That is another thing about the francis antennas, unless the treelimb catches it real close to the base it will not break. Like stated 18 foot of coax and I have had francis from 3 feet to 5 feet be within specs on the swr's.
The coax is the cable from the radio to the antenna.

 

I like my antenna

 

Hey guys I'm planning on picking up this CB at my local radioshack

Uniden® PC78 Elite CB Radio with Weather Channels - RadioShack.com#

made by Uniden

 

Is the theory for signal strength the larger the antenna the better? was thinking about using a 48" fiberglass antenna

 

having your antenna tuned to your setup makes a lot more difference than what antenna you run better quality atanas usually need less/are easier to tune

 

Mine is mounted just to the left of the ashtray .. the antenna was on the hood but I am moving it to between the bed and cab one on each side!!

 

Take the ashtray assembly out,most radios will fit right in that spot,get you a magnet hustler and stick on top. Flip your cig butts at chevys and hybreds..

 

how can I tell which antenna is good and which is a crap one?

 

I like my Cobra 23 in over head mounts and my twin fire sticks!

We'll not talk about whats in between them ...

-Enjoy
fh : )_~

 

well thanks to my ignorance I drove to my local radio shack and they don't carry cb's asked the clown if there are any other radio shacks local that carried them and got a simple shrug of the shoulders, ahh society gotta love it, I called local bestbuy and they don't have one I'm after can anybody think of some stores that might carry them, I do not like purchasing things over the internet but it just might come down to it

 

Go to a truck stop, they usually have a good slection of cbs.

 

what I did last time I wanted to "do it right" installing a cb was pull up at the bar at the local truck stop and start asking the truckers questions till a couple of them got real pasionate and went out tin the parking lot to prove who had longer ears, then I went to the shop the winner recomended and spent a couple hundred

for the most part though I just use the cheap cobra's with cheap tunable fiberglass antena's and tune em with an equaly cheap swr meter. that gets me a few miles of range so I can ask the guys going the other way whats in front of me

 

how hard would it be to achieve a 10 miles range?

 

My shop is about 7 miles from I-5. Pretty much a straight and flat shot. With a basic CB and matched fiberglass antenna, I can hear and talk. But it is a weak signal. In hilly terrain, it is reduced to 2, maybe 3 miles.

I would stay away from truck stops when looking to buy a CB. Their prices are pretty jacked up. Check out a truck parts house or truck dealership. They will have a decent selection and pretty good pricing.

Jason

 

for ten miles you need either radios putting out more power than the legal limits or directional antenna, knew some folks in high school that used a pair of old satellite dishes pointed at each other from about 15 miles away, system worked I still don't know how they got them things pointed right at each other though