Cb radios ? - Page 2

turbo · #16 06-08-2010, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by streetdemon21

ok thanks for all your help ill keep that in mind and is it hard to tune them ?

that depends on what you mean by tune them...

if you mean, "adjust the antenna to obtain the lowest SWR", the answer is "no".

if you mean, "adjust the radio so that it exceeds the legal power limit for a CB transmitter", then the answer is "no, not for me."

Stumblefoot · #17 06-19-2010, 08:43 PM

post up some pics when you get it all installed, I agree with the previous posts they all have the right info and ideas.

stephen.g.fiddes · #18 06-19-2010, 11:51 PM

x2 on antenna height. and another good place for it is the front left (just opposite the stereo antenna) If you have it like I do in this pic, you want a tall antenna so it can get over the cab (this is a 7 foot Firestick)

and while i'm at it, this is the best place to mount your radio if you have a larger one (like mine, a cobra 29 series)

08xlt · #19 06-20-2010, 12:37 AM

A Mag mount Wilson 1000 or 5000 or permanent mount on top of the cab as close to center as possible would be ter best TX RX where ever the antenna is it will TX towards the most metal or ground plane and receive the least on the least plane from the base. as far as radios Cobra is ok Galaxy is better and I would make sure it has Sideband capabilities.once DX comes in you'll be hooked on SSB. AM is great for trailriding.Hope this helps.

purplepowerranger · #20 02-17-2011, 11:51 AM

do you have to ground the antenna to the frame?

stephen.g.fiddes · #21 02-17-2011, 11:53 AM

thats the only way the antenna gets it's ground plane. That will be done through the mount tho.

and it's not the antenna itself that gets grounded to the frame. it needs to be isolated actually. it's the mount for the antenna, and the shielding on the coax that gets grounded, so as long as you screw it to something metal on the truck, you should be OK.

FireRanger · #22 02-17-2011, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by purplepowerranger

do you have to ground the antenna to the frame?

The antenna mount needs to be grounded. If you're mounting it on a metal body panel, then you're fine. If you're mounting it to a toolbox or something that isn't metal, then you will need to add a ground strap to a metal body panel.

The entire metal body and frame are electrically "ground". So going to the FRAME is not needed.

CLJ99ranger · #23 02-17-2011, 03:12 PM

I think tuning your radio can be both hard and easy. i have a superstar 121 hi/low radio hooked up to a 102" steel whip and it was easy to tune for low swr but when i hooked the same radio up to a wilson 1000 magnet mount it was a pain to tune it and it wont know where near as good as the whip.

stephen.g.fiddes · #24 02-17-2011, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CLJ99ranger

I think tuning your radio can be both hard and easy. i have a superstar 121 hi/low radio hooked up to a 102" steel whip and it was easy to tune for low swr but when i hooked the same radio up to a wilson 1000 magnet mount it was a pain to tune it and it wont know where near as good as the whip.

only hard if you don't know what your doing. if you hook up an antenna analyzer to it, and trim it to the proper length, you'll be fine.

FireRanger · #25 02-17-2011, 03:17 PM

SWR has nothing to do with tuning the radio. SWR is related to antenna performance. You have to adjust the antenna length and to the extent possible, the placement of the antenna, to bring SWR as close to 1:1 as possible. Going from one antenna to another (whip to mag mount) will of course yield a different SWR reading because it is a different antenna in a different location. If you tune that new antenna to be as close to 1:1 as possible, super. If you then switch the coax cable back to the previously tuned 102" whip, it will also be just as well tuned as it was before.

stephen.g.fiddes · #26 02-17-2011, 03:27 PM

Coax length has absolutely nothing to do with SWR or tuning. maybe loss if your using RG-8X or RG-58 for longer than 100 feet, but other than that coax length does not have anything to do with it.

FireRanger · #27 02-17-2011, 03:31 PM

Was that to me or someone else?? I didn't see anything about the length of the coax mentioned anywhere, and I didn't say it?

You know what's comical... The "CB experts" that insist you need that mythical 18ft of coax for anything to work properly.

stephen.g.fiddes · #28 02-17-2011, 03:35 PM

OH, derp. I read that wrong. and yes, I LOL at the 18' coax length too. Sorry, i'm at work and skimming through stuff.

cfox · #29 02-26-2011, 08:56 AM

I made a stainless steel "L" mount for mine that attatches to the right rear tie down loop on my 2009 Sport 4x4. I ran 18' of mini 8 doen the stake pocket to the frame then through the little rubber plug in the floorboard behind the passenger seat. My antenna is a 5' STT5 fiberglass with a quick disconnect. SWR's are flat across the channels at 1.2 and it works well.