New user confused and kind of bummed out. I am new to CB and am having some problems, also on limited budget, can’t just keep throwing money away. Any help would be appreciated.
This all started when I got dad’s old race scanner programmed to listen to local broadcast. I found a list on the internet. The usual police, fire, school buses etc. Mostly maintenance guys and gals from the Frito Lay plant. Ok for a while but…
So what about a CB? That might be cool.
Next step Ebay I found a CB I liked, and bid on it, got outbid at the last second of course. Did it again and won one. I liked the scanning thing so chose the Cobra 18 WX ST II. Bad choice maybe I know now. Anyway, I did all this get ready for CB stuff like also buying soldering iron, heat shrink tubing, tape etc. Knowing I would need antenna I picked up a cheap one at Meijer for $15, the magnetic kind. Let’s rock.
Wait for the mail. Hooked up the CB and antenna with a cobbled up cigarette lighter thing I made so I could move the CB into the house when I was ready. The only thing that I could get was the weather channels. Ended up sending the CB back, got my money back, but lost out on the return shipping. By this time a couple of weeks had already went by.
The wife says “Do you want to bid on another one?” no no no. I had been to the Flying J truck stop checking things out. I was pretty bummed out by now; this is a low budget thing you know. She was sweet and went to said truck stop and bought me a new one.
I have been reading this forum and other info on the internet so knew something about getting antenna tuned. I was told about a CB shop while checking out a local electronics store. Off we go about 60 miles north. We pull into this place which turned out to be an old construction type trailer with chicken wire over the windows. Big ass antenna up in the sky though. Couple of old beaters parked outside with busted windshields and CB antennas on them. I felt right at home because my windshield has a big crack in it too.
She went in for me (I am in wheelchair) and got someone to come out. She said pretty scary in there (ha). A nice young fella came out with this black box thing to fix me up. He looked at the antenna and said “Yeah it’s tunable” ha ha ha. He took the stinger in and cut some off to set the SWR, couple of try’s, ground off the burrs…
I ask about “peaking and tuning this radio?” can you do that, do I have to leave it? No’ I can do that in about ten minutes. What do you think about this CB? He gives a little grin. Ah Oh. I can do a little with it. He takes it inside for a while. So now I am out more money. Nice guy, don’t get me wrong, not unhappy with service.
Well now we should be good to go. Well, the wife has been so good about all this let’s head on north and take her to the casino. We get a few miles up the road; everybody is in a race, going 80 miles an hour. You know what’s next – clang - bang - boom. That cheap ass antenna is flipping all around the truck bed. Murphy’s Law huh. I pull over and she holds up the bent, broken POS. I call my new buddy at the CB shop, turn around and go back. For more money I get a Wilson Little Wil installed. He tucks it into the doorframe, tunes it again for nothing. Nice people.
At this point I should be good to go I would think. I can hear people good , just can’t talk to anybody from home. The interstate is only a few miles away, seems like I should be able to reach the truckers anyway. I can’t, I try and try “radio check” nothing. Might as well talk to the dog. I can and have had brief conversations when in bigger towns. “radio check” – “you’re checking” wow….
I guess I need a better antenna? Have an old chevy S10. Wilson 1000, 5000, K40, Big coil thing? Where to put it? Roof pretty hard to do for me. Hood mount, bed stake mount, bumper with a 102” whip? Maybe I Should get a Galaxy radio with SSB – yeah yeah yeah. And a new truck too.
Also I have this Dipole Antenna from Ebay (never learn). I want to bring the radio in the house, that’s where I spend most of the time. Very confused about coax. “Don’t buy radio shack cable” I don’t know where to put Dipole or even how. At best I’ll be able to throw it up in the trees. Maybe between a pole light and the house. “Just don’t look down honey” That’s gonna happen. RG8, LMR, RG8x there must be 6 or 8 kinds of coax.
Got outbid on a SWR/ RF meter too.
Hopefully it gets better, thanks for letting me vent.
Jack
This all started when I got dad’s old race scanner programmed to listen to local broadcast. I found a list on the internet. The usual police, fire, school buses etc. Mostly maintenance guys and gals from the Frito Lay plant. Ok for a while but…
So what about a CB? That might be cool.
Next step Ebay I found a CB I liked, and bid on it, got outbid at the last second of course. Did it again and won one. I liked the scanning thing so chose the Cobra 18 WX ST II. Bad choice maybe I know now. Anyway, I did all this get ready for CB stuff like also buying soldering iron, heat shrink tubing, tape etc. Knowing I would need antenna I picked up a cheap one at Meijer for $15, the magnetic kind. Let’s rock.
Wait for the mail. Hooked up the CB and antenna with a cobbled up cigarette lighter thing I made so I could move the CB into the house when I was ready. The only thing that I could get was the weather channels. Ended up sending the CB back, got my money back, but lost out on the return shipping. By this time a couple of weeks had already went by.
The wife says “Do you want to bid on another one?” no no no. I had been to the Flying J truck stop checking things out. I was pretty bummed out by now; this is a low budget thing you know. She was sweet and went to said truck stop and bought me a new one.
I have been reading this forum and other info on the internet so knew something about getting antenna tuned. I was told about a CB shop while checking out a local electronics store. Off we go about 60 miles north. We pull into this place which turned out to be an old construction type trailer with chicken wire over the windows. Big ass antenna up in the sky though. Couple of old beaters parked outside with busted windshields and CB antennas on them. I felt right at home because my windshield has a big crack in it too.
She went in for me (I am in wheelchair) and got someone to come out. She said pretty scary in there (ha). A nice young fella came out with this black box thing to fix me up. He looked at the antenna and said “Yeah it’s tunable” ha ha ha. He took the stinger in and cut some off to set the SWR, couple of try’s, ground off the burrs…
I ask about “peaking and tuning this radio?” can you do that, do I have to leave it? No’ I can do that in about ten minutes. What do you think about this CB? He gives a little grin. Ah Oh. I can do a little with it. He takes it inside for a while. So now I am out more money. Nice guy, don’t get me wrong, not unhappy with service.
Well now we should be good to go. Well, the wife has been so good about all this let’s head on north and take her to the casino. We get a few miles up the road; everybody is in a race, going 80 miles an hour. You know what’s next – clang - bang - boom. That cheap ass antenna is flipping all around the truck bed. Murphy’s Law huh. I pull over and she holds up the bent, broken POS. I call my new buddy at the CB shop, turn around and go back. For more money I get a Wilson Little Wil installed. He tucks it into the doorframe, tunes it again for nothing. Nice people.
At this point I should be good to go I would think. I can hear people good , just can’t talk to anybody from home. The interstate is only a few miles away, seems like I should be able to reach the truckers anyway. I can’t, I try and try “radio check” nothing. Might as well talk to the dog. I can and have had brief conversations when in bigger towns. “radio check” – “you’re checking” wow….
I guess I need a better antenna? Have an old chevy S10. Wilson 1000, 5000, K40, Big coil thing? Where to put it? Roof pretty hard to do for me. Hood mount, bed stake mount, bumper with a 102” whip? Maybe I Should get a Galaxy radio with SSB – yeah yeah yeah. And a new truck too.
Also I have this Dipole Antenna from Ebay (never learn). I want to bring the radio in the house, that’s where I spend most of the time. Very confused about coax. “Don’t buy radio shack cable” I don’t know where to put Dipole or even how. At best I’ll be able to throw it up in the trees. Maybe between a pole light and the house. “Just don’t look down honey” That’s gonna happen. RG8, LMR, RG8x there must be 6 or 8 kinds of coax.
Got outbid on a SWR/ RF meter too.
Hopefully it gets better, thanks for letting me vent.
Jack
also a good first antenna is wilson 1000 mag mount you spend a little but not too much
