CB Radio!
Elder User
Joined: May 2004
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jfarm, you need to get an swr meter from radio shack and adjust the tip for lowest swr. i gave a detailed explanation of how to do this in a thread titled "cb reception". look in the archives of the non-automotive discussion. there is lts of good info in this thread.
Last edited by matt77F2504x4; Oct 4, 2004 at 10:09 PM. Reason: oops!
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
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From: Ravenna/Athens
Ive been wanting to get a CB for some time now, you guys just opened my eyes to them a little more, and made me more determined to get one. Is there a website that would explain how to set up a radio? Like a CB for dummies website?
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01screw4x4, not only are they the best for the money; they perform the best also. providing that you dont mount it on the bumper!
biggieou, you would be surprised at the ammount of cb info there is on this forum alone! do a search for "cb" and read, read, read.
my favorite vendor for euip. is copper electronics. www.copper.com they have been in business for a long time and have the best prices. watch out for net only vendors, and everything at radio shack is overpriced by about 30%.
with cb radio, there is always a compromise to make between looks and performance. you cant expect to use a cell phone look alike antenna and get out more than a mile or so. wilson makes the best mobile antennas if you dont want to drill a big hole in your truck for the 102" whip (although it is the best performer).
if you have any specific questions after reading these posts, feel free to ask me. i love to spout about radios. BTW, copper also has a good forum where you can learn a lot but i would start here.
biggieou, you would be surprised at the ammount of cb info there is on this forum alone! do a search for "cb" and read, read, read.
my favorite vendor for euip. is copper electronics. www.copper.com they have been in business for a long time and have the best prices. watch out for net only vendors, and everything at radio shack is overpriced by about 30%.
with cb radio, there is always a compromise to make between looks and performance. you cant expect to use a cell phone look alike antenna and get out more than a mile or so. wilson makes the best mobile antennas if you dont want to drill a big hole in your truck for the 102" whip (although it is the best performer).
if you have any specific questions after reading these posts, feel free to ask me. i love to spout about radios. BTW, copper also has a good forum where you can learn a lot but i would start here.
Elder User
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 522
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From: Ravenna/Athens
Thanks Matt, I'm just totally starting off from scratch so hearing everyone talk about peaked and tuned, deadkey, swing from blah to blah, etc. I'm just totally lost, LOL. I just want one to hear the weather, and the road conditions for when I'm back and forth between school and home. So I dont need anything super fancy. I'm gonna read up on some of this stuff, but I imagine I'll have some questions. Thanks
Last edited by biggieou; Oct 5, 2004 at 03:14 PM.
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,656
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From: shepherd
just don't say anything to a trucker about their momma, they will want to meet and fight you. lol, once i had one with an amplifier hooked to it to get a better radius and i picked up some weird guy talking about drugs and trippin out. it sounded like a 1 person radio station, he was fried.
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Joined: May 2004
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damn, i coulda swore there was someone talking back to me! you couldnt hear that squirrel chirpping at me telling me to give away all my belongings and move to fiji? musta been all in my head!
biggieou, we are freaks about this stuff; you dont have to be. for a good mobile basic setup that will get out(perform) well; try this. go to copper and price a cobra 29ltd with the weather channels, a wilson1000 magnet mount antenna, and a d104 m6b microphone, add in the cost to have them wire the mic to your radio, and shipping. i'll bet youre still under $250.00 that setup will allow you to hear and talk pretty darn well without getting into all this tune-up stuff.
biggieou, we are freaks about this stuff; you dont have to be. for a good mobile basic setup that will get out(perform) well; try this. go to copper and price a cobra 29ltd with the weather channels, a wilson1000 magnet mount antenna, and a d104 m6b microphone, add in the cost to have them wire the mic to your radio, and shipping. i'll bet youre still under $250.00 that setup will allow you to hear and talk pretty darn well without getting into all this tune-up stuff.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
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From: fremont ohio
Is there a way to pick up weather on any CB? I have an older hand-me-down radio, 20some channels with new dual 4Ft antennas. All I can pick up are truckers, and not very clearly. Do I need to get a radio that speciafically has weather channels? Also, will mounting the antennas on my mirrors give me good enough signal? Does that have something to do with the fact that the mount is metal?
Last edited by nick88f150; Oct 5, 2004 at 03:51 PM.
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it does just plug in
no you dont sound stupid.
all cb's are different in what pin means what.
you may have a mic with a 4 pin screw on plug and a cb with the mating plug but that doesnt mean they are compatible.
every mic has a recieve wire, a transmit wire, an audio wire, and a ground. different manufacturers will assign these wires to different pins on the mic plug, so when buying an aftermarket mic for your radio, you have to find out which wire is which and resolder the plug on the mic to work with whatever radio you have. i hope that makes sense.
no you dont sound stupid.
all cb's are different in what pin means what.
you may have a mic with a 4 pin screw on plug and a cb with the mating plug but that doesnt mean they are compatible.
every mic has a recieve wire, a transmit wire, an audio wire, and a ground. different manufacturers will assign these wires to different pins on the mic plug, so when buying an aftermarket mic for your radio, you have to find out which wire is which and resolder the plug on the mic to work with whatever radio you have. i hope that makes sense.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 167
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From: Kyle, Texas
unfortunately i know of no weather radio you can add to your existing 23 channel cb.
youre probably not getting out well because the older cbs dont have the nice sound refining chips like the new ones do, and youre most likely out of tune. i know exactly what youre talking about my first radio in my pickup was an old 70s Kraco that had a TV style dial to adjust for channels. no RF gain, no noise blanker.... nothin but channels, squelch and volume... and the sound quality was trash.
all you can do is buy a new radio... which i would recommend because after several years they do wear out especially in heat or high vibration environments, that or spend some time tuning your antennas properly with a real external SWR meter. it is possible that your duals are just too close together as a couple of us have mentioned earlier in this thread.
youre probably not getting out well because the older cbs dont have the nice sound refining chips like the new ones do, and youre most likely out of tune. i know exactly what youre talking about my first radio in my pickup was an old 70s Kraco that had a TV style dial to adjust for channels. no RF gain, no noise blanker.... nothin but channels, squelch and volume... and the sound quality was trash.
all you can do is buy a new radio... which i would recommend because after several years they do wear out especially in heat or high vibration environments, that or spend some time tuning your antennas properly with a real external SWR meter. it is possible that your duals are just too close together as a couple of us have mentioned earlier in this thread.
Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2004
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Just throw yourself a $15 102in whip on there with a wilson gumdrop mount at the back of the bed and throw a confederate flag on top of the whip and you'll be set. Anyway you slice it, nothing beats a stainless steel whip. Good luck.