[Junkyard Dawg]

I have myself a K40 fiberglass whip, 4 feet tall, tunable tip, top loaded and it does have a little bit of loading towards the bottom too. I also have a Uniden PC66 radio.

I am trying to get the best reception out of this, as I get alot of static but once in awhile I'll get some voices over the air waves.

I believe I heard someone say I need a SWR meter to tune it? Is this something I can do myself at home in the driveway? Or would I be better off letting someone in the C.B. business work on it?

Also what's some other pointers on the install and getting it correct? I was planning on mounting the antenna inside the bed of my truck on the bulkhead, then somehow running the wire into the cab....but to do this I either have to drill a big hole (don't want to have to go any bigger than I have to) or I was wondering if I could somehow cut the cable and route it thru and resolder? Or is this a bad idea?

Thanks.

 

[Ricks70ss]

SWR meter is what you'll need. Radio shack will have them. And also tell you what to do. Its easy enough. I had one for over 20 yrs. But haven't been on it for over 5 yrs now. Hope this helps you.

 

[bulb122]

Is it a new radio? If not, you might want to have a CB shop check it out. SWR meter is important for transmitting. You can listen all you want without tuning the SWR, but to transmit without damaging the CB, you'll want to set the SWR. I have a radioshack SWR/power meter.... it comes with instructions that are all you need. Basically, to tune SWR (Standing wave ratio), , you need to adjust the lenght of your antenna. 1/16, or 1/8 of an inch makes a big difference, as well as antenna placement ofn the vehicle. If you relocate the anternna, re-set the SWR. Set your CB in the middle of the scale, or on the channel you'll use the most (ch19 for ex) when yoiu make your adjsutment. Most antenna's have a small set screw that holds the whip, and you can loosen it, and adjust the length. You want the SWR as close to 1 as possible. Less than 2 is also ok, but not optimal for transmitting distance/efficiency.

Another thing to note.... if you can't hear much, that doesn't necessarily mean anythign is wrong. Most CB's aren't very high power, and don't transmit far....2-4 miles or so. Sometimes more. So you might be in an uncrowded area where you don't pick up much. Try channel 19, while on the freeway - you should be able to hear a lot of truckers then, ,and you'll know if it works.

I should have gotten a bigger antenna..... you should do fine with a 4' whip! I have a cheesy glass mount one that's 12" or so, and doesn't reach out very far.

 

[Junkyard Dawg]

Actually "sesame street", or CH 19 was the band I was tuned into to get any kind of action over the radio.

 

[Guest]

When I was driving the 6-wheeler a lot, the old CB was good company!!

pdq67

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[Junkyard Dawg]

Yeah I thought having a C.B. would be good for traveling on the interstates and such.

I've also wondered how well those models with the weather bands work/how accurate they are.

 

[DougA]

The cb's with the weather bands work well.They pick up the NOAA weather broacasts 24/7. I have a Cobra 25 WX ST.in my semi.The weather bands are the main reason I have a cb anymore unless I'm communicating with my escorts.Channel 19 is mostly just garbage anymore.I keep it on 19 with the squelch turned all the way down so the only thing I'll hear is if some other truck is close to me and wants to tell me I have a flat tire,or a loose chain or something.

 

[driver]

Get yourself a good cobra cb and take it to a cb shop...Tell them you want it tuned & peaked,& if you have can add a little more $$ have them put in galaxy finals.You'll have yourself a kick A$$ C.B. Take my word on this,I have own many C.B's OVER the yrs.

 

[novaderrik]

i once had a Cobra 19 plus that i had putting out over 20watts with just a few twists of a couple of knobs inside.. i know, anything over 4 (i think) is illegal without a license, but i wasn't hurting anyone.
anyways, i could talk to friends 30 miles away. i could also send strangers in far off towns on wild goose chases trying to find me, since their meter was pegged.. ahh, entertainment in the days before cell phones.

 

[manganos]

:thumbsupon't mod your CB. The most important thing is a good antenna. I perfer a 102" steel whip as it is 1/4 wave. Wilson 1000 is also a decent antenna as is the K40. Tune your standing wave ratio to as close as 1:1 as you can on the channel you will most likley be on. If you want to talk distances get your amatuer radio licsense. I believe you can get one without morse code now. Go to www.arrl.org for more info on that. 73 and be safe. KE4MBN Chris

 

[Sid Coleman]

I'm with Chris here. Most modded CB's I've heard sound WAY overdriven and distorted! Best thing you can do is get the best antenna possible that fits your application. Antennas are the radio equivalent of good tires & suspension, with no traction, you won't hook up. With no signal, no talk far!

Make sure your antenna has a VERY GOOD ground connection to the frame of the vehicle. When you install your CB, make sure your power and ground leads go directly to the battery.

Tune your CB to Channel 20 if it's a 40 Channel unit (11 if you have an old 23 channel unit). The rest of what he says goes for tuning, minimum SWR.

73 dawg, de N3JHV Sid (ham radio talk: Best wishes, this is n3jhv-ham radio license call sign)

 

[Guest]

I THINK back then a 40 watt foot warmer connected to it was the thing, but I may be off!!

pdq67

Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

 

[Bad Rat 414]

First off get a good antenna. A Wilson antenna will suit your needs. Definetly get a SWR meter. Rat Shack stuff sucks. If your are going to the Rat Shack, don't buy the cheap coax. Also get a SWR Dosey meter. I run a Galaxy radio with a 102" whip and a 1000 Watt Dave Made 6 pill Liner in my S-10. My radio has been tuned and had super mod. install.

 

[manganos]

Nevermind. I just re-read my post and I think I made my point in my first post. This is the reason I got off the chicken band. Then again maybe I should turn on my Yaseu FT1000, my coughampcough and direct my beams your way

 

[Junkyard Dawg]

Get yourself a good cobra cb and take it to a cb shop...

What's a "good" Cobra that you'd recommend? I would like to get one with the weather stations on it if at all possible.

i once had a Cobra 19 plus that i had putting out over 20watts with just a few twists of a couple of knobs inside..

Teach me how you did that. On the same topic did CB's at one time used to be higher than 4 watts? Because there's a guy selling one that claims his is a 7 watt model.

Make sure your antenna has a VERY GOOD ground connection to the frame of the vehicle. When you install your CB, make sure your power and ground leads go directly to the battery.

Oh wow, how much will this affect the radio if I went thr something like say....the cigg. lighter outlet?

 

[Sid Coleman]

Oh wow, how much will this affect the radio if I went thru something like say....the cigg. lighter outlet?


Internal wiring in a vehicle usually doesn't carry enough current to properly supply a radio with it's needs. Direct feeding the unit will let it develop all the power it's designed to make.

Just my .02: I would strongly recommend you do NOT let anyone 'tweak' inside the radio. Most of those CB shops that 'peak' radios don't bother to verify that their modifications make the radio stay 'clean'. When you hear someone bleeding onto other channels, that's usualy an indication their radio's been modded improperly.

If you want to talk longer distances and use higher power, I'd recommend you go to the ARRL website (www.arrl.org ) and learn about ham radio. This way you can go up to 2000 watts legally, and learn about some of the basics of how & why a radio does what it's supposed to do. Plus you won't hear all the lunacy, swearing, and childlike noises that you find on the children's band.

 

[Sid Coleman]

Another quick comment:

Power is stated differently depending on the model. Standard CB uses AM (Amplitude Modulation) and is measured in RMS wattage (root mean square). Radios using Sideband measure power as Peak Power. Legal max is 4 watts RMS, which comes out to 12 watts Peak (which is the same as 4 watts RMS!). So a cheap and deceptive advertizing method is to list Peak Power numbers. Car amps do this as well.
Conversion formula is Peak power divided by 2, multiplied by .707 will give you RMS power.

FYI-Hams talk around the world with 5 watts. It all depends on your antenna, your radio frequency, and atmospheric conditions! (CB terms for it is "Skip")

Radio is a great hobby, however there's been so much trash on CB, I can't stand listening to it anymore.

 

[Bad Rat 414]

Sure HAM operators can talk around the world, but look at what you have to do to achieve it. You need a high dollar rig, wires strung from one end of the yard to the other and the worst part, you have to take a test and get a license. Where as I had a MoonRaker IV and Elkin 8 tube and a Galaxy Saturn and I talked to Sydney Australia from N.C. twice on my 11 meter "children's band".

 

[Sid Coleman]

Sure HAM operators can talk around the world, but look at what you have to do to achieve it. You need a high dollar rig, wires strung from one end of the yard to the other and the worst part, you have to take a test and get a license. Where as I had a MoonRaker IV and Elkin 8 tube and a Galaxy Saturn and I talked to Sydney Australia from N.C. twice on my 11 meter "children's band".

Nope! That's part of the 'fun' part of Ham radio. If you wish, you can build your own radio fairly cheaply. Good used ones are getting pretty cheap on Ebay as well, $200-$300.

Wires? Well, long high wires and beams work better, but a simple vertical can do pretty well, and doesn't look any different than a home CB antenna. After all, the 10M ham band is a 'higher' frequency than the 11M CB bands, thus a shorter antenna.

As for the test? They've eliminated some of the Morse Code requirements, so most folks can pass the theory without having to learn the dits & dahs and get on the air. Not that big a deal anyway-I learned Morse on the drive from NJ to Dayton OH and passed my 5 wpm test to upgrade to General Class. It's not that hard. Was a 'tech plus' for 8 years before that and had a blast just working on 2 meters.

Something neat that 'cb' can't do. Many ham operators are now linking their radios to a computer, and thus the internet. When I was travelling a lot, I used something called 'Echolink". For example, I had a list of where I was going, and frequencies of Hams in the areas that were linked with Echolink. With my radio in the van, while I was in Ohio, I was able to log into another Ohio radio that was linked with Echolink, and remote command a connection to my buddy's radio in Brick, NJ, transmit from my van and have it come out the radio in NJ, and talk to him in his car in NJ. Works internationally too! Plus it's FM, so no static!

Piece of trivia: TCP/IP (internet routing protocol) was originally invented by a HAM for wireless packet radio routing. Lot's of innovation in the service!

 

[novaderrik]

why do you need a license to broadcast on the public airwaves?
to me, that makes about as much sense as needing a license to cut hair.