Getting Started in CB
Radio
Buying
and Setting up your Station
Unfortunately there are
very few outlets left today to obtain decent new radios. On the High St.
there are outlets such as Tandy where you can buy the very respectable
80 channel Realistic sets for around £60.00. There are also specialist
shops around the country who deal in CB radio, Radio
Resources Page, and will be happy to give you advice and help you to
mail order your equipment. There are still some local CB shops were you
can just walk in and buy, some also sell used radios as well as new, but
if you buy used ask if you can try the set first, if you don't like to
talk on the radio yet, press the mike key and make sure the "S Meter" shows
power output by the needle moving across the dial to the right, this shows
the transmitter is still OK, if you don't mind talking ask for a "radio
check" some-one will always reply. If all this checks out and you like
the price then go ahead and buy, but don't forget you will also need an
antenna, power supply, and the all important SWR meter to make sure your
radio is tuned to your antenna properly. You could also try your local
press, Loot or one of the many CB
notice boards on the internet to buy your radio. But don't forget if
you buy an 80 channel radio that was originally a straight 40 this by definition
of your licence will still be illegal as you cannot modify your equipment
in any way.
Using
A CB in the Home
First find a place to
put your radio, preferably not to close to other receiving eqpt. TV, Radio
etc. as this could be a source of interference .This should be connected
to a suitable power supply, if you are using a mobile radio for your base
station, it needs to be 3 to 5 or 5 to 7 amp or larger to power the transmitter
and be regulated at 13.8 volts. Home based units have a power supply built
in just plug in the wall and away you go.
Antennas come in all
shapes and sizes, it is possible to set a mobile antenna up to operate
in your attic or other room in the house, while this is adequate to start
with, your transmitting distance will be limited, and it is also more likely
to cause interference to other receiving eqpt. Also
if you have limited space and set up the antenna in the same room as the
radio, stay at least 2 feet away from the antenna as RF (Radio Frequency)
energy created when you transmit is a source of radiation and prolonged
exposure can cause health problems.
The only really effective
way to go is to buy a home based antenna, pole and a set of brackets and
fix this securely to a wall or post, it is possible to attach the antenna
to a chimney pot but this can cause structural problems in high winds and
also sometimes requires local council planning permission.
There are a large
range of antennas on the market ,GP 27, Silver Rod ,Sirio 827 and 2012,
Antron 99 etc. but be warned with the nature of 27 Mhz be a relatively
low frequency by today's standards antennas do need to be quite a size,
the most efficient need to be at least 18 feet and can go up to 27 feet
with all sorts of fancy shapes hanging from them to improve their performance.
Plan ahead your local retailer will help you. There is an old saying on
the CB " You can have a Million Pound Rig and a Ten Pound Twig and your
rig will still get out like a Ten Pound One" . In other words if your going
to buy a decent rig then don't skimp on the twig or you will be disappointed.
Coaxial
Cable and S.W.R
A good coax cable is important
first it must be 50 ohms in resistance RG 8 (Low Loss, good stuff but not
cheap) RG 58 (More affordable, but does the job as well) if you are using
the latter try not to use a run over 10 metres long as this will start
to cause a loss of power at the antenna and possibly heighten the chance
of interference.
Two PL 259 connectors
will also be needed one for each end of the coax. The most important thing
to check when putting these on is there is no short at all between the
inner and outer coax and there is a good insulation between them, if you
are a dab hand with a soldering iron and a test meter this should be no
problem, but you would be supprised how this simple thing can cause so
many problems.
S.W.R.(Standing
Wave Ratio)
Tuning the coax line
to the radio, many people think you are tuning the antenna to
the radio but this is not the case.
First a length of
coax is needed around 12 inches long, two PL 259's on each end, a patch
lead to join the radio to the antenna with the SWR meter in line.
First key the radio
with the switch on the swr on set or calibrate, turn the control knob until
the needle is at the far right of the meter, a mark usually set or a horizontal
8 (infinity) indicates this point, once this has been done unkey the radio
and switch the swr meter back to the REF setting this indicates reflected
power, key the radio once again the needle should settle to the left, the
smaller the reading the better this is your reflected power, unused RF
energy at the antenna is sent back into the radio, too much of this can
have drastic side effects for your transmitter causing the power outputs
to overheat and eventually fail. Also a badly matched antenna will cause
TVI( Television Interference ) which you definitely don't want.
A good SWR reading
should be under 1.5:1, 2:1 is acceptable but this means you are losing
11% of your ERP and at 4 watts you need all the ERP you can get 3:1 is
a mismatch and the coax and antenna should be checked thoroughly.
Most good home based
antennas now will come pre set and if you assemble them to the marks on
the pole or to the instructions they should have an SWR of around 1.3:1
no problem at all.
Back to main
page
Installing a Rig in your car
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