School me on CB radios
 

I am looking to install a CB radio in my truck, I have a few friends that use them and my dad has one in his 98, It would be handy for when me and dad go to the farm (cell phones dont work there lol) to be able to figure out where everyones at.

Not looking for anything mindblowing And I want it to look neat when its installed. Looking for maybe 200 for everything (not sure what the prices are on everything needed, thats just a figure I have to work with atm.)

Uniden Pro520, small compact unit that has everything you would need.

http://www.walcottcb.com/uniden-pro5...th=340_377_379

Get an antenna from Wilson, one of the best manufacturers of antennas.
Something like this: http://www.cbradiosplus.com/shop/pc/...idproduct=1247, works well if you have a Back-Rack but the antenna is dependant on the mounting location; you can get them longer if you want. You can get the bae loaded unit with a tall s/s whip if that is your look.

You need to decide where you want to mount the antenna before buying anything.
The higher the better and as close to centered is the rule of thumb on a mobile setup.

Spend a little more on the antenna and coax cable (Belden RG-8X) because this is the most important part of the CB System.

After that power it from the battery both red and blk wires. (you can leave a CB on over night and it will not run your battery down, unless the battery it weak already).
Depending on which antenna mount you use it has to be grounded.

After all is installed get the antenna tuned to the system/vehicle for lowest Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) it will make the whole system work better.

Any more questions ?

Hey Gomer, Your search sucks.

try this on instead man

https://www.ranger-forums.com/showth...light=CB+Radio

I typed CB into the search bar and copied that link. There are 300+ threads on CB's.

Two main things about CBs and Rangers.
One is where you will mount the CB in the Cab.
Two where you will mount the Antenna outside of the Cab.
Both have there problems.
With a smaller CB you can mount them almost anywhere, even overhead so watch where you want it before you buy.

I clicked it 3 different times in two different browsers and got a "no results found" page

lol poad

"Sorry - no matches. Please try some different terms."

You know what i mean Kewn.

i meant adam got poad lol

Nice.
At least i'm not the only one who sees it.

Yeah doesn't work for me either. I don't know why and don't want to fix it.

Well I plan on mounting the antenna on the bed rail. I dont like the looks of trucks with the antenna on top of the cab. I could scoot my tool box forward with enough room to place the antenna in between it and the cab.

Thanks for the info above, I will read it this weekend and get some ideas. Thanks.

The higher the better is the name of the game for Radio antennas Ham as well as CBs.

Mounting behind the cab will block most of you signal out front, depending on the antenna you will need to get the antenna loading coil above the roof line at a minimum.

Fiberglass antennas radiate from the top first but they still need all of the antenna to get the complete wave form out there. Base loaded antennas with the coils at the bottom need to get the coils up over the cab.
So mounting behind the cab, in between the tool box and the bed rail will a compromise at best.
The infamous 102” S/S Whip is not the cure all answer that most people think it is; a well tuned 3 or 4 foot Flexible fiberglass antenna will out perform them easily if located in the right spot and the based loaded roof mount antennas with the 36” S/S Whips will easily out perform the 102 plus easier to tune and won’t whip around when on the trail and start hitting things and people.

Make sure the antenna mount is grounded, by the way the bed is not grounded well at all and it needs to be grounded too.
A separate wire from the mount to the FRAME helps.

A CB Antenna.setup is a compromise no matter what you do, mount the antenna, run the coax and tune it up and see what you get.

Luck,

your best option on a ranger is on the roof right in the center, but I had mine on the bed rail and it did ok. If you're going to be using it on the farm mainly then you should be fine.

I second the uniden 520, I have it and it has everything you need, no reason to spend more. $200 is a healthy budget to spend on CB, so if you want a radio with extra features, then go for it. the uniden 520 is about $40-50.

And the antenna is the most important part, as far as signal goes. all cb radios are limited to the same wattage and it is a very simple radio. spending more will just get you features,like noise limiters, weather radio channels, or even bluetooth.

https://www.ranger-forums.com/attach...ine=1330180227
https://www.ranger-forums.com/attach...ine=1330180227
https://www.ranger-forums.com/attach...ine=1330180227
https://www.ranger-forums.com/attach...ine=1330180227
https://www.ranger-forums.com/attach...ine=1330180227

Everything in RadioCommunications is a compromise… if it works, it works, so nail it.

there's a lot more to it than people think!

OH, not sure if tuning SWR was mentioned.... that needs to be done too, at least checked so that it's moderately acceptable.

Lots of good info here... They make good antennas as well, I have one of theirs.

http://firestik.com/Tech_Docs.htm


by the way Grev, I'm a licensed ham as well. Haven't done much of anything with it in quite a while though.

Firestik antennas work for a lot of people and the newer ones have that tip tuning so not a bad choice BUT PLEASE stay away from the FireStik Fire Ring connection at the Antenna. It is not sealed up as well as I would like to see it and not opened enough to allow the dirt to get out.

To me stick to Ring Lugs at the antenna, easier to use than a PL259 and closer to a 50 ohm match too, which is needed for a low SWR when tuning.

I went back and underlined the Tune the Antenna statement.

And on the Amateur Radio thing, good to have another HAM on board for me it has been a long time in the hobby when 20 WPM was a fun thing to do, only in the VHF bands lately and some 6 meters for Emergency stuff.

Cb's are pretty cool, I had the cobra 98 in my truck (ended up not working for some reason) Anyway, I had a 4 foot fire stick whip, with a 9 foot coax cord, And had a PA hooked up to it. There pretty cool, to mess with. A lot nicer then a dang cell phone. But I could never get a good signal with mine for some reason.

So I plan on getting a setup in a month or so, One thing I cant decide is how to mount the antenna, I do not want to drill through the body, but My tool box is an option, Maybe make some kind of bracket that will allow the antenna to mount to it, then drill holes in the box and bolt it down/seal the holes up with silicone or something.

How well would that work? Like I said before tho, we are only really 5-8 miles from everyone, so I dont need anything major. Plus we are usually sitting still when we are using it (sitting in the fields on either side of the property)

I've seen tons of guys mount it to the side of their tool box.
I've also seen it mounted on:
Back bumper
Front bumper
Hood gap
Tail light
Inbetween cab and bed
On the roof

Pretty much anywhere you can stick an antenna, its been mounted there.

One more question, Running the coax. I am thinking of running it through one of the drain plugs under the body, then silicone it to seal it back. It that a viable option, or is there a better way?

It's what I did, I didn't even seal it. run it up/through the frame/body with a few zip ties. you should be home free.

ok, and do you think 9ft would be enough to go from the tool box, to the dash and still have enough room to hide it? or should I go longer?

I had a 12ft and it was about perfect.