Cb radio

[1994xlt]

Your transmitting range is likely reduced without having the antenna's SWRs tuned. You can hear others, but you're not able reach them with your radio.

You could try parking at a truck stop, or just close to an interstate, in order to get closer to other CB radios to see if you can get a response.

I tuned it with the swr on the cb

 

[1994xlt]

Also, you can often receive from someone running a linear amp (illegal) or the like but not be able to talk to them because they are out of range. Used to pick up transmissions from Mexico and stuff, they would hog a channel and usually the channel above and below would be unusable because of the bleed over from the power they were putting out.

Channel 6 had some Californian thing going on it

 

[1994xlt]

Channel 15 used to pick up the cheap 2-way walkie-talkies and sometimes you could talk to them too, lol

I’ll try more tomarrow on channel 19 I guess and just flip around also I don’t understand squelch what is it I guess it’s for noise but I don’t understand it

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I’ll try more tomarrow on channel 19 I guess and just flip around also I don’t understand squelch what is it I guess it’s for noise but I don’t understand it

Squelch cuts out the static and weak transmissions depending on how you adjust it. If you want to be able to listen for even weak signals, turn it until the static dies out, then back just slightly into static. If you don’t want to hear that, then just adjust it until the static fades out. Be aware though that this adjustment changes depending on atmospheric conditions and if you are moving so it’s not exactly a set and forget thing.

 

[1994xlt]

Squelch cuts out the static and weak transmissions depending on how you adjust it. If you want to be able to listen for even weak signals, turn it until the static dies out, then back just slightly into static. If you don’t want to hear that, then just adjust it until the static fades out. Be aware though that this adjustment changes depending on atmospheric conditions and if you are moving so it’s not exactly a set and forget thing.

My radio is werid it seems like mine never gets clear it gets clear but not really clear also if I turn it all the way counter clockwise I hear nothing, then I turn it just a little I’ll hear stuff and then ones I get a quarter way turned it stops and the rest of adjustment is nothing.

 

[Li'l Work Truck]

My radio is werid it seems like mine never gets clear it gets clear but not really clear also if I turn it all the way counter clockwise I hear nothing, then I turn it just a little I’ll hear stuff and then ones I get a quarter way turned it stops and the rest of adjustment is nothing.

That's common. That knob creates resistance. Think of it in terms of distance. If you turn the knob all the way to the left, you are allowing the radios furthest away from you to come through. You probably can't talk to them, but you can hear them. In many situations, that's less than 2-3 miles. If you turn the knob to the right, you're choosing to hear radios that are closest to you. That's usually less than a mile, and is used when you're convoying and want to talk on a busy channel. A tuned (read: maxed out) radio could possibly reach 5 miles or more, but that's line of sight. Mountains, trees, and buildings will affect the overall range. If you're out in the country, you will probably not hear much communication.

Regarding clarity, it's also common to get a lot of static during comms. Some radios have beautifully clear transception, with good quality components like a high-end microphone. Most people never buy better parts. That's not to say that the mics that come with the radios aren't good - theyre just "ok"; good enough. You can tell when a high quality setup is used.