Mobile CB Shop & "Hey, Who do you talk to with that, the moon?"

Hey there everybody. Hope you all had a great thanksgiving holiday. Something I want to let everyone know about. I have purchased an MFJ antenna analyzer recently and actually like using it. This little toy is way better for adjusting antennas for lowest SWR than what the CB shop guys use and doesn't interfere with other people trying to use the radio. I am more than happy to help anybody and I think the same holds true for most hams. I have and will continue to adjust peoples antennas to lowest swr for free as well as the occasional loose mic connector. If you happen to be at all interested in ham radio and talking a little farther the the other side of the highway, or somewhere where every other word isn't a four letter word, learn more about the hobby. I have talk to guys from the truck that were 100 - 3000 miles away and it is possible even to contact other countries, right from the cab of your truck. We(Ham radio operators) don't look down on anyone(for the most part) and the only problem I have with the CB is lack of range(distance) and the ignorance of people who can't seem to think of anything to say besides the four letter words. I personally am happy to help anybody regardless of carrier or type of radio. If it's just an SWR check or actually needs to be tuned. Like I said, I'm happy to help anyone that needs it.

 

Ok, as described your radio may "get out" anywhere from 2 to 10 miles depending on terrain and other factors. In about 5 years or so you may be able to talk to people 1000+ miles away. This is due to what we call the Solar cycle and involves an 11 year cycle of sunspots and the ionospheric conditions related to them. The sunspots somehow change the ionosphere and the radio "propagation" is affected. We are somewhere very near the bottom of the cycle now(little to no sunspots at all). In the next couple of years you will notice an improvement but in about 5 and 1/2 years, all I can say is wow what fun. A far as peaked and tuned, that is a total rip off. As long as the radio is aligned(on correct frequency) with dead key set to no higher than 4 watts, you should be good. Even a "kicker"/linear amplifier will do you know good as mother earth is working against you at this point. My radio is a 100 watt radio that works on frequencies that are not affected so much by the solar cycle and a 500 watt amplifier actually makes a difference. If you are using aftermarket antennas for your CB(which I highly recommend over the stock antennas) you need to have them tuned for a 1:1 to 1 swr match on channel 19. forget this 1:5 to 1 mess drivers talk about on the radio. Only settle for the absolute lowest SWR and also make sure you have a good ground. It has taken me a couple of years playing with ground straps and the like to figure it out, but you can actually have a good cb setup with a little work. DO NOT trust just anyone who claims to be able to work on your radio. Many of them are nothing more than two bit hack jobs wanting to sell you a new radio or "know it all's" who will only destroy what little you have. If you want an export radio(please get a license first) go with the Connex 3300HP or 4600(I believe)Turbo. Both good radios. Good luck with your radio and antennas and maybe we'll see you on the road.

73's(Best Wishes) de(from);

Matt
N4MGR


BTW, I am using K40 Trucker antennas co phased with RG-8X coax. Tune one antenna at a time(totally remove second antenna) to get lowest SWR(should be between 1:1 to 1 and 1:3 to 1 depending on truck, ground, etc.)