Getting Started in CB Radio

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

Some More Good Links For You To Follow
CB Radio Resources page
Based in the UK, For everyone in the world
Amateur Radio Resources Page
Amateur version of the above, A bit more serious though
On-Line DX (Chat Room)
Chat to fellow D.X.'ers from all over the world
The Museum Of U.K. CB "Slang"
Check this out for a bit of nostalgia
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The CB Handle Hall Of Fame
Be famous around the world
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Getting Started in CB Radio
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