| Author |
Message |
    
the FC
| | Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2001 - 3:50 pm: | 
|
I am an avid 4 wheeler. a few years ago I picked up a radio shack cb (cheapest one) and slaped it in. needles to say, between my crappy install and the equipment it worked terribly. I gave up on it and wound up giving it away. well, a couple months ago I picked up anothe CB at a yard sale. It is a GE model 3-5811-B. looks old but it seems to work. It came with a 60" stainless whip. it also came with a aux meter of some sort that runs inline with the co ax. It sound good with the veh off but when its running the noise is horific. my questions are as follows...... is this a decent radio? what noise filters are availible? are stainless whips decent? whats with the meter? and whats a ground plane?
like I said, I am a TOTAL ROOKIE  thanks allot. |
bruce
| | Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2001 - 10:10 pm: |
|
You are hearing spark plug noise it is common on all radios ham or cb both radios were fine and the inline meter is probly a SWR meter nothing wrong with that contact the people that made your bike and find out if you can use resistor plugs or resistor type plug wires remember you are firing a 20000 volt spark every time a plug fires and your cb set needs .0000005 volts at the ant to hear something
bruce
radio-doctor@juno.com |
Tech181 (Tech181)
| | Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2001 - 10:56 pm: |
|
theFC,
Like bruce said you are probably picking up spark plug noise in the radio's receive.
Does your radio have a switch for ANL (Automatic Noise Limiter or NB (Noise Blanker)? If so, be sure you have them turned on, this will eliminate some, if not all of that noise depending on how good the ANL/NB circuitry is.
Stainless steel whips are very good antennas. Chances are by the length of antenna you described this is some sort of bottom load antenna. This means there is a coil in the base of the antenna that makes up the difference in electrical length, and allows for the whip to be shorter.
A ground plane is used to increase your antennas recieve and to cut out some of the noise. A ground plane is usually several radials that spread out from the bottom of the anntenna's base. Ground planes can also increase your antenna's efficiency by providing a better "ground plane" (hence the name) for poorly grounded antennas, and will help maintain a lower SWR (Standing Wave Ratio).
What does the meter read? What does it say or what is printed on it? Like bruce said it may be an SWR meter.
Steve
Tech181
Tech181@copperelectronics.com |
vernonott
| | Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2001 - 10:52 pm: |
|
the FC ,It takes a 102" whip if you are running a CB.I've never heard of a 60" whip. |
bruce
| | Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2001 - 11:22 pm: |
|
back in the old day they use to wrap the wires in foil ground the foil and pray to day we have niffty resistor plugs and wire 181 is also correct on make sure you have good grounds |
the FC
| | Posted on Sunday, July 29, 2001 - 10:33 pm: |
|
thanks for your help guys. I appreciate it.
I figured it was some sort of ignition noise. so resistor plugs is the ticket huh? cool. My rig is a 73 Land Cruiser so I imagine it shouldnt be a problem finding the right plugs.
the ground plane thing makes sence, I have it mounted to my front fender. should that be enough?
I measured the whip, it was actually 63". your right, it has a coiled section at the base.
as for the meter, it does say "SWR" on the meter. what exactly does it controll? the meter has a dial on it. what does it adjust and how does it affect the signal? does it controll trans or rec? It also has fwd and ref, wazup with that?
thanks again for all your help guys, I appreciate it! thanks |
Dutchman
| | Posted on Sunday, July 29, 2001 - 11:12 pm: |
|
Bruce...by "4 wheeler " I think he means a 4X4....like as in jeep etc!!!!!
FC....you sound kind of lost..find a local cb shop,failing that,a "Radio Shack" store would be of some help...at least they can show you how the swr meter works!!! Don't any of your local friends know anything about radios?? |
the FC
| | Posted on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 12:22 am: |
|
my buddys have radios, but their radios dont sound much better. other than wiring it up, none of them is really clear on the technical stuff. the radio shack stores in my town employ idots. all they can tell me is that "the cheap radios arent as good as the more expencive ones". I as hopeing to get as much info from this board before I seek out profesional help so I can better understand what they are explaining to me.
BTW,...Land Cruiser, not a heep |
Hammunition
| | Posted on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 11:15 am: |
|
Dutchman, truckers ("18-wheelers") commonly call all other vehicles "4-wheelers". I assure you its no term of endearment either. Most modes of personal transportation have 4 wheels, hence the nickname "4-wheeler".
the FC, I had your same problem but it was something TOTALLY different. I have a pickup truck and my Wilson 1000 was rear bumper mounted. Between my radio and the antenna was the electronic fuel pump. It created one hell of a whine while the vehicle was running. I moved my antenna to the top of my truck box. Not only did I eliminate 90% of the noise, but my transmit/recieve performance increased dramatically. Dont discount other factors. Locate a local radio tech and consult with him. DONT waste money on filters before consulting with a knowledgeable tech. Many filters out there wont solve the problem. To find out if its the fuel pump turn on your CB with out starting your vehicle. Then turn your ignition forward without cranking the vehicle. If there is a brief 1 second whine, this is the fuel pump priming. You can actually get a filter to dampen about 70 to 80% of this noise but it must be professionally installed to avoid effecting the efficiency of your fuel pump and the voiding of your vehicle's warranty.
My personal advice is not to spend money on this until you decide that you want to get into this hobby. If you do, there are better radios that arent susceptible to engine noise. Remember, CB not only stands for citizen band, but also "constantly buying". Its torture for people on limited budgets. |
Dutchman
| | Posted on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 5:16 pm: |
|
Hammunition....you're correct,but if you read his post....he stated he was "an avid 4-wheeler"
in my neck of the woods....thats off-roading.
FC..sorry your local store isn't any help..one near here has a pretty savvy guy running it.
Wish I could help more,but it's easier to show someone than to try and explain it here. If you can get a local guy to show you the basics once...you got it!! |
bruce
| | Posted on Monday, July 30, 2001 - 9:18 pm: |
|
Dutchman if you have ever seen the way people drive SUV's around here they try to pur EVERYONE off the road. |
the FC
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 31, 2001 - 1:54 am: |
|
Cool! all this information is very very helpfull. I do appreciate all who replied. other than truckers, CB's arnt to big aroud here. kinda a "red neck" thing. no offence, just how its precieved around here. I have been wheeling the last few years without one and its been a pain in the a**!. I belong to a good size 4WD club,the Rubicon is in our back yard and when we are out in the middle of nowear crawling rocks we can get seperated and having a CB is a luxury. I allways put my self between two rigs with CB's so I can keep in touch, but I finally wised up and decided to give it a shot again. once again I thank you all for your shared information, I will find a shop and maybe buy a book. and I am sure I will seek more assistance form this board. |
hammunition
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 31, 2001 - 10:06 am: |
|
Bruce, I think you would find something to complain about even if you lived in one of those fantasy Disney towns. You would be quoting laws to Cinderella and Mr. Toad. Sheeesh. |
bruce
| | Posted on Tuesday, July 31, 2001 - 1:54 pm: |
|
Speaking of complaining ? |
|
