Squelch setting

[Motor On]

I've noticed I tend to either get static all the time, or end up blocking out everybody's transmissions, there seems to be no "middle ground" that will let me get clear signals.

It is an intermittent problem, there are days I can get a steady 15mi reception, then there are days I'll get one or two contact within less than a mile. The poor reception is only on good weather days, however there have also been good weather days that I'm getting awesome reception.

Cobra 19 Ultra III (wired to the fuse box), currently with a Vanco Mag mount (local wilson dealer was out of business, needed it asap) and 2ft whip (not yet SWR tuned, only Rx until then). Previously had a radio shack thru glass mount(SWR tuned to 1.1).

Anything I can do to fix this so my next road trip sees reliable CB use?

[AirMoore]

Really... you should get a new antenna, thats where everything is at. A Wilson Lil' Wil looks to be your best bet, though it seems that you know it and just couldn't get a Wilson because the lack of a dealer. Check your local truck stop, or go online for it.



Also the CB waves are a rather odd thing, some days you will get amazing distance, some days it will be utterly terrible with your RX/TX. Remember it all depends on who's out there too...


The same goes for squelch, since the 'traffic' on the airwaves is different everyday, I find that I have to constantly 'adjust' this to keep out unwanted noise for the day, and let in people that I want to hear.
The easiest way to do this is: Go to watch channel/station you will be on (19) I assume... then start the squelch where everything is coming through. Then EXTREMELY slowly work it up to right above the 'noise floor' or background noise for the day... so right where you stop hearing static/gargled transmissions....


One problem you may be having in the 'squelch' department is your unit is on the 'cheaper' end of things (nothing wrong with that), but it may not be as 'able' to fine tune as a higher-end unit which you can adjust a lot more settings to your liking.

[Motor On]

The easiest way to do this is: Go to watch channel/station you will be on (19) I assume... then start the squelch where everything is coming through. Then EXTREMELY slowly work it up to right above the 'noise floor' or background noise for the day... so right where you stop hearing static/gargled transmissions....


One problem you may be having in the 'squelch' department is your unit is on the 'cheaper' end of things (nothing wrong with that), but it may not be as 'able' to fine tune as a higher-end unit which you can adjust a lot more settings to your liking.

That's exactly how I set it, get on the the highway (so should there be any other static from the car spark plugs, fuel pump,etc it's stabilized for normal use) , go to 19, knock it all the way down then bring it up slowly until the atmospheric static clears (roughly 6 out of 10 days this is sufficient for my road information use), sometimes I note that I can go to where that static clears and pull the knob down a little, on a bad day this is usually where I'll get a blast of static when someone further off is trying to contact me.

Another thing to point out, that may or may not be affecting me; I drive a hatchback with a big sunroof, so my usable ground plane is about 10x40in with a big hole cut out in the middle of it all for the factory AM antenna.

The more reading I'm doing on the CB forums, the more I'm finding others that have run the same model Cobra 19 very successfully, and the only modifications where for Tx, which does bother me so running it stock I'm expecting to hear quite well.

[Freebird]

On noisy days try leaving the squelch all the way off/ far left and back off the rfgain knob to decrease the noise. It will decrease your receive, but not cut out all receive. All radios are different as to how much to turn back the rf knob, but turn it back till you have slight noise. I find this works better to drown noise out on real noisy days than cranking up the squelch. If you dont have a rfgain knob, you will have to rely on the sqelch knob unfortunately.

[AirMoore]

On noisy days try leaving the squelch all the way off/ far left and back off the rfgain knob to decrease the noise. It will decrease your receive, but not cut out all receive. All radios are different as to how much to turn back the rf knob, but turn it back till you have slight noise. I find this works better to drown noise out on real noisy days than cranking up the squelch. If you dont have a rfgain knob, you will have to rely on the sqelch knob unfortunately.

I am rather sure his unit does not have a RF-Gain function, just the squelch.

[Motor On]

I am rather sure his unit does not have a RF-Gain function, just the squelch.

Correct, the 19DXIV does (newer/next model up) but not the Ultra III (about the only difference with the units).

Just finished the road trip, never had more than 1.5mi reception and the mag mount did a number to my roof (magnet liner partially melted and despite being stable, managed to good gashes in the paint as well), needless to say I'll be contacting it's manufacturer about a direct return. The replacement will most likely be a "lil Wil" or a Wilson 1k, however I'm also wondering if I should look into a no ground plane antenna for better results, given my small ground plane area.

I'm on the fence as to the fate of the Cobra as well. I've all the parts, that it came with, and quite possibly the original box as well, so taking it back to wal-mart should be fairly easy, but I believe my optionsare quite limited due to vehicle space.

[AirMoore]

Correct, the 19DXIV does (newer/next model up) but not the Ultra III (about the only difference with the units).

Just finished the road trip, never had more than 1.5mi reception and the mag mount did a number to my roof (magnet liner partially melted and despite being stable, managed to good gashes in the paint as well), needless to say I'll be contacting it's manufacturer about a direct return. The replacement will most likely be a "lil Wil" or a Wilson 1k, however I'm also wondering if I should look into a no ground plane antenna for better results, given my small ground plane area.

I'm on the fence as to the fate of the Cobra as well. I've all the parts, that it came with, and quite possibly the original box as well, so taking it back to wal-mart should be fairly easy, but I believe my optionsare quite limited due to vehicle space.

I would defiantly suggest a Wilson Mag-mount antenna, they are the best mag-mounts bottom-line, and you see why they are so often used. Get one and see your performance increase dramatically (at least you should). I can TX/RX at any given time on any day at 10+ Miles with my little wil, though I prefer my Wilson 1000 (with extended whip).

As for your CB, I would say going to a peaked and tuned Uniden 510XL would be a good bet. Its nearly identical to yours, but long-time CB'ers rave about how much more punch they can pack vs comparable units of the same size/cost. Not to mention durability! (Though your unit is VERY similar to the 510)... so I would say try a better antenna first, then change the CB if you NEED to at that point.

The antenna is the 'key' to any rig though, so start there.

[FoolishOne]

A little late to the subject, but for a second there I thought someone was posting as me, as I have nearly the identical setup and thinking the same thing(s)!

I have the Cobra 19 whatever (the Wallie cheapy) with a Lil Wil. I have to say that the performance is greater than I thought it would be, but I have yet to know what the real capabilities are for the Lil Wil.

I got the Cobra to learn on. I believe that I have had it for like 6 weeks or something, and am close to returning it for the next step up. I really want the thing to scan all 40 channels instead of being stuck on 19. (23 and 35 can get pretty funny though). Then I guess its an RF gain.

Thoughts on handhelds? The speaker is at the bottom of the Cobra and I have not a single place for the receiver. If its the antenna that counts, I don't think it would make a difference. Si o no?

[DeadReb245]

I have the Cobra 19 whatever (the Wallie cheapy) with a Lil Wil. I have to say that the performance is greater than I thought it would be, but I have yet to know what the real capabilities are for the Lil Wil.

I got the Cobra to learn on. I believe that I have had it for like 6 weeks or something, and am close to returning it for the next step up. I really want the thing to scan all 40 channels instead of being stuck on 19. (23 and 35 can get pretty funny though). Then I guess its an RF gain.

Thoughts on handhelds? The speaker is at the bottom of the Cobra and I have not a single place for the receiver. If its the antenna that counts, I don't think it would make a difference. Si o no?

The performance of the Lil Wil is outstanding for its size. There really is none better. However, I would recommend, if you're going to get serious into CB's, a Wilson 1000.

I have never seen a CB radio that is able to scan through all of the 40 channels. However, I have HEARD of such a thing. Perhaps an internet search is called for in this case. Regardless, if you are more interested in listening, there are plenty of scanners available that will receive the CB frequencies. The issue would be getting one hooked up to the CB antenna for decent range. I'm not sure what antenna jacks typically come on different scanner models or if there are adapters to convert from PL-259 (CB coax connector) to the connectors they accept or not.

A handheld CB will do you just fine so long as you continue to use your Lil Wil or better yet, a 1000.

[fire65]

The Cobra WX, remote mount CB with weather and 40 channel CB scan, also monitors 2 channels at a time.