Hello all,

I have a few questions regarding setting up a CB in my 1995 F150.

I already purchased a Cobra 29 WX NW ST and have it set up with an old antenna in my truck. So far I just have a cigarette lighter adaptor on the end of the wires and have it plugged into my 12V accessory slot. Where does everyone recommend permantly wiring my radio into? I've heard conflicting reports on where is the best spot to do this. I'm looking for a spot to tap in that will give me the best quality sound with the least amount of work.

Secondly, as I said, I'm using an old antenna for now. I was looking at Wilson antenna's. The Little Wil and the Wilson 1000 to be specific. Will I gain that much performance with the larger Wilson 1000? I'm not sure if I really need a 62" antenna on top of my truck. My thought is the Little Wil will work, but if the performance would be that much better with the Wilson 1000, the extra money would not be a problem.

Thanks for your help

 

As far as the power source goes, I have always used a constant 12v. If your accessory outlet is constant you can splice into the wires there. Another option is running a seperate power line from the battery. If you choose this option be sure to put an inline fuse close to the battery.
As far as antennas go, Wilson makes some of the best. The "little will" should meet your needs just fine. Make sure that you use 18' of coax and that you set your SWR. ALso make sure that your antenna has a good ground.

 

Alabama - have you had much experience with RFI - I have RFI so bad that I have to squelch the radio down so much I can hardly get anyone. I am running a Galaxy DX959 with a Wilson 5000 mag mount on the cab of the roof. Understand that the fuel pump may be the culprit but the filter that Ford sells is only applicable through the 1996 model year. Any suggestions?

 

Alabma:

Drats, Signature did not post

_______________
2003 F150 XLT 4X4 Supercrew

 

A few things on RFI and your system.

Mag mount antennas never were the best, convenient yes- but at a price. It's just really hard to get a good ground plane with them. I would probably do a permanent install of the antenna. Then either have the ant. tuned or diy. That should take care of some of the problems. But since you have it hooked up now, try moving it around to see if the problem gets worse or better. It's basically a really cheap ant. tune job by changing the ground plane around.

Try running the power directly from the battery, with an inline fuse, using shielded cable. You probably know this, but shielded cable has a braided copper covering around two conductors. You should pull out a bit of the shield on one end and ground it for best results. Regular coax can be used in place of if you're running a stock setup, (read- legal power). This isn't as good as shielded two conductor cable, but it's easy to find. Since it's DC even 75 ohm TV cable will work.

Is the noise you are getting a solid whine or RPM dependant? A lot of times, if it changes with the engine speed the alternator is the culprit. Alt. might be just fine as far as charging goes, but they get dirty, rf wise, and produce emittions that can't be filtered out. Replace or rebuild are the options.

Bottom line- most Rx problems are caused by an antenna that isn't tuned.

Sound quality is always improved by adding an external speaker.

 

Howdy -

Thanks mch for your reply. I have used all those fixes in the past when there was a problem and I have always had good luck with the Wilson mag mounts. Unfortuantely this time it is the fuel pump in my ford truck. Went to a CB forum over the weekend and there were many ford owners there with the same problem. The fix apparently is to put a high quality 50v capacitor over the leads on the fuel pump. All that tried that said it completely eliminated the noise. Now all I have to do is get smart about capacitors. There are many different types, from Ceramic to Mica to lord knows what else. It was suggested getting one with a 200-500 microfared rating. Just need to know which type to get.

Again - I really appreciate your taking the time to respond. I will report back once I get a capacitor in place and let you all know how it worked.

Dave

 

Sorry to continue to be a pest. But I am learning slowly how to conquor the problem. I know I need a high value 50v capacitor to put on the leads to the fuel pump. The guidance I have received says that the capacitor needs to be 2X the voltage of the power supply voltage going to the fuel pump. Can anyone tell me what the voltage is going to the fuel pump on my 2003 F150? If I didnt like talking on the radio so much I would throw it out the window and just whistle down the road - LOL! And yes, I don't have a lot of faith in my very small town Ford dealer for after market questions or problems. We have tried to move the antenna to different parts of the truck to no avail. If this doesnt work will dill into the bumper and mount a steel 102 inch whip!

 

bearcub - let me get you the part number for the filter from Ford. It will work on your fuel pump, not just through 96. I have 2 of the filters in my X, and have 2 in my father's 99 Ranger. My father also drove for a union company, and ran the filter in his carry box. Worked like a charm.

The noise filter part from Ford is: F1PZ-18B925A

If your local dealer scratches his head about it, call Rusty at 770.968.3412. He knows all about the filter and can get you one...

 

Cobra -

Thanks much. Since I got the part number on line and provided it to my parts manager he figured out he could get it. He was the one that told me only through 96. I will have them order it (63 bucks now) and then probably have them install it as well. Sounds a lot simpler then chasing my tail trying to find the right capacitor to put on the damn thing!

Again - thanks for all your help.

This forum is fantastic - has been extremely helpful. Found an extemely helpful CB forum also at ezboard.com. World Wide CB Forum, lots of help there as well.

Hmmm - wonder if Rusty could get for me quicker. Takes me weeks to get after market parts from my local dealer!

 

If Rusty doesn't have it in stock, he will have it the next day, or have it shipped straight to you. Give him a call - he can do better than $63.00 also...

 

Cobra,

Your the man!! I went ahead and called Rusty just for grins. Did not have any in stock but ordered me one. Will have it Fri and have it to me by Wed/Thurs. Sierra Hotel. Best thing is my dealer wanted $63 for the part. Rusty is getting it to me for $50 which includes shipping!!!!

Cannot thank you enough Dave for your assistance. Told Rusty was putting his name and number in my book and that in the future if I needed anything would come to him!

Dave

 

Good deal!! I try to refer people to the Motorhaven.com when I can to try and help support this site, but for parts like this, I knew Ken would not have it. Rusty has always treated me (and anyone I know that has done business with him) well - might be because he is my best friend... I'm glad he did the same for you!

You'll notice a dfference with that filter if it is put in right...

 

That sounded ominous "if its put in right". Is it a tricky installation?

 

I haven't seen the kit they sell, but it should be straight forward. I've put both caps and diodes across injector pumps on diesel generators. Roughly put, they both act kind of like a cross between a bypass valve and a shock absorber. A capacitor, depending on whether you put it in series or parallel, will filter either high or low frequencies. Or , if you really want to get into it-build a Pi network that filters the DC going into your radio. A simple choke can work.

Probably the place to start would be to do a search of low-pass filters and maybe throw avionics in the search with it. Aircraft radios have all the same problems we have with trucks: alternators and pumps (inductive noise), plus, they have strobes. Strobes can cause a lot of noise, because of the high voltage stored and released through a bunch of caps. Anyway, that would be a good place to start. Sometimes it's easier to just give the CB a good filtered power supply than try to individually filter every possible source. A guy at work even went so far as to route his spark plug wires through flex conduit after doing everything else talked about here. He doesn't worry about noise any more.

 

Hi folks. I'm new to the forum but dealt with this issue before. The Wilson antenna web site has information concerning this issue. Check http://www.wilsonantenna.com/svnotes.htm note number 4. Or install the Ford filter. Ford had a service bulletin out about this. Found the bulletin when I was trying to cure the same problem on an 87 Bronco.