CB set up, is it a black art.

[ganderman]

Got a new tractor for spring and got the dealership fit a new CB as we are not great at the job. Got going with it and it has a range of about 30 yards so could only speak when passing! Have put the meter on it and it's off the scale, I have lengthened and shortened the aerial,changed the position and changed the aerial nothing made any difference. Thoroughly hacked off , any suggestions please ?

 

[TripleSix]

If it's any consolation I never have any luck with CBs either.

Someone I worked for had CBs that worked really well, very annoying

 

[Speedstar]

Got a new tractor for spring and got the dealership fit a new CB as we are not great at the job. Got going with it and it has a range of about 30 yards so could only speak when passing! Have put the meter on it and it's off the scale, I have lengthened and shortened the aerial,changed the position and changed the aerial nothing made any difference. Thoroughly hacked off , any suggestions please ?

Some thing wrong some were should work for miles , what kind is it ?

 

[Lincs Lass]

Alot depends on the twig you are using and where its mounted ,,,mag mounts need a large surface area with a good earth ,as do clamp mounts .
CB,s in general dont have a massive distance range even in level areas ,,hilly countryside will kill the reception

 

[ganderman]

We are in the very flat bit of your county , some of our other sets reach a couple of miles. We don't need massive range just the same field would be nice.

 

[Lincs Lass]

Is the tractor fitted with a guidance system ,,maybe the frequency of the cb is conflicting against the satellite signal ,,certainly alot more electronics in modern tractors to interfere with reception

 

[njneer]

Make sure that the co ax is not touching the centre wire . Do a continuity test on the Ariel and the mount and make sure there is no continuity .
Single wire of coax touching the centre wire will kill the signal.

 

[ganderman]

Sorry you will have to lower the bar a bit , what is a continuity test?

 

[DrDunc]

Mounted onto the wing mirror arm?

Bet it's not actually earthed to the cab, or as suggested the centre pin is earthed to the shield coax, hence the swr is pegging full scale.....

 

[ganderman]

The tractor is set up for RTK but box of trick is in another tractor at the mo. The radio is a president of some sort.

 

[ganderman]

They had mounted it to the flasher mount bracket . I moved it to a bolt on the top of the cab it made no difference.

 

[DrDunc]

They had mounted it to the flasher mount bracket . I moved it to a bolt on the top of the cab it made no difference.

Is swr meter pegging to full scale?

You've either not ground plane of a dead short.

Don't transmit until you've fixed it or you'll blow the tx circuit

 

[icanshootwell]

Alot depends on the twig you are using and where its mounted ,,,mag mounts need a large surface area with a good earth ,as do clamp mounts .
CB,s in general dont have a massive distance range even in level areas ,,hilly countryside will kill the reception

Twig, i like it, not heard that for a while. That,s a big 10 four.

 

[ganderman]

Yes it flies right off the scale!

 

[njneer]

Sorry you will have to lower the bar a bit , what is a continuity test?

Test using a multi meter.
Using both probes on the multimeter, set to continuity / resistance touch the Ariel and the mounting if it beeps then they are touching.
It’s a test used to check wiring, if one end of a wire is at the front of a machine and the other at the back , using this test can determine if the wire is broken somewhere in between.

 

[DrDunc]

Yes it flies right off the scale!

Unscrew cable from aerial

1.Use a continuity meter to check between centre pin and the outer for a dead short

2.Unscrew at the back of the box and repeat

3.Finally test between the aerial itself, and the mounting bracket

If 1 is a dead short but not 2, it's the box

If 1 and 2, it's the cable

If 3 its the aerial mount at fault

 

[ganderman]

Thanks a lot I will give it a go.

 

[kiwi pom]

Haven't used one for years but had some good set ups on tractors of Ford 7810 and JD 6600 variety. My 78 had a burner too (are they still a thing?) Could talk to people miles away.
Seem to remember aerial placement was important, don't have 2 unless you can get them far enough apart, which on a tractor I don't think you can?
Wired direct to battery (in line fuse) but the shortest good earth you could get, might not be able to do that in the new tractors though? then SWR it to fine tune.
Bound to be something on YouTube to help?

 

[milkloss]

So come on all of you, what are, or were, your handles?

Mine was Nobby, a shortened name for knob job.......... Long story!

 

[Mursal]

Or just try another aerial, if that's easier ..........
.