Damn CB radio !
 

It's as easy to spend money on the radio as it was the Jeep ...I got the dave made 2x4 and the Galaxy 99 put in the Truck a week ago got ithe Dead key set to the Amp , and have and easy 450 RMS with a Swing of 900 watts had fun being annoying asking for directions to WalMart and asking for a cookie in Satans voice with the voice changer on the 99 ...Oh and the good buddy beep is always a good tool to get people running off at the MIC ...LOL , But in just a little over a week I already have ordered today a straight 12 pill that I will push with the itty bitty 2x4 for about 1200 RMS and a swing of 2400 watts ...I hope this satisfies me because it's all I can fit on the truck with some basic electrical upgrades like a couple very very high FARAD capacitors like 20-30 Farad ...Wink

Yet one more reason why my CB radio remains in the "off" position.

Children and their toys....:roll:

Oh Yeah, I gots me a Cobra 19 with the CHROMIUM PLATED, FULLY ILLUMINATED PLASTIC MICROPHONE. Take that toughguy.

+1 here Rev

I have always thought that the CB shops and truck stops need to give some sort of screening test to anyone that wants to by CB stuff just to make sure the buyers are responsible and adult enough to handle having the things. Child like super CB bandits are among some of the most annoying things out on the road.

Cobra Nigh****ch 29... NOW YOU TAKE THAT JUMBO!! MINES LIGHT UP GREEN!! NANA NANA BOO!! WHEN ALL THE SUPER TRUCKERS PASS ME THEY SAY LOOK AT SCHNEIDER PRETTY LITTLE LIGHT UP RADIO!! OOOO... JUMBO...OOO

p.s. i can't drive a truck without a CB... even tho i hate the shenanigans that some of the truckers and other citizen band users pull on that thing, at times the CB provides great entertainment and has on several occasions kept me up while tired when taking to another diver!!

Cue RadioRay's appearance in 3....2....1....

so I take it you got the davemade from the info I gave?then I guess I am the one responsible for you annoying folks? lol... have fun w/ the high power. you got a steel on that unit.

the voice changer would be fun.

I keep my squelch turned all the way up unless I really need info. Once I get the info needed it goes right back up. I usually only turn it on when going into the quarries then turn it back off once I'm out but sometimes I will keep it on just for the heck of it.

okay.... i just upgraded from my POS Cobra 29LTD Classic to a Galaxy dx959. Bought it just today. Guy checked it out for me at his stand (bought it at a CB shop...a used one), and he set it up for me, and said it all checks out. Now i know i get out, and can receive pretty well. I was 7-10 miles away, and could still talk to the CB shop, VERY VERY weak, but could still hear em.

Question is, how exactly do you set up your SWR again, and all that crap?? I liked the 29LTD....it was basic, with no bells and whistles. This galaxy has all that "talkback" and "roger beep" crap on it, and more knobs than knobs on this website. =) anyway, anyone with the same radio that could help me out.....

I know eventually i'll upgrade the coax and the antenna, seeing how its the el-cheap-o stock company garbage.

i dont want to talk to the moon, but i do want to talk atleast a mile or two away.

The CB Radio Talk Forum • Portal for all c.b. info. proffessionals there.

thanx for the link.

+1

Kev, setting your SWR isn't too hard, but it does depend on the kinda of antenna system you have.

:hellno: :hellno:


If they did that, the lack of potential buyers who could pass the screening process would kill their chances of selling very many CB's!!

I keep my radio on. In fact, I talked to Bald Eagle a while back. He was heading out to Lubbock, and I was heading back. There are some Fed Ex guys that I talk to that have big radios. It's amazing how far some of their radios can get out. I don't see anything wrong with having a big radio. As long as you don't bother folks with all the play toys. Talking to someone that has a big radio is nice in places where there isn't much traffic.

yeah, like that roger beep and the talkback. Think some drivers use that crap just because one of their divorced parents didnt pay enough attention to them as a younger child. Now they need to be noticed. Either that, or they have a personal preoccupation with 'size'. =)

it would be GREAT to have a radio i can talk to a driver for 5-10 minutes going the other way, rather than getting or asking a question, and having to hurry with a cliff-notes version of an answer because i have no range.

As far as the Galaxy, what is a good antenna to throw on it? also, what about the coax? nickel plated, gold or platnum? lol

Talkback is when you hear yourself, when you key up. It's a little transister that relays what is transmitted, back through the external speaker. Some of the higher priced radios have an on/off switch, and talkback is installed from the factory. Or, if you don't have talkback, a CB guy can solder one in your radio. I've got talkback in mine. It helps me to know how much echo I've got. :p

I’ll bet Ray is lurking and writing all of your names down. I know we’re overdue for a copy and paste letter from Big Brother on the $10,000 fine some poor schmuck got smacked with for talking ‘big’. :rofl:

No kiddin! :rofl:
I'll probably get a knock on my door. :p :lol: "Hello. Mr Jackrabbit?" "Uhh.. wut??"

My CB works great now that I had the Caller ID board and foul-mouth filter installed. Of course with these features it is the same the "off" position. :-D

I'm not sure how to respond to the original post, I didn't understand a damn thing he said. How did you guys decipher that post? decoder ring?

I got a Cobra 29.

Count me in as well...

Okay, just took my CB into a shop. After looking at it, i was told a transistor was missing, really dirty (dunno how, seeing it was made 3 mo. ago) and something was tuned really low, probably cause the previous owner was running an amp. Guy said i was only putting out a quarter of some level...forgot what he said it was. ANYWAY....

when he asked me what kind of truck i had, and said it had generic antenna and dual-coax, he said any upgrade to either, and i would be able to tell a difference. He suggested i pick up a Wilson 3ft antenna. Came with coax and a hanger to bolt into my mirror. The coax had the capability to tune the antenna thru some device mounted inline with the coax. He said once i get it tuned to the antenna, check the SWR readings, i should put out atleast 4 miles+.

anyone have any opinion on the Wilson antenna??

The wilson you are talking about is the no ground wilson. Meaning it doestyn have to be grounded. Does it look like this??

http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/9407/ngkit.jpg


I never used that type. I always used the wilson 2000 and had good luck with it.

4 miles after work was done to it? Geez man, I have a Cobra 29 that is still factory settings with a very cheap Wilson antenna that I got from Radio Shack and I can get out 8 miles with it. It's only putting out 4 watts.......that is unlike the guy that lives near me of which when I get near his work van, my radio speaker starts magically talking even though the radio is off. That man is putting out some serious wattage. When I get near him I have to turn the radio off when he goes to key up, he gets out about 30 miles crystal clear.

I have a good feel of the fella your talking about lol.. hey i'll give you 30 bucks if you tell me who's the guy that cusses and makes threats on 19 that always claims to be in a green kw going northbound... please tell me who that guy is!!! I hate going through Northern VA with 19 on!!

Only 4 miles, and you have a Galaxy?? :hellno:
I can talk 6-8 miles with my Cobra 29.
Keven, I think you need to find a good CB man to look at your radio. Someone that knows what he's doing. That Galaxy should reach out at least 10 miles, barefooted.

no no...man, talk about me not reading posts. i said that he told me i should get 4 mi with just a new antenna setup without tuning. hell, i havent even been able to hook the antenna up to my passenger side mirror bracket, cause the mirror posts are too big for that bracket. bolts arent long enough. so i'll be going to Lowe's or Home Depot to get longer bolts. but yeah, it looks exactly like the picture posted.

the other thing the guy said was to turn up the RF power, RF gain and Mic gain, and i should be able to get out 4-5 miles. heck, i'd be happy with that. i really have no need to talk to someone half way across the state.

It still sounds funny to me. I don't mean to make ya feel bad, but it sounds like a screwing to me.
Unless the factory installed mounting brackets are bad, you shouldn't need any other mounting brackets. If you need to get to the factory mounting brackets, get a philips screwdriver, and the front plastic cover of the mirror comes off. Once the front plastic cover is off, you can get to the coax end, and mounting bracket. If everything is working properly, there is no reason why your radio shouldn't work with a good antenna(s).
If your antennas mount on top of the mirrors, you should be able to get by with that. There are several different types of antennas you can use. Wilson, is a good one. High, but good. Either the Wilson 5,000 or the Wilson 2,000 would be good for ya. Those 2 range around $70. Francis makes good antennas. If you wish to get a Francis, it would be best to get atleast 5' and get the SWR set. Francis antennas cost around $20 or so.

We have the same setup in our trucks. The antennas mount on top of the mirrors. I have a Wilson 5,000 that a friend of mine gave me. I have a Cobra 29. I've never had any trouble. My SWR is low, and my range is 6-8 miles. Not bad for a Cobra.

see...now i dont know jack about CBs...maybe that is my problem. i've seen 2,000 watt antennas in truck stops, etc. but what exactly will that do for me? Figure you'd need an amp to even get close to 2,000 watts. What exactly is the # of watts on packaging....is that what the antenna produces?? the higher the watts the more transmitting power it would give you without an amp?? i've got a 2009 volvo. the back of the mirror comes off, but i dont want to bust the damn thing. there are no screws to aid in removal of the back. I'd like to run the better coax thru the mirror bracket, and use the antenna bracket currently on the truck.

okay...ill be running from chicago to cleveland this afternoon...i-80....anyone know of a good CB shop with a good reputation along the way in that corridor??

The wattage is how many watts an antenna can handle. For an example, a Wilson 5,000 means that the antenna can handle up to 5,000 watts going through it. You wouldn't want a 50 watt antenna if you have a big radio (Galaxy for an example), with a 500 watt linear behind it. I believe a 5.5' Francis antenna is 150 watts, which would be enough for your setup, if you want to look into Francis antennas.

Our mirrors have 6 phillips screws, and the front cover comes off. Yours may just have "snaps" or some other way. Yeah, I would be cautious, myself. :lol: I'm sure they run the coax down the bottom mirror bracket, and into the truck, which might take a while to trace down the coax, inside. I wouldn't advise that. :p :lol:

Speaking of Volvo's, do you have a "mounting stud", you might call it, above the door, near the top corner of the cab? Come to think of it, the Volvo's that Fed Ex runs have a "stud" that sticks out right above the doors, and their antennas are mounted up there. Next time you see a Fed Ex truck, and if it's a Volvo, look and see. (of course, every truck is different)

If it were me, I would find a good CB man, and see if he can get ya some good antennas. Good aint always expensive. You can find some good ones, and not pay a fortune. I would have a CB man to look at it, and see how well the factory coax/mounting brackets work with good antennas. If the radio does what it should, I would run it that way.

This will show you how much i know. I was at a T/A somewhere out east. Take the exit, climb up a HUGE hill, and it had a BK and idle aire. Across the street was a little bigger Petro. Thought it was in PA or WV...but anyway, they had a CB shop....and i saw a guy getting out of a truck with what looked to be a radio and a huge antenna, had to be about 7-8 foot. I figured he was tuning the radio and/or getting that driver a setup specifically for that truck and/or radio.

When i was at the Bosselman's in Altoona, IA...i asked about getting my radio tuned. The guy told me "$25 and would take about 20-30 min." So then i stand there for a minute waiting for him to get off his butt and put his cell phone down. I asked, "so when can we get started on this..." and he said, "as soon as you bring in the radio."

I had told him i wanted to get a good setup for my truck, told him what i had. But aparently he was just in the mood to sell something rather than provide a good service.

I dont have that stud to mount an antenna on. I have located the coax ran thru the dash, and can see where in the mirror bracket its run. Guess i'll ask someone in a terminal shop the next time i'm thru how to go about snapping the back off.

Well...here we go.....I take it into a CB shop in Walcott, IA.....they do $70 worth of 'work' on it and the tech sells me a ground strap for that 'no ground' wilson POS antenna. Guess what.....STILL dont have a working radio. I've blown $210 now on a POS galaxy, a POS antenna and 'work' done on my radio, and can't get any range.

i'm about to just take the galaxy out, and roll over it with my trailer. I'd get more use out of it as a wheel chock. Might as well just sell the antenna, and radio for $70, and just go buy a new cobra 29....seeing how i'm told a new radio right out of the box will get me 2-3 miles range.....

Well here is an update for ya. Stopped at Walcott, like i said. Headed over to the shop at 9a. took in my receipt for work done on the radio. Showed the guy it was not transmiting but was receiving. my guess is something they 'fixed' before worked its way loose again. but anyway, they are not charging me to re-fix it. all work they do is under 14 day 'waranty'.

But i will pick up a firesitck. thought about going with the wilson 2000, but just dont want to blow $70 on an antenna. (heck, i still might buy it....depends on how long i sit here) but the guy wants to personally sell me a NIB astatic mic for $20. Oh....and instead of buying the ground cable, i should have bought a 'bird pirtch'. The guy this morning told me to unscrew one of the mirror mount bolts, and put the pertch in its palce. gives you a much better ground.

I was there for 90 minutes while the tech worked on the radio. I went back over to the T/A and parked, and he'll call me when its ready. So by today, i SHOULD have a good working radio that gets out a few miles. =)

why would you buy a P.O.S. firestick instead of buying a wilson???? spent the money and get the wilson. a radio is only as good as the coax and antenna that you use. put everything back in/on the truck and ask the radio guy to come out and make sure everything is matched up properly. i run a cobra 29 ltd classic with the wilson trucker 2000 antenna and the copper coax. i have no problems getting out with my radio

I never thought I could see myself buying a Wilson, either. A friend of mine gave me his, after he quit driving. Since I've been using his, if I need a new one, I will get a Wilson. :p

Kevin, what exactly is a bird pirtch? I've never heard of one. I tried searching, but no luck. :lol:

I hope it works this time for ya. Nothing pulls your hair out more than a CB radio not working like it should. :p :lol:

okay.....i recently bought a firestick II, kept the same adjustable coax from that wilson 3ft antenna i bought in altoona. and they've fixed my CB. obviously something wrong in the gounding inside the CB or something that was preventing me from txmiting.

anyway...i attached pics of my setup. since re-runing the coax, i rechecked my SWRs, and seem to be getting readings slightly higher than 3:1. before, with the 3ft wilson antenna, i was getting the desired 1.5:1. now the coax is only 9ft length. could going to an 18ft coax help?? i've also removed the dual antennas that were on the truck, since i'm not using them. removed them to see if that helped the SWR but it did not.

any help/opinion to any changes i should make would be greatly appreciated. i can hear and txmit just fine, but know my SWR readings are a bit too high.