Range Issue

If it's a lead based paint would that not shield the antenna where it would not transmit and receive worth a crap?

Do they even make lead based paint anymore?

Just a thought.

Really it sounds to me like you have bad coax or the antenna is somehow grounding out. You do have the antenna mounted right dont you? With the little plastic washer between the antenna and the mount, then the coax stud tightened up against the bottom of the antenna mount with out anything between it and the antenna stud.

 

You must have issues in that radio then. All that should have eliminated the problem, or at least significantly improved it. Have you tried a different radio?

Where are your power/ground wires connected to?

 

I always run my power wire direct to the battery and ground to the frame or battery depending on the vehicle. You might try changing your ground wire location it might not have a good enough ground where it is, but I would definitely try to find someone that would let you borrow a radio to see if that is your problem. With all the other changes you made I would almost guarantee it's your wiring or the radio now. We'll get it straightened out eventually for ya it's now just a process of elimination.

 

You haven't mentioned anything about checking the SWR or the output of the radio. First thing check your SWR if they are high it will eventually burn out your final transisters. If they are good then have the radio checked out or Buy a cheap watt/swr meter and kill 2 birds with one stone.

 

Is your diamond plate tool box aluminum? if so your going to have to run a ground wire from the ground on your antenna mount to something that is actual metal and not aluminum. You can also run the ground wire of your Cb to the ground side of your battery and leave the hot wire in the fuse box, that might help also.

 

Your right he hasn't. I made that statement to him in an earlier post and assumed he checked it but he never did say.

Have you checked your swr as earlier suggested Hood Rat? I mentioned that when I made the statement about grounding the toolbox to the frame.