KW T680 Factory Antennas

Sorry, not a troll or trying to sneak anything in. Just realized I posted this under my wife's login. Have my own now and this is a legitimate question

 

I drive a 680, the factory antennas work fairly well as far as I can tell. Tried my 5.5 francis antennas saw no difference. As fas as radio slap a Astectic noise cancel mic or a road king 56 and talk away. If you have the factory speaker built in for the cb, they work fairly well, if nt you may consider an external speaker to improve the rx quality.

 

I drive a '13 680 and had the factory antennas on. They work OK for a fiberglass antenna. I just switched em out for Wilson trucker 2000's and am happier with them.

 

A lot of these factory antennas are used for both CB and am and fm radio. Look close and see if there's two wire windings going up the fiberglass support. This is a compromise I'm not willing to settle for.

 

I also have a KW T680 with stock antennas and the cobra 19. My receiving range seems to suck. I also don't know Jack about radios. I'm just learning about cb's so what's my next move need to be. Upgrade radio or the antennas?

 

Blacktop Junkie the short answer is replace neither the radio nor the antenna. Your first problem is most likely the coax cable.
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.It seems that new tractors that use the antenna for both CB radio and AM/FM are a real problem. Both signals are carried on the coax. The coax is no longer a one piece item; it has multiple sections with multiple connectors. Each connector reduces the amount of signal that gets to the CB radio. A brighter idea that just does not work well when using a CB radio.
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.Easiest solution is to switch to a one antenna system and replace the coax that is going to the CB radio with 50 ohm resistance coaxial cable. Either RG 8 or RG 58 is acceptable. Run your own coax from the antenna mount directly to the CB radio. Forget using 18 feet of cable; shorter is better.
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.Once you are running your own separate coax to the CB radio, check your performance. If necessary, is there anyone that has a good working antenna that you could borrow and install on your truck for comparison testing?

 

Thanks all for the info