On Thu, 07 Oct 2004 01:34:42 -0400, Alex
wrote in :

snip
I have an antenna now, magnet mount 36" base loaded. I've adjusted the
SWR with a external meter. With this antenna the best i could get was
2 SWR. I'm sure most of my problems are from the antenna. It's a $20
antenna from the truckstop. and I have dont all I can do with it. It's
mounted in the center, but some advised put it about 6-12inches from
the windshield.


An SWR of 2:1 isn't bad, but 36" just doesn't cut the mustard. Save
the mag-mount for emergencies and see below.


By problems I mean I'm not getting anything coming in clearly, all
kinds of static. I had the Gain to max, so that might have been just a
distant signal (like I said I'm still playing with the controls) I'm a
newbie who feels that i should be able to hear everyone at all times.
( right now I am just enjoying listening) When I set the gain lower I
hear nothing ( could be just noone around ) It's not like I live in a
town where alot of action goes on, so I think that is just my paranoia
thinking that my radio is not working right.

I know how to operate squelch, but on my other radio cobra 19 dxIII
thats all I had to worry about . Now, with the squelch all the way
down I don't even get the hissing sound unless I turn up the gain a
pretty good bit, and then thats when I get those weak signals coming
in. When someone is transmitting on the meter bottom line is signal,
it stays between 1-3, more towards 1.5- 2 lots of static, but as soon
as someone comes in clear it jumps up 3 or further ( I'm assuming they
are closer ) which I like so much. *LOL*


Welcome to the wonderful world of radio communications.


So my theory, as a newbie, My radio is fine, and I'm not gonna open
the case. I'm just getting over anxious, and my antenna is not one of
the best, and just hoping that with a better antenna those weak
signals that i am hearing will come in much better with a better
antenna. Because of everything I have read the one thing thats keep
sticking out in my mind is that the cheapest of radios can be all that
you need as long as you dont go cheap on the antenna.


It sticks in your mind because it's mostly true. I say "mostly"
because there are some radios out there with less-than-ideal
performance (the TRC-435 comes to mind), but generally they all do
pretty much the same job -- the only major differences are in the
bells and whistles. And just remember that no matter what radio or
antenna you are using, you will -always- have weak signals.


I'm broke right now, and just hoping when I get the wilson 1000
magnet mount it will get better. I'd like to go for the little will,
because it's not so dang long but not sure if it will get out as good
as the 1000. The reason is the radio is on my van, and with the 62"
wilson 1000 I want even be able to pull under my carpot without it
scraping the ceiling. I wish I knew how to install one that wasn't a
magnet mount, and maybe I could put it on the back side of the van,
and drop it down a little, and I hate to have to pay someone to
install a antenna. I'm just kind of bummed out right now.


If you can drill a hole, you can install an antenna. And you may not
even have to drill a hole......

I've seen two really good places to mount an antenna on a van. The
first is a side- or rear-mounted ball near the roof. If you are short
on funds you can probably find one of those for a couple bucks at your
local pick-&-pull wrecking yard. And you can figure out how to install
it by uninstalling it from another vehicle (slick, huh?).

Another option is a mirror-mount antenna. The advantage is that the
mount clamps to the mirror bracket and you don't have to drill any
holes. But these are a little tricky because your mirror bracket must
be grounded to the door which must be grounded to the vehicle, and you
must route the coax through the door in a way that doesn't pinch or
repeatedly bend the coax.

Personally, I don't have any problems with drilling holes in my
vehicles. But if you do, think about making a mounting bracket. It's
just a piece of sheet metal that can be bolted under the hood or to
the inside of a door frame, and the antenna mount bolts to the
bracket. Works fine. Just don't forget to file down the corners and
sharp edges (that's a blood-loss thing, not an RF thing).

Most important is that your mount should have a 3/8-24 stud. This is
the standard mount and will allow you to use the widest variety of
antennas, from a 9' whip to a 6" stubby (which will give you about as
much range as your headlights). And you can change them as fast as you
can unscrew one and screw on another. Longer antennas can be mounted
with a spring which, as I think you can obviously see, is better than
stopping to put the mag-mount antenna back on the roof every time it
gets knocked off. You have an advantage with a van because you could
keep a nice collection of antennas in there without a problem.

Another issue is coax. Despite what others may claim, the standard
RG-58 is fine. But DON'T use foam coax -- it's not for outdoor use and
can cause problems in a very short time. You can buy the coax new, but
you can get it much cheaper if you know where to look -- computer
shops and recycling yards. A lot of LANs used high-quality RG-58, and
now that people are going wireless there is lots of this used coax
available, much of it in excellent condition because it was installed
indoors. Many LANs use RG-59, but don't use that. It has different
characteristics and will not work as well as RG-58.

And don't use crimp-on or twist-on connectors. This is one thing you
might want to pay someone to do. Or, get a soldering gun and a few old
connectors and practice it yourself (which is the way the rest of us
learned). Then people will pay -you- to make -their- cables.

When you run the coax, don't crimp it against anything or make sharp
bends. If you have extra cable and don't want to cut and solder a new
connector, coil the extra into a figure 8 and tuck it somewhere safe.
I'm sure someone will question the reasons for the figure 8, but just
trust me on that one -- I haven't steered you wrong yet, have I?

Anyway, after you get everything installed, hook it up and check your
SWR. And by "check" I mean just make sure it's below about 3:1. The
SWR meter is frequently used to tune antennas and that's fine, but
don't obsess about getting it down to 1:1 because the SWR meter is not
the best meter to tune an antenna. However, it -is- a good meter to
tell if you have a major malfunction like a shorted coax or dirty
antenna stud, and that's when you will get an SWR of 3:1 or worse.

And I still recommend finding a good book on the subject. You said you
are broke, but public libraries are free (and they are a great place
to waste time and meet brainy chicks). There have been several books
written about CB radio. Probably the most common is Radio Shack's "All
About CB Two-Way Radio", which would serve well as the definitive CB
Radio FAQ. It even has a pictoral description on how to install a
ball-mount.

Take your time. Do what you think would be a professional job and you
shouldn't have any problems. Then start talking and enjoy the chaos of
CB radio.