PDA

View Full Version : Anyone know anything about cb's?



TdmayfieldIV
03-17-2010, 12:20 AM
I can't figure out my cb radio. I have a cheap cobra cb, 18 feet of coax cable and a 4 foot firestik. When i turn my cb on the signal meter jumps and i hear a bunch of static. I can't get any signals from cbs on the road. I drove down to 6 and surfed the channels and didn't get anything.

Any ideas what is wrong.

Oh it was hooked up to a cheap magnetic antenna for a while it may have hurt the radio. Maybe?

Eckert
03-17-2010, 12:51 AM
if its a black plastic one, throw it away.

turn the RF gain all the way up, then adjust the squelch to where you just start to hear static, then turn it back a **** hair. then say "break 1-9 radio check" and see what happens. or start talking about candy cane, whatever suits you.

TdmayfieldIV
03-17-2010, 01:13 AM
there's no rf gain knob

DRAGOONRANCH
03-17-2010, 02:12 AM
Which model is it?

The 18' coax is the length that the cb's and antennas 'are designed to work with' (or so all the cb repairmen have always told me). The magnetic antennas are only good for a few miles on the highway most of the time, the Lil Wil mag antenna is a bit better though (and is what I have on the dually).

You won't pick up anything around BCS unless you are on 19 for the most part. With the cell phones, satellite radio and trucks having governors keeping them under 65mph, most drivers rarely even turn their CB's on unless they need directions in town or see traffic starting to back up.

FJAggie07
03-17-2010, 09:05 AM
or they see the big bear.

DRAGOONRANCH
03-17-2010, 09:08 AM
in the air...

agjohn02
03-17-2010, 09:14 AM
or they see the big bear.


trucks having governors keeping them under 65mph

...

Doug Krebs
03-17-2010, 09:39 AM
Where is the antennae located? Is it grounded?

DRAGOONRANCH
03-17-2010, 09:49 AM
Where is the antennae located?

Dead in your ass...


Is it grounded?

Yes.
























Dead in your ass... :flipoff2:

TdmayfieldIV
03-17-2010, 10:49 AM
I found an L bracket in my garage and i bolted it to my rear quarter

RCcola55
03-17-2010, 11:06 AM
I found an L bracket in my garage and i bolted it to my rear quarter

then it isnt grounded properly and chances are u fried ur cb

TdmayfieldIV
03-17-2010, 11:24 AM
i think it was fried anyway.

If it was bolted directly to the body why wouldn't it be grounded?

KrazyKarl02
03-17-2010, 01:26 PM
On any other vehicle than 78/79 Bronco, yes it would be grounded. However 78/79 Bronco's are known for having lots of rust and bondo, so it might not be properly grounded.

uglyota
03-17-2010, 01:44 PM
may be a fuse you can change to un-fry it

TdmayfieldIV
03-17-2010, 02:10 PM
when i was driving around today i was on channel 9 and i could hear voices very faintly could this mean its not fried? I need someone with a cb to talk to so i can see if its broke or not

Seth
03-17-2010, 04:07 PM
when i was driving around today i was on channel 9 and i could hear voices very faintly could this mean its not fried? I need someone with a cb to talk to so i can see if its broke or not

Channel 9 is the emergency channel, use channel 19 like Ed said.

4-Banger
03-17-2010, 06:39 PM
Yeah, don't use channel 9. Unless your truck's on fire or hugging a tree, then by all means use channel 9.


The magnetic antennas are only good for a few miles on the highway most of the time, the Lil Wil mag antenna is a bit better though (and is what I have on the dually).

Just got a Lil Wil in the mail yesterday, should have my CB system running by tomorrow.

AggieTJ2007
03-17-2010, 06:45 PM
everybody in TAMOR keep your CBs on around town and use channel 12 then you wont have to use up your minutes on your cell phone :flippoff2:

Seth
03-17-2010, 07:57 PM
Creighton, Creighton...Who has that few minutes these days? What about folks not in TAMOR I want to talk to? What about when TAMOR folk when they are not in there truck? What TAMOR folks who don't DD their trail rig? What about things I want to talk about that I don't want broadcast publicly?

Point is: If you have it, sure, leave it on, but it's not a cell phone substitute. Also, what happened to Channel 4?

RCcola55
03-17-2010, 08:57 PM
just run a seperate ground wire to the frame, trust me dont ground to the body

TdmayfieldIV
03-17-2010, 09:13 PM
just run a seperate ground wire to the frame, trust me dont ground to the body

:gigem:

AggieTJ2007
03-17-2010, 09:42 PM
Creighton, Creighton...Who has that few minutes these days? What about folks not in TAMOR I want to talk to? What about when TAMOR folk when they are not in there truck? What TAMOR folks who don't DD their trail rig? What about things I want to talk about that I don't want broadcast publicly?

Point is: If you have it, sure, leave it on, but it's not a cell phone substitute. Also, what happened to Channel 4?

forgot the sarcasm text :flipoff2:

KrazyKarl02
03-17-2010, 10:23 PM
On a side note, IfI go to TCC, I will bring some boxes of CB's with me. Free to TAMOR members...

Eckert
03-18-2010, 12:15 AM
channel 9 is used for meskins to yell at eachother. channels are what you make them, except 19, which is still general BS.

grounding to the body is just fine. hell, all tractors have them hanging off the mirrors.

you just have a ****ty CB, go buy a cobra 25 and a texas star and you can yell at people damn near in navasota.

DRAGOONRANCH
03-18-2010, 01:11 AM
you just have a ****ty CB, go buy a cobra 25 and a big texas star and you can yell at people damn near in nova scotia.

:gigem:

TdmayfieldIV
03-21-2010, 01:09 AM
So i bought a better radio today. A uniden pc68xl. I grounded the antenna to the frame and ran the wires away from the ignition. I got really tired to i didn't go check it by the highway.

I think the L bracket i am using is galvanized so it wouldn't make a good ground with the body. I scraped paint behind the bracket anyway.

I already have less static

http://www.wearecb.com/store/images/PC68XL.jpg

DRAGOONRANCH
03-21-2010, 01:48 AM
Ok, quick setup guide on that radio.

Set your switches to
#1 - NB/ANL
#2 - CB
#3 - Dim (personal preference, but dim is usually pretty good unless you have a bad glare from the sun)
#4 - OFF (Ch. 9 is emergency channel, this has been posted in here before)
#5 - DSC (should help you to hear the transmissions better)

Turn the channel selector to #19

Turn the RF gain to max, turn the mic gain to half-three/quarters. You will need someone else w/ a cb to help you set the mic gain (too high and it tends to squeal when you are transmitting, too low and you don't send a strong signal).

Turn the unit on, and turn the volume up to a normal level. Turn the squelch knob until the static just goes away. Once the mic gain gets set, you should only have to adjust the squelch and volume to the situation.

TdmayfieldIV
03-21-2010, 07:53 PM
http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/053.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/054.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/055.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/056.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/057.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/058.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/060.jpg

colman
03-21-2010, 09:00 PM
u should spend a few min and at least clean the interior of that turd

uglyota
03-21-2010, 10:20 PM
good thing you attached it well! That way it should take a lot more sheetmetal with it when you rip it off!

TdmayfieldIV
03-21-2010, 10:53 PM
I'm getting alot of static still. I think i need to get a stainless mount so it is more grounded. I can hear my alternator through the radio too. I still don't know if it works because no one around here has a cb

Sparling
03-21-2010, 11:00 PM
I'm getting alot of static still. I think i need to get a stainless mount so it is more grounded. I can hear my alternator through the radio too. I still don't know if it works because no one around here has a cb

I would tell you I have a CB but I just remembered my truck is in San Antonio.

colman
03-21-2010, 11:09 PM
matt andrews has one, i think all mine are broke. his sig is neilthedestroyer

Eckert
03-21-2010, 11:11 PM
where is your power to? did you go to the fuse box or strait to the battery?

TdmayfieldIV
03-21-2010, 11:27 PM
I don't know. It also works the cig lighter

DRAGOONRANCH
03-21-2010, 11:29 PM
Go straight to the battery. Your ground to the frame may still not be good enough on the antenna also.

Hot Pocket
03-21-2010, 11:33 PM
If you give me back my CB, I'll put it in my truck and let you test it all out.




I really just want it for the P.A. :blackflipoff:

Eckert
03-21-2010, 11:45 PM
i highly doubt its an antenna grounding issue. go strait to the batt as ed said.

Doug Krebs
03-22-2010, 11:08 AM
That's possibly the ****tiest place you could mount an antennae. Try to move the mounting location up further so the coil is above the bed rails. Ideally you'd have it in the center of the metal roof.

If you want explanations on why, search "ground plane". You'll get alot of ham radio crap, but it applies as it's the same thing, just look for people talking about 10m or HF stuff. CB's are actually 11m.

colman
03-22-2010, 02:37 PM
go doug, i thought you were dead

TdmayfieldIV
03-22-2010, 07:06 PM
If i mount it on my roof i can't fit in any parking garages. Most of them have like an inch of clearance above my roof anyway. I ground some of the galvanized stuff off my mount and i am getting even less static and alot more power on the meter when i press the button.

jerryg79
03-22-2010, 07:20 PM
mr. watson would sh!t. dont breath the galvanized stuff.

TdmayfieldIV
03-22-2010, 09:20 PM
not welding it, just scraping it on the concrete:gigem:

Sharpe
03-22-2010, 09:24 PM
not welding it, just scraping it on the concrete:gigem:

:laughing::laughing:

TdmayfieldIV
03-22-2010, 09:37 PM
thats how i roll:flipoff2:

RCcola55
03-22-2010, 11:27 PM
holy **** man, just run a seperate ground wire to the frame. I learned this lesson a long time ago

DRAGOONRANCH
03-23-2010, 02:50 AM
http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/053.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/054.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/055.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/056.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/057.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/058.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/060.jpg


holy **** man, just run a seperate ground wire to the frame. I learned this lesson a long time ago


See above. Newbs. :rolleyes:



:flipoff2:

Take the ground off the frame and clean the undercoating/paint off the frame so that the bolt will make better contact.

TdmayfieldIV
03-23-2010, 07:28 AM
See above. Newbs. :rolleyes:



:flipoff2:

Take the ground off the frame and clean the undercoating/paint off the frame so that the bolt will make better contact.

did that

Doug Krebs
03-23-2010, 08:23 AM
If i mount it on my roof i can't fit in any parking garages. Most of them have like an inch of clearance above my roof anyway. I ground some of the galvanized stuff off my mount and i am getting even less static and alot more power on the meter when i press the button.

First off, galvanization doesn't impede electrical flow, it's a conductor not an insulator.

Why don't you borrow a magnet mount antenna and see what it does for you.

RCcola55
03-23-2010, 08:55 AM
my bad, now just raise that bitch to wear its above the body. if hieght is a problem, then just take the antenna off when u arent wheeing

DRAGOONRANCH
03-23-2010, 08:57 AM
then how would he call the lot lizards and tell one of them to meet him at the house as he is leaving campus after class?

TdmayfieldIV
03-23-2010, 09:21 AM
The package says 2 feet above the body of the truck. So i just have to move it up like 1 foot

TdmayfieldIV
03-24-2010, 06:58 PM
So i have been looking up ground planes and there is not really a good solution to this problem except to buy a no ground plane antenna. This is designed for vehicles with fiberglass bodies or no good places to mount an antenna. So, i plan on selling my current setup and buying one of these.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/firestik-cb-antenna-110/ngp-side-mount-kit-firestik-cb-antenna-kit-300.html

Eckert
03-24-2010, 07:26 PM
did you ever wire the radio strait to the battery?

TdmayfieldIV
03-24-2010, 07:31 PM
not yet, i haven't had time

Eckert
03-24-2010, 07:38 PM
quit being ****ing retarded!





... and wire it to the battery before you go and buy/sell anything.

Doug Krebs
03-24-2010, 08:14 PM
Also, borrow a magnetic antennae and see what that does.

TdmayfieldIV
03-24-2010, 10:00 PM
i got one.

Doug Krebs
03-25-2010, 08:58 AM
i got one.

Ok, so how does it behave vs. the other one?

uglyota
03-25-2010, 09:19 AM
he didn't say he'd tried it! Just like Hotpocket's truck won't start anymore :flipoff2:

agjohn02
03-25-2010, 09:40 AM
Roger, Roger. Whats your Vector, Victor?

TdmayfieldIV
03-25-2010, 03:41 PM
he didn't say he'd tried it! Just like Hotpocket's truck won't start anymore :flipoff2:

Don't compare me to hotpocket:flipoff2:

And i haven't been home to try it yet.

uglyota
03-25-2010, 03:49 PM
Sorry I had the impression that you were the brains behind hotpocket's operation :p

DRAGOONRANCH
03-25-2010, 10:18 PM
:doh:

TdmayfieldIV
03-25-2010, 10:21 PM
ok, here is a list of things i plan on doing when i have time

see how it works with the magnetic antenna
Move the good antenna
Wire cb straight to battery
tune with swr meter

I am not ignoring your advice i just haven't had time yet

KrazyKarl02
03-25-2010, 10:26 PM
I am not being an arse, I really want to know, what does wiring it straight to the battery do?

DRAGOONRANCH
03-26-2010, 01:19 AM
I can't explain exactly why, but when I have a bunch of alternator noise running it through a cig lighter plug or from the fuse box, when I move it straight to the battery it has always fixed the problem.

colman
03-26-2010, 02:36 AM
the alternator is tied to the rest of the harness and involves feedback. once you separate it then the feedback is no longer an issue and thus no more interferance

TdmayfieldIV
03-28-2010, 12:22 AM
Ok, so today i moved the antenna, wired the cb to the battery, put another isolator on the antenna and took off the frame ground. I took it out to 6 and talked to a couple of truckers and it went 1-2 miles. They all said i was coming in loud and clear I could hear them loud and clear too.

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/073.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/074.jpg

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/076.jpg
(this was bare metal so i had to prevent more rust:gigem:)

http://i736.photobucket.com/albums/xx6/TdmayfieldIV/072.jpg
When i key the mike this is what I get. Before tonight when i keyed it i got maybe 2.5 and now i get 4.5. Also the radio wasn't getting enough power so it would work for a minute and then not send a signal (thats what happened this morning, flem)

TdmayfieldIV
03-31-2010, 09:38 PM
This thing is badass!! I can talk to people on 6 from lot 40!

colman
03-31-2010, 09:42 PM
would you like a cookie, cause all we have is peanut butter and if your allergic then you can go and **** yourself

TdmayfieldIV
03-31-2010, 09:49 PM
would you like a cookie, cause all we have is peanut butter and if your allergic then you can go and **** yourself

:flipoff2:

Hot Pocket
03-31-2010, 10:26 PM
So when you planning on returning my CB :flipoff2:

TdmayfieldIV
03-31-2010, 10:42 PM
:flipoff2:Patience is a virtue

Hot Pocket
03-31-2010, 10:48 PM
and theft is a crime!! :flipoff2::flipoff2:

robertf03
04-01-2010, 12:19 AM
I am not being an arse, I really want to know, what does wiring it straight to the battery do?



the alternator is tied to the rest of the harness and involves feedback. once you separate it then the feedback is no longer an issue and thus no more interferance



the alternator rectifier isn't doing its job 100%, and the coil isn't helping.

the battery acts as a big ass capacitor to smooth the AC ripple that both of those devices generate. If you have big ass capacitors on the coil and alternator, which factory shat does, you shouldn't have a problem. Stuff in the off road world occasionally runs an engine and alternator from 2 different vehicles compared to the chassis. Capacitors are thrown in the emissions pile and peed on, this causes "feedback" or "backfeeding" or whatever synonym for "it don't work right" you want to use.

the battery hookup didn't fix this problem, the problem was a missing isolator on the aerial bracket. The cable was basically shorting out at the bracket/spring interface.

tommy53002
04-01-2010, 09:30 PM
Ran across this site on pirate. Seems like a usefull read.

http://www.rightchannelradios.com/pages/cb-antenna-tuning-and-swr-explained-pv-c0-58.html