How to Install a UHF CB Radio?

[Augusts96]

Ahoy fellas. Just wondering how I should connect it to power? A friend suggested wiring it in to the head unit, is this a good idea and should it have a fuse? Also it says on the back DC 13.8V, is this fine on 12V? How do I connect it to speakers? It only has an auxiliary jack on the back. And finally, can I connect it to a regular antenna with an adapter to fit it or something? I must sound like a noob, but I don't know anything about it haha. Cheers

 

[Mrtwooooo]

Is it UHF or CB ?

Best way to power the radio is to wire it directly to the battery.

The voltage in your car is a 12 volt system. But it generally runs a tad higher than that. You shouldn't have any problems in your car

For the antenna you to know exactly what radio you have. I'm guessing it's a CB radio. Which falls in the HF band. Not UHF. You need an antenna tuned for the CB band. Once you get the correct antenna you need to find an SWR meter and figure out what your SWRs are. If it's too high you could burn up your radio. That's why antenna length is critical. Having a low swr will give you the best performance

 

[abruzzi]

He's in Australia which has an entirely different spectrum for CB, specifically 476-477 MHz. What kind of wattage do those transceivers have?

The reality is for low power 5 watt output, you can get away with drawing power from the fuse block, but for the cleanest power, or if you have higher wattage, run direct to the battery. In that case, if you want switched power, use a relay off ignition power to connect/disconnect from the battery.

For an antenna, you will need an antenna specifically tuned to the wavelength of the band--you can't use the FM receiver antenna. Most radios will have a built in speaker. If the speaker isn't loud enough, you can run an external speaker, but I wouldn't bother until you've heard the built in speaker.

 

[Augusts96]

Here's the owners manual, she's 5W: http://www.uniden.com.au/RESOURCES_MAIN/pdfs/UH089.pdf

In the specifications it says it's an M-type antenna? So I go to an auto parts store and ask for an M-type antenna tuned for the CB band. The speaker is only 3W but hopefully it will do the trick. So is this the kind of SWR meter I'm after? http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/geebung/other-parts-accessories/opek-swr-meter-2t/1047120428

It also says the "Antenna Impedence" is 50 ohms in the specs, if that matters?

Thanks for the help guys

 

[Wallygator]

...and to use the same antenna you would use a CB antenna, run the CB antenna wire through a CB/FM radio splitter such as this one...

http://www.amazon.com/ProComm-Split...qid=1429608895&sr=8-1&keywords=cb+fm+splitter

 

[abruzzi]

Here's the owners manual, she's 5W: http://www.uniden.com.au/RESOURCES_MAIN/pdfs/UH089.pdf

In the specifications it says it's an M-type antenna? So I go to an auto parts store and ask for an M-type antenna tuned for the CB band. The speaker is only 3W but hopefully it will do the trick. So is this the kind of SWR meter I'm after? http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/geebung/other-parts-accessories/opek-swr-meter-2t/1047120428

It also says the "Antenna Impedence" is 50 ohms in the specs, if that matters?

Thanks for the help guys

That swr meter is for lower bands--it says 1.7-30mhz. You will need a swr meter specific to the UHF frequency of the band you're looking at. (476 MHz). The radio has a 'UHF' connector which is also known as PL259/SO239 (the male and female ends have different names). So generally speaking, you will need the following:

- a mounting bracket for the antenna
- a mount adapter for the antenna. Sometimes these two are sold together, but not always. The first is a physical bracket that bolts to your truck, the second is a electrical connection that bolts to the bracket, it has an antenna mount on one end and either a built in cable, or a socket a cable attached to. There are three common mount types: UHF, NMO, and 3/8-24. I would go with a NMO, but UHF would be ok for your use as well. I doubt 3/8-24 is rated for UHF frequencies.
- if your mount adapter doesn't have a built in cable, you'll need a long enough cable to run from the antenna to the back of the radio. Get RG8X. RG58 is common, but it will have more loss at higher frequencies.
- an antenna. Specifically, you need an antenna tuned to the UHF CB frequencies, that uses the same mount you decided on.

That will get you a usable system. Add the SWR meter if you want to tune the antenna more exactly.

Not included the swr meter, all the above would cost $75-$100 in the U.S. You only need the swr meter once, so see if you can borrow one.

Edit: something like this might give you everything you need:

http://www.prestigecom.net.au/gme-ae4018-k2-6-6-dbi-uhf-cb-antenna

 

[abruzzi]

...and to use the same antenna you would use a CB antenna, run the CB antenna wire through a CB/FM radio splitter such as this one...

http://www.amazon.com/ProComm-Split...qid=1429608895&sr=8-1&keywords=cb+fm+splitter

That could work, but remember UHF CB is at the other end of the spectrum (477mhz vs 27mhz) so if you were to do this, make sure you use gear that is rated for your frequency. This device is for 27mhz (also known as 11 meters)