New To Cb's Help me out

[thesatelliteguy]

First off, im pretty new to cb's. I dont really know what squelch is or how to adjust it, but ill read up on this site and figure it out. I have a question about trouble shooting, and question about how to set up my radio.

A while ago i bough a Cobra 19 ultra for my baja bug while im out wheelin with my buddies. I had a cheap magnet antenna. I could hear my friend talk just fine, but he could only hear me sometimes. He said all he would hear is a "beeeep" when i would talk. I looked his radio over, whcih is a Cobra 19 dx IV. I unplugged his mic and plugged it back in and it started working, but not for long. So why is it beeping? Is that on my side?
Both of us had a tunable antenna, but neither of us are tuned, or at least not that we know of. He has a firestick II.

My second question is, what kind of antenna would work good for my radio. I lost my magnet base for my old antenna while out wheelin, so i want to get a new one. I want one that will work good with my current cb, but would also work good if i plan on upgrading my cb. What would you guys suggest?
I was thinking a firestick II, but thats just because my neighbore has one and i like the look of them. But im more about function then form. So what kind of antenna?

Again, i really dont have much knowledge on cb's. I know some have to be tuned and some dont. I know you can get a lot of extra stuff for them, like power mic's, amps (which amplify the speaker?) and i know i need to get a SWR meter to tune my radio. but other than that, im a noob.
Oh, and just for kicks, here's the baja (and i jsut want to show it off b/c i just painted it)

 

[hotrod]

wecome to the wonderful world of cb.
the firestick is a ok antenna. i like the wilson silverload fgt
better. the 5foot wilson is hard to beat in THAT particilar
type of antenna. and was close to a wilson 1000 mag mount
in performance. a steel 102 inch whip would be the best
bet mount on the push bar of front of vehicle or buy a
tri pad [3 magnets] and put on roof. it will hit everything
but it can take it ,thats why i recommend it.you,ll
have the best talking cb there.my choices in order
1]102 whip
2]wilson 1000/5000 mag mount
3]wilson 5 foot fgt silverload

 

[Bigmic919]

In that situation a 102" whip would be the best IMO. You will be the best talker with your buddies for sure. Maybe even upgrade to a Cobra 25 or 29. You can find one of those Army strong 29's for less than 100 bucks around if you do some searchin. The 102 will take a beatin for sure. I would get a mount and put it on that bar in the front or in the back. You can always tie it down some if you dont want it to hit stuff.

 

[thesatelliteguy]

Is there a specific type (grounded or not, and brand) of 102" whip i should get, or just any of them ?

Also, i have the chance to buy a cobra 29 classic for $30. Is that worth it?

 

[Bigmic919]

If it is working of course it is worth it. I got my 102 from radio shack. You will probably want to get a spring or adjuster for it to be able to set your swr's correctly. I believe MFJ also makes a 108" whip you might look into as well.

Something else to consider is your coax. Get the best you can afford. I started out with Rg8X mini then moved up to Rg213. 213 is a lot stiffer to work with but that is what i use in my truck and works great.

 

[thesatelliteguy]

OK, so i think im going to go pick up a radio shack 102" whip and some RG213 (given my pocket can afford it).
How necessary is having my radio tuned? I cant find any shops around my area that have a meter, and i dont really want to buy one.

by the way, thanks for the help guys. These cb's are a lot more complicated then they appear.

 

[Puffnstuff]

I don't know about where you live but even in a large city like where I live there are almost no cb related items in stock at my local radioshack stores. You'd have the best luck going to a dedicated cb radio store.

 

[hotrod]

most radio shacks dont carry it .but go to there online store and they do..hmmm
the awr meter is the MOST important thing to have in this cb hobby.
goto sparkys they have a decent one thinking around 25-30 bucks
called a vanco

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

Well...Welcome to the world of CB..
It is indeed a nice and interesting hobby..
Plus given the areas you are likely to go in your dune buggy
(that is off the beaten path and or rural areas )..

having a CB for back up communications when you may not have cel service is priceless if you break down ( or worse )..

There are indeed many really good antennas out there..
However one of the plainest as well as oldest and most survivable antennas out there is indeed the 102 inch whip (yes get the spring as well) and a extremely hard to beat for transmitting performance as well..

Cobra CB's are fairly good..
Given you do not seem to be too concerned about money..
What about instead of getting a regular cb tuned up..
Why not look into getting something like an RCI-2970
it would offer 30 watts(more when properly tuned) on AM & 100 watts on SSB (again a bit more properly tuned) but would also offer many more channels (both above and below typical 40 channels of cb..

 

[thesatelliteguy]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I looked into the RCI-2970. That thing is expensive. Is it a cb?

I went to Radio Shack today, and they did in fact have a 102 whip in the back. I scored that, a spring base for it and a cable hook up for about $50. Im gonna wait on buying coax cable until i figure out the specific length i need. Although i guess it wouldnt hurt to get a longer cord so if i needed to take the antenna of and put it in a tree for better reception i can (am i just fantasizing about something that is ill-logical?)

For a SWR meter, would this one work? It seems to fit my budget.
Paradynamics Compact SWR Meter - SparkysCBShack.com

For some more kicks, here is a pic of my baja with the antenna on it. It stands a total of about 13ft.!!!

 

[office888]

You sir, are quite awesome indeed.

Put an orange flag on top, and you're all set for state parks & dune'in. :laugh:

Oh, quick comment.

The mount you're using, is it one of the clamp on types? They're not very strong, and if you run that antenna on the trails, if it gets smacked hard enough, the clamp WILL break..not at the clamp, but at the insulation where the 3/8x24 stud screws in.

If you want a mount that can take the abuse, look at the Hustler C32 chrome ball. NOT the Radioshack chrome ball, the ratshack ball rusts out pretty fast.

The downside is you'll need to weld a small square of metal to your tube to mount the ball on. Also, it doesn't accept a PL259 connection from coax, it uses a "lug type" connection.

Other than that, I'm lovin' it!

 

[thesatelliteguy]

Actually i used a piece of 1/8" steel plate and drilled a 1/2" hole in it for the insulated connection, then welded it to the rear bumper.

 

[Robb]

Actually i used a piece of 1/8" steel plate and drilled a 1/2" hole in it for the insulated connection, then welded it to the rear bumper.

Did you use an SWR meter and check the match?

 

[74IN]

Forget about 213.

Mini8 is more than good enough, cheaper and more flexible.

 

[hotrod]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I looked into the RCI-2970. That thing is expensive. Is it a cb?

I went to Radio Shack today, and they did in fact have a 102 whip in the back. I scored that, a spring base for it and a cable hook up for about $50. Im gonna wait on buying coax cable until i figure out the specific length i need. Although i guess it wouldnt hurt to get a longer cord so if i needed to take the antenna of and put it in a tree for better reception i can (am i just fantasizing about something that is ill-logical?)

For a SWR meter, would this one work? It seems to fit my budget.
Paradynamics Compact SWR Meter - SparkysCBShack.com

For some more kicks, here is a pic of my baja with the antenna on it. It stands a total of about 13ft.!!!

looks good. for coax only get enough from point a to point b. usually 18 feet
for most mobiles does the job.ya DONT want excess coax coiled up
thats not good.that swr meter will work fine.you will need a short piece of coax for it that runs from
the cb to the meter that says radio,or tx.your 102 will go into the antenna side of the meter.uually a 3 feet jumper
is enough for swr meter ive heard of people using less also.the meter should come with instructions on how to set it
and read it.if not post back