My CB is haunted

[Malaki86]

I'm having issues with my CB and am at wits end here.

I have a Cobra 29 WX NW ST. The radio has been peaked/tuned, but other than that, is a factory box. Just to clarify, the issues I'm having existed as soon as I bought the radio new, before it was touched by a CB shop. Also, the problem happens whether I'm using the factory antenna's in my Prostar, or if I'm connected to the seperate antenna I hooked up (seperate coax, mount and antenna). In fact, prior to this radio, the exact same thing was happening with my old radio, which for the life of me, I can't remember what it was. I do know that none of the problems existed in the last truck I was in, with the same computer equipment in it.

The radio appears to work great. I have decent reception and others have said the radio sounds clear.

Now's where it gets interesting:
If I key up the mic (doesn't matter what channel) and speak into the radio, my laptop system goes nuts. This includes the 7" touchscreen I have mounted on the dash. Keying up causes severe static on the display. Also, every device hooked to the USB system "dies". I have to reboot the laptop to get them working again. The CB has also caused my wife's cell-phone to turn itself on (it was powered off). It's even caused my laptop to reboot itself on a few occasions.

Does anyone have a clue WTF could be causing all of this? The shops I've talked to have said to run my own coax/antenna, which I did. They've also said to run power to it from another power source. It still happens if it's wired direct to the batteries (both leads).

I've had the radio tested and it's showing 23watts of power, and they've all said that this thing is putting out nowhere near the kind of power that usually causes issues like I'm having.

I'm getting to the point where I won't even turn it on because if someone asks me a question, I know I'll end up having to hit the next rest area/stop just to straighten everything out again.

[Windwalker]

Check your antenna connection on the back of the radio and make sure it really is tight. If the connection is not completely tight, you will get RF radiation inside the cab, and that will reek havoc with any electronics inside. The connector at the back of the radio might not allow you to get it completely tight. You have to make sure that your ground connection is good at both ends of the cable. Since the radio is the only part that is in common with both antenna systems, that's where I would look.

[repete]

I also would be looking at the ground, bad grounds can cause feedback and do wierd things tho turning the cell phone on is really out there.

[Jackrabbit379]

Like Windwalker said, I would check the coax end on the back of your radio. Check the nut, that bolts the male end on the back of the radio too (the threads where you screw your coax on the back of the radio).
I just happened to think... How do you have it wired? Is the cb radio power cord tied in with your computer? Meaning, are both power cords hooked to the same place. If so, you might run one of them to another place. Maybe run the cb radio to the cigarette lighter plug, if available.

[Malaki86]

Right now, the CB is attached to the factory power harness and my own coax in the above shelf in the Prostar. My laptop is hooked to a power inverter which is plugged into the receptacle in the fridge cabinet in the sleeper. They're different power sources completely.

I'll try running another body ground asap at the radio. I think there's some hidden sheet metal up there I can run a self-tapping screw through. Of course, it's hard to tell if that metal up there is actually attached to the body of the truck any more.

[Windwalker]

I'm thinking that RF from the radio is being radiated inside the cab. That's about the only thing that will affect the computer and cell phone. The cell doesn't have any physical connection to the power, and it has to be RF. That can do things with the computer as well. But, the only way it can do that is if the RF is being 'leaked' into the cab from the coax. Unless.....

Is the case of your radio grounded where it's mounted? That could be a factor. And, what is your SWR like? Also, what type of coax are you using? RG-59 is 75 ohm TV cable, while RG-58 is 50 ohm coax standard for two-way radio with a 50 ohm impedance connection in the radio. RG-59 is often used, but the length is critical, where almost any length of RG-58 works fine. RG-59 is often used with a two-antenna system because of the effect of the impedance with two in parallel.

What ever it is, it has to do with the transmitted RF when you key your mic.

Try taking an ohm meter and check continuity between the antenna and the center conductor of the antenna coax, and also check the continuity of the shield/ground. Make sure that's good too.

[Malaki86]

My own coax is 18'. I don't know the exact specs, but it's the gold colored, highest priced, that they sell in the truckstop chains.

My wife's cell phone was plugged into the cig lighter charger each time it turned itself on while I keyed up the mic.

The SWR is about as perfect as possible. It's around 0.2-0.4 on the scale on the radio.

[Doctor Who]

Don't put a lot of faith in the SWR meter in the radio, it too can be affected by the RF leakage...

Find a good SWR meter and check the SWR again.. Also, since the Prostar is mostly fiberglass finding a decent ground is a challenge in itself. Keep in mind a long length of ground wire will act as an antenna... It is frustrating at best, it took me quite some time to get my Amateur Radio equipment to work properly in a fiberglass bodied truck!!!

One other thing... Don't put very much faith in the "gold" coax from a truck stop it still is not of the best quality!

you could also try connecting the power cord to the battery or in the fuse box...

With all that said if you can find a shop that deals with Amateur Radio equipment someone there could probably get your "Haunted Radio" malady corrected!!!

Good luck...

[Orangetxguy]

Mal.....Do you have the antenna grounded with copper wire? With my 9400, that was what I had to do, to chase away the ghosts. I ran the wire down to the frame...and then I had a very decent radio. I don't know if the Prostar has the empty spaces that the 9400 has, with hollow mirror arms and all. But grounding the antenna helped me.

[Malaki86]

I'll try grounding the antenna as well. I'll just run the wire on the outside of the door since we can't modify the truck in any way.

I forgot to mention this one:

You know the $24.95 inside/outside thermometers at the truckstops? The ones that run on a single double-A battery? The thing has a switch on the back to flip between farenheit & celcius. Well, my radio causes the thermometer to switch between the temp readings. This is on a device that shouldn't be affected in any way, shape, or form of radio waves.

I'm telling you - it's a damn Christine truck.

[MichiganDriver]

I'm telling you - it's a damn Christine truck.

I'm not sure what that means but it's a Prostar isn't it? I think the factory includes a few gremlins free of charge. My Prostar was fine until I blew a fuse and now the lights are completely fubar - ie I have to hit the headlight int switch to see the radio display at night. Also, it's hard to shut it down for the weekend. Sometimes the parking lights won't shut off, sometimes the problem is the dome light.

The truck is interesting that's for sure.

[freebirdrfd]

Prostar's just suck in general. I am not impressed at all with the one that i drive.

[VPIDarkAngel]

Here's another idea (in addition to grounding the antenna) that I've tossed around to deal with my own RFI issues in the 387. Find some RF chokes and put them around the coax close to the CB and on the power leads. If I find any, I'll put some around my coax and see what happens. I'll also ask around, since we have a few guys (both with Werner and Swift) at DG that run ProStars, and I'll see if they have any such issues. Keep us posted.

[Malaki86]

Now I've got an even more interesting 'haunted electronics' issue, but this one is with my POV, a '99 Chevy Blazer.

2 weeks ago while at home, I noticed one evening that the interior lights wouldn't turn off (they're on a time delay). Even the override button, which turns them off and keeps them off, wouldn't turn them off. Ok - so, I pull the fuse for the lights. Problem solved, or so I thought.

When I got home on Saturday, I was driving and saw that the 4WD buttons (3 buttons, with an indicator for the current 4WD position) weren't lit up. I hit the button to go into 4H, but nothing happened. No light on the button itself and nothing on the instrument panel that comes on for each of the 4WD positions. No clue, but no snow is due, so it left my mind.

Well, yesterday the wife and I were together in the Blazer (she normally drives it). I was driving and I mentioned about the 4WD buttons. She said "Oh, I know how to make it work." and she reached down and hit the Rear Defroster button. Lo and behold, the 4WD lights went through their 'startup' cycle, of indicating each of the 3 buttons, then lighting up the 2WD button. I hit the 4H button and, you guessed it, it locked into 4H, with the button lit up and the indicator on the instrument panel. I hit the Rear Defrost button again and the 4WD system turned off again.

Now I'm REALLY perplexed, so I keep hitting the Rear Defrost button and the same thing happens every time. Except one. Instead of just a quick press, I pushed it and held it in for a couple of seconds. Now the overhead lights come on (remember, the lights don't even have a fuse in them). No 4WD system, but there are lights.

I'll be heading into town this morning. I can't wait to go to the Chevy garage and talk to them about this issue. Nothing like a short in a modern vehicle - you don't know what the hell is going to heappen.