CB Radio question

[chiro22]

Looking to add a CB radio to the hunting truck and new to the CB world. I'm finding a few on Craigslist and wanted to see if there is anything I need to know or what to look for before buying.

Thanks for the education.

[old Rusty C10]

well cbs are 40 channel and 23 channel but the 23 went out of production in the seventies. You can get brand new ones for like $65 at a truck stop ( Flying J Petro Loves etc) what exactly are you looking for a magnetic mount antenna or a permanent mount antenna?

[jocko]

The old 23 ch ones are cool - GM made some thru the late 70's for production vehicles like Trans Ams and Vettes thanks to Smokey and the Bandit. They are pricey though... I've bought a few (not of the GM ones) and I tend to search for the early 40 channel CBs that were the big names 'back then'. The ones that come to mind are Motorola, Realistic, Midland, RCA, etc. Cobras and Unidens seemed to come out toward the end of the mad CB era rush and have a lot of the market nowadays. I try to pick something that is similar to what I saw in mid-70's trucks of the day and that first set of brands usually seems to fit the bill. Things to look for - the main one is that it works (seems obvious, but a lot of sellers aren't forthcoming and tend to not want to test it for you. Good original mic is also a nice to have. Most all have underdash mounts included. If you want to spend the money, there are plenty that have never been out of the box still available. Good luck!

EDIT: one more big consideration is the antenna. If you don't care about adding a single or rabbit ears, then go for it, but it's also possible to use an AM/FM/CB singular antenna - have to look around for them a bit, but that's what GM did.

[chiro22]

Originally Posted by jocko

The old 23 ch ones are cool - GM made some thru the late 70's for production vehicles like Trans Ams and Vettes thanks to Smokey and the Bandit. They are pricey though... I've bought a few (not of the GM ones) and I tend to search for the early 40 channel CBs that were the big names 'back then'. The ones that come to mind are Motorola, Realistic, Midland, RCA, etc. Cobras and Unidens seemed to come out toward the end of the mad CB era rush and have a lot of the market nowadays. I try to pick something that is similar to what I saw in mid-70's trucks of the day and that first set of brands usually seems to fit the bill. Things to look for - the main one is that it works (seems obvious, but a lot of sellers aren't forthcoming and tend to not want to test it for you. Good original mic is also a nice to have. Most all have underdash mounts included. If you want to spend the money, there are plenty that have never been out of the box still available. Good luck!

EDIT: one more big consideration is the antenna. If you don't care about adding a single or rabbit ears, then go for it, but it's also possible to use an AM/FM/CB singular antenna - have to look around for them a bit, but that's what GM did.

Thanks for the info! I'll keep my eyes out for some of those. I'm trying to figure out what to do about the antenna. either magnet or fixed. Is there any functional advantage to either?

[chiro22]

Originally Posted by old Rusty C10

well cbs are 40 channel and 23 channel but the 23 went out of production in the seventies. You can get brand new ones for like $65 at a truck stop ( Flying J Petro Loves etc) what exactly are you looking for a magnetic mount antenna or a permanent mount antenna?

Thanks. I'm trying to figure out the antenna situation. What's your recommendation, I could go either. with the magnet I can always stash it in the garage and for the fixed, I supposed I could tie it down, military humvee style

[Liberty]

Never thought my day job could cross over here!

As far as antennas go, you cannot beat a 102 inch whip.
However, on my truck I use a cobra mag mount that works well. I had a radio shack stick mounted on the drivers rear camper shell hole. I never got to use it since the coax ended up being too short, then it got damaged by a washing machine.

I have a Cobra WX ST II in the pickup. I mounted it on some factory holes below the factory radio. I have no idea what the holes are actually for, but they serve nicely as mointing points. Keep in mind all CBs put out the same 4 watts so there is no need to grab a super expensive one. I picked mine because it scans the CB band so I can hear all the conversations, it was a pleasant suprise its also not very large. The older CBs from the 70s and 80s are HUGE.

[Liberty]

You can kind of see the CB here.

[Liberty]

Here's a better shot.

[jocko]

you can use the stock antenna, just need a splitter. this guy has two (I think - only one called out by part #) in the parts lot he's selling. not a bad price, I've paid between 35 and 70 for the splitters I've purchased. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-GM-Radio...p2052191.m2338

GM Part # is 22010169 (Delco Antenna Am FM CB Radio Splitter)

[farmall]

This is what I do to my trucks. Nice and clean. Only the hand held is visable.

https://www.cobra.com/products/recreational/c-75-wx-st

Amazon.com : Firestik 4ft Firestik ® II FS Series...

[Liberty]

Originally Posted by jocko

you can use the stock antenna, just need a splitter. this guy has two (I think - only one called out by part #) in the parts lot he's selling. not a bad price, I've paid between 35 and 70 for the splitters I've purchased. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-GM-Radio...p2052191.m2338

GM Part # is 22010169 (Delco Antenna Am FM CB Radio Splitter)

Keep in mind this will only work with a stock WHIP antenna and not the windshield antenna. On top of that GM used a specialized antenna for cars and trucks with factory CB so compatability with the whip antenna is questionable if the splitter doesn't double as an antenna tuner.

[jocko]

Originally Posted by Liberty

Keep in mind this will only work with a stock WHIP antenna and not the windshield antenna. On top of that GM used a specialized antenna for cars and trucks with factory CB so compatability with the whip antenna is questionable if the splitter doesn't double as an antenna tuner.

Hmm. So, the splitter only works on an original CB capable antenna? I thought they were AM, and I've been told that a stock AM/FM can be used with the splitter - first I've heard to the contrary. Thanks for posting this, I was unaware - and I may have screwed the pooch in my way of setting this up. So, seems I recall factory whips on bandit trans ams, but didn't vettes use the factory am/fm with a splitter like this? Interesting, thanks for the info, would like to hear more if you've got any. Haven't installed mine yet, just parts collecting, then the project got sidelined - but still planned on completing it later.

EDIT: I think I just now got what you're saying - are you saying it will not work with the embedded antenna in a windshield (only) but will work with the stock fender mount am/fm? Seems I heard somewhere telescopic ones were not as good as the constant length ones, but not sure. Anyway, that makes more sense to me than how I may have originally misread your first post. I was imagining a trunk mounted cb whip, not the factory fender aerial. Just want to clarify - thanks!

[Liberty]

IIRC, Factory CB setups had the antenna mounted on or near the mirror on the trucks. I want to say this antenna was adjustable as well. This antenna was also used for regular AM/FM reception.

The windshield antenna cannot and will not work for CB radio. If by some miracle you don't burn up the radio, coax, or the actual antenna element you will find your range and reception to be extremely poor. Additionally the windshield antenna is 300 ohms, a CB radio looks for a 50 ohm load. This mismatch can damage the CB's output.

A standard Delco whip antenna might be long enough to work, but most whip antennas are tuned to roughly 97.9 mHz. CB operates at 27 mHz. At anyrate I'd replace the coax going to the antenna since it is not designed to handle 4 watts. Though I have found standard cheapo houshold coax can take about 15 watts. (don't use household coax, it won't match to the radio properly)

It could also be very likely the delco splitter is set to mate the CB to the factory fender antenna and will work just fine.

[old Rusty C10]

on my truck I went to a truck stiop and I have those tripod mirrors so I bought a mount that attaches to the mirror My wire comes in through a grommet into the door and runs through the tube I attached to the door and frame that would have power window and lock wiring in it. I ran it under the dashboard and to the CB... Mine is overkill I used a 4 ft fiberglass mast because I had one. On my Dodge I use the same kind of antenna mounted to the back rack that comes along the frame rail and into the passenger compartment through the firewall. Both CB mounts are under the dashboard

[jocko]

chiro - I'm glad you started this thread! Didn't mean to hijack - but appreciate the additional discussion, I've learned some good stuff - thanks guys.

[chiro22]

Originally Posted by jocko

chiro - I'm glad you started this thread! Didn't mean to hijack - but appreciate the additional discussion, I've learned some good stuff - thanks guys.

No worries, I'm learning lots too.

[old Rusty C10]

even with the am fm cb antenna your range will be less than with an actual separate cb antenna

[chiro22]

Originally Posted by farmall

This is what I do to my trucks. Nice and clean. Only the hand held is visable.

https://www.cobra.com/products/recreational/c-75-wx-st

Amazon.com : Firestik 4ft Firestik ® II FS Series Tunable Tip CB Antenna 900 Watts Red - Firestik FS-4RD : Automotive Cb Radios And Scanners : Electronics

That's a nice looking set-up. What kind of antenna system are you running with that?

[chiro22]

Originally Posted by Liberty

Never thought my day job could cross over here!

As far as antennas go, you cannot beat a 102 inch whip.
However, on my truck I use a cobra mag mount that works well. I had a radio shack stick mounted on the drivers rear camper shell hole. I never got to use it since the coax ended up being too short, then it got damaged by a washing machine.

I have a Cobra WX ST II in the pickup. I mounted it on some factory holes below the factory radio. I have no idea what the holes are actually for, but they serve nicely as mointing points. Keep in mind all CBs put out the same 4 watts so there is no need to grab a super expensive one. I picked mine because it scans the CB band so I can hear all the conversations, it was a pleasant suprise its also not very large. The older CBs from the 70s and 80s are HUGE.

Great advice, thanks

[Zach B]

I haven't read all these comments so I may just be repeating information but avoid the 23 channel ones unless your after astetics. They tend to be more prone to issues mostly because they are getting old. Mount the antenna on the highest point or make sure the tip is above the highest point otherwise its not going to be very effective. On pickups I prefer to use mounts on the bed for a solid mount though if you've got a roll bar or headache rack those work pretty good too. Tool boxes are also great. As far as actual information goes it looks like you've gotten most of what you needed to know.

[Prerunner1982]

If you just want a CB radio and don't care about period correctness a Cobra 19 can be purchased for about $40 or so and will work fine. However you can spend considerably more and get something with more knobs and lights and bells and whistles.

Amazon.com: COBRA CB MOBILE COMPACT 40CH INST. CH...
Run the longest antenna you can live with. 102" is always going to be your best bet. If using a shorter antenna mount it as high as you can with as much of it above the roof line as possible.

Make sure the mount has a good clean metal to metal contact with the body of the vehicle and that the underside of the mount where the coax attaches to the antenna is also clean metal.

Would be best to check your SWR, local CB radio shop (nearest interstate truck stop likely has one) may check/set your SWR for free or cheap if you don't have/get your own SWR meter.

Don't worry about length of coax.. regardless of what you read about having to have 18' of it. You only need whatever will get from the radio to the antenna.

Originally Posted by old Rusty C10

even with the am fm cb antenna your range will be less than with an actual separate cb antenna

Agreed old friend.

[motornut]

I got lucky and found a working delco unit.
I got a power antenna, with Gm splitter .i dont use it.
The windshield antenna works the am/fm.
And I picked up a 20 wallmart CB mag mount for$20.
Works ok, and I can put it away.

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by Prerunner1982

If you just want a CB radio and don't care about period correctness a Cobra 19 can be purchased for about $40 or so and will work fine. However you can spend considerably more and get something with more knobs and lights and bells and whistles.

Amazon.com: COBRA CB MOBILE COMPACT 40CH INST. CH 9 19ULTRAIII: Electronics

Run the longest antenna you can live with. 102" is always going to be your best bet. If using a shorter antenna mount it as high as you can with as much of it above the roof line as possible.

Make sure the mount has a good clean metal to metal contact with the body of the vehicle and that the underside of the mount where the coax attaches to the antenna is also clean metal.

Would be best to check your SWR, local CB radio shop (nearest interstate truck stop likely has one) may check/set your SWR for free or cheap if you don't have/get your own SWR meter.

Don't worry about length of coax.. regardless of what you read about having to have 18' of it. You only need whatever will get from the radio to the antenna.



Agreed old friend.

^ This. Whatever you buy, radio or antenna, get the SWR set at a CB shop. You can find one at most truck stops. It's not just that it will send and receive better if they're tuned properly, if they're too far out of sync you might be able to receive but won't be able to send.

If you want a magnetic base, this one works well. I used one for a few years on a pickup. http://www.wilsonantenna.com/sp/wils...na-kit-carded/ Firestik's work well too.

Whatever radio you buy can be turned up to put out more watts (usually somewhere between double and triple stock output) while you're at the CB shop. It will give you more send range and doesn't cost much.

[Prerunner1982]

As far as turning up the power to get more TX... you are only as good as the other guys radio. You may be able to talk 10 miles or 100s-1000s of miles but if the guy you are trying to talk to can only talk 1/2 mile what good is your big bad radio?

Sooo... Educate your buddies too.

[jjmorrse]

If the swr is too far off, Transmitting will destroy cb components. Antennas designed for cb can usually be tuned, some others might be incapable of getting good swr. Otherwise it is all weighing performance and looks of various options. Wwtbd=what would the bandit do?