Truck stop observations

Interesting, thanks guys.

 

I just read an old post from another web site, that said add the graphite into the tire. That maybe a better answer than adding to hub or changing fluid, for wear sake.

I have not tried this suggestion, but here are the instructions I will follow when I do...

1. Remove both steer tire valve cores.
2. When tires are fully deflated add 2 1/4oz graphite powder to each tire.
3. Make sure the valve seat is clean (don't use pressurized air, or any liquid)
4. Re-install valve cores and inflate to OEM spec.

I would do this today if I wasn't scheduled for a new truck this month. If anyone has the ability, I'm curios how it works for you, otherwise I'll report next month when and if this new truck happens.
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I don't get that part... Either adding it to the hub oil or the tire, the rubber is still between the CB and the ground... Now dragging a chain from the frame I can make work in my small mind.

 

(I know you know, but for the newbies) If you know how to work the mic gain, no one will ever know the limiter is removed or bypassed.

 

Without a scope on my dashboard, I wouldn't know where to set the knob for optimum performance. I'm not a big fan of guesswork while driving.

 

They will. Lowering the mic gain in the absence of a properly set limiter circuit reduces performance, or you have to put up with overmodulation on certain voice peaks.

Optimally you want the limiter in place, in conjunction with a mic that has compression amplification, such as the Turner Road King 66 & 76 (as well as the original JM+3 those mics are based on.)

 

Technically you have a one-in-a-million chance of setting it right where it needs to be without the proper test equipment on the dashboard of your truck so technically it is possible but it is not very likely..

 

One thing that has never ceased to amaze me, is when someone boasts about how many watts their radios do or how far they can talk. I say this because I've seen it before....Mr. CB shop at the truck stop will have the Dosy meter set to "feel good watts" and then starts spreading the coils and cutting the limiters.

Here's the facts....those copper coils in the back of the radio, were put there for a reason, and NOT so they could be introduced to a flat tip screwdriver. They were put there, to keep your signal, on the CB channel you are on, and NOT on the police bands, the fire bands, EMS bands or....if you happen to still have an old analog TV on rabbit ears, off of the TV bands.

Most of you probably remember, or have heard stories of someone with a hacked on radio, keying up and wiping out someones TV picture. You call it bleedover, but it's really called spurious emissions. And so when Bubba at the Snip N Clip CB shop shows your Cobra 29 doing 40 watts after the coils were spread, it might surprise you, not all of those 40 watts are on the channel it says it's on; some of those watts are what is wiping out Ms. Veldas TV picture!

Cutting the modulation limiter has the same effect. Fact is folks, those few extra watts are NOT going to make you sound any different on the other end, in fact it may make you sound worse! I've seen peaked, tweak, spread, snipped, cranked and yanked radios that "sounded" louder up front, but couldn't be heard past 5 miles.....and I've seen stock radios that didn't sound so loud, but they could be heard many miles away.

Now a tune and alignment is ok, as CB radios seem to be built cheap. If you think you need more power, is where an amp comes in. But not before you address the antenna and coax first. What I mean is run the best antenna you can. Those 3 foot Firesticks at the truck stop are junk. Sure they will work, but they don't allow your signal to fully get out. You need a 9 ft antenna for the best CB antenna. I know most trucks cant run that tall. Wilson 2000 used to be the cats meow and closest thing to a 102 whip. Now a new company called Sirio has taken over. The Sirio 5000 gives Wilson 2000's a run for their money.

And coax...you use that junk Rat Shack coax or factory coax, and you will have signal loss. You need the good stuff.....not mini 8 though it'll work in a pinch....you want LMR-240. Buy it online or a good radio store should have it. Not as lossy as the mini 8.

And that 18 foot coax thing is a myth. Yes I said it. Pure b.s. I only run the amount I need from radio to antenna, nothing more, nothing less. And I get good SWR readings every time, and if I don't I start looking for the problem, not using 18 feet of it to fool the meter into thinking all is fine. Some of these newer trucks lack a ground plane and thus have issues with high SWR.

 

I might brag about distance, but I never brag about watts because guys running more watts generally transmit 1/4 the distance. I always tell people "watts don't mean anything to me" ....
Most folks don't understand why.