C B radios (1 Viewer)

[scotjimland]

could be the ground plane Jim, wood dont work

have you checked the SWR of the antenna.....if that aint around the 1.5 - 1 mark it wont be very good.
if its a long way out it could blow the output transistors....done it on mine when i forgot to re-fit the removeable antenna.
just chucked it in the bin and bought another..not worth the hassle finding a radio sparky to fix it.

Hi John

I'm going to check it tomorrow .. it may be a 'no ground plane antenna' .. haven't got a swr meter to check.. .. more stuff to buy .. she will be pleased..

Trouble is, there are so few people out there to give a rig check

 

[pappajohn]

you should get one for less than a tenner,

dont know if you know how to use one so Link Removed to how.

ok....its for aircraft frequencies but the principals the same. just flick to channel 20 and tune from there. :thumb:

 

[sinbad1]

My last setup was an 18' dipole on the back of my 50' steel narrowboat ( orsome groud plane) rig was a president lincoln(Am Fm USB/LSB ). think you'll find your signal projection relative to the where your aerial is to ground plane.

That was a some time ago had a lot of fun made our own DF loops for ghost hunting , be fun to reserect that again, just imagine motorhomes loads of motorhomes with DF loops finding the ghost, Would have to hidden in an out the way pub
Regards

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[scotjimland]

you should get one for less than a tenner,

dont know if you know how to use one so Link Removed to how.

ok....its for aircraft frequencies but the principals the same. just flick to channel 20 and tune from there. :thumb:

Thanks John .. I think I remember how to use them.. even if it was over 20 years ago ..
there's a CB shop in Clacton .. looks like a seaside trip tomorrow.. must get them ears on

 

[pappajohn]

roger dodge good buddy......down and on the side

 

[camcondor]

Hi John

I'm going to check it tomorrow .. it may be a 'no ground plane antenna' .. haven't got a swr meter to check.. .. more stuff to buy .. she will be pleased..

Trouble is, there are so few people out there to give a rig check

Hi Jim,

Rather wait till you have a licence and get a Yaesu 817 or an Icom DStar enabled handie - many more users than CB and your coverage extends possibly worldwide with Dstar and amazing distances with the 817 have been achieved in QRP contests. Maybe I'm just a tad biased I have got a modded CB unit, mind you, for RTTY and PSK31......


Laurie:Cool:

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[scotjimland]

Hi Jim,

Rather wait till you have a licence and get a Yaesu 817 or an Icom DStar enabled handie - many more users than CB and your coverage extends possibly worldwide with Dstar and amazing distances with the 817 have been achieved in QRP contests. Maybe I'm just a tad biased I have got a modded CB unit, mind you, for RTTY and PSK31......


Laurie:Cool:

Hi Laurie ,

that is the plan, haven't given up on a licence.. :thumb:

Jim

 

[ourcampersbeentrashed]

aint that the truth :Sad:


Advice sought on antenna ..

My CB doesn't perform very well, I put that down to the antenna not having a decent ground plane due to the wooden roof , I was thinking on buying a Mag mount and sticking it on top of the air con cover which is made of metal .. would that work or does anyone have a better idea ?

Cheers

Jim

If your CB doesnt perform well it probably needs "tuning in" or swarring in as it is called (excuse the spelling). An experienced CBer will be able to do this for you if they have a swarr metre but you have to re tune it in to each vehicle

Hope this helps

 

[ourcampersbeentrashed]

For those who used to operate CBs in the olden days

You no longer need to hold a Licence in the UK

You can only legally broadcast in the UK on the FM channels

It is illegal in the UK to broadcast on AM

There are multi use rigs or cb sets which have 40 channel FM and 40 Channel AM so if you are buying make sure you get the one you will get the most use out of.

Channel 9 is still the emergency channel

And one four or one nine for a copy are both used.

People do not stick as stringently to the rules as they used to but emergency services and regulators do still listen in on channel 9 and other channels are monitored by the authorities but not necessarily 24-7

10 - 10 till we chat again xxxx good luck funsters

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[American Dream]

If your CB doesnt perform well it probably needs "tuning in" or swarring in as it is called (excuse the spelling). An experienced CBer will be able to do this for you if they have a swarr metre but you have to re tune it in to each vehicle

Hope this helps

You can buy an SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) meter quite cheaply.

I use my original and a balanced setup of 2 black "firestick" type aerials...One on each door mirror.

Looks the Biz and works well too.:Cool:

Now ...Where did I put that "Burner"?

10-10 'til we meet again.

Night Moves....we're gone.................

BTW I passed my Amateur Radio Exam some years ago now....As a spin-off of the interest in cb radio ...

 

[scotjimland]

No one out there

Bought a SWR meter yesterday, the SWR was pretty good , about 1.5 , so I tuned it and managed to get it down to almost 1.0 .. pleased with that I then went for a walk with the hand held .. good reception and transmission for about 1ml, not great but it was in a built up area..
Put the CB on channel 19 and tried to get a 'rig check' .. nothing, no one out there, left it on 19 all day.. not a cheap .. at one point I did hear some truckers , probably on the A12 which is about 4mls away .. but too feint to get a copy.. :Sad:

 

[American Dream]

I think that's where you'll get the most response Jim..

The motorways are full of trucks sprouting cb aerials..

It seems a while ago now since I saw any cars with them on.:Sad:

The novelty seems to have worn off.Does anyone know if it's still popular in the States.We didn't see many cars with aerials on although the truckers did.

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[billy]

Bought a SWR meter yesterday, the SWR was pretty good , about 1.5 , so I tuned it and managed to get it down to almost 1.0 .. pleased with that I then went for a walk with the hand held .. good reception and transmission for about 1ml, not great but it was in a built up area..
Put the CB on channel 19 and tried to get a 'rig check' .. nothing, no one out there, left it on 19 all day.. not a cheap .. at one point I did hear some truckers , probably on the A12 which is about 4mls away .. but too feint to get a copy.. :Sad:

Hi Jim

Lets see what happens when the funsters with C B's hit the road :thumb:

 

[scotjimland]

Hi Billy

I am really chuffed.,.. I got a copy today..

Had it switched on all day on 19 and it was as dead as a graveyard.. then suddenly it sprang into life::

"Breaker for a copy" load and clear !

I replied and it was a retired trucker by the handle of The Iron Duke, had a great natter, he used to haul scrap iron but now confined to his home.. :Sad:

Best of all, he was about 4 miles away in the centre of town and he came in loud and clear.. so I am now happy that the antenna is in good shape and I have a buddy to chat to..

Jim

 

[sinbad1]

Hi Billy

I am really chuffed.,.. I got a copy today..

Had it switched on all day on 19 and it was as dead as a graveyard.. then suddenly it sprang into life::

"Breaker for a copy" load and clear !

I replied and it was a retired trucker by the handle of The Iron Duke, had a great natter, he used to haul scrap iron but now confined to his home.. :Sad:

Best of all, he was about 4 miles away in the centre of town and he came in loud and clear.. so I am now happy that the antenna is in good shape and I have a buddy to chat to..

Jim

Think most truckers would use channel 19 but when it was legalised the calling channel was 14, you may want to try there for a while .

4 mile is nothing for a CB ;but it depends on your location try going to a local high spot for copies . I often had copies 50-60 miles away from high spots.:thumb:

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[scotjimland]

Think most truckers would use channel 19 but when it was legalised the calling channel was 14, you may want to try there for a while .

4 mile is nothing for a CB ;but it depends on your location try going to a local high spot for copies . I often had copies 50-60 miles away from high spots.:thumb:

Hi,
ch14 as a breaking channel is seldom or little used these days, 4ml in a built up area is pretty good... and it was a strong signal.
When I used it in Scotland from a home base I could reach the light house keeper on The Isle of Arran .. a good +30 mls, but that was line of sight and over the water.. used to have a an AM rig with side bands and would get copies from as far away as Italy and the US .. can't recall the make, highly illegal no doubt but that was part of the fun, beating the authorities.. when it went legal and all the muppets came on it killed it, now I guess they are all MSN or Facebook

A high spot in Essex ? ...hmm might be a challenge and little chance moving George up a mountain .. I can just see her face..

"hi honey, we're moving today to find better copies "

Good fun though.. it would be great if CB made a comeback with all the old breakers from the early 80s , the biggest fear is it will lose the frequencies if not used and become illegal again.. :Sad:

Jim

 

[sinbad1]

Hi,

A high spot in Essex ? ...hmm might be a challenge and little chance moving George up a mountain .. I can just see her face..

"hi honey, we're moving today to find better copies "

Good fun though.. it would be great if CB made a comeback with all the old breakers from the early 80s , the biggest fear is it will lose the frequencies if not used and become illegal again.. :Sad:

Jim

maybe not a good idea last thing you want is a 10.34 especially if there's no one out there

In my naughty CbB days years ago I mused to TX from a place called Chrich in derbyshire using a magmount, had some amazing copies from there AM/FM etc.

There was a guy that went up there with a hand held CB he managed some great copies just on 4W , people didn't beleive the distance he was copying.

I doubt it will make a comeback ;but you never know if enough are interested ?

 

[scotjimland]

I doubt it will make a comeback ;but you never know if enough are interested ?

with CB starter kits at around £70 it's a cheap hobby to get going .. the 4x4 off road brigade use it quite a bit as do some other clubs.. if they were on sale at some of the big motorhome shows that might help revive interest .. could be the new 'in thing' to have .. ?

stranger things have caught on..

Crocs ... for a start

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[Wildman]

A lot of the breakers from the 70's and 80'S have moved on to ham radio. Just as I did but not before I had collected QSL cards for contacts from nearly every county in England Ireland, Scotland and Wales, plus a few from France and Germany. All with legal equipment. Normal range is line of sight plus one third. My antenna was 58ft above ground next to the sea, a great ground-plane, however when the skip was running the world would come flooding in. Before we I got seduced by a sideband rig I got a ham licence, 4Watts to 400W and beam antennas work anyone anywhere in the world, and I have. Hee hee. 2mtrs 70cms all with repeaters all over the UK. From Ilfracombe I have worked through most of the 2 mtr repeaters in the UK when there is a lift on. Great stuff.
:thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb::thumb: