CB Radio Questions

[wupddu]

Anybody know CB well. I got a CB and hooked it up. I get the weather band no CB. I have a 4' fireberglass antenna mounted to the front fender of my truck. What am I doing wrong?

I have seen some info, not much on gnd. plane vs non gnd plane antennas?

Most previous installs were pretty straightforward.

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[Nwcid]

What do you mean you "get no CB"? Meaning no one will talk back to you or???

The CB, even for truckers is almost dead this day and age.......

 

[RedneckRampage]

Give D&R Communication, in Clackamas a call. The old man (owner) can be a Dick, but they do good work and can give you ideas over the phone.

 

[wupddu]

No C B traffic at all no matter what channel and transmit gets no response. Is CB just dead, I mean the use of it. Seems truckers still have rigs.

 

[RedneckRampage]

I drive a semi for a living, I have a CB but never use it. In Beaverton, I really doubt there is ANY use of them. When I turn mine on, it's rare to hear anything, even on SCAN. Try channel 17, 19, our 22 on I-5.

 

[branchbuster]

We used CB when I drove for a canning company. Check the antenna connections and the mic as well.

 

[Mark W.]

WOW I drive dump truck we use it every day I listen to bubblegums from all over the USA booming through our local chatter. So bad I have to turn the squelch way up to drownd it out. Did you adjust your antenna with a SWR meter? does your radio even work? We use the cheapest $40.00 Unidens and can listen to jerks in Louisiana and Hawaii.

Channels 2 5 11 14 15 are always full of chatter. then the Truckers road channels of 17 and 19.

 

[Sun195]

If truckers aren't using CB anymore (and, it sounds like some still are), then what are they using? 2m? Twitter?

 

[Redcap]

CB is still plenty valid. I keep one in my K20 and my F600, both with a linear for when I'm out in the sticks.

 

[RedneckRampage]

Our trucks and equipment use 100 watt Icom our Motorola VHF radios using 100 AAR channels.

 

[142]

WOW I drive dump truck we use it every day I listen to bubblegums from all over the USA booming through our local chatter. So bad I have to turn the squelch way up to drownd it out. Did you adjust your antenna with a SWR meter? does your radio even work? We use the cheapest $40.00 Unidens and can listen to jerks in Louisiana and Hawaii.

Channels 2 5 11 14 15 are always full of chatter. then the Truckers road channels of 17 and 19.

Yeah ^ that... I have a Wilson 1000 antenna on my Cherokee and on channel 17 around Tigard/Beaverton there's almost constant chatter. I run my CB all the time. Maybe I'll hear you asking for a radio check if you get things figured out.

 

[RVTECH]

I have an older Uniden in my motorhome and I had to repair the antenna the other day (broke the threaded mounting stud when I missed a low branch at a campsite earlier this year) but as soon as I screwed it in and turned it on I was getting chatter non stop and 'skip' from Florida. I used to routinely camp at a spot high in the Ochoco Mountains and could talk to people all over the US late at night. Is your antenna properly 'matched'? If not run that on the internet or PM me for instructions. Also antenna location and proper mounting and connections are VERY important for proper CB operation. Is your antenna properly insulated from the vehicle ground?

 

[elk311]

Ditto on the Signal-to-Wave Ratio meter !!! as long as the radio is actually working.

 

[AMProducts]

So a few things on this:

First, CB radio is a very poor substitute for other forms of radio communication. The 11m band as cb is often referred to needs relatively large antennas in order to have resonance with the transmitter. This is why many of the 4ft fiberglass whips are top-loaded (have a big coil of wire) in order to get out. The radios that are used for CB have a max transmitter output of 4W, which even a GMRS handheld puts out more power. CB's also transmit in the AM band, which while it has some benefits for long range communication, tends not to work too well without good antennas, precludes the use of repeater systems, which means you have at best line of sight communication. So if you are a valley away from your intended receiver, you will not be able to communicate.

What I might recommend long term, is getting your ham radio license. This allows you to have bigger transmitters, more bands, and allows the use of repeaters and the FM band. I've got more than a few radios... I think the longest distance I've talked on my 10m rig was west texas, about 900 miles away.

 

[coyoteman5]

Before I got my ham radio license I was on CB radio, on sideband I have talked to Hawaii Australia Texas Florida and Alaska. That is when the signal is able to skip off the Earth's atmosphere and get redirected to another place but it was still fun That's with a stock CB radio no Amplifier. I was using a cobra GTL 148. On sideband you can legally use 12 Watts and that's what the 148 has on sideband. Ten meters which is not much different from 11 meter/CB can do the same but with a ham license you can legally use up to 1500 Watts. The FCC has made it somewhat easier to get your ham license now for the most part you don't need to know Morse code for your technician or general class license you just have to pass the written test for each class. Anyway I thought I would throw that out there.

 

[elk311]

Single-Sideband is really pretty cool. I have a TRC-485 with SSB and the SSB at night with good whip antenna, IN MY TRUCK I have talked with people from Florida and in between as well. I have heard (not talked) from many other countries as well. I really should get my ham license...

WT1108 out

 

[branchbuster]

If the "system" fails CB will be far better than 2 cans and a string.

 

[JackThompson]

I'm just getting my house and rigs setup for CB communication. I'm still learning, and there's a lot to learn but I know you will have better signal/range if you place your antenna in the center of a large piece of metal. That's why magnet antennas are good if you can center them on your roof.

Amps appear to be commonplace now as well, and CB enthusiasts are still plentiful once you know where to look. I'm going to get a 100-200 watt amp as soon as I can find a cheap one. I'll use it for SHTF communication with my base station at home.

 

[XSubSailor]

Ten meters which is not much different from 11 meter/CB can do the same but with a ham license you can legally use up to 1500 Watts.

You can not LEGALLY transmit 1500W on 10m. On 10m, the FCC limit is 200W PEP.

 

[XSubSailor]

Ten meters which is not much different from 11 meter/CB can do the same but with a ham license you can legally use up to 1500 Watts.

You can not LEGALLY transmit 1500W on 10m unless you hold a General Class license or higher On 10m, the FCC limit for Novice and Techs is 200W PEP.