Wanting 5+miles

I'd go with some new antennae. Don't overlook the coax, most factory coax systems are garbage.

During the day with all the skip you will be lucky to get across the median strip no matter how much power you have. But when the frequency is quiet you should be able to do 5+ miles easily with what you have.

Amplifiers don't really help you get out that much further, they just make you louder- thereby enabling you to be heard a greater distance.

Tonight I was driving home in the 4-wheeler and chatting with a base station about 7 miles away- all this with a stock, barefoot radio.

When the frequency is quiet you will talk further.

A lot of ham operators work stations thousands of miles away on 1 watt or less

 

If you are still using the factory coax in that Volvo, replace it with your own, new, high quality coax. Volvo runs their coax thru a "multi-plexer" under the dash, allowing them to use the same antenna for several different devices. This is not good for long range talk/receive, and not good for your cb radio.

I drive a Volvo also, and have a cheap, Radio Shack whip antenna on the factory mount on the driver's mirror. I replaced the coax and ran it straight to the antenna, bypassing the multiplexer. I have a barefoot Uniden 980 SSB (not a powerhouse by any means), and have no problem talking/reveiving several miles on a quiet day, and talking skip when conditions allow. I've talked from Oklahoma/Texas to all up and down the east coast, Canada, etc.

No need for a "big" antenna if you aren't running big power. Taller is better, but power handling doesn't affect transmit unless you run enough power to need it. A good antenna, good coax, and low SWR is what you want.

 

We sure do, talked to England this morning on 4 watts on 10 - a converted CB that I had in the junk pile.

To the op, the coax is the issue but I would not yank it all out. What I would do is to take out one side of it, pull it back into the truck and put it some where out of sight. Tape up the end and run new coax to the antenna.

I drove a Freightliner with the same setup - multiple devices on the same antenna - and when the owner replaced the coax and removed one antenna so his dummy driver (he is not a good driver but that's another story) could use a cb while driving, he lost the Am/FM radio reception. I was asked to fix it during my wait times at the customer and handed all the old stuff that I put back in. Needless to say it works now and the cb is still on the new coax.

 

An amp doesn't make you louder, it just makes the signal stronger which makes you heard better at a distance.

But yes, when conditions start dying off (like they're starting to do now) you will be able to talk better.....getting out 5 miles can be done on a stock 4 watt radio with a well tuned antenna and good coax.

Running junk 3 foot antennas a poor coax will definitely keep you from getting out 5 miles.

Jason you didn't mention what coax or how tall the antenna you have, are.