CB Questions (1 Viewer)

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RavenTai

RavenTai

Joined
Nov 16, 2003
Threads
105
Messages
6,045
Location
Dixie co. Florida
I got a refurbished Uniden 510XL and did some test fitting yesterday wile installing the CDL switch. Have not purchased the antenna or coax yet, have a few questions that I have not been able to figure out from searching,

1 Where is a good place to mount the antenna on a stock cruiser? I will be using a 3 to 5' fiberglass antenna either firestick or Wilson hard mounted, I am thinking of drilling a hole in the top of the stock LX bumper and mounting it there, that keeps the overall height down would look fairly clean (as clean as a CB antenna gets) and is a part marked for eventual replacement so it is reversible in a way, still have mental problems drilling in my new 80 even if it is just the bumper, would the original bumper have any take off value to be ruined by such a hole? also thought about making a bracket that uses the striker bolts for the rear hatch but the antenna may rub on the "D" pillar damaging the paint,


2 I plan to use the stock dash “tweeters” as external speakers, the instructions say the external speaker needs to be 8 ohms the tweeters are 4 ohm so I plan to run them in series to get the required 8 ohms, I had the drivers kick panel out and noticed a cap on the speaker, is this a form of frequency filter? Would I want do disconnect the cap from the inputs to get full range voice from these? The stock tweeters look well made and are free I would like to try to sue these if possible, I have already ditched the internal 16 ohm 3w speaker. Still have some figuring to do as how that plays in, it was wired in parallel to the external speaker jack

3 I do not have a SWR meter, is it worthwhile to bring the truck to someone after installing it all to have this done or should I get the meter,

4 if I bring it to someone: Are the CB “tweaks” just fine tuning of the CB (sounds interesting) or boosting the output of the CB above the FCC allowed 1 watt (not interested)

thanks for any input :cheers:
 
If you wanna put it out front, I picked up a hood mount from a cb shop that could be used in any position along the hood line. Off to one side that is. I wouldn't work on the very front of the hood. I think I had to drill to tiny holes and then I used self tapping screws to secure it. Never got in the way and now that i've got it on the arb you can't tell where it ever was.
 
I just installed a CB and I'll share my thoughts.

1. I mounted mine on the drivers side corner of the rear bumper. I mounted it so that with the carrier closed it would not interfear with the hatch open. This was important to me as I do carry long stock that requires the hatch to be open while driving. This also seeems to work well for reception. I went with a 4' wilson. That height ends up just at the same height as the top of the rack. That way I was as high as posssible with out any learning curve of where I can drive as far as parking garages and such. I doubt what you drill into has much value as a used item down the line.

2. That cap limits the frequency that those speakers respond to. Only highs are played through them.

3. I had a grounding issue and without the swr meter I wouldn't have been able to diagnose it, The radio just would have sucked. Once I corrected the ground I was still able to improve the tuning by shortening the antenna. This was done by bench grinding the adjustable tip shorter. I think you would want to do this.

4. I haven't inverstigated the tweeks yet but from what a freind tells me it can give good results. Of course this guy runs a power mic so he is probably breaking the law.
 
http://www.cbtricks.com/ is a pretty good resource.

You want the antenna to clear the roof if you can. Otherwise you will suffer from directionality. Signals will be strong from one direction and weak from the other.

Getting a tunable antenna without having to grind does not need to be expensive. I just bought a Cobra 4 foot whip for 18.00 with a tunable tip. It uses an allen wrench. Not looping your coax is one of the primary things to do and getting it grounded correctly.

I don't have any idea where my permanent mount antenna is going to go. I have a 2 foot magnet mount that has been kicking butt so it is hard to get rid of it. I just stick it inside when I'm not wheeling.

Not sure what microfarud caps Toyota used on the tweeters. So it might actually cut off before the typical voice ends. You probably wouldn't be running enough power to them to them to screw them up without the caps. Distortion is what kills speakers though and you could end up running a lot of distortion to them with a CB. So, I would try it and if they die they die no money lost if you weren't using them anyway. If I were in your shoes with an LX I'd try to take advantage of the factory sub in the center cosole and mount a 4 to 5" mid/tweeter coaxial speaker in there for the CB. I don't know what you currently run for a stereo so maybe you are counting on this for the sub?
 
RT:

Bumper mounts aren't the best place to mount an antenna. If you're not going to use it all the time, I would suggest a good mag mount antenna (eg Wilson 1000). Run the cable after under the kick plates on the door sills. When you need to run the antenna, feed it out one of the rear sliding windows (mine is stored in back of the 2nd row seats) and zip tie the cable to the roof rack.

The tweeter location is a great idea, but I would just buy some cheap 8ohm speakers (do a search, somone had found some many months ago).

The SWR meter is useful to have, or if it's too much of a pain, an installer will do a fine job. Most of the 'tweaks' I've heard are to just boost power (which I thought was 4W for a mobile units) - a little boost isn't much of an issue, it's when you add the 1,000W amp where things become problematic :)

Cheers, Hugh
 
Just to clarify, it was the adjustable tip that I had to grind to get it to match at 1.1. All the way down wasn't short enough and removed was too short.

The bumper position isn't the best but seems to work fine and I can freely drive into my garage with this setup. The hassel of constantly dicking with the antenna to park the truck would have made it useless to me as I wouldn't deal with it.

I found some 4" full range speekers at a electronic store for 10.00 each. Haven't got them installed yet but I have high hopes. I don't know an easy way to get 2 8 ohm speakers wired to have an 8 ohm impedance. As you posted 2 4 ohm speakers in series will work fine.
 
I know you already bought the Uniden 510 XL, but if you aren't happy with your currnet stock stereo setup you may want to consider putting in an aftermarket stereo and a Cobra 18 wxSTII CB like this:

Dash2.jpg


I love this setup and it looks like it belongs there. The speaker is "front-firing" so I don't need any external speakers. You can pick these up used/refurb for about $60 on eBay. That's where I got mine. Just an idea...

Jody.
 
Thanks for the replay's guys

why does everyone replace the factory tweeters? They look well made with a very large magnet for their size, like a 2.5” magnet on a 4” speaker, maybe that is a LX thing? Glad to see that two 4 ohms in series work well, I'll try removing the cap and using them see how they sound and go from there

[quote author=ginericfj80 link=board=2;threadid=16909;start=msg163334#msg163334 date=1085454945] Not sure what microfarud caps Toyota used on the tweeters. So it might actually cut off before the typical voice ends.
[/quote]

Generic, can you figure out what frequencies it filters from the value of the cap? The ones on the tweeters looked about the same size and shape as some 1500uf caps I have in front of me, I'll have to take a look at the kick panel again, If its cutout is below normal voice than I should leave them in, no need to try to reproduce bass in those, the center sub is an interesting idea but I am hoping to eventually replace my LX console with a LC console after I ditch the factory stereo (to much stereo stuff in it to ditch it right now)

I understood that for antennas higher is better but offload I have lots of low hanging trees to deal with, and as daily driving mall cruiser I have parking garages fast food drive through etc to deal with, I could do a whip that would flex under the above but I understand that TLCA does not allow those at their sanctioned events, I do not need a lot of range, it would be nice but I cant really go too high

if tweaks are boosting power illegally there is no reason to take it to someone, I'll get my own SWR meter and do the install myself


the mag mount is interesting no drilling but kinda cheesy also it would get knocked off fairly regularly here in GA, what would provide better reception: a bumper mounted grounded antenna or a rooftop mag mount?
 
Mounted Uniden 510XL in the ashtray spot, per Slee's insturctions. (wish I had gotten the 520 so I could yell at kids on the street :D)

Have 4ft Firestick mounted about half way up the rear DS pillar. Used a stainless steel adjustable mount. I use a quck disconnect, so in DD mode the antenna stays in the gararge, then is easy to stick on when I hit the road or trails.

At this location about 2.5ft of the antenna is above the vehicle (it just touches 9ft drivethroughs). It pulls in from great distances.

I had the local CB shop set the SWR for $20.
 
I can see if I can find a chart somewhere to look up the frequency for various capacitors. I had one a long time ago. The ohms effects the capacitors frequency too. http://www.partsexpress.com/resources/xover.html should probably help you out with a general idea of where your tweeters are crossed over and how the change in ohms will effect that.

I would say a magnetic mount on the roof would provide better reception than a bumper mount. Yes they can be a hassle in trees. I tuck mine under the roofrack and generally it flips it back into place after the trees. On my 60 before I mounted one on my rear tire carrier, I ran a mag mount antenna. In the trees I'd just set it on the hood.

Whips are allowed at TLCA events as long as they meet the length requirement. I cannot remember what the length is right off hand. The idea was to prevent bystanders from getting whipped in the face by an unruly antenna. I'm sure you all have seen the 20 footer flinging around the countryside. TLCA is really trying to let host clubs enforce the rules the way they see fit so be sure an ask before showing up. If your antenna is dangerous assume you won't pass. If you are using common sense you will probably be OK.
 
Thanks for the crossover link I'll pop the kick panel off soon and see what the value of the cap is,

On the antenna did some digging and

"CB antenna longer than 48 inches must be secured top and bottom, no metal whips
allowed."

http://www.tlca.org/board/sops.pdf

Even though it is metal I think I may be able to get away with a SS 102" whip if it is tied to the roof rack or rear bumper for informal get togethers (all I am likely to see for a wile) , do you usually use a spring with a 102" whip, or just let the antenna flex? That would get the antenna above the vehicle for highway and emergency use should have good range, but still compatible with trees as a metal whip will bend unlike fiberglass
 
The 102" whip is the best possible antenna for the radio. I bought one and it is sitting in the garage. That thing would really WHIP as the truck rocked. Adding a quick disconnect to the antenna would require shortening it to get it back in tune. That is a common practice if you have a short antenna to install one. The wilson is a top loaded adjustable fiberglass whip. It was $26.00 at a truck stop and I was below 2.0 on the meter without touching it which from what I have read is acceptable. But with about 10 minutes effort I was able to get it to 1.1. My suggestion is still bumper mount the 4' so it sticks past both the side of the truck and the rear. It will work fine.
 
[quote author=landtank link=board=2;threadid=16909;start=msg163932#msg163932 date=1085528282]
My suggestion is still bumper mount the 4' so it sticks past both the side of the truck and the rear. It will work fine.
[/quote]

I see what you are saying that would give the antenna at least 270* unobstructed view but I still have stock bumpers (and will for the foreseeable future) the corners on the LX bumper are plastic the rear is especially bad. I think it will have to go on the front bumper
 
For general and trail use I would completely avoid a 102" antenna - a major PITA. People have their own things about antennas - I can't stand FG antennas, my first time off road I almost managed to total it - not enough flex (roof mount and lots of trees) therefore I prefer a nice whip.

If you want to run the CB all the time, go with a more permanent mount. If not, try the mag mount. I take mine on heavily wooded trails with minimal problems. Then again, most of my club has now left CB for FRS, which I like more on the trail (and 2M for long distances ;) )

Cheers, Hugh
 
TLCA and our club do not allow whips on the trail.

You can and will hit someone with it if you get into rough stuff and you have spectators.
 
Actually the TLCA bylaws are not current on the webpage. We just went through a major revision, due to the increase in buggies attending events. TLCA doesn't require spare tires anymore either, but the host clubs may. TLCA doesn't require registration but they do require insurance. All of the events I've been to have required registration. You aren't going to get away with a 102" whip anywhere I don't think. But the smaller ones are quite acceptable.
 
[quote author=DanKunz link=board=2;threadid=16909;start=msg164173#msg164173 date=1085575177]
TLCA and our club do not allow whips on the trail.

You can and will hit someone with it if you get into rough stuff and you have spectators.
[/quote]

Ouch, not even if it is tied down? Ga Cruisers would be my local club if I ever take a Tuesday night off.
 
Tied down works.
 
[quote author=DanKunz link=board=2;threadid=16909;start=msg164173#msg164173 date=1085575177]
TLCA and our club do not allow whips on the trail.

You can and will hit someone with it if you get into rough stuff and you have spectators.
[/quote]

Do they ban all whips or just 102" whips? I agree that 102" are dangerous, but shorter, bottom loaded antennas should be fine I would think?
 
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