alright i know there's got to be some people out there that are very informed about cb radios.

So here's my problem ive got a cobra 29ltd, i belive. Ive got dual whips, i dont know what kind i got em cheap off a trucker buddy of mine. There metal bout 5ft tall got a metal coil about 1 foot above mount. I have only one hooked up as ive been told that if there too close they will compete and i will get horrible reception. Well i still get horrible reception, is there. These coils seem to be mostly for looks, i could be mistaken though, they are glued in it looks like silicone or something similar, there are thread bolt holes on the top and bottom to hold the coils on but both are missing the bolts.

So my problem is im not getting nearly the reception i thought i would with these whips. what could be my problem. My reception is like 200 yards at best.

 

did you try switching with the other whip?

 

Is the radio "matched" to the antenna, check the ground on the antenna mount also. Did the radio work good before, the new to you antennas? Where do you have the antennas mounted? The coils that you are talking about are more for cooling when running a huge amp.

Give us some more info about how you have everything installed.

Toyman

 

well as they are the first whips ive run with the cb, i woudnt know, The antennas are on the inside corner of the bed near the cab. Should i sand off the paint to get a good ground contact. I was told to use mirror brackets as they work pretty good, is this a good choice? Im not really informed when it comes to cb's and proper set up. How should it be set up?

 

I am assuming that you have drilled through and bolted the mirror brackets to the box. You can check the ground with a test light, clamp to the bracket and touch the lighted end to a 12v source on the truck. The biggest thing to remember is the vehicle is going to be your ground plane, that is the reason the making sure you have a ground. If the light does not light up run a wire to a ground and recheck. Next you will need to make sure that both ends of your coax wire are the same length (it sounds like it is already). Hook everything up to the radio, and check your SWR (standing wave ratio). The lower the number the better everything will work. If you need to adjust this it is at the antenna. It might be easier to find a cb shop to help with this if you are unsure, check at a local truck stop or look in the yellow pages. You can purchase the meter to do it yourself, it is easy (just can be time consuming), remember to trim very little at a time if you need to. If I remember correctly if the channel 40 number is higher than the channel 1 number you need to shorten the antenna if it is lower you need to make it longer. You were talking about a coil type with a whip earlier, there should be a set screw that will let you do any adjusting that you need.

Sorry for the long post, but this is a detailed install. But easy. Make sure you have done all the steps. If the SWR is at a very high setting then you may need to try a different antenna or a longer coax setup.

Toyman

 

what do i use to check the ground with, what as the hot?
how would i know if both ends of my coax are the same length. I dont mind spending some times, espically if im learning something new along the way, how much would one of these devices run me?

 

With a test light you can jump accross the battery (on your truck), put the clamp on the neg post and touch the light (probe end) on the positive post. The light will light up, now move the clamp (ground side) to your antenna mount and if there is a ground the light will light up again. If it is easier you can clamp to the positive side and probe the negative side it will work either way.

As for the length of the coax cable, before you install it just hold it up and visually look at it. You should have 3 connectors on it, hold it from the middle (also the connector that goes to the radio). They don't have to be exactly the same, but you don't want one side a bunch longer. So long as it is within an inch or so. If this is a new cable that has never been installed before it should be correct, if it has been previously installed check it but it most likely will be ok.

You should be able to find an SWR meter anywhere from $12-25 depending on how nice of a unit you want. You will also need a jumper coax (about 3' long). The meter will get connected between your coax and the radio, it will show on the back which side to connect the antenna side to and which to hook the jumper to (should say radio).

One other thing, the mirror mounts that you have. Are they new or from something else. I ask this because the plastic washers could be installed wrong (if used), or cracked. If they are new units make sure that they are tight.

You should be talking in no time now.

Toyman

 

What truck are you putting this on?

Toyman

 

the one in my sig

95 ford, 250 ext cab long box. yea the mirror mounts are new, theres really only one way to install the plastic washer, well atleast that makes any sense. I will get the meter probably next week. the coax i bought has only one "prong" on each end, that screws into the antenna and the radio itself. It was bought brand new. is there anything special i should do with extra cord, or should I cut and re-install ends on cord of proper lenght and is this even possible?

thanks for the help toyman, when my 24 hours are up you will be gettin some rep!

 

I also have a Cobra 29 LTD Sound Tracker. If you are only going to use 1 antenna then it needs to be mounted in the center cause mounting it on the side make it directional, you may reach futher in 1 direction than the other, if you want the two antenneas then go get a split caox cable. Also having to long of coax cable, you want the shortes length possible. After making sure of these 2 things if you are still not getting good reception, take it to a cb shop and have them tune it for you, it should be rather cheap, i had mine tuned for $10 and I get great reception.

 

The easiest way to mount the antennas is to the mirrors, there is a bracket that is flat. It will sandwich the flat mirror bracket perfectly (I've done a few). Then you can run the coax through the vent windows. If you are wanting to run the dual antenna setup you will need to get the coax that is like a "Y". If you are only going to run one antenna use about 18' of coax (this will help with the SWR) you can make big loops with the extra, but do not wrap it up tight. It is best to stretch it out.

I am running a Styker 440hp, with 18' of coax, and a 2' Francis antenna mounted to my aluminum tool box. My SWr is about 1:2 (well within range).

Toyman

 

alright so if i got a dual coax and ran both whips they wouldnt compete with each other? Is the tuning diffrent if i do it like this, and will it help my reception?

 

It will make it directional. Enough to matter, probably not. Optimum placement for a cb antenna is center of the roof with a permanent mount. Magnetic mount would be next. One antenna tuned properly will work better than 2. Picture 2 egg shaped circles with the wider ends overlapping just a touch, this is what the signal will kind of look like (if that makes sense). If your radio is stock (4W output) it shouldn't effect your output or receive if it is tuned properly.

Personally I run one antenna, right now the one I am running is on my tool box. It works fine, but the radio is not exactly what the general public would buy. It has got about 65W of output power, receive enhancement, it has been aligned, and tuned. It will talk (when busy) about 7-12 miles, and 15-25 miles on quiet times. You can get a ton of power out of the Cobra 29 that you have. The best thing to do is take it to a good CB tuner and get it aligned and peaked, you can have a receive enhancement done, and big finals and have a radio that will talk really really well.

Toyman

 

it seams if im gunna go throught the troube of doing that then i should just take it into a shop?
Ive heard of a good guy here in lubbock through this very site to be exact, havent tried him yet but maybe worth a look what kind of money are we talkin here?

 

It shouldn't be that much to tune your radio. But you may want to have that done and have him help get the SWR correct rather than spend the money on a meter and do it yourself. Especially if he is that close. Let us know how it all turns out.

If you don't go to the extreme with the big finals and such at least get the radio tuned and aligned. It will make a big difference in how it performs. Then do something later if you want more out of it.

Toyman