Too Many Questions, Way Too Many Answers

[kaos725]

Over the years I have had just about every antenna, and every radio out there. Trial and error, plus listening to the experts has given me a good degree of knowledge in radio/antenna set ups.

In my garage I have a Stargun, Predator 10K, Monkey Made and a Mr. Coily antenna. I own a General lee, AP Hill, and a hot little Cobra 29 Classic radio. One Davemade, 3 X-Forces and a 2200 Watt Pirate amp. I have rolls of 8ga, and 4 ga wire for grounds and I only buy Belden coax.

I swear to you all that I am not trying to show off, just getting the basics down before I go into installations.

Currently I run my Cobra and a Wilson 2000...NO AMPS anymore...I own a 2006 Yellow Freightliner and run I-55 from Chicago to Memphis. I-70 from St Louis to Kansas City too..They call me Kaptain Kaos and I have a good rep for helping other drivers set up their radios.

So the question you need to ask is what do you want to do with your radio system? If you just want to talk a little and get directions, a stock system is good. If you want a good radio system that hears and talks as far as possible, you'll have to do a little work.

A good antenna set up is 70% of your radio system. I'd rather have a stock radio and a good antenna set up than a hot radio and a 3 foot stick.

This is what you really need to do for starters.....

Stock coax.......GONE!
Stock Antennas.......GONE!

A good mount, good coax, good grounding and a decent antenna for starters.

Mount: Francis Stainless Steel Mount with the HD Stud,(The one with the allen wrench), Great Mounting platform. Needs to go out as far away from the cab as possible on your top mirror bracket.

Have a CB shop make you an 18' section of coax with hand soldered connectors, stay away from pre packaged truck stop coax. Run the coax into your cab leaving a loop so when you open your door it doesn't rip the coax...And do it right, use plastic ties to hold the coax tight along your mirror bracket and above your visor or along the top of your dash to your radio.

Run an 8ga grounding wire from one of your antenna mount bolts to the frame of your truck. You usually can follow your coax in, then run it down along your dash and if you remove your kickplate you will find a rubber gasket that you can pass the ground wire through to the frame. Find an un-used hole in the frame and wire brush some of the paint off before you bolt the wire in place..

A 5' Firestick antenna is a good choice, Wilson 2000 too... And unless you are running power don't spend your money to look cool running a coil antenna. Don't get me wrong, they work great, but really not needed for an everyday system.

Oh, and BTW, one antenna on the driver's side is much better than twin antennas. there is not enough distance between twin antennas on a semi to make any difference in performance.

The final step is to make sure your SWRs are 1.1 to a max of 1.3. A CB shop will most likely set them for you for free if you bought the antenna from them, but make sure you have the other items installed first !

This works for most trucks except the Volvo...You will need to buy a perch that replaces one of your mirror bracket mounting bolts...Wolcott CB shop sells them...And once in a while I have seen them on E-Bay.. I have one if somebody wants it...A private message will work.

Oh yeah, stay away from the hack cb shops to have your radio peaked and tuned...If you hear someone who has a great sounding radio, ask them who did the work... There is only one shop that will ever do most of my work.. two others that are really good too...But this is not the place for advertising.

Ok, that covers what you need to do to get it right. Have a good one and maybe I'll catch you out there on the road.......

[buck and a half]

thats was a great post to help alot of newbees out and some old birds like me,thks have a safe trip on your run,see ya..

[Carolina Thunder]

Your not saying that with a barefoot radio that your getting out a few hundred miles right? You must mean that's the route you run.

[devildice]

I know abosolutely NOTHING about CB's. I am trying to learn but still really don't know much. I want a system that is reliable, maximum LEGAL range, and easy to use. i found the below on a website. It cost $214.95 and an additional $44.95 if you want it peaked and tuned. What do all you experts out there think?

This is a complete CB System for Truck Drivers using conventional mirror arms (eg Freightliner™ FL, 120, Classic; Peterbuilt™ 379, 378, 377; and any other trucks that accept mirror mounts). Quality, performance, and value. The Uniden PC78LTW offers illuminated faceplate, access to NOAA weather broadcasts, SWR Meter, Mic Gain, RF Gain, Automatic Noise Limited, Noise Blanker, and the Uniden exclusive Dynamic Squelch System. Not stopping there, the high performance 4 foot FS series from Firestik is included with this bundle as well as 18 feet of RG58 coax cable, Stainless Steel Bracket & Spring and aluminum Stud. To top everything off we’ve included the crystal clear noise canceling Astatic 636L microphone, this is not a tin can system. This is a complete solution!

This system consists of the following components:

• Uniden™ PC78LTW CB Radio
• Firestik™ FS464A8AW consisting of:
  • 4’ FS Series Antenna
  • 18’ Coax Cable
  • K4A Stud
  • Stainless Steel Mirror Bracket
  • SS3H Stainless Steel Spring
• Astatic™ 636L Noise Canceling Ultra Clear Microphone

[BUZZSAW]

Good info kaos !! 1 - "ATTA_BOY"

[BUZZSAW]

devildice , that looks like a pretty good system there . I think that is the system from Walcot if I'm not mistaken. those are all quality items about the only thing I'm not found of is the spring . I'm not too big on springs unless you are talking about a 102" stainless steel whip.

[hijacker]

I'm not a real trucker, but I've had a number of CB's and antennas over the years. My last setup was a Cobra 29 LTD Classic (bought in the early 1980's) with a 250 watt kicker and Wilson 5000 mag mount antenna. But as Waylon Jennings said, "I don't do that no more."

I'm setting up my one-ton dually with a Uniden PC78 Elite from Sparky's CB Shack, with basic peak and tune. I know it's overkill, but I'm going to keep using my Wilson 5000.

I don't condemn anyone who runs power...I don't judge others. Dump truck drivers in my area run really big kickers--so big, in fact, I know of a couple that installed two extra batteries just for that reason. I don't understand all that high-power stuff so I don't know what's really required.

[Iowa Jim]

Originally Posted by devildice

I know abosolutely NOTHING about CB's. I am trying to learn but still really don't know much. I want a system that is reliable, maximum LEGAL range, and easy to use. i found the below on a website. It cost $214.95 and an additional $44.95 if you want it peaked and tuned. What do all you experts out there think?

This is a complete CB System for Truck Drivers using conventional mirror arms (eg Freightliner™ FL, 120, Classic; Peterbuilt™ 379, 378, 377; and any other trucks that accept mirror mounts). Quality, performance, and value. The Uniden PC78LTW offers illuminated faceplate, access to NOAA weather broadcasts, SWR Meter, Mic Gain, RF Gain, Automatic Noise Limited, Noise Blanker, and the Uniden exclusive Dynamic Squelch System. Not stopping there, the high performance 4 foot FS series from Firestik is included with this bundle as well as 18 feet of RG58 coax cable, Stainless Steel Bracket & Spring and aluminum Stud. To top everything off we’ve included the crystal clear noise canceling Astatic 636L microphone, this is not a tin can system. This is a complete solution!

This system consists of the following components:

• Uniden™ PC78LTW CB Radio
• Firestik™ FS464A8AW consisting of:
  • 4’ FS Series Antenna
  • 18’ Coax Cable
  • K4A Stud
  • Stainless Steel Mirror Bracket
  • SS3H Stainless Steel Spring
• Astatic™ 636L Noise Canceling Ultra Clear Microphone

Looks like Walcott's in Iowa. Nice place there.

[devildice]

Originally Posted by BUZZSAW

devildice , that looks like a pretty good system there . I think that is the system from Walcot if I'm not mistaken. those are all quality items about the only thing I'm not found of is the spring . I'm not too big on springs unless you are talking about a 102" stainless steel whip.

Yes it is from Walcot's. Since I know nothing about radios, can I ask why you are not fond of the spring?

I think the website gives options for upgrades etc. I may be able to change out the atenna and possibly the mounts.....not sure, will look.

Also, would it be worth the extra $44.95 to have it tuned and peaked?

[BUZZSAW]

As far as the springs go , I jsut don't like them for 3 or 4 ft antennas . Usually they allow the antenna to swing back too far & IMO this would have an effect on the SWR settings. In some situations though, A driver might need the springs to reduce antenna breakage so , as they say "different strokes for different folks" I run highways myself so, I don't need the springs . If the CB is tuned properly , it might be worth the extra bucks. Getting back to Walcots , I have never used them myself ; I live to far away from them & have several reputable shops & hams in my area willing to help with my stuff. But, I have heard several compliments from guys who have used them.
b-s OUT !