Problems With CB

Muckaway:
Very tempted to buy a magmount and stinger and put coax through sunroof…

Do it.

Ken.

Quinny:

Muckaway:
Very tempted to buy a magmount and stinger and put coax through sunroof…

Do it.

Ken.

I was expecting a technical explanation why that was a bad idea.

Muckaway, I’ll give you a technical reason
You’ll get wet when it rains :smiley: :smiley:

Ken,
Congrats on the Full License
de Tony

G8YMW:
Congrats on the Full License
de Tony

Thanks Tony. Took long enough, but then again I do also have a radio club to run.

Ken.

Muckaway:
Very tempted to buy a magmount and stinger and put coax through sunroof…

Run it along the cubby holes above the windscreen then out the passenger door, feed it under the air intake and have the mount in the middle of the cab. If you put it through the sunroof you’ll end up with a wet lap every time it rains as the drivers of our Foden Alphas found out.

Conor:
No problem. You want CB antennas at least 11 meters apart if you don’t want interaction between them. However in this case we did want interaction and a specific one because we wanted to co-phase the antennas which increases the overall gain over using a single antenna albeit that the gain is quite directional - if done on mirror arms it would be maximum 90 degrees left and right of direction of travel.

In the case of dipoles it is a similar thing. A simple 2 element Yagi is basically two dipoles placed approx 1/8th wavelengths apart in order to increase the gain of the antenna in a forward direction with one dipole acting as a reflector.

I know a lot about antennas. I build my own, I’ve got the certificate for working 100 countries, first in world in class in contests, first in England in the ARRL DX contest where everyone works the USA and I’ve talked to Falklands on 10m sat in my car outside the chipshop in Driffield - all done with 100W or less.

de M0GVZ. :wink:

11 meters is about 33 feet !.. what a load of cobblers, twin trucker are recomended 8 feet apart and most cax cables should be 8 feet long for the best reception. BUT ! Twin truckers are a waste of space and just look good, a mag mount works much better. After 30 odd years using CB radio I can tell you it makes no difference how expensive or posh the radio is, it’s only as good as the twig.

Muckaway:
I found I could hear people a good distance away today, but couldn’t be heard very well. Is it my setup or theirs?

I would say its them. There are two things that come into play:

  1. The amount of power they’re using - you’ll hear them if they’re putting out 100W but they probably won’t hear you running 4W assuming that they’re a weak signal
  2. Noise. If your S meter has little noise on you could hear them but if they have a lot of noise where they are, say S5 or S7 on their meter they won’t hear you if your signal is below that.

Muckaway:

Quinny:

Muckaway:
Very tempted to buy a magmount and stinger and put coax through sunroof…

Do it.

Ken.

I was expecting a technical explanation why that was a bad idea.

If you want one, I’ll give you one.

When you pinch the co-ax as you close the sunroof, the impedance changes which alters the tuning and if you’re running a load of power, it can burn through the inner insulation.

Meanwhile back on planet reality - I doubt you’ll notice and I don’t think you’re going to be running a couple of hundred watts. Certainly it’ll work a ton better than trying to use those chuffing mirror mounts.

There are basically three tests:

  1. Can you hear people and can they hear you at a reasonable distance?
  2. Does it tune OK?
  3. Is it likely to fall off driving down the road?

If the answers are yes, yes and no then you’re good to go.

I think my main problems are short plasticy antennae fitted to rear of cab. I have heard I need an adaptor of sorts to enable me to fit a stinger to said antennae mount.
Talking of mirror mounts, I tried one of those ground plane mount things and I’d say made no difference at all, just was one more thing to break off on customers trees…

Conor:
you’ll hear them if they’re putting out 100W

Not that we amateurs would ever condone anyone on cb putting out 100 watts of course.

Ken.

why the sudden resurgence in CB’s , I thought that they were dead and buried

del949:
why the sudden resurgence in CB’s , I thought that they were dead and buried

You can use them whilst driving!
They’ve always been popular with tipper drivers, probably as it’s still a one man one truck industry in general.

The comment about the extra power is wrong also, I used to run a little midland with 4w power, attatched to a large mag mounted modulator twigg, once running along the A 420 from Swindon and two of the guys who drove for Fed Ex on the Ferguison contract were in Southampton using 100w burners and having a go at me, I was ribbing them about using burners and one said 'It’s getting to you though isn’t it ?"
I replied “I am running just 4w and getting to you son why buy that rubbish ?”
They had no answer. Months later myself and one of those bloke worked together and he told me that very night he sold his riddiculous 100w burner.
I repeat … it can be a total cheap crapy cb but hook it to a goo quality twig and it will become the best possible.

I agree that you don’t fall foul of the phone legislation but they are still covered by the catch all “full control of the vehicle rules” aren’t they.
I can see that on quarry /off road work they will be useful .
gave mine away years ago when the airwaves were taken over by muppetts.

If the olice see you with the mike in your hand whilst driving you will get a fine and points on your licence.A driver from this area was caught using the CB whilst mobile with a hand held mike and got the same penalty about five years ago.

Dave the Renegade:
If the olice see you with the mike in your hand whilst driving you will get a fine and points on your licence.A driver from this area was caught using the CB whilst mobile with a hand held mike and got the same penalty about five years ago.

So why are the police able to
Use their radios whilst driving?

Silverback
3 Feathers Haulage

Dave the Renegade:
If the olice see you with the mike in your hand whilst driving you will get a fine and points on your licence.A driver from this area was caught using the CB whilst mobile with a hand held mike and got the same penalty about five years ago.

So when we see a cop with the two way phone in their hand, we can make a citizens arrest then?

It is not an offence in the UK to use a hand held microphone, as it was one of the questions I first asked my tutor when I embarked upon the road to ham radio, however, as previously said, the rozzers would probably do you for due care.

Ken.

Quinny:

Dave the Renegade:
If the olice see you with the mike in your hand whilst driving you will get a fine and points on your licence.A driver from this area was caught using the CB whilst mobile with a hand held mike and got the same penalty about five years ago.

So when we see a cop with the two way phone in their hand, we can make a citizens arrest then?

It is not an offence in the UK to use a hand held microphone, as it was one of the questions I first asked my tutor when I embarked upon the road to ham radio, however, as previously said, the rozzers would probably do you for due care.

Ken.

The Police in Leominster done my cousin for driving with a hand held mike £60 and three penalty points.

askthe.police.uk/content/Q659.htm
this seems to say it is legal