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 CB Radio

  Surely the birth of any amateur radio enthusiast...  as a youngster back in the seventies CB radio was my first incite into communications via a small black box by the name of a sharps small window, a very simple very limited channle peice of kit that got me started, & ive never looked back ! may it long continue:

The midland 48 plus multi : A cracking 80 channle radio with a few bells & wistles that actually work, a great starter rig and all round winner !     7/10 

The president "Grant"  A personel favourate of mine, and with a few mods it becomes one of the best sidebander rigs around.   9/10

 The Emperor shogun a good alround sideband radio with a receive, very steady   7/10

The midland 8001 , the first sideband rig i ever had that actualy worked weli  !   7/10

The president lincoln a iconic radio for its time and works really well, im managed to acquire one recently and it lives up to its good rep.  8/10 

 The Albrecht a great upto date radio with all the mod cons that works really well, great output audio  8/10

 The Midland 77-805  cb radio , also known as the porta-pack a great golden oldie, the works really well while portable  8/10

 The Stalker ST-9F , another classic that works so well and demands premium layout   9/10 

The Magnum Delta Force a true favourate sidebander of mine, with a great set of ears, and good quality output audio . still selling well on the second market .  9/10

 The Uniden 300   My personal favourite , plug in the wall 40 channle cb radio, still a great rig after twenty plus years, and with loads of space to update to an muppet/mid band homebase  10/10

Well there we go, Just a few of the rigs that stick in my mind and hold some great memorys, probily not everyones choice but ive owned all these at one time or another and found them to be the best around at the time , bearing in mind receive, output, ease of use & not foregetting !  Looks  

Twigs or Antennas 

There are absolutely loads of twigs out there, some brilliant and others no better than a wet peice of string , so heres a small collection of the ones that work well... 

  Mobile Twigs.. 

  A selectiion of mobile antennas i recommend, comming from the reaction from friends that have used them now and in the past, these will seem, and are expensive but are also at the premium end of the market and therefore guaranteed to work , and certain to work well  !  you buy anyone of these antennas & you wont be disappointed, my advise wait, be patiant and save in the long run :

 "Powerpack"  or Power Supply

 The power pack a power unit that supplys the correct voltage to the radio (13.8v) . Going of experience your better getting one that gives out 25 Amps a least, and stops any overdriving iin the future, & peice of mind assured:

 Power Supply Unit

A power Supply Unit (PSU) is often referred to as a 'power pack' and allows a mobile CB or other accessory that requires a 12 to 14 volt supply to be powered from 240 volt mains electricity.

Never use a 12 volt car battery to power your CB radio! This is a very dangerous practice due to the hazardous and corrosive chemicals that are contained in car batteries and the risks of dangerous fumes being released. A car battery is definitely NOT something that you want in a home environment.

 Cable  or  Coax & Plugs:

 Use the highest quality coaxial cable possible. Ensure that it is of 50 ohm impedance, of course. RG58C/U is the standard quality cable used (6mm diameter requiring PL259 plugs with 6mm cable entry) although some prefer to use the thicker and higher quality RG8 Mini, this has a thicker braid screening which minimises losses and could help reduce any interference to other equipment (requires PL259 plugs with 7mm cable entry).

 Bad connections can be the source of many frustrating and confusing antenna problems, it is extremely important to make sure that all plugs and joints are clean and fault-less and that solder joints are well made and not 'dry'.
Patch Cable

A patch cable is essential for connecting an SWR meter or a 'low pass' (TVI) filter between the CB radio and the antenna. They can be bought as a ready made item, or made up out of separate PL259 plugs and a suitable length of 50 ohm coaxial cable. Cable will generally be good quality RG58/u or the higher quality Mini RG8

 Patch Lead or Patch Cable

SWR  Meters

swr (standing wave ratio) meter a must if your going to keep your equipment safe and working to its best potential. An essential peice of kit to keep an eye on your signal.

SETTING UP YOUR CB RADIO ANTENNA

Procedure: The SWR meter needs to be placed in line between the antenna and the CB. Connect the antenna (normally connected to the back of the CB ) to the connector marked "Antenna" or "Ant" on your SWR Meter. Connect one end of the short jumper coax to the "transmit" or "Xmit" on the SWR meter. Connect the other end of your jumper coax to the CB.

Assuming you have a standard SWR meter the switches should read as follows: REF or SWR, FWD, and there should be a slide switch marked "set" or "Adjust". If different consult your meter's owners manual.

With the radio on the lowest channel (1 on CB) and the SWR meters switch in the Forward (FWD) position, depress the transmit switch (key up) located on the microphone. While holding the unit in this transmit mode, adjust the meter needle to the set position using the Set or Adjust knob on the meter. As soon as the needle is in alignment with the corresponding mark on the meter face, flip the switch to the Reference (REF) position. The meter is now showing your SWR on channel one. Note the value and quickly release the microphone switch. Record this reading.

Repeat the previous step on channels 19 and 40.

How to read your results: If SWR on channels 1, 19 & 40 is below 2.0, your radio can be operated safely.

If SWR on all channels is above 2.0 but not in the "red zone" (normally over 3.0), you may be experiencing coaxial cable reaction (bad quality, wrong length, etc.), insufficient ground plane, or have an ungrounded antenna mount.

If SWR is in the "red zone" on all channels, you probably have an electrical short in your coax connectors, or your mounting stud was installed incorrectly and is shorted. Do not operate your radio until the problem is found, serious damage can occur to your radio.

If SWR on the lowest channel is higher than it is on the highest channel, your antenna system appears to be electrically short. Your antenna length may need to be increased.

If the SWR on channel 40 is greater than that on channel 1, your antenna is considered to be "LONG" and reduction of physical height and/or conductor length will correct this situation.

CB books and imformation  

 if by chance you come across this handy little book, pick it up ! its an ideal starter book,simple to understand & just full of  the basic imformation on cb radio and general use. " a must have" for any cb enthusiast !

                               CB Frequencys:   Europe & the UK

F.M. - C.E.P.T. Frequency List

F.M. U.K. Frequency List

The Ed -