Nice! Thanks! It appears to be late 80's or early 90's. The one I have is a model 8, which seems to be a rare model per post # 15 here. Now I am intrigued.
When I was growing up my father owned several different CB radio stores. It was a big thing back in the day. Now less than half of the truckers use it, with cell phones and Sirius satellite radio, etc being the technology of today. I grew up with CB like it was another family member. My father’s business used to do things like run the communications/safety crew for the Delaware River Raft Race and hold Coffee Breaks for truckers (and people on long road trips) at a local rest area. It was the cell phone of it’s day but with a more cult-like following.
So, the first thing I thought of when I bought our TJ was to install a CB radio in it, and another one in the RV we plan on pulling it with. The thought being that when either my wife or I went out in the Jeep to look for a local store (or whatever) the other one of us could stay behind in the RV and still stay in communication even when in rural areas without cell phone service (like Cherokee, NC, one of our favorite places). It’s the perfect solution.
I miss the CB lingo from back in the day but my wife is clueless. I call her a nice “seat cover” and she looks at me like I have three heads. I learned the word “cottonpicker” from the other users on the CB and used it all the time until I grew a bit older and realized it was a pejorative for ”negro” (it was never used that way on the radio, just as a general pejorative). Yes, it was a different world back then.
I’m glad to stumble onto this thread. It not only brings back very fond memories from my misbegotten youth but it encourages me to know that there are still folks out there who still use CB regularly. I’ve always kept a handheld unit in my glove box in case of a SHTF scenario but I never use it. I think the next time I have to go out on another road trip I’ll break it out and see who’s out there. Thanks for resurrecting this old thread.
So, the first thing I thought of when I bought our TJ was to install a CB radio in it, and another one in the RV we plan on pulling it with. The thought being that when either my wife or I went out in the Jeep to look for a local store (or whatever) the other one of us could stay behind in the RV and still stay in communication even when in rural areas without cell phone service (like Cherokee, NC, one of our favorite places). It’s the perfect solution.
I miss the CB lingo from back in the day but my wife is clueless. I call her a nice “seat cover” and she looks at me like I have three heads. I learned the word “cottonpicker” from the other users on the CB and used it all the time until I grew a bit older and realized it was a pejorative for ”negro” (it was never used that way on the radio, just as a general pejorative). Yes, it was a different world back then.
I’m glad to stumble onto this thread. It not only brings back very fond memories from my misbegotten youth but it encourages me to know that there are still folks out there who still use CB regularly. I’ve always kept a handheld unit in my glove box in case of a SHTF scenario but I never use it. I think the next time I have to go out on another road trip I’ll break it out and see who’s out there. Thanks for resurrecting this old thread.
OP
HAM & CB, the first social media craze.
Ham first starting at the dawn of radio & electronics till today and CB 2and.
When they took the 11 meter band from hams and created the CB band it caught on like wildfire and by 1977, the FCC had to double the allotment of channels because it had become too crowded.
I remember being up all night every Friday & Saturday night talking till the sun came up to guys & gals all over the place. There were movies & TV shows about it. There were number 1 smash hit songs about it, there was romance and sub culture ingrained in society.
The largest on-air party I've ever attended even to this day on ham and the internet was the 1976 200th anniversary bicentennial celebration on the CB. It was the Facebook of it's day, THE medium for which the nation communicated since it was a one-to-many radio architecture. Something the telephone couldn't do as party lines were only so big.
Definitely a culture of the 1970's. I had the tee-shirt, hat pin & big ole belt buckle to prove it.
Good times man, like bellbottoms & Dasy Duke cutoffs, apple pie , star spangled banner and riding in my old CJ-7 topless. As American as one could get watching Bert Reynolds & Sally Fields and the 6.0L Trans AM on cannonball run blue county beer run.
Southbound & Truckin!
Break-break 10-4
This here's the rubber duck at the Nishnabotna river with the smokey on my tail.....
Bored & stroked CJ-5 parked out back of the Jail...... Come on!
RR
Ham first starting at the dawn of radio & electronics till today and CB 2and.
When they took the 11 meter band from hams and created the CB band it caught on like wildfire and by 1977, the FCC had to double the allotment of channels because it had become too crowded.
I remember being up all night every Friday & Saturday night talking till the sun came up to guys & gals all over the place. There were movies & TV shows about it. There were number 1 smash hit songs about it, there was romance and sub culture ingrained in society.
The largest on-air party I've ever attended even to this day on ham and the internet was the 1976 200th anniversary bicentennial celebration on the CB. It was the Facebook of it's day, THE medium for which the nation communicated since it was a one-to-many radio architecture. Something the telephone couldn't do as party lines were only so big.
Definitely a culture of the 1970's. I had the tee-shirt, hat pin & big ole belt buckle to prove it.
Good times man, like bellbottoms & Dasy Duke cutoffs, apple pie , star spangled banner and riding in my old CJ-7 topless. As American as one could get watching Bert Reynolds & Sally Fields and the 6.0L Trans AM on cannonball run blue county beer run.
Southbound & Truckin!
Break-break 10-4
This here's the rubber duck at the Nishnabotna river with the smokey on my tail.....
Bored & stroked CJ-5 parked out back of the Jail...... Come on!
RR
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OP
I still think that a CB belongs in your Jeep and ham radio too if you can pass muster on the exam. No code anymore, kinda dummed down and mundane test you have all the study guide question pool answers to. Easy to ham-cram exam class in 1 day, get licensed and know a little more than you did yesterday in the process.
But if you go on organized Jeep runs, you're going to need a CB or you'll miss half the fun. It's really only good for Jeep in front to Jeep in back but good fun at that. The ham radio hobby can and will take you more places and a lot farther if you're brave enough to want to learn and give it a go!
I say do both as it can't hurt , will be extra lines of Communications to the outside world should there be no cell service where you play and you dont have your Iridium sat phone in your glove box. The experience is worth it for any backcountry explorer.
RR
But if you go on organized Jeep runs, you're going to need a CB or you'll miss half the fun. It's really only good for Jeep in front to Jeep in back but good fun at that. The ham radio hobby can and will take you more places and a lot farther if you're brave enough to want to learn and give it a go!
I say do both as it can't hurt , will be extra lines of Communications to the outside world should there be no cell service where you play and you dont have your Iridium sat phone in your glove box. The experience is worth it for any backcountry explorer.
RR
You'll have to buy an antenna anyway, so start with that. Also get an SWR meter. If it doesn't work then go for a new radio.
I received all parts I needed to install my CB radio. I've done a few dry tests and everything appears to be good. It seems many choose to attach the antenna mount to one of the brake light areas in the back of our jeeps. I would prefer to install my antenna on my swing away tire carrier. It appears it's grounded well. Does the antenna mount need to be touching the body of the Jeep, or can I use my swing away tire carrier as a mounting place?
Whether or not your swing-out tire carrier will provide an adequate RF ground depends on its design. Regular grounds are easy to provide, RF grounds as required by an antenna are a lot more demanding. You'll know if the antenna is getting an adequate RF ground by how good of an SWR you can get the antenna tuned to. If it's under 2:1 that ok but my preference is at least a 1.5:1.
Keep in mind when tuning your antenna (setting its length) that you need to make very small adjustments to its length to find the best (lowest) SWR. If you make too big of a length adjustment you might have gone right past where its SWR is the lowest.
Your antenna mount may not be grounded well if attached to a swing-away tire carrier rather than directly to the body or frame. The powdercoat/paint will act as an insulator so be sure that you have direct bare metal to bare metal contact from antenna mount to tire carrier, tire carrier to bumper, and bumper to body and frame.
The concept is frequently referred to as "bonding." There is a good article here:
https://k0bg.com/bonding.html
Thank you both. I will then install it on my swing-out as that will be the only way to find out if it is a good place or not. I have the SWR meter to test before making it a permanent mounting.
I love learning new information. I have a better understanding of ground plane and how a vehicle acts as a capacitor to better send/receive RF signals if well grounded. I thought the ground connections from factory were enough for the ground plane needs of a radio...I was mistaken. Thanks again. I may still try the swing-out tire carrier and learn more through the process.
I briefly tried one of the antenna tabs welded into my Rock Hard 4x4 swing-away carrier. The RF ground was insufficient even with bare metal-to-metal contact at the antenna tab and from bumper to frame. The weak point was the carrier hinge - greased bearings don't make for a good RF ground connection. I put alligator clips on the ends of a short length of braided copper strap from carrier directly to frame as an experiment, which improved things, but as a general rule I don't like exposed cables or straps.
In the end I abandoned the idea of using the antenna tabs on my tire carrier in favor of left Teraflex tail light antenna mount for CB and corresponding right side Teraflex tail light mount for ham.
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I’ll buck the trend here. I mounted my CB antenna on my tire carrier without any additional grounding straps. It is actually on my homemade Rotopax mount which is bolted to the tire carrier. The combination makes enough of a counterpoise to get a decent VSWR. It is 2.0:1 at the band edges and perfect at band center. This is with a 3 foot Firestik.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm still considering my options.
Hmm. It seems, as stated by Jerry, that it depends on the tire carrier design. Mine is a Currie. We'll see.
I thought this little compact unit was pretty cool...I haven't see it in person...does anyone use one or seen one? Has some pretty cool features...
https://www.rightchannelradios.com/...z)&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Weekly Chatter
https://www.rightchannelradios.com/...z)&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Weekly Chatter
That looks good though also look at the Uniden Pro-520xl which costs about 1/3 as much from sources like Amazon. It's a very rugged, dependable, and popular radio for offroading, I've been using mine for over 20 years without problem.
You can see mine bolted to the bottom of my 2m ham radio... I've used that model CB in two Jeeps over 23 years.
Similar to my setup. CB and 2M/440 up top. HF/6M is on the dash.
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Jeepn_Texas
TJ Enthusiast
I have been a ham for 30 years...
Here is my mobiles I removed from the old jeep,
The radio on the left is a TM-D700A dual band 2M, 70cM
The radio on the right is a TS-480 SAT all the ham bands
from 1.8Mhz - 54Mhz, modes A1A (CW), J3E (SSB), A3E (AM), F3E (FM), F1D (FSK)
working out the mounts and antennas for the 2002 TJ.
I can't wait!
I have a pair of Midland 75-822 40ch handhelds for when I need a CBs.
I also have 3 pairs of FRS handhelds for others when I travel.
I am an extra class... and my jeep,
will soon look like a Porcupine!
Here is my mobiles I removed from the old jeep,
The radio on the left is a TM-D700A dual band 2M, 70cM
The radio on the right is a TS-480 SAT all the ham bands
from 1.8Mhz - 54Mhz, modes A1A (CW), J3E (SSB), A3E (AM), F3E (FM), F1D (FSK)
working out the mounts and antennas for the 2002 TJ.
I can't wait!
I have a pair of Midland 75-822 40ch handhelds for when I need a CBs.
I also have 3 pairs of FRS handhelds for others when I travel.
I am an extra class... and my jeep,
will soon look like a Porcupine!
Jeepn_Texas
TJ Enthusiast
Is that a kitty liter scoop to the left of the radios?
Jeepn_Texas
TJ Enthusiast
This will get you started on the right foot!
https://www.amazon.com/Youre-Talkin...mage_bk&tag=wranglerorg-20?tag=wranglerorg-20
It took me several seconds to figure out what you were asking about. That white slotted gizmo is the bottom of the electric garage door opener. 