Any c.b experts around??

[63W]

Anyone good with cb's? Have a uniden 510 that's only putting out barley 2 watts

[:)bestgen4runner]

Try helipilot I think He has some CB skills

[blackdiamond]

What do you think it should be putting out?

[63W]

Well the legal max is 4 if I remember correctly. I would like to get closer to the 3-3.5 mark. The radio probably just need a good tune.


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[V-Man]

How old is the radio? If you have a good match on the antenna and are not lissing power.  It's likely that the final is just wearing out if it's more then a couple years old and has seen regular use.
A new final( about 50 to 60 bucks) plus labour( think the going rate is 60 to 70 per hour) for a tune up and alignment and you should be good to go.

[63W]

How old is the radio? If you have a good match on the antenna and are not lissing power.  It's likely that the final is just wearing out if it's more then a couple years old and has seen regular use.
A new final( about 50 to 60 bucks) plus labour( think the going rate is 60 to 70 per hour) for a tune up and alignment and you should be good to go.

The radio is under a year old, only gets used probably half dozen times a year. There are no more shops that do that stuff around here that I can find.

[V-Man]

The radio is under a year old, only gets used probably half dozen times a year. There are no more shops that do that stuff around here that I can find.

What is the match( VSWR) on the antenna? What are you using for a power meter? 

[63W]

What is the match( VSWR) on the antenna? What are you using for a power meter?

The swr is right at the 1.1. The meter is an astatic

[Gnarly4X]

Anyone good with cb's? Have a uniden 510 that's only putting out barley 2 watts

Hey 63W,

Geez... I haven't discussed CB stuff in years.

Naturally, my first question is why are you using a CB?

Before you go off and buy some testing equipment, can you please describe how your CB is connected to your vehicle?

What type of coax are you using?  Specifically, how are the PL259 connectors mated to the cable?

Do you have any splices in the cable?

What is the length of the cable from radio to antenna?

Please describe specifically where the radio is mounted and if the cable has a direct path between the antenna and radio, or is it coiled?

What type, brand, length of antenna are you using?

Where and how is it mounted?

How is the positive 12V and ground wire connected to the battery AND the radio?

Do you have any filters connected any where?

Describe how and where your vehicle is located when you are seeing a power output reading?

Thanks,

Gnarls.

[63W]

Hey 63W,

Geez... I haven't discussed CB stuff in years.

Naturally, my first question is why are you using a CB?

Before you go off and buy some testing equipment, can you please describe how your CB is connected to your vehicle?

What type of coax are you using?  Specifically, how are the PL259 connectors mated to the cable?

Do you have any splices in the cable?

What is the length of the cable from radio to antenna?

Please describe specifically where the radio is mounted and if the cable has a direct path between the antenna and radio, or is it coiled?

What type, brand, length of antenna are you using?

Where and how is it mounted?

How is the positive 12V and ground wire connected to the battery AND the radio?

Do you have any filters connected any where?

Describe how and where your vehicle is located when you are seeing a power output reading?

Thanks,

Gnarls.

Wow. I'm going to have to do some serious researches to answer all of that gnarls. Lol.

The radios are just in our trail rigs, I was just trying to get a little more range out of the radio in question.  To answer a few questions there are no splices in the cables, its not cooled up and the antenna is a Wilson 4' with a tunable tip. I mounted it beside factory roll bar using one of the bolt holes for the hard top to hold the mount. The rig is a 88 4Runner.

No filters.

The cb is getting power from the factory am/fm radio location, as I do not have a radio anymore.

The rig is just in the back yard not an ideal location to tune an radio to an antenna but it's seemed to work fine for our other rig with a cb.

I think the uniden radio is just putting out less power from the factory compared to my other radio. I have a midland hand held I used before I purchased the uniden, on the same set up it will put out 3-3.5 watts.

Thanks for all the help.

[Gnarly4X]

I am definitely NOT a CB radio expert, so other more knowledgeable guys may have better information.

However, I played with them, mostly for communicating on my road trips back and forth to the sand dunes for about 8 years. Then for about 23 years while I was 4-wheeling off-road.  I had a HAM license some year back, but since I did not get really into it, I let my license expire.

I would make sure the grounding of the antenna mount is really good.  On my '85 shortbed, I connected 16 gage wire from the CB mount to the frame... why?  Because the bed is sitting on rubber grommets, and the CB mount was in the middle of the top bed rail right behind the slider.

It's been awhile, but as I remember... I ran the 12V positive wire (16 gauges) directly from the battery through the fire wall, under the dash and directly to the CB.  I ran the 12V ground wire using RG58 coax with a stranded center wire from the negative terminal on the battery.  I did NOT use the center wire, I used the braided shield as a 12V ground wire.  I simply soldered a large ring connector to a 1 " section of braid that I peeled back and twisted together and connected it to the negative battery clamp, and connected the other end to radio negative wire with a spade lug.

The tuning of the antenna is critical for power output.  I assume that antenna is top loaded?  An SWR reading a 1.1 should be OK.  Mounting to the side of the factory roll bar may not provide an adequate ground plane.

It is possible to over heat the finals, I've done it.  The new CBs most likely have power protection, so they reduce output to protect from over loading.

I always tuned and tested my CB in a large open space away from any buildings or structures.

Make sure mic is connected well.  Are you comfortable that the coax is good quality and the connectors are good?

What channel(s) do you mainly use when wheeling?  I always tuned for the channel I used the most.

That Uniden is very good radio. My last one, which I still have, is a tweaked 'n peaked Cobra 25 LTD Classic.  I also ran a 50 watt kicker with it.

EDIT:  Over the years I tried different antennas and went through several radios.  Strangely, the very best antenna I ended up with is the least expensive.  It's a 96" tapered fiberglass whip, which I still have.

Let us know what you discover if you do anything more.

Gnarls.

[63W]

I am definitely NOT a CB radio expert, so other more knowledgeable guys may have better information.

However, I played with them, mostly for communicating on my road trips back and forth to the sand dunes for about 8 years. Then for about 23 years while I was 4-wheeling off-road.  I had a HAM license some year back, but since I did not get really into it, I let my license expire.

I would make sure the grounding of the antenna mount is really good.  On my '85 shortbed, I connected 16 gage wire from the CB mount to the frame... why?  Because the bed is sitting on rubber grommets, and the CB mount was in the middle of the top bed rail right behind the slider.

It's been awhile, but as I remember... I ran the 12V positive wire (16 gauges) directly from the battery through the fire wall, under the dash and directly to the CB.  I ran the 12V ground wire using RG58 coax with a stranded center wire from the negative terminal on the battery.  I did NOT use the center wire, I used the braided shield as a 12V ground wire.  I simply soldered a large ring connector to a 1 " section of braid that I peeled back and twisted together and connected it to the negative battery clamp, and connected the other end to radio negative wire with a spade lug.

The tuning of the antenna is critical for power output.  I assume that antenna is top loaded?  An SWR reading a 1.1 should be OK.  Mounting to the side of the factory roll bar may not provide an adequate ground plane.

It is possible to over heat the finals, I've done it.  The new CBs most likely have power protection, so they reduce output to protect from over loading.

I always tuned and tested my CB in a large open space away from any buildings or structures.

Make sure mic is connected well.  Are you comfortable that the coax is good quality and the connectors are good?

What channel(s) do you mainly use when wheeling?  I always tuned for the channel I used the most.

That Uniden is very good radio. My last one, which I still have, is a tweaked 'n peaked Cobra 25 LTD Classic.  I also ran a 50 watt kicker with it.

EDIT:  Over the years I tried different antennas and went through several radios.  Strangely, the very best antenna I ended up with is the least expensive.  It's a 96" tapered fiberglass whip, which I still have.

Let us know what you discover if you do anything more.

Gnarls.

Thanks for the info gnarls.

I have run a ground from the antenna mount. I was just looking to get a little better range out of it as it's pretty short   

[63W]

What kind of range did you have with your cobra 25 gnarls?


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[Gnarly4X]

What kind of range did you have with your cobra 25 gnarls?


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Well... I have to go back in time quite a ways... but it was very good for most of the trail trips, except when the vehicles were separated by a valley or canyon type terrain.  I had it tweaked and peaked to see what added range I might see.  It definitely added some range, like when I was on the highway and communicating to a group that was strung by 5 or 10 miles.  I played with skip a few times like connecting to a CBer in South Carolina from Arizona. 

When I connected the kicker to it, that was very noticeable especially at night.  I remember once I was in Sonora Mexico on cross-country trip with our club and at night connected to a club member who also was running a kicker and we were about 25 miles apart, and the terrain was relatively flat.

I don't know if there are any CB shops still around, like at the big truck stops, but as you know you can test the radio itself for power output

Let us know what you find out.

Gnarls.

[63W]

Well... I have to go back in time quite a ways... but it was very good for most of the trail trips, except when the vehicles were separated by a valley or canyon type terrain.  I had it tweaked and peaked to see what added range I might see.  It definitely added some range, like when I was on the highway and communicating to a group that was strung by 5 or 10 miles.  I played with skip a few times like connecting to a CBer in South Carolina from Arizona. 

When I connected the kicker to it, that was very noticeable especially at night.  I remember once I was in Sonora Mexico on cross-country trip with our club and at night connected to a club member who also was running a kicker and we were about 25 miles apart, and the terrain was relatively flat.

I don't know if there are any CB shops still around, like at the big truck stops, but as you know you can test the radio itself for power output

Let us know what you find out.

Gnarls.

Well I'm not needing anything like that but a couple miles would be nice. My wife can't hear me after probably a 100 yards.

[Gnarly4X]

...  My wife can't hear me after probably a 100 yards.

Whoooaaa.... yeah... there's obviously something wrong!!

Gnarls.

[63W]

Yeah that's my same thought also. I can hear others just they can't hear me.


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[V-Man]

Swap a different radio in and test the output.  Sounds like you got a radio with a bad final right out of the box...  The 510 was never a great model.  Cheap price and cheaply made..

[63W]

Swap a different radio in and test the output.  Sounds like you got a radio with a bad final right out of the box...  The 510 was never a great model.  Cheap price and cheaply made..

Done that yesterday and my other radio is better

[V-Man]

Done that yesterday and my other radio is better

So I am guessing the other radio had more power and worked better.
Looks like you need another radio.

[63W]

So I am guessing the other radio had more power and worked better.
Looks like you need another radio.

Yes you are correct. Yeah I thinking the same thing, just got a bad one when I bought it.

[Gnarly4X]

Yes you are correct. Yeah I thinking the same thing, just got a bad one when I bought it.

Is Uniden's warranty still 2 years?

Gnarls.

[63W]

Is Uniden's warranty still 2 years?

Gnarls.

I believe so