The Ham & CB Radio Thread

jazngab said:
Has anyone ran their cb through their car power adapter outlet? Just looking into options. I’d like to remove the cb when I’m not wheeling and wiring it to the battery would make it hard even though I know that’s the preferable route. Using this, I figured I can unplug and disconnect whenever not wheeling. Thoughts?

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It gets awfully noisy as the electricity is a bit dirtier, meaning that you’ll get some engine whine and other sounds as you’re driving. While you can adjust the squelch, it starts to negatively impact sensitivity to signals (which may or may not be fine if you’re in a group fairly close together).

You could do a quick disconnect elsewhere (maybe just inside the firewall) with a “Powerpole” connector, a pretty common quick disconnect power connector in the HAM space.
 
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jazngab said:
Has anyone ran their cb through their car power adapter outlet? Just looking into options. I’d like to remove the cb when I’m not wheeling and wiring it to the battery would make it hard even though I know that’s the preferable route. Using this, I figured I can unplug and disconnect whenever not wheeling. Thoughts?

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Not a good idea for a CB or ham radio at all.

Basic 2-Way Radio Installation 101 says to power 2-way radios directly from the battery or from as close to it as possible. The reason being is that's the cleanest most noise-free source of power. I say noise-free because you want noise-free reception of signals and you want your transmitted signal to be noise free. What kind of noise could you get from other potential sources of power? Ignition (static), alternator whine, fuel pump whine, etc. The battery is like a giant noise-filter so connecting your CB or ham radio to or as close to the battery as possible will help eliminate or reduce noise that would be audible on your CB or ham radio.

A great source of power for your radio is where was suggested above in post # 135. At the 12v power input lug on the outside/rear of the TJ's Power Distribution Center which is connected directly to the battery. There's a small snap-off cover over the top of it.
 
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For those of you who have installed an external speaker for your radios, where in the cab have you mounted them? My ham radio is under the drivers seat and it’s hard to hear when I’m driving.
 
lunchbox3 said:
For those of you who have installed an external speaker for your radios, where in the cab have you mounted them? My ham radio is under the drivers seat and it’s hard to hear when I’m driving.
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I’ve seen a number of folks mount them to the rollbar between the seats, which works with just a couple radiator clamps. Though haven’t gotten my ham mounted yet.
 
Someone in my ham club recommended one of the Motorola communications speakers they use for emergency responders. So I got one, and soldered on a 3.5mm mono plug, but it’s like 5 and a half inches square. Not sure where to put it where it won’t be an eyesore. Anyone do these installs and know where they’re put normally?
 
My favorite is the truckers with the linear amps who seem to be able to transmit over 40 miles and drown out anyone else...o_O
 
See the below link, this will solve all the radio etc. mounting problems. IMHO

http://www.arizonarockyroad.com/radiomounts.html
83897
 
rasband said:
I’ve seen a number of folks mount them to the rollbar between the seats, which works with just a couple radiator clamps. Though haven’t gotten my ham mounted yet.
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I’ll investigate this. I was hoping for something that blends in better but this speaker is large and hiding it will be a challenge.
 
lunchbox3 said:
For those of you who have installed an external speaker for your radios, where in the cab have you mounted them? My ham radio is under the drivers seat and it’s hard to hear when I’m driving.
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I have two speakers they are small, one is a uniden and the other some generic name. I picked them up at the local Love's and Flying J's. One (CB) is mounted in the middle in front of the little tray on top and one (2m) is mounted in the corner of the windshield on the driver's side with VHB tape.
 
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The first two pics below are of my radios on that mount. I found the third pic showing the top of it on the internet. No drilling to mount it.
download.jpg
IMAG0084.jpg
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lunchbox3 said:
For those of you who have installed an external speaker for your radios, where in the cab have you mounted them? My ham radio is under the drivers seat and it’s hard to hear when I’m driving.
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Mine is above the rear view mirror attached to the windshield frame pointing right at my deaf ears.

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Can anyone recommend a cost effective HAM radio? Originally I was looking at some pretty expensive ones that separate the head and the unit and include GPS for APRS (as I go often alone). However I think I’m going to get a SPOT to serve that need.
 
rasband said:
Can anyone recommend a cost effective HAM radio?
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I used to have Yaesu radios but have switched to Kenwood because they are quite rugged and I prefer the user interface.

My 2m Kenwood TM-281A is pictured in the post immediately above yours.
https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-011362

A good option for a 2m/70cm dual band is the Kenwood TM-V71A, but dual bands cost substantially more than single bands.

Although I own a cheap Baofeng UV-5 from Amazon it is essentially a throw away and I wouldn't recommend it as one's primary radio.
 
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As DW and I are making a trip this summer to Yellowstone and beyond, in the TJ, I have finished the install on the CB radio. Not a CB'er but, we have made many miles in the TJ listing to 146.520, not a peep, so I thought I would add the CB to see what I here.

Do Jeep'er listen to one CB channel over another?

Thanks
89424



The near antenna is a Hustler CB antenna and the far antenna is a Hustler 2 meter.
 
It used to be a general rule of thumb that east-west traffic was on channel 19, while north-south was on 17. In Oregon, I never found that to be the case. It seemed like the whole west coast was on 17. I would look on those two channels.
 
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