Optimizing my cb legally

You keep pushing the fact that you want it "legal". Do you want it fully legal or only partially legal? You can't have it both ways. You want a legal radio, make sure it's doing no more than 4-watts on AM and 12-watts on SSB. Anything more makes the radio illegal, technically.

 

Only if you believe that tech, paid him, and assume he knows what he is doing.

 

If you want a legal radio, just leave it alone, unless it is not working as it was designed to work.

 

Yep, what he said. That's about all you need to do to keep it legal and at the maximum legal limit.

 

Where is the mic plug? Side or front?

 

Your radio should be made in the Philippines?

We can ask the others here but

Using an external watt meter and a dummy load, (I tried hooking the radio to my mother in law as a dummy load and it didn't work )

VR10 will adjust AM Power, adjust accordingly

VR11 will adjust SSB Power, adjust accordingly

Just because your radio is stock, does not mean the power is adjusted. Just bring it to the legal limit, if it is there, then no need to adjust.

Cobra makes a few battery powered power mics, you can usually pick one up at any truck stop. I know mostly the 4 pin are out there, you can sometimes find an adapter to convert 4 pin to 5 pin so you can avoid soldering. If not, I see them on ebay for $4





Like others have stated, the antenna is stock from Freightliner so I would get a better one. Maybe a 5/8 wave Firestik. Most truck stops carry them as well.

http://www.firestik.com/Catalog/RP3-RP4.htm

The Firestik antenna keeps that stock look, keeping the company happy.

Make sure you have good coax, if the coax is bad, it does not matter if you have the best antenna in the world, it also does not matter if you are putting out 500 watts or 5 watts, bad coax makes it all bad.

I also agree, no need to co-phase, (Dual Antenna)

Finally make sure you have a good 12 volt power source, at least 7 amps. It is highly unlikely that you will not have enough, but just make sure. Making the power cord only as long as it needs to be to reach the radio and power source. Not critical, but it can help.

NOW, if you want to, you can send me that radio

 

with the 3 foot 5/8 firestick (tunable) they recommend 18' of coax. between that a good ground and having the radio checked by good shop you should be more than happy with it and not making it illegal. so to speak. 4 watt radio avereges 4 mile when swr is tuned correctly etc.