Junkers88

Ok..... more issues with the CB. I ran power from the cig lighter as recommended by a CB dude at the shop. I also ran the ground wire to the frame of the truck. Now I still have some alternator whine eventhough my transmit is great my reception isn't. I was told to buy a roll of ground strap and be sure the body is well grounded to the frame and also to ground the alternator to the engine block. Is the ground strap that flat copper braided stuff? I've found some but it's 3" wide and dang expensive. If all I want to do is use this thing for trail use then I can do that now since I'll only be reaching out about 300ft at the most but I want to be able to use it for emergencies also incase I get stranded somewhere.

Ever heard of grounding the alternator? I thought the vehicle would be grounded from the factory. If this doesn't help my last choice is a ground loop isolator that I found on ebay for 20$.

Thank you again for all the help. I can't believe it's this hard to get a good install on a CB.

wyorunner

iTrader: (1)

grounding an alternator, yes people do it, and i intend on doing it when i get home to install my comm equipment and everything else. and the flat copper braided wire is the grounding strap wire, although, look around there should be more options than something that is three inches wide and cheaper. if not that will ensure you have a good ground and grounds should be as short as possible. the whine your still hearing is probably coming from interference in the coax/antenna system. could be a number of things, but i bet we can get it figured out. what kind of coax did you use? and grounding the p!$$ out of the body/engine/alternator/and everything else is always a good idea for communications.

Junkers88

I used the cable that came connected to the Wilson Little Wil 1000. It's soldered (spelling?) to the antenna base so I can't change it. I pulled the cable out of the back of the cb and started the truck and I still get some noise when the motor is running but not as much. I don't know if that helps.

wyorunner

iTrader: (1)

if i understand that correctly, your getting the whine when the antenna is disconnected? if that is the case, change the power supply from the cig lighter to something else, or straight to the battery. and still ground everything good and thoroly. give me a sec and ill find an article on the common cb "whine"

EDIT- i cant find the article i thought i read, but basically, dirty power/weak power and running coax next to elctrical lines in the vehicle can cause the "whine". the fix, ground everything and move power supply. and tune your antenna, if your antenna is not tuned to your vehicle then you good system could be close to worthless.

check this articles out, http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs.htm, has got all kinds of questions and answers to CB related topics, pretty useful

wyorunner

iTrader: (1)

something else, have you tuned your antenna?

Junkers88

I have no idea how to even do that.

Junkers88

Straight to the battery? Won't that short it out or something? I mean it's a pretty big battery.

The cable to the antenna (coax correct?) is run all by itself and not next to anything that could have power in it.

Merlin

use a fuse.

Merlin

you will need an swr meter - you can get them fairly cheap online or, if you need one right NOW, at your local radio shack.

lots of good instructions online as well.

Merlin

ground strap is good, but pricey.

i've heard of people stripping old coax and using the braided part on the outside of the center conductor as a ground strap, others just use plain ol' wire for ground straps.

i'm cheap, so i use plain ol' 8 ga stranded wire for my grounds. ain't purty, but it gets the job done.

wyorunner

iTrader: (1)

ya it may be a big battery but, all you have to do is put an in line fuse, and also run the ground straight to the negative post on the battery, but remember if you do that, you will always have to remember to shut it off so that it doesnt drain your battery. you could also use the fuse box under the drivers side floor panel to power it, find one that doesnt have constant power, the ignition fuse should work. to tune your antenna is not something i can explain because i have never done that, yet. find a cb shop or something of the like they should be able to help you tune the antenna, it might cost 15 or 20 bucks but its worth it. if your still having problems in two months after i get home and install and tune my setup ill tell you how to do it. but right now the only thing i can do is tell you to read on antenna tuning. sorry. i hope ive helped your problem.

-wyo

wyorunner

iTrader: (1)

and while i was typing my novel merlin beat me to the punch. but i didnt state that regular wire would work as well, and i have used it as well before in a stereo setup.

Merlin

the wilsons, iirc, are easily adjustable with a set screw on the base to raise/lower the antenna. almost as easy as the firestiks with their tunable tips.

all you need to do is read up on how to tune swrs (even a really old book at your local library will work, theories haven't changed much since cbs came out) and find a cheap swr meter.

it's really easy... much easier than the old days of tuning 102" whips by cutting off 1/8" at a time until the swrs are the lowest (i.e., no room for "oops, i cut off too much" - you can cut off metal, but you can't put it back on).

you'll want to make sure your swrs are as low as possible for optimum range. conversely, you don't want to key up with your swrs too high, as that is bad for the radio.

wyorunner

iTrader: (1)

well thats about as easy as it gets. here is a little more info on tuning.
http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/Setting_SWR.htm good luck and let us know how it goes.

wyorunner

iTrader: (1)

did you ever get your setup fixed? i just bought my antenna system today, and will be setting it up next month.