CB Selection

Storm trooper iAm glad you like your bearcat 880 I've had a new one for one year now and I've tried mounting my antenna in three different places with different mounts also different coax cables and antennas and can still not get it to pass a antenna test or built in swr test. It will barely pic up the weather it may just be a bad one tho.
Have you tried grinding the podwercoat/paint off the mount?

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thanks for the info, I really don't know a ton about this stuff so I appreciate the information.

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Most, if not all cb's transmit at 4 watts (FCC regulation), what sets the larger ones (such as the Cobra 29s) apart is a few more bells and whistles which allow for RF gain and SWR calibration. You could go with the 148 which has SSB and you can -legally- triple your transmit power. Then go with a 4'-5' antenna. If you need more range than that you need to go HAM.

I have a 3' antenna because anything longer and I'm dragging the ceiling in the parking garages around here and because I don't want to be bothered with taking it off.

There is a lot of good information out there. One of the best sites I've come across is CB World (http://www.wearecb.com/cb-radio-blog.html). As much information as you care to digest.

As noted, all CBs are legally limited to 4 watts. Single Side Band (SSB) is an option of more full-featured units. There's a drawback. You cannot just flip it on and use it with everyone else. SSB only works with others who have their radios set to SSB as well. Unfortunately, we're normally in mixed groups as regards CB unit capabilities.

Setting SWR, Standing Wave Ratio, is important as using your unit w/o it properly set can lead to internal damage. Firestik is great in that it is among the easiest antennas to tune.

If all components are installed correctly, co-ax length often doesn't matter. One site I found suggested 18' and increments of 3' if you need more. Firestik's site mentions, while coax length rarely is an issue, if there are mismatches in your system causing high SWR, using cable in 18' lengths can often correct the problem. I suspect this is why, at least when I went shopping, many pre-made CB coax cables were available in 18' length. In my case, the way I routed it, I used a 21' cable and it worked out 'just' right.

For best range you want as much of the antenna above any obstructions (e.g. roof) as possible. 3' works fine; it just won't reach as far as a 4' (or 8' whip<g>). I've been using a 4' antenna. Most of the coils are tightly wound in the 'upper' 1' of the antenna to get most of the 'functional' part of it above the roof.

Note, antennas radiate out from their length, not the end, so it always has to be vertical (more or less).

Check out CB World for info. They even speak about Jeeps specifically in parts. Not endorsing either vendor. They simply both have good info pages worth reviewing.
 
Thx for the info guys on the bear cat 880 install my last move was I purchased a wind shield pillar mount installed with 4 ft fire stick another new coax cable. My power and ground wire are booth wired into the hot and ground on the battery. The thing is I can hardly pick up the nws channels that are high out put, now if I un hook my antenna and screw in a cheap magnet mount antenna and set it on my hood the weather channels come in lol. My next step is just to wire it to my drive shaft. Lol.
 
Thx for the info guys on the bear cat 880 install my last move was I purchased a wind shield pillar mount installed with 4 ft fire stick another new coax cable. My power and ground wire are booth wired into the hot and ground on the battery. The thing is I can hardly pick up the nws channels that are high out put, now if I un hook my antenna and screw in a cheap magnet mount antenna and set it on my hood the weather channels come in lol. My next step is just to wire it to my drive shaft. Lol.

This could still be a bad ground. The windshield mount may not have a direct metal contact to the body of the vehicle. Make sure there is no paint or rust between the coax shield, through the mount, through the body, and finally to the battery. A multimeter set to OHMS can help you find high resistance areas. The magnetic mounts usually have a floating-ground plane.
 
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