New to Cbs. Need some help

JeepNfish20

JeepNfish20

New member
Hey Jeepers! I am looking to get a cb radio set up and need some help on setting it up and required parts. I already have a cb picked out, just a cheap one which is the United Pro 505xl. I already have the rear tire carrier mount for a rear antenna I just need some advice on size and wattage antenna to get and if I will need any extra cable or other parts to set it up ? Also wanted to get some help on tuning it. Thanks everyone
 
SPOOOBY

SPOOOBY

New member
Five ft fire stick antenna should do the trick and buy a swr meter,make sure antenna has good ground or run a groundwire to the body or frame, 18' coax should reach anything you have? Check out right channel radios, they have good info on there sight


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QuicksilverJK

QuicksilverJK

Caught the Bug
Going with a cheaper CB sounds good, but you then also have to buy a good swr meter to tune it with. There are lots of descent radios out there with built in swr tuning ability. This also helps if you need to make a quick tweak on the trail. Other thing to consider is antenna mounting location. The tire carrier will likely not have a great ground plane. Directly to the body would be best. And the higher you can position the antenna the better. 18' coax is good, and don't cheap out on the coax as it plays a huge role in tuning.


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Mike_JK_Houston_711

Mike_JK_Houston_711

New member
I mounted my 3' firestik to my hood, right in front of the cowl. It swings around a good amount, but I just tell people to not stand too close when I'm rocking lol. I have a cobra 75 and the service it fantastic with the antenna mounted up there.
 
notnalc68

notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
I had a 3' Firestik 2, on my 2 door. I have a 4' Firestik 2 on my current 4 door.. Fir some reason, I couldn't get my SWR low enough with the 3' antenna, on this JKU. The Firestik 2 is tunable and looks great. Do get an SWR meter for tuning.


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GraniteCrystal

GraniteCrystal

New member
Keep in mind if you're pulling in the garage or underground parking, etc. A 5' firestick is pretty huge. I have a 3' and it works great.

The spring helps so if you hit something it'll bend not break. That's the only purpose of that.

You don't need to buy an SWR meter. Try to find a radio shop or truck stop that will do it for you. Usually for free. And tune it in a wide open space (e.g. not inside your garage).

Getting a good ground is key.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404
 
notnalc68

notnalc68

That dude from Mississippi
GraniteCrystal said:
Keep in mind if you're pulling in the garage or underground parking, etc. A 5' firestick is pretty huge. I have a 3' and it works great.

The spring helps so if you hit something it'll bend not break. That's the only purpose of that.

You don't need to buy an SWR meter. Try to find a radio shop or truck stop that will do it for you. Usually for free. And tune it in a wide open space (e.g. not inside your garage).

Getting a good ground is key.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404
Click to expand...

That is also a good suggestion, but if you decide to do it yourself, SWR meters are not that expensive on Amazon.


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Jegar

Jegar

New member
I agree with what has been said. I will chime in with my experience. Like MikeJKHouston, I also have my antenna mounted on the cowl. The JK metal is pretty thin in this area, so I had a 4x4 shop reinforce the area with a heavy L plate (also giving me much better grounding). I started with a 4' Firestik, with a spring. In this location, the antenna was essentially a mega whip. I then switched to a 3', and the whip action is much more civilized. I don't leave my antenna on for daily driving, so I have a quick disconnect (also Firestik) that is mounted into my spring, that is mounted into my cowl mount -- just twist and screw on and off. My CB is very low profile and fairly compact -- I had it mounted under my glove box and a receiver mount beneath the radio.


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swampdog

swampdog

New member
GraniteCrystal said:
Keep in mind if you're pulling in the garage or underground parking, etc. A 5' firestick is pretty huge. I have a 3' and it works great.

The spring helps so if you hit something it'll bend not break. That's the only purpose of that.

You don't need to buy an SWR meter. Try to find a radio shop or truck stop that will do it for you. Usually for free. And tune it in a wide open space (e.g. not inside your garage).

Getting a good ground is key.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404
Click to expand...

Don't get a 5' antenna. You will look like a goober. I have a 3 footer and have a full foot clear above the roof and a 1.2 SWR across channels on a $50 Uniden 510. Love my setup.


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Draconianwinter

Draconianwinter

New member
Five foot firestick is just fine. Get a good coax. And have a good cb tech set the swr's on it. Make sure the coax is 18' long preferably nickel plated wiring as it will have less resistance over copper.

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swampdog

swampdog

New member
Draconianwinter said:
Five foot firestick is just fine. Get a good coax. And have a good cb tech set the swr's on it. Make sure the coax is 18' long preferably nickel plated wiring as it will have less resistance over copper.

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Click to expand...

Sure it's fine, but a 10' is fine too by that logic. Assuming he has the 5' mounted to his spare tire support, that thing will stick up 3' above the roof. Why in the world would you need that, trying to speak with Russia? It just looks silly and is unnecessary.


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Labricon

Labricon

Caught the Bug
GraniteCrystal said:
You don't need to buy an SWR meter. Try to find a radio shop or truck stop that will do it for you. Usually for free. And tune it in a wide open space (e.g. not inside your garage).

Getting a good ground is key.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?p=621404
Click to expand...

I like this idea but, how often does the antenna need to be re tuned if ever.....does using a quick release increase the need to re tune?
 
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