CB and Ham Radio can be a very rewarding hobby but if you listen to the wrong information it will become frustrating and expensive.

I can’t stress how important it is to really listen to the people who are “experts” or “self proclaimed” Messiah’s of the radio industry. You know the type. They exist in every walk of life. Do your research. Ask around about them…..but please get more than just a couple of opinions. Some people will believe anything.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. There really is no such thing as a stupid question. Everyone had to learn from the beginning. Asking questions is how you can gage if this person really is an “expert”. Ask a few questions you already know the answer to. But be reasonable… if the answer varies from what you already know ask, “Why?” or “Explain further”.

If you are making your purchase decision based only on price or only on what someone says they can do, not what they really can do you may become a victim. We see this a lot unfortunately. People getting ripped off by boastful techs that sound better than they really are, promising you that your radio will have power beyond compare. Look around the shop. What equipment are they using? You should see an oscilloscope and power/swr meter/s. Do they use a dummy load? (This is a false antenna which gives a perfect match.) Do they have schematics and diagrams? In other words is this person someone who learned from hack sites on the net? Or is the person someone who understands electronics? Someone who understands electronics will be able fix more than radios. This is very handy.

If you are reading this than you probably own a computer and quite likely have access to the Internet. DO YOUR RESEARCH.

Now…here’s the real secret. ANTENNAS! ANTENNAS! ANTENNAS!

So many people put all their attention into the kick butt radio and maybe a “boot” (linear amplifier) but they miss the most important part of the equation. The ANTENNA system. (Take note that I said, “system”. We’ll come back to this.) The antenna for any radio can be compared to a stereo. If you have an awesome stereo and crappy speakers it will sound really bad. BUT….if you have an average stereo with decent, properly installed speakers your music will sound great. Your radio is the stereo and the antennas are the speakers.

When it comes to antennas nothing beats a little theory and LOT of experience. Quite often we talk to people that have been to several CB shops or talk to people who said their problem with their antenna system “must be ground”. BEWARE! This is a warning signal. I can’t count the number of times that we have found this to be a stock replacement answer for, “I don’t know what’s wrong”. If a tech can’t be forthright enough to say, “I don’t know.” how can you trust this person not to stumble ahead and make a mess of things just to save face? If someone tells you it’s a ground issue ask them to explain it to you. How did they come to that conclusion?

Don’t be afraid to watch the tech while the antenna system is being tested. Yes..I said SYSTEM. This includes the antenna, stud mount and coax or magnetic mount. If it’s a magnetic mount, there won’t be a stud mount.

If the tech says, “I don’t go outside.” then you may become a victim of a capable tech who isn’t seeing the whole picture. I can’t stress often enough how your antenna system will affect your performance.

Don’t forget these facts:

  • If you hook up power to your radio backwards you will pop your fuse and quite likely your protection diode. This will completely stop your radio from coming on and you will keep blowing fuses. If you hook up your radio backwards with too large of a fuse when you turn it on it is possible that your radio will be destroyed. I have seen burnt modulation transformers burnt beyond recognition. Always make sure you have the proper size fuse.

  • If you don’t use the proper size of fuse in your power line it won’t protect your radio . If your radio is stock, out of the box it’s 4watts of power which means you can use a 2 or 3 amp fuse. If your radio has 10 watts of power use a 3 amp fuse. If you are not sure ask a professional. (the power rating is dead key not pep)

  • If you key up your radio, especially if it has been “Peaked-up”, without a decent match (SWR = Standing Wave Ratio) it will reflect your power back into your radio (into the rf output transistor or “final”) and damage your radio. Quite possibly frying parts in the process.

  • If you mount two antennas too close together, or too close to other antennas it will affect your range/distance.

  • Your coax must be either 18ft or 9ft. Multiples of 9 feet are the perfect length for a proper match.

  • If you are using a stud mount always make sure the insulator (nylon or plastic washer) is on the top of the bracket. If the antenna touches the bracket it creates a dead short and your antenna will not perform.