CB Radio Questions

Duke65 · Aug 16, 2012

If the antenna is hooked up and you have power, you should get static even if no one is on. If you don't hear static, then your squelch is set too low. Turn the squelch all the way to the counter-clockwise position and try again.

AMProducts · Aug 17, 2012

JackThompson said:
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.

Setting your antenna in the middle of a large sheet of metal is called a ground plane. Setting up a GP is a better way to get your antenna to have a better impedance match with your feedline, and the feedpoint on your radio. Most radios and feedline used in radio applications is a 50ohm coaxial line. So if you play with the ratio of ground plane to antenna, you can get more gain out of the antenna.

Also, having a big linear is really not a good thing to have if SHTF, much like running a big generator, or keeping all your house lights lit, running a big radio that is going to transmit all over the spectrum is like shining up a big spotlight and saying "HERE I AM!", also since most other people are not running big amps, they may hear you, but you will probably not be able to hear them.

Don't get me wrong here... having a CB is better than having two cans and some string, but it's really only a small step in the right direction. Having an all-mode HF radio trumps having a CB every day of the week, and 4 times on sunday. On a CB you have 40 channels, on an HF radio you have 160, 80, 60, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10m bands, and most of these also include 6m, 2m, 70cm. Which pretty much encompasses everything from 1.8mhz-450mhz. That's a lot of spectrum no matter how you think about slicing it.

JackThompson · Aug 17, 2012

AMProducts said:
Setting your antenna in the middle of a large sheet of metal is called a ground plane. Setting up a GP is a better way to get your antenna to have a better impedance match with your feedline, and the feedpoint on your radio. Most radios and feedline used in radio applications is a 50ohm coaxial line. So if you play with the ratio of ground plane to antenna, you can get more gain out of the antenna.

Also, having a big linear is really not a good thing to have if SHTF, much like running a big generator, or keeping all your house lights lit, running a big radio that is going to transmit all over the spectrum is like shining up a big spotlight and saying "HERE I AM!", also since most other people are not running big amps, they may hear you, but you will probably not be able to hear them.

Don't get me wrong here... having a CB is better than having two cans and some string, but it's really only a small step in the right direction. Having an all-mode HF radio trumps having a CB every day of the week, and 4 times on sunday. On a CB you have 40 channels, on an HF radio you have 160, 80, 60, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10m bands, and most of these also include 6m, 2m, 70cm. Which pretty much encompasses everything from 1.8mhz-450mhz. That's a lot of spectrum no matter how you think about slicing it.

Hey AMProducts great info!

Yeah, I know CB is just one step above cans and string, but it's all I can do at the moment. (Seriously limited budget, buying food, candles, generators, food, medical supplies, vitamins.)

Three things come to mind after reading your reply though.

1. From the CB users I've been purchasing my gear from (All used) it's pretty common for truckers and CB users to have large amps for their gear, so not being able to hear them shouldn't be as much of a concern as you'd think.
2. Shining the big spotlight saying "Here I am" would be the case for sure, but my plan is to only use it in the rigs and only while on the move, and only for bursts of communication. "I am in location A, heading to location B to pickup person C, will arrive at the next checkpoint in X time, Out" type things.
3. I've read about Sideband (Which I'm trying to get on all my CB's) for enhanced CB communication, and I know about 10 Meter (Which appears to be a bit out of my ranger.. $25 for a used CB versus $250-$400 for a 10 meter) but what is an "all-mode" HF radio? and can that be setup as a base-station and mobile rig setup? If so, what's the price for that kinda thing?

AMProducts · Aug 24, 2012

I think you would be surprised at just how cheap ham radios can get... it's easy to find 65w single band mobiles for under $200 (probably less than your CB/linear) and there are newer generations of ham radios that are dual band, usually 50w for about $200-250. Combine that with an MFJ mag-mount antenna and you're adding another $25-40 for that (depending on the antenna). For this price you get a much more capable radio.

All-mode HF radios usually have AM, FM, Sideband (upper and lower), and occasionally they will have a filter for CW as well. There are a wide variety of radios out there, some of them can be purchased used for $20-100, usually what you get in this price range is a radio that's very large, but is likely still serviceable. I have a 10M all-mode rig someone gave me, and my buddy has one he bought for $20. If you look online yea, prices can be high, but look for "ham fests" and the like, it's a great place to pick up used gear at bottom dollar prices.