questions about CB's

[jeepthesouth]

Hey y'all, sorry but im a newbie with some questions about CBs. First off, how does the whole channel thing work? like if i wanted to talk to a trucker who just passed me on the highway, how would i do that? and what is the difference between channel 9 and channel 19? i also need help mounting my antenna ( i have a jeep with a custom bumper).... and any other info would be great! like an intro to CBs or something lol. thanks abunch

[Arvetus]

What do you mean exactly on "how does the whole channel thing work?"

Channel 19 is what is mosly used on the highway by truckers. Most of the time, if you want to talk to the trucker that you're passing, or whatever, just holler at him/her and refer to some markings on the truck or something. i.e. "driver in the Schneider truck, come back" or something. That's what I used to do when I used CB.

Channel 9 used to be used for emergencys only. I am not sure anymore how strictly this is enforced. Back in the day when I used CB, you didn't dare transmit on channel 9 unless you had an emergency. I haven't turned the ole CB on in probably 10 years.

Mounting the antenna... just get a bumper mount for the Jeep. Make sure the antenna is properly grounded to the body of the car. If you want to do it right, you'll need an SWR meter and you'll want to tune the antenna to channel 20. This will give you good performance throughout the CB band.

[drb]

Take care chosing a mounting position for your antenna. Do a little "googling" on "ground plane" and you'll see that the best place for an antenna is right in the middle of a metal car roof.

Like I'm the big CB expert, but I do know that much!

[fred france]

Hello

best place should be on the middle of the car but basicly there existing extremely good antennas.
The best antenna you have, the best posssibility reception you will have
Do not expect good work with small antenna, you will need at least 1.45 meters lenght.
For the CB itself a middle class would be enought except if you want to make long distance thenfore you will need also a to one and you can get in touch with South America, Europe, Pacific ............. but this is another hobby starting there HI

[goofy173]

Placement depends on what you want. If you want good forward reception, (which is normally what I'd want) you mount it on the rear of the vehicle.

[Longsnowsm]

In my car there literally isn't anyplace that I can see to install a CB. Where are you guys mounting your CB? Would a handheld unit work in a pinch?

Longsnowsm