So I got my CB system the other day and i have some questions.

I need to know what to do with all the excess coax. Mine is 18 feet long, I only need about 5 feet, but it only came in 18'. I know you cant cut it OR roll it up, so how do you guys deal with all this excess wire?

Next, I heard that the coax that i bought is no good. I just got it at the local truck stop and it looked good to me, its made by firestik the company that makes the antenna that I got. Heres a link to the coax I found:

http://www.walcottcb.com/firestik-k4...tud-p-199.html

Heres a pic of my coax all hooked to the antenna:





I was talikng to another member on here and he said that I have the crapy coax. He also said I need to ground it, but there is no ground wire, WTF?

Any help with this stuff would be great, I dont want to install it and then have it not work properly due to the wrong parts. Thanks

 

Who told you it was crappy coax? I have a lot of friends that use the Firestik coax and with 102" whips they can get out 15-20+ miles, its insane.

 

never seen a coax attach like that, trippy.

 

trippy..yes. never seen that before...






Excess coax : DO NOT coil it up. I've been instructed that feeding a loop into your hood/cowl channel molding is a proper way to get rid of excess. OR, under your carpet/vinyl, weiving it back and forth w/o touching or really getting near your amp power wire.

 

Or chop it, and make it the length that you need. Since you aren't phasing antennas, and the other stuff that goes along with cable velocity and loss factors isn't a big deal here, chop it to the length you need.

I am going to get flamed by that comment, but have backup on it.

 

^^ What W1CKY said.

The only times you shouldn't shorten the coax is when co-phasing or running a 102" whip antenna.
Usually you can just loop it back and forth under the floor mat , which is a better idea , since one day you may decide to remount the antenna in a different location and need the extra cable length .

 

To ground it, make sure you tie in the metal mounting bracket into metal on the vehicle. That provides the ground plane needed. Forgot to add that part in earlier.

 

HAng on... I'll go take some pics now.

 

That was me that said that coax was bad.. It's cool Keith, I know my stuff, I wouldn't run it... Stranded is the best for the stuff you would use it for... Like me..

Here's my pics.







Follow that and it leads to...

 

rg-58 is good for what you're doing.

if you where pushing power like me you would want rg-8x

 

first of all.. firesticks and anything they make are junk... the inside of the fiberglass whips break, etc... ive seen alot of truckers buy them for a last resort to get home.. but throw them away once they get home...

That coax at a 90 degree is junk... you need to have a male and a female end, not a loop...

And the excess coax.... go to a cb shop, with the coax marked... and have them cut, put a new end on, and tune your swr.... for like 10$..

You shouldnt wrap your coax around anything.. it should go strait from your radio to your antenna...

Rocky

 

I swear up and down 18ft. I can't get nearly the range with a short coax. I get out a good 15mi down the highway both ways.

I have 2 connectors on mine, both are on the bottom stud for the antenna, one ground and one going through the antenna. Agreed, wrapping the coax is bad, but I've been shown by the shop how to run my wires, that's why I'm suggesting it on here.

 

This topic sure seems debatable, lol! i thought Firestik was like the standard CB antenna and coax which everyone uses. I hope it works, this CB radio thing is becoming a huge pain in the *** to figure out. So much conflicting information.

Anyway, thanks Trevor for the pics. Im gonna rout the coax like you did and i will post in here how it works.

Now I just gotta figure out where to mount the radio... There is absolutely nowhere in my truck that I can bolt it to. Im thinking under the saet is the only place it will fit. maybe the roof, but I have that explorer OHC, so Im limited there as well.

Maybe Ill attempt to make a fiberglass console

 

Do like what I'm gonna do... Take the internals out of the OHC (screen and wiring) and custom the screen somewhere in the truck and mount your CB up there... Like where mine is.. I love it... Don't have to have it up loud to hear either... right next to my head!

 

Pssh, thats it?

 

Get a Wilson magnet mount, you will be happy with it.

DO NOT get a Firestick or K40 magnet mount, spend the money the first time and do it right.

 

The best thing to do is cut off the excess and put a new connector on the end. 18ft of coax is useless despite what "CB experts" say about it being "optimal". The optimal length for a single standard two way radio installation is the shortest length possible. You can get new PL-259 connectors for RG-58 coax at your nearest radio shack or CB shop. Or you can have a local CB shop do it for you. Leave yourself enough to have some slack and flexibility and get rid of everything else.

If you don't want to cut it, then play it out around the cab or under the hood. Just don't coil it up in a loop and avoid really sharp bends.

 

For a 6yr old RadioShack radio... and a $40 tune... It ain't bad. I've got maybe $150 into my whole setup with 2 antenna's. You probably have a lil more. It gets the job done when I need it, that's all I care about.

And Keith, if you want to run a good fiberglass, Francis makes a good and affordable antenna. I've got their 5.5ft one. Firesticks are all talked up, I wouldn't run it.

 

I have around $200 in to mine, soon to be a little more.

Cobra 25 with an Astatic D104-M6 minute man II mic. The radio has been peaked and tuned, swing kit, bigger finals, it has everything other then extra channels and sound toys.

Thennn, I'm running a Palomar250, soon to be a fatboy600.

I love my Wilson 5000. I need to get the roof mount for it and ditch the magnet.

As far as distance goes, I can talk to people in LA, GA and OK (1000+ miles) on a good night.