You want it as low as you can get it. If the stinger is bottomed out and your still high...like above 3 then take a hack saw and cut of the bottom of the stinger in 1/8th inch pieces until you get it to drop below 1.5

Also antenna location is important. You want the most metal under the antenna as possible to give you a good ground plane and you want the antenna as close to the center of the vehicle as possible. If it mounted on the trunk you'll transmit and receive further off the front of the car than the rear. Kinda makes it a directional antenna that way.

Last but not least. Channel 9 is the "emergancy" channel for CB radio but no one uses it. 19 is the common "truckers" channel and is good to have tuned when on the highway. You should have an RF Gain Knob and a Squelch Knob on a decent radio. Once the antenna is tuned for a good SWR reading you can use the RF Gain and Squelch to get rid of the static. Turning down the RF Gain however will reduce the amount of radio waves you recieve, and the Squelch will reduce the amount of background noise. You just have to play with it.

Bet you weren't expecting to have to do all this huh? Just so you know though, if you use the radio and transmit with it with high SWR's you will burn out the radio because your over powering the transmitter with reflected power. That's bad.

rpm · « **Reply #4 on:** September 22, 2007, 05:16:41 PM »

With a stock radio, don't expect much. You can use it on the hiway but for the most part you will get slammed by the big radios out there. You will get a LOT of static/noise during the day but to tends to quiet down some at night. The max range during the day is 3-5 miles. At night it all depends on atmospheric conditions. I have talked some long range skip on a 3 watt radio.

The emergency channel 9 is rarely used anymore.

rpm · « **Reply #5 on:** September 22, 2007, 05:23:40 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by fuddu2
Radio shack also sells Cell Phones last time I checked. I havent messed with CB in over 15 years. Besides it's no fun unless you can run over 150 watts and melt Antennas

LOL, my linear has a 150 driver to run 700 watt peak.

Meatwad · « **Reply #6 on:** September 22, 2007, 05:27:47 PM »

In the evenings, scan around the channels and see where the activity is. Your bound to find a drunken redneck on there

I have a CB radio with a telephone hand receiver for a mic. Radio Shack TRC-56, pretty neat little CB

ariansworld · « **Reply #7 on:** September 22, 2007, 05:35:46 PM »

thanks, i think i may have unscrewed that screw when i was putting the antenna together.

HB555 · « **Reply #8 on:** September 22, 2007, 05:39:06 PM »

Hornet33,
Thought me and the truckers were all that was left.

Been on the 2 way since tube radios, base and mobile, early 60's.
Best skip shot was (he said) Australia in 1984 on the mobile from summit of Mt Rose at almost 9K elevation, most repetitive skip area was southern states, mostly Fla.
Think my second license was KYO9217, which FCC issued to me when they went manditory three and four. Original was two letters and three numbers, but that was long long ago and I lied about age to get it.
Still have two or three working 23 channel units.
All currently used units are 40 plus SSB, and weather, mobile has echo and 1K Watt cheater using K40 roof mount on pick up truck.

ariansworld,
I have 4 major truck stops and major north/south and east/west highways here, and very seldom hear much. Try channel 19 or 17 for most highway traffic. California uses 17 for north/south freeways alot.

Hornet33 · « **Reply #9 on:** September 22, 2007, 05:51:35 PM »

HB555 I've been playing with CB's since I was 14 years old when I got my first little base station set up in my room. Had a small antenna mounted on a 20ft telescoping pole beside the house.

I still have a Uniden Galaxy base station that runs on tubes. Still works but it takes about 10 minutes to get warmed up. Also have a couple of old Cobra mobiles. One 23 channel that is older than dirt that still works.

I have a Cobra 148GTL 40/80SSB in my truck with a 500watt kicker going out a set of dual trucker antennas mounted on the tool box. Best radar detector I've ever had:aok

McFarland · « **Reply #10 on:** September 22, 2007, 05:57:38 PM »

And if you want to talk to people in other states/countries, get a linear. (Linear amplier, but most people just say "leenyer". Be carefull getting it, though, it's a very illegal device....) Squelch cuts down on the background noise (static), as well as other incoming messages. Turning it up reduces the distance you will hear people from. Turn it up too high, and you won't hear anybody. To see if anybody can hear you, key the mike and say "Breaker, breaker, can I get a radio check? Comeback." At least, that is how we do it around here.

Maverick · « **Reply #11 on:** September 22, 2007, 06:52:08 PM »

I run a CB in the truck but it's squelched down really tight. I get tired of the usual trucker language on 19. It has come in handy when I had a flat and needed to call for a tire service to come and change it. Truckers relayed the message to the nearest town. If I am traveling with another RVer we tend to find a seperate channel rather than stay on 19.

ariansworld · « **Reply #12 on:** September 22, 2007, 06:57:54 PM »

thanks. I apreciate all the response. I will be going up to radio shack tomorrow to get one of those devices to adjust my antenna.

AKIron · « **Reply #13 on:** September 22, 2007, 07:02:14 PM »

Sorry to be so nit picky Hornet but as a radar tech for the better part of 20 years I just couldn't let that one go. SWR is Standing Wave Ratio.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_wave_ratio

HB555 · « **Reply #14 on:** September 22, 2007, 07:04:50 PM »

Hornet33,
Sweet set up.
My mobiles are Cobra 29LTDs, one with WX, one with echo.
House unit currently is my dad's old Siltronix 1011D tube type, and yea, 10 minutes is about right. LOL Have all the trick stuff hooked in, digital freq counter, SWR meter, 500W kicker to a Startduster mounted about 50 feet up. Too windy here for large directional array. Keeps blowing down so I gave up.
And AKIron is correct! All of mine are 1.3 or less all over the band.

The Head Beagle
KYO9217
Down and off the key.