powerful cb set up

[daniel3507]

ive read a lot of you guys are able to get some really good range out of your cb radios. im looking to take the plunge into the world of cb radios here within a paycheck or two and was wondering what radios and antennas you guys are running in order to be able to talk to people hundreds miles away. i will be mounting the antenna on the front fender probably.

[4x4junkie]

If you want the best range, the fender is probably not a good spot for an antenna. Centered on the top of the roof is best, although IF you run a full-length whip (96-102"), the forward wall of the bed (behind the cab) can work well also. The biggest thing however is that the antenna be tuned properly (electrically resonant on the CB band). A SWR meter for checking your antenna is a wise investment if your radio does not have one built in.


Radio:
I would get one that has single-sideband mode (SSB). These radios are generally built better than AM-only models and will have better voice quality on AM because of that. Their main feature is the SSB mode though, which offers far greater transmission efficiency (on both the transmitting and receiving ends). The party you are communicating with must also have a SSB radio to use that mode however.
Some radios (black market) also have an FM mode. This mode tends to have the best clarity of all. Range is similar to that of AM. Again, the person you're talking with must have an FM-capable radio.

Microphone:
The quality of the mics that come stock with radios varies widely. In most cases however an aftermarket amplified mic (sometimes called a "Power Mic") will have much clearer audio, not simply because it's louder, but because they usually have a better quality pickup element in them (Astatic brand microphones are pretty consistent about having good sound quality). Avoid the temptation to buy "novelty" microphones such as echo mics and ones with built-in noisemakers. They tend to sound about the same as stock mics with the noise toys turned off, but the toys (even though they may sound cool) do make it harder for people to actually understand you (and are annoying to some).


With a full-length antenna and a good quality radio & mic, you should be able to reliably get about 10-20 miles locally (30-50 miles on SSB). On 27 MHz however, there is a phenomenon in the upper atmosphere that causes radio signals to be refracted (skipped) off of it back down to earth when ionized by the sun (check out the thread "Shootin Skip (http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50415)"). During these conditions it's possible to talk hundreds, if not thousands of miles away. Depending on where you are and band conditions, it's not uncommon to hear far away places like Australia or Europe. It's a two-way path so being able to hear them means you should be able to talk to them as well, although if the band is very crowded, it could be tough at times to get a word in between everyone.

Anyway, hopefully that helps.

[daniel3507]

ive never really liked the roof mount antennas even though that is the best location. i am wanting to go with a fiberglass one. how much higher than the top of the cab would it need to be if i mount it on the bed wall. my original idea was to run dual antennas on the front corners of the bed behind the cab but i doubt that would work well

[4x4junkie]

You can mount the antenna directly to the bed wall behind the cab with an "L" bracket. This will require you use a full-length whip though (I tried a 5' whip there once and it wouldn't match up properly because too much of the antenna's total length was next to the cab).

A non-full-length antenna will need to be elevated at least even with the cab. This often can create SWR issues unless you also can provide a good RF ground base for the mount (a simple "up & over" hoop behind the cab might not work so well, but a rollbar with it's rear support mounts works well (think of it acting as a ground plane of sorts).

[Wicked_Sludge]

and dual antennas on a pickup truck may look neat, but they seldom perform as well as a single antenna as the spacing is just not there on something as small as even a full size pickup.

[n9emz]

102" steel whip on left rear corner
Cobra BC29LTD+RFX-75

[feellnfroggy]

K40 whips and some of the best radios Ive seen are found at Pilot truck stops, jsut not the cheapest. (400-1500 bux)