Hello i am new to this forum and to CB radios i recently bought an old Colt 210 Cb off of ebay and it is currently on its way. I am planning on running dual 102 inch stainless steel whips out of 2 stake hole mounts in the stake holes on the bed rail it says its only rated for antennas up to 4 feet in length but i think they could hold them any suggestions or help would be appreciated!
CB Radio set up help!
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Been a while since I played with CB's.
Whats you reasoning for using dual 102" whips?
If your determined to use duals buy a 2 to 1 connector dont try to splice the wires it'll give you feed back over the radio.
Make sure you space the whips far enough a part so they dont cancel each other out.
My preference for an antenna would be something adjustable that I could tune for my specific truck and mounted near the rear of the truck.
Get an SWR meter and do a little tuning on your antennas, I think in the end you'll find a single 102" will work better when you tune it to your ground plane.
Whats you reasoning for using dual 102" whips?
If your determined to use duals buy a 2 to 1 connector dont try to splice the wires it'll give you feed back over the radio.
Make sure you space the whips far enough a part so they dont cancel each other out.
My preference for an antenna would be something adjustable that I could tune for my specific truck and mounted near the rear of the truck.
Get an SWR meter and do a little tuning on your antennas, I think in the end you'll find a single 102" will work better when you tune it to your ground plane.
Yeah i mainly just like the look of dual 102 in whips but i was also thinking because if you mount an antenna on one side you get a shorter range in whatever direction in which you mount the antenna on so i was thinking with 2 i wouldn't have that problem but i would like to hook them both up unless you think it will work better with only 1 hooked up. And the spacing is that they will be on opposite sides of the bed on the bed rails both will be in the first stake hole about 2 inches from the cab
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Exactly like Crawdaddy posted.
Get down to the nearest Electronics store or if you have a local CB shop that would be better and get an SWR meter.
Without permanently mounting the antenna, use vice grips or a clamp to get it as close as you can to where you want it then start checking the numbers on the SWR meter. You may need to move the antenna forwards and backwards some on the rails to find the best spot for reception.
Mounting a second dummy whip shouldnt affect performance so you wont need it in place.
Also remember to tune the antenna itself, most steel whips can be taken off at the bottom and trimmed down for performance, usually only takes less than an inch or so, sometimes just adjusting it in the holder can be enough.
The SWR meter can be left in line and mounted in the cab if you desire, but normally once everythings adjusted you wont need it anymore except to verify performance once in a while. Most SWR meters come with decent instructions on how to use them, if not do a google search and theres plenty of good info out there on use and adjustment.
Years ago I made the mistake of trying to run dual 102" whips, I had great reception and was picking up radios close to 40 miles away in flat areas and on top of hills, get into the hills or get the radios directly in front or behind me and I couldnt get anything over a mile or two, also no one could read my output it was all garbled and static, the whips were cancelling each other out and causing me to fill the radio waves with trash.
Next project a linear amp, does anyone make them anymore?
Get down to the nearest Electronics store or if you have a local CB shop that would be better and get an SWR meter.
Without permanently mounting the antenna, use vice grips or a clamp to get it as close as you can to where you want it then start checking the numbers on the SWR meter. You may need to move the antenna forwards and backwards some on the rails to find the best spot for reception.
Mounting a second dummy whip shouldnt affect performance so you wont need it in place.
Also remember to tune the antenna itself, most steel whips can be taken off at the bottom and trimmed down for performance, usually only takes less than an inch or so, sometimes just adjusting it in the holder can be enough.
The SWR meter can be left in line and mounted in the cab if you desire, but normally once everythings adjusted you wont need it anymore except to verify performance once in a while. Most SWR meters come with decent instructions on how to use them, if not do a google search and theres plenty of good info out there on use and adjustment.
Years ago I made the mistake of trying to run dual 102" whips, I had great reception and was picking up radios close to 40 miles away in flat areas and on top of hills, get into the hills or get the radios directly in front or behind me and I couldnt get anything over a mile or two, also no one could read my output it was all garbled and static, the whips were cancelling each other out and causing me to fill the radio waves with trash.
Next project a linear amp, does anyone make them anymore?
My friend has got a linear amp on his set up he is running dual 4 foot fiberglass antennas in his s-10 so when you say move it up and down the bed rail i cant really do that because the mounts i want to use go in the stake hole which is that little like 4 inch by 2 inch hole int he bed rail close to the cab. I wanted to use these mounts because i wouldn't have to drill holes. but it says on the description of the mounts that they are designed for antennas up to 4 feet in length.
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Understand, keep in mind limiting to a specific mounting spot for the antenna might reduce possible radio performance.
Are you using a spring between the mount and the antenna? A spring can reduce some stress on the mount. I doubt you'll have problems using that mount with a longer antenna.
Linear amps follow the same rules as normal CB's you can push as much power as you want, if you dont have a well tuned system it limits distances, puts out garbled junk that cant be understood, and reduces clarity to other recievers, it also creates feed back and echos that can make you sound like your sitting in a hole.
The key to a good operating CB is tuning, antenna mounting spot, antenna cable quality and length, antenna style and length, and clean electrical power to the reciever all play a crucial part in determining how well the system will operate.
Are you using a spring between the mount and the antenna? A spring can reduce some stress on the mount. I doubt you'll have problems using that mount with a longer antenna.
Linear amps follow the same rules as normal CB's you can push as much power as you want, if you dont have a well tuned system it limits distances, puts out garbled junk that cant be understood, and reduces clarity to other recievers, it also creates feed back and echos that can make you sound like your sitting in a hole.
The key to a good operating CB is tuning, antenna mounting spot, antenna cable quality and length, antenna style and length, and clean electrical power to the reciever all play a crucial part in determining how well the system will operate.
yeah i didnt think i would have problems with the mount either but im not super sure and i wasnt really planning on using a spring because i dont like how much it bends back when driving but it would be nice so that i could secure them down when i wanted to get in the garage
i got my mounts and whips and installed them but i realized that my bed rail slopes down a little towards the outside so to get them level i had to shim it with a piece of 8th inch plexi glass that is just cot into a rectangle not a triangle or anything i think i need another 16th of an inch or so to make it perfectly level should i make it a sloped triangle or just the rectangle that i have?
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