CB newbie needs help

Unless it is all the way clockwise, it decreases the audio level. All the way to the right and it might as well not be there. Right?

 

It varies them level of the audio signal fed to the modulator stage of the transmitter, from 'zero' up to a predefined limit.

 

Rhetorical

 

We're just playing the same rhetorical game you are.

 

I figured that.

 

The easiest way to explain squelch and RF gain would be as such:

Think of your squelch as a gate for what your radio picks up. When your squelch is down, your 'gate' is open and all signals are coming into the radio. (This explains why when the squelch is all the way down you hear static. ) When your squelch is all the way up, your gate is closed and only strong, near by signals will be played by your radio.

Think of your RF gain as a volume variable FOR the squelch noise that would be played out of your radio. It's a little hard to explain but if you go out and turn the squelch all the way down on the radio, so you can here static, then turn the RF gain knob and you will understand how it sorta controls the volume of the squelch coming in.

There are two general ways of setting squelch and RF gain knobs.
1. Turn your RF gain all the way up.. (clockwise), then turn the squelch up until the radio stops playing static. This will let you hear decent distance and will keep your radio from playing too much static.
2. Some people, including myself, like to run with the knobs set like this: the squelch all the way down and the RF gain turned down until there's very light static playing through the radio. This will let your radio hear further but you will hear more interference, like driving by a power pole, or a major intersections with several power poles all close together.

SQULCH MAX + RF GAIN OFF = STRONGEST SIGNALS
SQULCH OFF + RF GAIN OFF = DECENT SIGNALS(⬇similar to squelch up + RF gain up⬇)
SQULCH MAX + RF GAIN ON = DECENT SIGNALS
SQULCH OFF + RF GAIN ON = FURTHEST SIGNALS(more static)

Hope this all makes sense and easy to understand!!