Question CB radio

[Joe Hogan]

Installed a quality CB in my last coach, without much luck. Range was very short and radio interference was very high. Tried a number a fixes to no avail.
anyone have a CB installed in a DB that works well?

 

[widdershins]

Did you install a no-ground-plane antenna? Did you have extra coax that was coiled up? Install a noise filter on the 12vdc?

Just some ideas... in case you missed something in the installation.

 

[Joe Hogan]

Yes to all questions. I was thinking the solar panels on the roof may had something to do with the interference but never could sort that out.

 

[CaptainGizmo]

Joe,

Have had lots of experiences with radios, including CBs for longer than I'd care to remember...ok, for ugh...50+ years; that's impossible.

The CB band is notoriosuly horrible, now, for anything but short-range comms. Citizens Band is AM, and that is very susceptible to antennas selection (and length), as well as interference; whether others on the same band, or environmental.

If you have a high-grade unit WITH HIGHEST POWER, then the first place to look would be antenna selection, length, and placement. Most HAM RADIO shops have gone away, sadly, but they could give your unit a look-over and suggest a good antenna for your install.

I'm not sure how technical you want to get, here, so I don't wanna kick up a bunch of unneeded dust by discussing what I've used over my career, rock-climbing, dirtbike and off-roading, cycling, etc. But, I will say that "IF" you are trying to to mobile-to-mobile communications and can use a different radio, then a VHF/UHF will give you so much better performance.

Let me know, either here, or by PM and I can surely get more involved for you.

 

[Joe Hogan]

Thank you, also have an amateur license so may end up using that for comms. However a CB is useful to listen to truck’s traffic reports. That and weather is what I ended up using the CB for mostly.

 

[Neal]

Thank you, also have an amateur license so may end up using that for comms. However a CB is useful to listen to truck’s traffic reports. That and weather is what I ended up using the CB for mostly.

I use Waze on the dash nav unit connected to my phone and a Garmin RV 890 for navigation. This gives me the awareness of everything via Waze which is great including objects in the road, etc.

 

[Bob K4TAX]

So what is your need for communication? Keep up with others traveling along or keep up with "smokey"?

GMRS radios work great to keep up with family members and others traveling in the group. The range is much better than CB and there is little to no interference. Also a FRS radio is available but offers less performance than the GMRS radios.

Electrical noises generated by and in vehicles along with electrical noise from other vehicles on the road are very prone to reduce the effective range of a CB radio. It takes extensive installation procedures and care in order to minimize noise pick-up. In most cases, the noise source will need to be accurately identified and proper mitigation methods applied to the vehicle.

Don't be misled by antenna claims. If the antenna doesn't pick up noise, it doesn't pick up radio signals either as both occupy the same frequencies.

73
Bob, K4TAX

 

[bpaikman]

I use Waze on the dash nav unit connected to my phone and a Garmin RV 890 for navigation. This gives me the awareness of everything via Waze which is great including objects in the road, etc.

We use Waze too and enjoy aggravating oour kids by calling it Wah-zee .

 

[AbdRahim]

Find a reputable truck cb shop.Ask at truck stops. A good shop will set up the proper antenna and tune everything for optimal performance. Currently, nobody talks on the CB unless there is a problem. I still use it.

 

[Scotttkd2]

I agree it's the antenna installation that is your issue, there just isn't enough metal on the roof of a modern fiberglass RV to provide a proper ground plane. There are work arounds, but none of them are the performance equivalent of attaching an antenna to a proper metal vehicle (think old style 18 wheel semis). Agree with AbdRahim, find a good truck repair shop that still does CB installs for semis, they will have the knowledge and antennas to get you the best possible reception for your Newmar.

 

[GypsyR]

My CB was inop when I bought my old Newmar. The antenna was obviously damaged and I had hopes a new one would help. It didn't. I let it be a a couple of years but during traffic backup one time I figured it would be nice to have it working. So I just found a replacement unit and that got it going. I haven't had it out on the road yet but it at least seems to work. But with this thread I am now wondering if I bought the right antenna. Been a while so I now don't know what I bought. Is there a way to tell a NGP? I replaced a minimal metal stick with a Firestick style and a new mount (what was broken).

 

[Rich W.]

You could also contact these guys: CB Radios & CB Antennas - Cobra, Uniden, Wilson, K40 & Firestik

 

[GUS2000]

Did you guys have any luck with getting decent range out of your CB install?? considering installing one in our 2024 DS4369 when we take delivery... but on the fence..

 

[DennisT]

Following as well since we would just need the radio to install in our Superstar.

Since we just need the radio figure it would be nice to have every now and then.

 

[GUS2000]

Hey Dennis,
the SuperStar is an easy install.. the key is bypassing the Freightliner wiring in the dash... You need to run a cable from the radio (PL259 connector) to the firewall (BNC connector) and that will go directly to the mirror mounted antenna.. The factory cable from the overhead area goes to an FM/CB antenna multiplexor that is designed for the Freightliner dash radio and not the Newmar Xite installation.

 

[Trav_lr]

If you're looking to use CB to listen to truckers for traffic or just entertainment, forget it. They've mostly transitioned to the MURS frequencies on 70cm. MURS radios/frequencies do not require a license. Most of the inexpensive ($25 Baofeng) Chinese HTs can be used for this.

 

[GUS2000]

For the past three years we have used ours in our SuperStar and while its not as active as it used to be, it definitely helped when some hazards came up and helped to either get around it or for entertainment while we waited...