CB Newbie - Lot of Questions

[hooges]

(Before you tell me to search and read this forum, I have been reading it for hours but still have questions)

I take a lot of road trips [am going to Chicago in a week] and have always considered a CB radio for calling out and knowing about "bear traps". I think it may be the time to invest a small amount of cash into one.

I was thinking about a very compact radio. Looked at some by Uniden and I hear they are good from what I read here. Any compact ones you'd recommend? Antenna wise, I am wanting something small, a Lil Wilson looks like the best option to me. I already know of where I would mount it and run the antenna [because from what I understand, you have to run a cable from antenna to CB, correct?]

I read somewhere here about "tuning" your antenna? What does that involve?

As far as CB radio installation, how they "mount"? I don't have a spot in mind of where it would go, I guess because I don't know how they mount. I am no expert on car installations, I have done my share of speaker amps and such in my day, but I don't want to go to huge troubles hiding wires and drilling holes. Obviously, thats why smaller would be better for me. Do they connect to the car's battery or just the ground?

I see a lot of posts of people wanting to "hide" or go "stealth" with their equipment. Any reason for this other than "looks"? Do you think that the chances of cops listening in and pulling over people with big antennas are higher?

I take it the Lil Wilson is 36" long? What are the concerns about it getting stolen if it just a magnetic device. I read that it will not fall off easily during driving at high speeds though.

I think that is all my questions for the moments. Any help in helping me pick out a radio/ante combo and answering a few questions is much appreciated.

[RW'07]

My own set-up and very happy with it for over two years now:

Midland 75-822 CB Radio hooked-up to the cigarette lighter

http://www.midlandradio.com/comersus...idProduct=3108

Wilson 5000 with the short load

http://www.wilsonantenna.com/w5000.htm

http://www.wilsonantenna.com/short.htm

Using the original whip each Wilson antenna comes with and you don't need any tuning, only if you go for the short load is a one-time SWR test and adjustment...

I keep my CB right by the driver's seat, it's gotta be close to you in order to safely use it any time you wanna talk to other truckers, I do it quite often... you do not have to drill any holes, you just run the pretty long wire from the CB all the way to the place you decide to mount the antenna mag, in my case is at the back of the roof, in the middle, so just 2-3 inches of wire being outside, it's pretty ugly to see a car with a freaking wire running on top of the car... the mag is strong like a rock, I've done high speeds in high winds and blowing snow, ain't moving not even a 1/4 of an inch...
It's FREE to use any CB with any type of antenna on top of your MV, lots of smokies use CBs with long antennas mounted on top of their cruiser's trunk to monitor commercial traffic also for emergencies (ch 9), ch 19 is the one for transmission and reception...
If you have further questions, feel free to ask anything :wink:

[cell21633]

^^ i will second.

i have the 75-822 unit also and it works great. paired with the wilson little wil. but if you're short on cash, consider the midland 1001z or cobra 19 DX-IV. these aren't handheld units like the midland 75-822, but are mobile units that are small enough to fit in many places in the car. the 75-822 is a great unit because it can act completely handheld with a battery pack, and comes with a car adapter so it runs off the cigarette 12v with an antenna adapter. i have it velcro'd to the dash.

you don't absolutely need to tune the antenna if you only planning on receiving, but it is a must if you plan on transmitting so you don't burn out your radio. you need an SWR meter for that.

wilson supplies a variety of magnet mount antennas so you can mount them anywhere a magnet would normally hold. can be your rooftop or trunk, best location is the center of the rooftop. magnet mount antennas use the sheet metal underneath them as a ground plane to help radiate their signal, so it's best to place them the highest, with the most metal beneath them.

no hassles with police with having a cb antenna visible. but as always, you want your install to look clean and easily removable when you're away. thieves will always hit when you least expect it.

if you're just getting into the hobby and not looking to upgrade later on, i would recommend anything already listed in this thread:

radios:
Midland 75-822 -- if you want a handheld, about $100 on amazon
Midland 1001z -- great compact unit, about $40 + ship
Cobra 19 DX-IV -- great compact unit, about $50 + ship

antenna:
Wilson Little Wil -- great for height restrictions, about $30-$40 + ship
Wilson 1000 -- better transmit and receive than Little Wil, more espensive than WLW
Wilson 5000 -- even better transmit and receive, more espensive than W1000
Wilson 5000 + short load -- don't see this setup often, so ask RW'07


there are more combinations out there, but i'm just giving you recommendations for the weekend warrior looking to get started in CB equipment and keeping cost down

www.cbradiotalk.com
check them out for more recommendations too. these guys know their stuff and are just as helpful about CBs as we are about RDs

[hooges]

Thanks for the help. I definitely like the looks of that midland 1001z just because of price, but the fact the handheld comes with a car adapter certainly is appealing.

These SWR meters you speak of, are they expensive and difficult to use?

[RW'07]

Wilson 5000 + short load -- don't see this setup often, so ask RW'07

The very same short load works with the 5000 AND 1000 :wink:

[RW'07]

These SWR meters you speak of, are they expensive and difficult to use?

http://www.durhamradio.com/home.php?cat=1681

Also some CB radios:

http://www.durhamradio.com/home.php?cat=1695
http://www.durhamradio.com/home.php?cat=1694

All prices in Canadian$

[hooges]

From my first reply however;

Using the original whip each Wilson antenna comes with and you don't need any tuning, only if you go for the short load is a one-time SWR test and adjustment...

So I do, definitely, need a SWR meter or not? I won't be changing anything with the antenna.

[RW'07]

From my first reply however;

Using the original whip each Wilson antenna comes with and you don't need any tuning, only if you go for the short load is a one-time SWR test and adjustment...

So I do, definitely, need a SWR meter or not? I won't be changing anything with the antenna.

If you plan on using the freaking long original whip, the answer is NO, just plug and play :wink: only for the short load you need the SWR test and adjustment

[RW'07]

Thanks for the help. I definitely like the looks of that midland 1001z just because of price, but the fact the handheld comes with a car adapter certainly is appealing.

These SWR meters you speak of, are they expensive and difficult to use?

The ham store technician did this test for me, he just asked me what channel I'm monitoring all the time, I said 19, so he did the test on ch 19, basically you just plug the antenna into the SWR tester and then follow the readings, too high, too low or within the range whatever that range might be, it says in the SWR manual if you decide to buy one

[hooges]

Is the lil wilson a "freaking long whip"?

Thanks for all the help, you are a life saver.