cb radio parts and repair

sraller · 07-02-08, 08:59 PM

i have antena issues and can not get good range on my cb does anyone know where i can get it tuned or get better parts other than "radio shack"

mmw68 · 07-05-08, 06:57 PM

Shawn,

What type of antenna are you using. If it some like a firestick - then we can tune it using a SWR meter, I have a swr meter. There is truck stop on the south end of town that has great CB equipment.

Also the local ham radio shop has parts that can be used for CB.

-Mark

sraller · 07-05-08, 08:30 PM

i have had a firestick and then i had a fiberglass whip now i just got a metal whip from radio shack but the end of it does not match my coax. aare you talking about the truck stop down by buda on i35? thats the only place i have been told about so far but have not made it down there yet. is the firestick the only tuneable antenna or can you tune all of them ? how long does the coax need to be ? i currently have 16 feet and a cobra cb. where is the ham radio shop and are they knowlegeable about cb stuff?

mmw68 · 07-05-08, 08:50 PM

AARS

If I remember correctly the fire stick has a screw under the cap, that is how you tune it.

I need to read up on this for my CB install.

Tuning CB Antennas

panoramic · 07-06-08, 07:47 PM

Firesticks have a brass set-screw for adjusting the length under the rubber cap on top.

Metal whips are typically adjusted with an allen screw to slide the whip in/out of the base a little - major adjustments are done by snipping the end off (yes it's a 1-way deal!).

Also, SWR is severely effected by how close the length of the antenna is to any body metal. I can't believe how many antennas I have seen that are mounted against a vertical side panel or the cab of a pickup.

The electrical connector on the end of the antenna can be adapted. Austin Amateur Radio Supply has almost all of the adapters you will ever need. And sometimes Radio Shack might happen to have an adapter but they are typically Taiwanese junk.

C.B. SWR meters are cheap, but an effect method to test out your antenna, feed line, connectors and grounding.

Remember: If you have a lousy SWR reading it could be any of the above four.

Please contact me directly or CC me if you have any additional questions and I'll try to help.

- Eric

sraller · 07-07-08, 08:54 PM

so i guess the metal one i just purchased and mounted to my rear quarter panel is a no no ? and i should go back to my fire stick? my problem i have had with my fire stick is that it mounts to my roll cage and i keep snapping it off at the base of it . i need something more flexible maybe i should use a magnetic mounted style ?

panoramic · 07-07-08, 11:16 PM

Honestly, a close-up picture of your antenna & body would help a lot in commenting about body proximity. An easy test is to pull the antenna back and let it swing free while checking SWR - you typically can see the meter move into the safe zone when the antenna moves away from the body panel.

The two solutions I have for broken bases: A spring inserted between the base and the whip or an antenna base w/ a swivel (but smooth rotation, not notched). The spring base usually means I tied the antenna down with a string for Highway use. The swivel is sturdier but will give if I hit a branch (or the garage entranceway!).

krookedpandas · 07-08-08, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sraller

so i guess the metal one i just purchased and mounted to my rear quarter panel is a no no ? and i should go back to my fire stick? my problem i have had with my fire stick is that it mounts to my roll cage and i keep snapping it off at the base of it . i need something more flexible maybe i should use a magnetic mounted style ?

Shawn just put a spring on the base. I have a spring on the base of mine and my fire stick is a good 12 feet in the air, the spring keeps it on no problem. It takes trees, tree branches, drive through roofing, poles, really low bridges, and it stays in place and keeps on transmitting.

-Matt

panoramic · 07-08-08, 03:41 PM

A spring works fine you may need to adjust/trim the length of the antenna to compensate for the length of the spring. Again, you can check with a SWR meter.

Also, it should be noted that you can transmit with a BAD swr (ie: wrong antenna length), but you will probably severely limit the useful life of the radio and your signal will not be as strong...

sraller · 07-08-08, 10:48 PM

so then since i have been battling this for numerous years have i ruined my cb radio???? matt , maybe i am getting closer to obstacles than you have because i have tried the spring and i still snap it off at the base where it mounts to the roll cage . maybe i will just tow my rig to the next meeting and we can have cb 101 in the parking lot??? im confused !!

panoramic · 07-08-08, 11:05 PM

The nice thing about SWR meters is that they (typically) can tell you how much energy you are transmitting. If you blew out your finals then it would read nothing (or close to it). Legal mobile CBs have around 5 watts output.

The second part of the SWR meter is Sine-Wave-Reception. If the antenna is not 'tuned' like a tuning fork - some of the radio energy is bounced back into the final transistors and fries them....

That is the whole deal: Ideally you want the antenna to perfectly resonate on your favorite CB channel so that the radio energy is radiated as efficiently as possible.
The impossible to achieve SWR is 1:1 meaning the antenna radiates everything you put into it.

krookedpandas · 07-09-08, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sraller

so then since i have been battling this for numerous years have i ruined my cb radio???? matt , maybe i am getting closer to obstacles than you have because i have tried the spring and i still snap it off at the base where it mounts to the roll cage . maybe i will just tow my rig to the next meeting and we can have cb 101 in the parking lot??? im confused !!

Well this is the part where I just slowly walk away....

sraller · 07-09-08, 09:56 PM

ahhh yes young grasshoppa wise one you may be. but hey i am obviously still learning too! hey eric you know where i work maybe you could drop by if your in the neighborhood during the day and we could talk.

krookedpandas · 07-10-08, 02:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sraller

ahhh yes young grasshoppa wise one you may be. but hey i am obviously still learning too! hey eric you know where i work maybe you could drop by if your in the neighborhood during the day and we could talk.

The wise are not always the most intelligent...

07-02-08, 08:59 PM	#1
sraller IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 68	cb radio parts and repair i have antena issues and can not get good range on my cb does anyone know where i can get it tuned or get better parts other than "radio shack"

07-05-08, 06:57 PM	#2
mmw68 Can I open your beer? Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Austin, Texas TLCA# 14710 Posts: 1,651	Shawn, What type of antenna are you using. If it some like a firestick - then we can tune it using a SWR meter, I have a swr meter. There is truck stop on the south end of town that has great CB equipment. Also the local ham radio shop has parts that can be used for CB. -Mark __________________ FZJ80, 3FE40, rtcustoms.net powered FJ62 Austin, Texas Lone Star Land Cruiser - Austin Chapter Cool crap for your cruiser! http://www.cruisercrap.com TLCA #14710

07-05-08, 08:50 PM	#4
mmw68 Can I open your beer? Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Austin, Texas TLCA# 14710 Posts: 1,651	AARS If I remember correctly the fire stick has a screw under the cap, that is how you tune it. I need to read up on this for my CB install. Tuning CB Antennas __________________ FZJ80, 3FE40, rtcustoms.net powered FJ62 Austin, Texas Lone Star Land Cruiser - Austin Chapter Cool crap for your cruiser! http://www.cruisercrap.com TLCA #14710

07-06-08, 07:47 PM	#5
panoramic IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Austin,Tx TLCA# 15991 Posts: 228	Firesticks have a brass set-screw for adjusting the length under the rubber cap on top. Metal whips are typically adjusted with an allen screw to slide the whip in/out of the base a little - major adjustments are done by snipping the end off (yes it's a 1-way deal!). Also, SWR is severely effected by how close the length of the antenna is to any body metal. I can't believe how many antennas I have seen that are mounted against a vertical side panel or the cab of a pickup. The electrical connector on the end of the antenna can be adapted. Austin Amateur Radio Supply has almost all of the adapters you will ever need. And sometimes Radio Shack might happen to have an adapter but they are typically Taiwanese junk. C.B. SWR meters are cheap, but an effect method to test out your antenna, feed line, connectors and grounding. Remember: If you have a lousy SWR reading it could be any of the above four. Please contact me directly or CC me if you have any additional questions and I'll try to help. - Eric __________________ N6LG - Extra Class Amateur Radio Operator 1982 FJ40 (HJ41), 12HT turbo diesel, H55, ARB locker, e-locker, Marks Gears, APRS 1997 LX450, 1HT-FT/H151 diesel conversion in process... 1972 FJ40 Fun Beater Rig, Bone Stock!

07-07-08, 11:16 PM	#7
panoramic IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Austin,Tx TLCA# 15991 Posts: 228	Honestly, a close-up picture of your antenna & body would help a lot in commenting about body proximity. An easy test is to pull the antenna back and let it swing free while checking SWR - you typically can see the meter move into the safe zone when the antenna moves away from the body panel. The two solutions I have for broken bases: A spring inserted between the base and the whip or an antenna base w/ a swivel (but smooth rotation, not notched). The spring base usually means I tied the antenna down with a string for Highway use. The swivel is sturdier but will give if I hit a branch (or the garage entranceway!). __________________ N6LG - Extra Class Amateur Radio Operator 1982 FJ40 (HJ41), 12HT turbo diesel, H55, ARB locker, e-locker, Marks Gears, APRS 1997 LX450, 1HT-FT/H151 diesel conversion in process... 1972 FJ40 Fun Beater Rig, Bone Stock!


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07-05-08, 08:30 PM	#3
sraller IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 68	i have had a firestick and then i had a fiberglass whip now i just got a metal whip from radio shack but the end of it does not match my coax. aare you talking about the truck stop down by buda on i35? thats the only place i have been told about so far but have not made it down there yet. is the firestick the only tuneable antenna or can you tune all of them ? how long does the coax need to be ? i currently have 16 feet and a cobra cb. where is the ham radio shop and are they knowlegeable about cb stuff?

07-07-08, 08:54 PM	#6
sraller IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 68	so i guess the metal one i just purchased and mounted to my rear quarter panel is a no no ? and i should go back to my fire stick? my problem i have had with my fire stick is that it mounts to my roll cage and i keep snapping it off at the base of it . i need something more flexible maybe i should use a magnetic mounted style ?

07-08-08, 03:41 PM	#9
panoramic IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Austin,Tx TLCA# 15991 Posts: 228	A spring works fine you may need to adjust/trim the length of the antenna to compensate for the length of the spring. Again, you can check with a SWR meter. Also, it should be noted that you can transmit with a BAD swr (ie: wrong antenna length), but you will probably severely limit the useful life of the radio and your signal will not be as strong... __________________ N6LG - Extra Class Amateur Radio Operator 1982 FJ40 (HJ41), 12HT turbo diesel, H55, ARB locker, e-locker, Marks Gears, APRS 1997 LX450, 1HT-FT/H151 diesel conversion in process... 1972 FJ40 Fun Beater Rig, Bone Stock!

07-08-08, 10:48 PM	#10
sraller IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 68	so then since i have been battling this for numerous years have i ruined my cb radio???? matt , maybe i am getting closer to obstacles than you have because i have tried the spring and i still snap it off at the base where it mounts to the roll cage . maybe i will just tow my rig to the next meeting and we can have cb 101 in the parking lot??? im confused !!

07-08-08, 11:05 PM	#11
panoramic IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Austin,Tx TLCA# 15991 Posts: 228	The nice thing about SWR meters is that they (typically) can tell you how much energy you are transmitting. If you blew out your finals then it would read nothing (or close to it). Legal mobile CBs have around 5 watts output. The second part of the SWR meter is Sine-Wave-Reception. If the antenna is not 'tuned' like a tuning fork - some of the radio energy is bounced back into the final transistors and fries them.... That is the whole deal: Ideally you want the antenna to perfectly resonate on your favorite CB channel so that the radio energy is radiated as efficiently as possible. The impossible to achieve SWR is 1:1 meaning the antenna radiates everything you put into it. __________________ N6LG - Extra Class Amateur Radio Operator 1982 FJ40 (HJ41), 12HT turbo diesel, H55, ARB locker, e-locker, Marks Gears, APRS 1997 LX450, 1HT-FT/H151 diesel conversion in process... 1972 FJ40 Fun Beater Rig, Bone Stock!

07-09-08, 09:56 PM	#13
sraller IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 68	ahhh yes young grasshoppa wise one you may be. but hey i am obviously still learning too! hey eric you know where i work maybe you could drop by if your in the neighborhood during the day and we could talk.

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