I installed a Uniden 520XL radio. I ran the power wire directly to the battery. The ground wire as close to the radio as possible. The antenna mount is a teraflex, behind the drivers side tail light.
CB Radio Static Concerns
- Thread starter SargeJosh
- Start date
I have grounded the bracket from the inside and behind the light. Today I installed a ground strap from the light to the body of the jeep. I have not tied it to the frame yet, I am waiting parts to install a MML.
If the radio is on, you can hear the whine of shifting through the gears. Is there anything else to do or ground? Or what have I missed?
Would appreciate any help/suggestions…
Thanks
Would appreciate any help/suggestions…
Thanks
You can try a filter on the power supply line .
https://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/noise-filter-for-cb-radio-power-cords
There could be a problem within the alternator .
Another way to help eliminate noise is a ferrite doughnut on the coax line near the radio , but your problem should be power related .
I will say that not all radios are created equal . I just replaced a Uniden 510 with a President Harrison which resulted in a much quieter noise level and clearer recieve audio . The President has better filters to cut out unwanted noise .
https://president-electronics.us/cb-radios
https://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/noise-filter-for-cb-radio-power-cords
There could be a problem within the alternator .
Another way to help eliminate noise is a ferrite doughnut on the coax line near the radio , but your problem should be power related .
I will say that not all radios are created equal . I just replaced a Uniden 510 with a President Harrison which resulted in a much quieter noise level and clearer recieve audio . The President has better filters to cut out unwanted noise .
https://president-electronics.us/cb-radios
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No. Bad advice for a radio - all you're doing is adding impedance and creating an antenna between the radio and its negative. You're actually doing that with the positive too - but you kinda gotta have a positive lead! Adding a power supply filter can help considerably - and you want THAT as close to the radio as practical. Its just part and parcel with "Antique Mode" radios. The 520XL has the advantage of being small, which is why we all run one. The poster who found a different radio that runs quieter is probably exactly right about build quality.
For a small footprint radio , this one has excellent reviews .
https://www.walcottradio.com/president-bill-iii-fcc-cb-radio-p-4375.html
https://www.walcottradio.com/president-bill-iii-fcc-cb-radio-p-4375.html
My CB was, and my gmrs is grounded directly to the battery. I've never had any electrical feedback.
I am no electrical engineer, but wouldn't grounding somewhere like the frame add more impedance vs directly to the battery?
I am no electrical engineer, but wouldn't grounding somewhere like the frame add more impedance vs directly to the battery?
I think you're both right. Yes more ground and positive wire acts like antennas. But grounding to the chassis might be why it's picking up noise. I'm not saying I know any better but at this point I'd run a ground cable to the battery and see what happens.
-Mac
-Mac
Nope, quite the opposite. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get a lower impedance than that huge chuck of metal that is the body. That #(whatever) wire has more impedance than the body, and its picking up whatever noise is present for its entire length. And it gets worse at radio frequencies. I'm not saying a direct run to the negative won't work, I'm just saying it isn't the best/first choice. And then there WILL be the guy who actually got better results that way because of his particular circumstance - RF grounding is 1/3rd science, and 2/3rds black magic. But I'd start with a good ground to the body, and troubleshoot from there. Adding an RF pi section filter is what helped mine.
Oh, and to be clear, don't conflate frame and body grounds on a (stock) Jeep. The frame is only incidentally connected to body ground and battery negative unless the grounding setup has been modified (like I did on my Jeep with a #2 jumper across one of the motor mounts).
And it has some FM capabilities as well.
If the FM modulation CB radios would have come out before GMRS , there would probably be fewer GMRS users . I haven't talked to anyone on FM on my CB yet to compare , but the ease of purchase and use without a license would be an incentive for that route . Some of the President radios have CTCSS and DCS tones which would work great for groups having that capability .
I'm pretty sad about CB these days - other than a few ratchetjaws on 19 with illegal amps, its pretty quiet these days, at least around here. I always liked listening to the truckers on 19 when driving long distances. I remember talking to a certain "Butt Naked" for about 200 miles one time decades back. When nobody else was on the channel, he'd sing "Butt Naked, Butt Naked... That's Capital B-u-t-t, Capital N-a-k-e-d, Butt naked, rolling down from Rochester New York!" Glad I didn't meet him in person!
I'm pretty sad about CB these days - other than a few ratchetjaws on 19 with illegal amps, its pretty quiet these days, at least around here. I always liked listening to the truckers on 19 when driving long distances. I remember talking to a certain "Butt Naked" for about 200 miles one time decades back. When nobody else was on the channel, he'd sing "Butt Naked, Butt Naked... That's Capital B-u-t-t, Capital N-a-k-e-d, Butt naked, rolling down from Rochester New York!" Glad I didn't meet him in person!
CB radio used to be a good way to stay awake when driving throughout the night.
I'm pretty sad about CB these days - other than a few ratchetjaws on 19 with illegal amps, its pretty quiet these days, at least around here. I always liked listening to the truckers on 19 when driving long distances. I remember talking to a certain "Butt Naked" for about 200 miles one time decades back. When nobody else was on the channel, he'd sing "Butt Naked, Butt Naked... That's Capital B-u-t-t, Capital N-a-k-e-d, Butt naked, rolling down from Rochester New York!" Glad I didn't meet him in person!
Yeah, real sad tbh…
I am not trying to poo poo on your new radio, but I would suggest that you consider making the jump to GMRS instead of solving problems on antiquated radio tech. Unless your group exclusively uses CB, GMRS is the present and future. The clarity is significantly improved, better range (not that important for most jeeping needs), and nearly zero issue with antenna tuning.
In the trail riding community , GMRS has certainly taken over the communication arena . They do work extremely well for clear communication mostly do to the FM modulation . I basically have a mobile command center having vhf/uhf/hf ham radio , GMRS , CB , Cellular phone and HPUE mobile internet .
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