CB Tuning or Antenna Tuning?
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- Опубліковано 29 жов 2022
- CB radio tuning is not CB antenna tuning. Don't let a hack mess up your radio. Always use quality coax in you cb system. Cobra, connex, Galaxy, Wilson, Firestik, Predator, Hustler, Browning, Monkey Made, Astatic, Ranger, peterbilt, kenworth, freightliner, volvo, Ford, ford, chevy, dodge, Toyota, jeep.
CB antenna do's and don'ts.
• CB Radio Antenna Insta...
Definitely learned a lot binge watching your vids got my Cb setup in my pickup perfected and learned a lot of how to make my big rig setup better too
Thank you for all of your videos brother
Thanks for the video, I left thumbs up, Have a great Easter, 21 South Carolina, Old Radio Night.
Great info thanks for sharing
I like your channel! Straight to the point and honest
Thanks for watching.
The Rig Expert is a great tool.Makes tuning a lot easier and faster.
That it does.
👍🏻
@@jrichtruckincbtips Does having a weak ground but having below a 2 on your swr meter on 1&40 create an extreme amount of static I have nothing plug in no phone chargers or nothing but headlights are on any help will save me a headache I been trying to research for months and spent hundreds on trying to figure this out thank you so much
Hey J Rich , I Fix my K40 Mic. Adjustment Yesterday . Did Adjusted Lower has I Received
Radio Traffic Feed Back . Works Okay for and Forty Year Olde K40 Mic. on Mini- Midland CB
Radio . Say One Thing Cobra 29 LTD or 29 LX , Way to Big Units for my Needs for Ford 150 ..
I Keep Watching your Channel . Keep up good stuff ..
Check out the Anytone AT-6666. It is more compact and a lot of bang for your buck.
I'm impressed. I have the RigExpert 35 Zoom. It makes antenna tuning, as well as antenna tuner settings a breeze. Save the radio 👍
Great video.
J Rich Truckin & CB Tips I really like you sharing some of the intruments you recommend.😀🥶
J Rich . I would guess You Are Right on That Reply.. I Pick up the New K40 4 Ft Antenna
With The Tunable-Tip SF400 Model. Hope I get this One Good Ground and My 1980's Vintage Radio Shack SWR Meter , Still Works Well . Waiting for Original Mic. to come-in Also to Re-Test Again . If I Need Any Advice I Call You ! You Are Helpful On That....Issue .....
I thought I knew a little bit about CB radio and Antenna setup. I was wrong. Thank you for your videos!!!! After watching and doing what you said, DAMN my radio and antenna work 💯 times better
Awesome, the antenna system is everything. The radio, not so much.
Ive been installing alot of antennas lately and have found that establishing a good ground first is key
Right on man, thanks
No problem 👍.
Much needed
Good video
If I have a radio that has SWR, I set my antenna with a external SWR meter. After I get it set, I use the SWR in the radio. It is usually a little different, but remember what the readings are on the radio. Now if something goes wrong you can use your radio to see if the SWR changed.
Qual a melhor antena para ligar na janela do apartamento? Não tenho muito espaço. TKS, PX2R4678, Brasil
Hey there J Rich truckin & CB Tips! It is cloudy and about 38 degrees. What's the WX like over there at your 10-20?😀
Thank you for another great video. Can you use the antenna tuner with the IMAX 2000 ?
While I don't do base stations, I don't see why you wouldn't.
Yes you can
What would you recommend as the best place to connect power for a CB in a pick up? 12v cigarette lighter plug, running it to the fuse box, or straight to the battery?
Where is the best place for me to get a CB radio… And who is the best person to install it… Thanks for all your information years ago my ex father-in-law had CB radios and every single car so did I that was years ago… And I would love to put one in my motorhome and in my car and in my husband‘s work truck… Thanks for all the information
There's plenty of qualified shops across the country. Find a cb Facebook group for your state. They'll know who's good and who not near you.
I got my corba ltd classic from a driver that had a twin stick/ gear splitter in a Chevy
That's different
I've been slowly getting into more of the CB tuning aspect of it all. You're right, there really isn't a reason unless your radio is old (possibly hasn't been tuned in a while) or people notice issues when you're transmitting. I have a 1979 President McKinley and someone told me I was super quiet even though I could hear them really well and only 3 miles apart. I also had a 150 Watt amp on, tried a new mic and it got a little better. Well after buying a Dosy to look closer at how much power output and modulation was going on, I found out that my modulation was below 25% Most radios should be around 80% minimum. Anyway even if you're not opening up a radio, having the right equipment can help you determine if you need cb or antenna tuning, or if something just needs replaced. Sometimes it can be as simple as your coax was pinched somehow. Had that happen to a mag mount recently.. I wonder what are the most common radios out on the road now days? I know for myself I prefer a radio with sideband, even though AM is much popular.
hey there, money like speed maybe get into cb faster than slowly
A finely tuned good antenna is always better.
Thanks for the useful tips. We followed your instructions on calibrating our newly installed antennas to our Cobra Classic. When we put the switch on calibrate and held the mike to transmit and turned the knob to move the needle to the notch, the needle does not move at all. It remains in place on the far left. Any thoughts? This is on a 1995 Peterbilt 379. We are receiving some talking, but I don't think we are transmitting. Appreciate any help.
You should be using an external SWR meter not the radios meter. If it is a truly accurate meter and doesn't move off 1.0 it doesn't get any better than that.
I was driving a Pete 379 and had to put a ground cable directly from my radio chassis to the truck chassis, inside the Pete was nothing but plastic and had no real ground except for the DC power supply which doesn't help for a station ground. My SWR's dropped to a safe level.
hey J is the rig expert aa 35 good? i see you use the 55 i didnt know if there was that much of a difference thanks want to get a good swr and like the rig expert. didnt know if the 35 was good. thanks
35 is good the 55 has a few more features. You can side by side compare them on DX Engineering
I got lousy situation me working with. I have a '79 Dodge D150 that came with a factory option CB. Well CB has died and the antenna got snapped off by some hackass in aprking lot. It uses the same antenna for the radio and CB and has a splitter they both plug into. I have a new Cobra Classic and it will calibrate but the SWR goes to the high side. I need help because the antenna can not be shortened or made longer.
You have to check and adjust the antennas separately with another coax and an external SWR meter.
I need some help with the 2015 prostar. When I got the truck it's got aftermarket antenna mounts on the mirror brackets but no antennas!! I got this old cobra 29 Ltd chrome box and I wanna get antennas so I can hear all the Constant B.S on I285 lol. Which antenna should I get? Do I need a ground? How do I find the ground? I'm out of GA and park the truck on Moreland Ave. Anyone from the neighborhood knows its not the greatest place to be,so I'm afraid of someone stealing these antennas. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! I just want to be able to hear out for what may lay ahead of me down the road. Thanks again!!
A tall antenna with the coil up high and away from the body, probably go with a fiberglass for the theft problem or use a quick disconnect. To ground look at my RF bonding videos.
I have a 98 Chevy Silverado this one with dual 4 foot fire stick tenable tips with a cobra 29 LX digital with a static mic do I need to ground my antennas I get good reception my SWR is not moving on the scale just asking
Right on
What do you think of Driver Extreme Silver Bullet antennas?
Made by ProComm, I assume it's a 5/8 wave. It'd probably be on par with other fiberglass antennas, but I have not used one.
I just purchased and installed my first CB radio...yippee! I went with a magnetic roof mount antenna on my pickup truck. All went well until I tried to tune my antenna. Using an external SWR meter I keep getting very high (over 3) readings on every channel. Adjusting the antenna up or down seems to make no difference. I triple checked all my connections, cable routing, antenna mount, etc. but no luck. My new excitement of getting into CB as a hobby has been greatly diminished.... ugh! As a side note, my NOAA weather channels come in beautifully. Not sure if that has any relevance or not...? Appreciate any help or suggestions.
If you haven't tried moving the whole antenna around to different parts of the roof, and make sure you're in a wide open area. If it's still high that the vehicle to a cb shop and have them check the antenna with an analyzer.
@@jrichtruckincbtips Yes, I moved antenna around on roof and was in open area but no luck. Closest CB shop is about 2 hours away but I'll do it. Thanks!
Tenho esse mesmo problema aqui no Brasil.
I have changed mikes and it still does the same thing.
I have a new ranger on a 17’ KW T680 i did every mod that U said would make it much better and purchased a wilson coax single antenna but i added the silver plate on the passenger side and a 6 foot skipshooter antenna i have never tuned the antenna since i purchased it i had an old school guy outta MD to peak and tune the radio he claims it now has around 330 watts but im not really worried about the power since it has 200 watts stock plus the bottom mounted amp however it does okay for what its worth just saying thanks for the common knowledge of a small/big radio
You gotta get the swr right. I think I had a 1.03 swr on that truck which is super low.
@@jrichtruckincbtips yes i have no clue what my SWR meter reads i just screwed the antenna on and keyed up ppl say they can hear me loud and clear when i ask for a radio check ive gotten 10 miles so far but should be much futher from the power i currently produce from the Ranger however im frequently in GA i can DM u when im in town if U ever have time and are in the local area at the time depending on where i am west or east
@@thatmdguy4557 yeah do that and we'll see if we can't make something happen.
@@jrichtruckincbtips ill do just that was just in ATL Friday so its pretty regular and exit 12 on i285 is a great landmark (Petro)
@@thatmdguy4557 I'd have to pay to get in there. I'm all around ATL most every night
Hello I'm having trouble. For some reason, my mike gets hot or shocked me.
Peaking and tuning a CB is something people claim to do that likely messes up your CB more than it helps. Adjusting the antenna for proper swr is a simple way to ensure proper radio performance.
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J Rich, Question ..I have a 1/4 Wave 48" 4Ft. Fiber-Glass Antenna Tune-Able Tip. , the SWR are 1.1 Setting . If I jump to 4.6 54" Height , Fiber-Glass Antenna SWR Sleeve .Would Be Worth the Replacement Cost, Or Exchange Height Difference .. Your Opinion Please..
No, if you want a 4.5' antenna a Hustler SCB would be better than the fiberglass.
@@jrichtruckincbtips The Hustler SCB Seems more like a Cell Tower than and CB Antenna ? Either Dual or Single Usage . I was just asking about on Your One Video Center Back of Cab Install with ground straps to chassis frame grounding . Going for More Height in Air with 4.6 a 54 inch Fiber Glass Antenna , than Standard 4 ft Antenna .. At least you are not Wrong ...
@@kenmyers3052 I've used both a 4.5' fiberglass and the 4.5' Hustler. The Hustler receives much better than the fiberglass Skip Shooter and is more durable.
I got down to 1.7 on channel 1,20,and 40. Should I continue to trim
No, once you're even on 1 and 40 stop. If you change coax, antennas, mounts, mount location, or add ground. Then you tune again.
@j rich let me ask u a question i got a stryker 497 v2 10 ga power n ground direct to the batteries rg-8x coax to a predator 10k 9" shaft antenna mounted on a slight angle (to clear over heads in my dump truck) i cut the whip down about 2" the swr is equal 1-19-40 but the needle barely moves when i key up is that what i want or should it come up higher?? it doesnt really get out unless im talking to another high power radio
Are you using an external SWR meter? If not your swr could be off. Internal meters are almost never accurate
yes external swr meter with a rg-8x jumper
@guilty asaccussed so the needle barely moves when checking swr or when you modulate (talk)? Is the radio switch in the swr or mod mode,? On AM? Power turned up? RF gain all the way to the right?
when i checked swr never payed attention if it moves while talking mod is about 5 oclock not all the way up rf gain is all the way up mic gain between 2-3 oclock its in am mode on channel d i run this radio every day the guys i talk to say its loud n crisp idk i think alignments off i bought it 2nd hand from a guy that got it from walcott radio the box says tuned n aligned
@guilty asaccussed turn the mic gain up see if that helps get out farther
I have a Cobra 29ltd classic, peak n tuned, looking for an antenna recommendation. 2019 Freightliner Cascadia day cab. Looking at Stryker SR 2k, not sure which one would max the range of this radio, thanks.
You should watch my Cascadia videos. I use a Hustler SCB on the back of the cab. If you have a roof fairing think about at least a 6'-7' firestik or Skip Shooter on the driver's side mirror. The problem with the SR 2k is its too tall for the back of the cab and the coil is too low for the mirror mount and you'll get reflection off the cab.
Also the key to a great system on the Cascadia is grounding, grounding and more grounding. Look at my extreme antenna grounding video.
@@jrichtruckincbtips So the whip antennas in general aren’t ideal width a fairing and a mirror mount? I’m a line haul driver with an LTL and really can’t get into modifying or grounding, lucky to be able to run a cb
@Joseph Löven 🇺🇸 any antenna doesn't preform as good behind a fairing. You can run a whip antenna on the mirror, you just need 1 that has the coil almost half way or a 102" whip. You have to get the coil away from the mirror and body.
@@jrichtruckincbtips Thanks for the response, I appreciate it. Just discovered your channel, enjoying your videos.
How can I jion your c.b tuneing team Jim Rogers
J Rich
Question on , Tunable Tip Fiberglass Antenna the
Popular Height Using . Magnet Mount on Top
of Vehicle Roof ? Longer Height for Distance is the Rule ?
To Choose From 2Ft / 3Ft / 4 Ft / Tunable Tip Fiberglass Antenna . In your Experience in Height which one to Choose From ? And SWR Tune to Low-End Channel
My SWR Radio Shack Meter Channel 40 3.0 Channel / 01 1.1 / Channel 20 ( 1.2 ) My Antenna is And K40 Sf200K 2 Ft Tunable , Fiberglass on K40 Magnet Mount .
I have the Correct Reading -Setting ? For all Around Vehicle Roof Height Usage ?
With your readings your antenna is to tall, need to trim it down. Yes height is might. I wouldn't go any lower than a 4ft antenna.
@@jrichtruckincbtips J Rich , I Knew you would Be Correct on Both Questions .
The SWR Reading is too High and my K40 2 Ft Antenna
is too Short in Height for all round usage Receiving & Output
Signal Transmission . The K40 SF400 Fiberglass 1/4 Wave
Antenna has a Tunable Tip with Set Screw for for SWR
Adjustment Setting . Will get K40 4 Ft. Antenna and Try Again . Thank You for Reply and Help ...
My apologies if my comment is condesending. I sent in a report to UA-cam as far as I know to be transparent. Paul😀😀👍
I haven't driven the big trucks in a long while due to back surgery and car wreck but I was just curious because I'm using my Wilson 2000 still with and going to put me a power supply box in my wanted to see bees out there in my little shop just to kind of get back into the being around life for so long and I wrote me a piece of pipe still metal in the ground with a copper wire out of a house wiring into it and then I've got it going to the pole with a screw as well so they're both connected in the ground and I've got the antenna mounted on top of that with my regular 18 wheeler mount bracket and every now and then whenever I'm doing mine I'm not getting no receiving but it's not real high route real real high up in there neither but that could have something to do with it but I don't have an 18-ft coax and I was just curious what you might be able to tell me on that that might be forgetting
I got a golden screwdriver, a hot glue gun and a high watt soldering gun... Let's peak and tune.
🤣🤣
i knew a guy that had a good single antenna n coax with a truckstop cobra 19 that worked better than a high powered radio its all in the coax n antenna
The antenna system is everything
My SWR is 3 on channel 1 and 3.5 on channel 40 what do I need to do I’m new to CB
Without any other info , the antenna is too tall, make it shorter a little at a time.
@@jrichtruckincbtips I have high SWR on both 1 and chanel 40 I've checked the ground I have bonding straps on cab of truck bed I'm running a president ADAMS I've check the cables and still getting high SWRs I'm starting to think my SWR meter is bad don't know how to check it other then get new 1 and compare readings I do have a 6' steel whip antenna with a spring I'm new at this so I have no idea what I am doing
@@justinchester100 try without the spring
Look like a lot of yo guys commenting here do not apprecaite J Rich Truckin & CB tios. Please do not make condesending comments. These videos are being made for people who are here to learn.
If you’re just gonna run a lower power radio with no amp buying a swr/watt meter is fine. But if you’re going to run a high power radio and or an amp you really need to invest in a antenna analyzer. They can be expensive but it will save you from having to fix or replace an expensive radio or amp. I’ve seen those cheaper swr/watt meters be off as far as swr. I’ve seen the same from built in swr meters in radios. I have the rigexpert and I’m glad I bought it because my Astatic swr meter was off and I’m running a 4 pill 2879c with on my Anytone 6666. My Astatic was showing the swr was .3 lower than what it really was. And running an amp you don’t want to be any higher than a 1.3.
Hey there bro! If you don't mind me asking, what is your nationality? I can read that you are loated in the United States.... I am not sure if everyone in America who is busy with CB radio stuff is American. SO, just asking. Anything that I have read about CB is usually printed in the United States. I may have visited some other places but I am not sure if they know about the technical stuff about CB as you might or do.😀👍👍
I'm American
Am wondering how u redo the antenna bracket inside the mirror cover
What vehicle are you talking about?
@@jrichtruckincbtips the coronado 2020
@Cory Nissen I had a Coronado day cab and went to the back of the cab eventually. But here how to do the Coronado. ua-cam.com/video/VWX9VZulIkI/v-deo.html&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE
@J Rich Truckin & CB Tips how do u get the back cover off or the mirror out to get too the antenna mount thou
@Cory Nissen you have to move the mirror glass to one side or the other. There's 2 wires behind the glass. Push them together and toward the cover then you can pull the glass off. There's 3 torx bit screws that hold the cover on.
If I may add, your coax quality can make a huge difference as well. If your using some cheap truck stop garbage coax, the RF signal can be using the coax as a radiating element (leaking RF) causing serious matching issues. I use a double shielded coax RG 142 b/u which doesn't leak, RG 400 is also an excellent choice and both will handle some serious watts if thats your thing.
Well said.
So if my swr is high on all channels is that a grounding issue or something else?
Check the coax for continuity and shorts and antenna ground.
@@jrichtruckincbtips well this is weird. I put some 10 gauge wires on as kind of a jumper cable to ground them, b4 doing that both channel 40 and 1 was at 2.1 swr. After adding the jumper cables channel 1 shot up to 3 but channel 40 stayed the same. How could adding jumper cables cause 1 to go up? Also this is a new radio. With old radio I was getting 1.5 on both channels and when I hooked up my old radio that's now reading high as well.
I went from a cobra 29 to a stryker 955. Running dual antennas on a Pete 389. The antennas are a couple of antennas made by a cb shop in Oklahoma city
@chris collins dual antennas suck, hopefully you're using an external SWR meter and tuning the antennas separately like I said in the video. 10ga wire is also way too small to provide sufficient ground. You should be using 1" ground straps to ground the mirror hoop to the cab and cab to the frame and so on like I show in my RF bonding/ antenna grounding video.
@@jrichtruckincbtips so I have an external swr but I was using the coax that's installed. I just picked up a cheap single coax and tested both antennas separately. Those are both sitting at beautifully at 1.1 on both channel 1 and 40. So im gonna say the issue is the coax. Ugh I really didn't want to run coax through the truck. On the 389 that's gonna mean taking apart the dash so I can get it through the side of the truck and up the a pillar. Any thoughts on the Wilson coax cable that has the pl-259 connector that can come off to feed the cable then screws back on the cable?
@chris collins the hardest part is running the coax through the mirror hoop, but wd40 will help. I've used the Wilson coax and it's ok. Unless the coax has a short or other damage, I'd leave it. You can't get an accurate swr reading on cophase coax with both antennas.
You make good point4, however I have to disagree with you about coax length. The coax length honestly does not matter one bit on mobile installations. That is a MYTH that prevails in the CB community.
I will donate an antenna if you can make it burst into flames 🔥 on your channel.
I’ve got a firestick and a Wilson laying around.
You may not touch my shipshooter.
I'd be more worried about the radio or vehicle the antenna is attached to. 🤣🤣
Ya do one of them chrome 50,000 watt truck stop antennas lol
Anyone use Walcott Radio? Anyone buy from them?
So I just put a cobra 29 lx in my 2020 f250. Antenna is a 3ft fire stick mounted in the stake hole behind the cab and grounded to the frame. I’m getting a lot of engine noise that increases with rpm. Took the antenna off and all noise goes away. Do you think something is wrong with the antenna or just needs to be taller? Also have bonds on the cab, bed, and exhaust all to the frame. Power coming straight from the battery.
Ground both sides of the engine to the frame, and the antenna is too close to the cab if it is in the front stake pocket. A 5' firestik will preform a lot better. Then recalibrate swr.
@@jrichtruckincbtips the only part of the antenna that matters about being close to the cab is the coil right? So a 5ft should put the coil higher and farther away from the cab and help reduce rf noise?
@@BamaOutdoor getting the coil higher will help with RF somewhat. Watch my extreme antenna grounding video and see all the grounding I had to do to eliminate RF noise.
@@jrichtruckincbtips I got a 5ft firestick and 20ft of 1 inch ground strap coming this weekend. Hopefully that’ll help.
Your radio ain’t worth a crap if you don’t have a good tuned antenna!
New sub here J. Hey can I use a 3rd Break Light mount and a Firestick 2? Trying to get proper antenna mount and then go from behind cab using at least 9-12 ft of coax. Thanks, Don
Sure can. I'd probably use a tram magnet on that plate and screw the Firestik in that.
@@jrichtruckincbtips Thanks for responding "J" , we'll do!
No cb radios were harmed in this video
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A good antenna system can make a cheap radio good. I’ve used several different antenna analyzers, they are expensive, I have gone to a NanoVNA to tune antennas. They are less than a 10th the cost of the other analyzers. The best part of any analyzer is it tells you which way the antenna needs to go to get the best tune. You do need a little more knowledge to use one but it is not rocket science.
What I don’t understand is if you only use 19 why would you wouldn’t just tune on 19
J Rich , Question from Your UA-cam Channel .
You Drive your Freightliner Hauling ( Tanker Wagon ) On
Fuel Deliveries . Because of Biden Inflation, Does This
Country Run-Out of ( Diesel Fuel ) Before Thanksgiving
Across this Nation ?
I would go by what Alan from Mansfield says, rather than someone's political agenda. ua-cam.com/video/qAWGw_OHWuQ/v-deo.html
J Rich Truckin & CB Tips I get sick and tired of things myself some days. Maybe you are fortunate that the universe made you so smart. You say that you don't go to the pilot flyiing J who sits in his van. From time to time I think about going to the pilot flying j and try to advertise me services as a CB service and installation tech. I would probably get a little bit of business from time to time. Now I know that nobody like a neagtive person. Here is my complaint about he uniiverse. I have been told that nobody like Russians and that Russians are blackboard scientists. Well according to my dad or in good ol boy American Daady told me that when he met her she tod him she is Russian Daddy was born in POlnad so does that make me usless? Am I a prodcut of Polish and Russina parents? Fuck, I don;t know anyomre? AM iso stupid that I do not have enough technical skills or science to know about CB radio? Fuck, I live in Canada a short walk to the U.S. Border at Buffalo New York USA . Does that make me Canadian? I don;t know where I was born? When I was a kid I was in the state of Florida,. Maybe I am American, maybe you are? Why do banks want a social security number to open a bank account ? Why are all world currencies pegged to American dollar?😀
hi there J Rich Truckin & CB Tips!!!!! 😀😀😀😀👍 Are you a start up compnay? Do you issue publically traded stocks?
Nope
QUESTION ❓ Do you or anyone know a place in West Virginia to have one tuned???
Not in WV look for a WV cb radio group on FB you should find a recommendation there.