Question about rf noise

Sounds like the belts in your tires are building up static. Do you notice a difference if you drive in the rain? I don't know if graphite would work or not. I had a buddy that got shocked every time he touched the door handle on his truck. He took a rubber strap and set it so it would drag on the ground under the truck while he was going down the road, it seemed to do the trick.

 

Been there done that had the same problem on my Freightshaker on 40 meters along time ago. Went crazy did all kinds of stuff and finaly fixed it for 2.00. Get a tube of powdered graphite like goes in locks. Put about half in each front hub and make sure your oil is kept checked good it will make your oil a bit thick for a bit but it will stop the problem. Also have them check the bearings first so you know they are good. What happens is the bearing running in oil will set up an electro magnetic static field around the wheel and it is right under your antenna so guess what your antenna picks it up. When you hit the break it grounds it out and it all goes away.

 

If you are planning on putting graphite where it may mix in with front wheel bearing grease I would first ask a competent truck certified mechanic. It is possible graphite could cause the polymer chains in the grease molecules to bind together depriving the bearing of proper lubrication. Especially with Lithium based grease. I would worry about a front wheel bearing failing under these circumstances. Whether or not anyone has done so successfully may not be the point unless they were with the truck long enough to ever see (or not see) such failure over say a hundred thousand miles or more. If there is a decent maintenance policy for the truck in question where the old grease and bearings are cleaned out with new grease being applied this may not be as much of an issue. However microscopically the bearing surfaces will show signs of pits. I know that at least in the past wheel static was handled by a Beryllium Copper coil between the grease cap and the spindle face. Do not know if these are still used, tire composition meaning brand name plays a role in whether or not wheel static becomes a problem. Of course changing tires on a truck is not cheap and doubtful any company would ever do so based upon a complaint about CB reception. Would make a good topic of discussion with whoever chooses the tires in the future.

 

I put 1.8 Million miles on mine with the Graphite in the hubs. Never had a problem as a matter of fact the graphite is slicker than oil for better lube

 

What type grease, this may be useful to someone. Graphite may be slicker but it will not adhere to bearing surfaces so the grease is still the true bearing lubrication. Around 9 years at 4,000 miles a week with no breaks or down time on a single truck. Was this the same bearings, same grease? Were bearings ever cleaned and repacked, if so how often. The heat and pressure turns grease and graphite into balls bigger than 20 microns. Graphite is slick because plates slide off each other. Not so slick on edge, and balls of nearly plastic with plates of graphite embedded at odd angles (meaning edges of plates are sticking out abrading surfaces), grow above 2 microns over time. Smoke particles are 1/4 to 2 microns in size to give a comparison.