cb question

will this work as a cb??


and
is an antenna on front bumper or rear bumper better it will be bent to the middle when not used??

Yea that is a CB, see the button to the left right above the red alarm button, that'll switch it between a weather station and a CB. Antenna selection will have to be done to attain the bets SWR on your rig. try out different locations. I'm picking up a hadheld so if something happens in a valley or the rig looses power or sinks I can still get help. Plus it is a handheld is a good anti theft system, and yes people do steal CB's its uncanney what some people will steal.

Oh and with a handheld you can always add an external antenna and remote mic, plus if you leave it like it is then you wont have to worry about the SWR as well.

Just another option to think about

this i found in a Rv and i found a external cb speaker mounted in my jeep(bonus)...and i pulled an antenna from the pick-n-pull also have a magnetic 3' one......... how can i test it to see best place??

On the left of the unit there are 4 leds above the digital readout. That is where your built in swr meter is. Move the antenna around and press the transmit button. The led will light up depending on the SWR. On that unit the LESS leds lit the better. If you press the transmit button and get the red led to light STOP transmitting ASAP. Move the antenna till only two or less leds light up. One is the best, but two will work.

just curious what is red??is it bad?? what is a decent size antenna??

Go to www.firestik.com and read the TECH and FAQ sections. These will answer all your antenna questions, including where to put your antenna. 2 or 3 foot is best for off roading, less to catch the trees with.

thank you for the site it works great but is there a test channel??or a standard off-road channel??i just want to be prepared

Also be aware that most club rules don't allow steel whip or whip antennas over 4ft for safety reasons. I've seen an 8ft fiberglass whip on a M151 break a collarbone.

To me it looks like a cb, only smaller. It might get the job done, but....hmm. Ok, I won't torment on the benefit of the bigger cb's.

Mothertrucker said:

or a standard off-road channel??

Click to expand...

I use Channel 4.
most clubs use channel 4

reddragon72 said:

On the left of the unit there are 4 leds above the digital readout. That is where your built in swr meter is. Move the antenna around and press the transmit button. The led will light up depending on the SWR. On that unit the LESS leds lit the better. If you press the transmit button and get the red led to light STOP transmitting ASAP. Move the antenna till only two or less leds light up. One is the best, but two will work.

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SPOBI The only way to set SWR is with a SWR meter not the signal strength/ transmit power meter on the CB. Some CB's have bilt in SWR meters but it's usally only found on high end models. A most CB shops will set your SWR for about $15. You can even by a SWR meter for about $25 and learn to do it yourself.

reddragon72 said:

Yea that is a CB, see the button to the left right above the red alarm button, that'll switch it between a weather station and a CB. Antenna selection will have to be done to attain the bets SWR on your rig. try out different locations. I'm picking up a hadheld so if something happens in a valley or the rig looses power or sinks I can still get help. Plus it is a handheld is a good anti theft system, and yes people do steal CB's its uncanney what some people will steal.

Oh and with a handheld you can always add an external antenna and remote mic, plus if you leave it like it is then you wont have to worry about the SWR as well.

Just another option to think about

Click to expand...

Here are two links to SWR meters on ebay. The second one is the whole page, the first one is a micronta which is very versatile, will tune swr's from low watt output radios to 2000 watt output. I recommend this type as it is small and even easy to keeo connected all the time.

http://cgi.ebay.com/micronta-swr-po...593108950QQcategoryZ73164QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=swr+meter

It seems to me that you are trying to set up your CB rig on the inexpensive side.... Be aware that the most important thing to hear or be heard will be your antenna. Invest on something other than a mag mount and match the coax length with the antenna and radio for the lowest SWR.

The midland unit in the picture does not have a SWR meter from what I can see, only a power output four led indicator, with the last one in red.
You can perfectly well transmit with all red led's lit up, as it will mean all the power is actually transmitting thru the antenna. When you transmit, touch the rear end of the radio, and feel how quick it heats up. They all do, but if ii heats up really quick, then your SWR's are too high and could burn the final transistors.
The bottom scale, 3,5,9,+30 is the incoming signal strength.. you will use that to: give signal reports, to know how far the other station is, etc.

Rgds
Angel
KF4THG

so is this a junk and should find a different cb or can i install and have it tuned??

Mothertrucker said:

so is this a junk and should find a different cb or can i install and have it tuned??

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Looks fine. Get yourself a decent antenna from a reputable shop and ask for help in tuning it. Bear in mind your best mounting locations (see: 'ground plane') are going to be on the fenders or the middle of the roof. For clearance reasons mine is on my driver side fender all the way up the 'hood' line. I can at least see where it is at all times instead of bashing it into a tree.

One thing to keep in mind is that it's a stinkin' CB...so don't waste too much time on it. Hell, we're having a lot of conversations on our trail runs with the FRS radios anymore. THOSE are worth spending time on.

anyone know of a cb shop in st pete? or another place i could deal with?

find a place that works on semi trucks, they'll point you in the right direction.

Mothertrucker said:

anyone know of a cb shop in st pete? or another place i could deal with?

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Try to find a full service truck stop.