Talk/Receive distance

A stock radio can hear 4-10 miles. Rf gain turned down?

 

Lol with my amp off I can still hear a good 5 miles

 

More than likely someone has turned your receive WAY down which I call "truck stop hacked". Take the radio to a GOOD CB Shop and ask them to put it on a signal generator. You should start hearing the tone on first or second line. If you don't hear the tone till about the 5TH line, it's basically deaf. Ask the shop to do a receive alignment. If that doesn't help, start with the antenna.

 

I concur with volt trucker have the radios receive checked. However with your little 4 ft antenna you can't expect to talk or receive far, although 1.5 miles seems very short.

 

I have always had better luck with a steel whip antenna especially on the receive side.
Not that the Firestick is a bad antenna but it may be the length of it being an issue.
Agree with getting the radio checked out first.

 

Go with a Wilson 2000 trucker or a Wilson 5000 trucker. Your transmitting and hearing capabilities will change dramatically.

 

i was on I85 in GA earlier today, heading towards atlanta. Wolfmans CB shop is at the 164, and i still heard him talking at the 123. so that is 41 miles kids. he is elevated at that exit, but dont pick a number based on average. and im not kidding. 41 miles.

realistically, on an average day, i hear about 10 miles each direction provided there is no one talking close and the skip from the barstow California A1 truck wash isnt killing me.

 

I talked to Kevin there at Wolfman's one night and i was at the 5 yard stick in SC....It was a clear night but my Wilson 2000 was doing a fine job.