Is a base station even possible for me? Need advice/wisdom, something....

[Sixstring]

Hey all, great site here... Got a question that I hope some of you can help me with. I have been a CB'r on and off for a while. Been about a decade since I was on. At that time I was running my Cobra 2000 with an Antron99 in an apartment complex and got nothing but complaints from neighbors leading to my time off the radio. I just got a rig for my truck and now the bug for my base is back. What I am wondering is if it's possible to set up a base station at my house in a densely populated residential neighborhood without ticking off a bunch of folks nearby? My local CB shop guy says that nowadays with all the underground cable and satellite TV systems, the interference issues are all but gone.....is this true?
I was running at about 350 watts but still got the complaints barefoot...
Is there a good antenna (radial or mast) that does a better job of solving this issue in say, the $200 or so range? I am going to have to put up and take down my rig every night since my H.O.A. states clearly that even the notion of an antenna is a no-no, so nothing monstrous...

-If there is anything else I can do to make this work, please lend me your advice. (Dont wanna plunk down around $500 bucks to get this up and running only to be ran off by complaints...)
Thanks

 

[TonyV225]

You can run another antron or better yet an Imax 2000 next step up from the antron get yourself a good low pass filter keep audio down not wide open and that includes avoiding a power mic like ASTATIC D104 and ETC.

Keep power in a reasonable range aswell more power + more audio = people getting rf. Heres the good thing yes what you were told is true because of digital and other technology stray RF interference is slowly going away.but you still need to play it safe.

 

[Robb]

Welcome to the forum.

I run no more than 100 watts from my base station in a residential area. Keep the antenna high as you can and use as little power as you need.

Yes; since cable and dish TV came along - CB is pretty much OK again. Sometimes it will bleed into someones computer speakers, and then you might have a problem.

 

[Shockwave]

Your best chance of success without RFI and spending lots of money is going to be to buy LMR-400 coax and the Maco V-58 antenna. The LMR-400 coax is extremely low loss and double shielded to get as much signal to the antenna as possible without radiation due to poor shielding or loss along the way. The Maco V-58 antenna does a much better job at reducing interference because it's four full 1/4 wave radials are very effective at decoupling the coax line from the antenna. Not to mention the V-58 puts out a stronger signal then the Antron or Imax. The V-58 antenna, 100 feet of LMR-400 coax, 10 feet of mast, and some mounts should fit right in the $200.00 budget. Do it right the first time.

 

[W5LZ]

Tell me this. Can you sit at home in your truck and play radio with out any problems? If so, then you can probably do the same thing from inside the house. Especially with that HOA thingy, getting noticed is not something you want to happen. That typically means a low antenna, and probably a stock radio. Think that would satisfy your 'cravings'? If so, give it a try. If you think the urge for 'power', big antennas, etc, is going to show up, I'd suggest you forget it (or move).
Things have sort of 'settled down' a bit, but not really to any great extent. The things you'd interfere with have just changes, not went away all together. The older and more susceptible TVs are mostly gone, but computers and various forms of home entertainment stuff has taken their place. And yes, they can be interfered with. there are no guaranties, especially with that HOA thingy, and you will be the looser, trust me.
Or better yet, don't trust me, and find out for your self.
It's up to you...
- 'Doc

 

[555]

hoa does not stop you from putting a antenna on the mobile
why not run your base radio out the door to the mobile

 

[dxhound]

Heres a quick list to consider for RFI issues.

1. Use a low pass filter
2. Do not clip the limiter and keep the modulation at or below 100%
3. use quality coax
4. Run as much power as you want as the list above eliminates harmonics

 

[Sixstring]

I still have the cobra 2000 which has been given the usuall tweaks and then some, so a stock radio is out. Still have the ole trusty tube linear too but I'm fine without it. Being a technical noob, I'm not sure if that means the "limiter" has been clipped or not...

 

[The Jerk]

Send the radio to someone like DTB in Carlilse who can tune/align them without clipping...get the radio back into a non-splattering state. Garbage in is garbage out.

Then follow what's already been discussed...good coax, good antenna, and lowest power possible.

I'm running stock power levels on a homemade dipole...I have three neighbors within 25 feet of me and have never gotten a complaint.

And regardless of what you were told, cable/satellite TV doesn't mean anything...I could bleed over my own cable tv, mainly because the cabling was old and improperly installed...something you can't easily fix in someone else's house. However, once I changed from RG59 to RG6QS and ran the cable correctly, my problems stopped...the neighbors have never complained.

 

[hotrod]

try getting your ticket

 

[King Mudduck]

Hey all, great site here... Got a question that I hope some of you can help me with. I have been a CB'r on and off for a while. Been about a decade since I was on. At that time I was running my Cobra 2000 with an Antron99 in an apartment complex and got nothing but complaints from neighbors leading to my time off the radio. I just got a rig for my truck and now the bug for my base is back. What I am wondering is if it's possible to set up a base station at my house in a densely populated residential neighborhood without ticking off a bunch of folks nearby? My local CB shop guy says that nowadays with all the underground cable and satellite TV systems, the interference issues are all but gone.....is this true?
I was running at about 350 watts but still got the complaints barefoot...
Is there a good antenna (radial or mast) that does a better job of solving this issue in say, the $200 or so range? I am going to have to put up and take down my rig every night since my H.O.A. states clearly that even the notion of an antenna is a no-no, so nothing monstrous...

-If there is anything else I can do to make this work, please lend me your advice. (Dont wanna plunk down around $500 bucks to get this up and running only to be ran off by complaints...)
Thanks

You got or get complaints because you were using a dirty over modulated radio. Get yourself another radio and MAKE SURE that the tech sets it up so that it does not have over 100% modulation,this means no mod kit/swing kits and no clipped limiters......i dont give a damn what he says about your power output.......and you can run what ever you want when ever you want! It does not matter how much power you have,it is all of the excessive harmonics produced by a poorly tuned over modulated radio that causes that problem. I had people living 50 feet from my base antenna (imax 200) and with a clean radio i could use a 5000 watt amp and they would not even know i was talking on my base radio. On the other hand,using a over modulated radio i could make there toaster talk with only 25 watts!

You also want to make sure your antenna is at least 36 feet high from the base of the antenna and ground it as good as you can,this will not only help you get out better but lessen the interference to others around you. You also want to spend the money for a high quality base amp like a Henry,heath kit,Drake or Pride. The amps are built way better and dont throw out all of those harmonics all across the band. REMEMBER. Bleed over is not a sign of power,it is the sign of a poorly tuned radio.

Oh and stay away from pill amps as well,even with a clean radio they will cause you problems.

Do what you want but after 15 years i have wasted enough money to know what works and what does not!


As far as the antenna goes. If you have trees close by you can use a wire antenna,one that can not be easily seen by others. These work greaat and people use them to talk all around the world.

If it were me i would buy a new RCI 2995 (150 watts...$600) and a good high quality wire antenna (less than $100),hell you can even put a wire antenna inside your house and still get out better than you would think. This way you would have all the power you need to talk well and not bother anyone.

 

[Beetle]

Heres a quick list to consider for RFI issues.

1. Use a low pass filter
2. Do not clip the limiter and keep the modulation at or below 100%
3. use quality coax
4. Run as much power as you want as the list above eliminates harmonics

Harmonics are less of a problem these days than just plain overloading of consumer electronics. Part 15 offers some relief to licensed operators in licensed services, but since CB is neither -- and since a typical CBer uses illegal equipment at illegal power levels, Part 15 isn't a convenient place to hide.

 

[loosecannon]

if you have an attic, you might try using a 102" whip sticking straight up out of the middle of the roof.
then, inside the attic, run four 102" wires down from the base of the antenna along the ceiling for your groundplane. (whip is center pin of the coax, wires are ground)
whatever angle your roof is, it should work fine.

if you spray paint the whip black, most likely no one would ever notice it.

yes, you would have to drill a small hole in your roof.
only you can decide if thats something you want to do or not.
LC

 

[Sixstring]

try getting your ticket

I have no idea what that means...

Well, I am guessing that my radio has already been modded to the point of splattering all over the place (got nothing but compliments about it but it looks like thats irrelevant)
-Anyone know of a reputable shop in the Phoenix,AZ area that can get my gear in order?

 

[Robb]

I have no idea what that means...

Well, I am guessing that my radio has already been modded to the point of splattering all over the place (got nothing but compliments about it but it looks like thats irrelevant)
-Anyone know of a reputable shop in the Phoenix,AZ area that can get my gear in order?

To 'get your ticket' means to get one's Ham license - BTW...

Some radios will sound better if the modulation limiter has been removed. Some will disagree; but I've heard it before and after the mod has been done. But it will make your radio 'splatter' - and this can add nasty harmonics to your transmitted signal that can affect you relationship with your neighbors!

"...Lift the Emitter leg of TR32, and insert a 1K resistor from the leg to ground..." (quote from an anonymous modification manual)
Look at your board and see if TR32 has been removed. If someone has modified it with a resistor; then it is a trade-off and may be questionable - as far as throwing off nasty harmonics during transmit. If TR32 has been removed altogether; then the modulation will be louder but definitely 'splattered'.

There should be a few radio repair shops along I-40, as many truckers will be able to tell you. Or you can look it up on the internet too...