Awful reception on the Midland 75-822 when operating mobile

[KC9VZV]

Hi all,

I have had the Midland 75-822 handheld CB that can convert to mobile for a while now. Simply put, I have never gotten good reception. When operating handheld with the rubber-ducky antenna, I have not gotten more than about 20 feet. When operating mobile, I don't know what kind of range I get, but I can tell you that it is really bad. I hardly ever hear anything even when it is scanning and there are a whole bunch of trucks around me. I use a black (I got it at Fry's Electronics) mag-mount antenna that I put on top of the car. I don't know the exact model or anything, but it is a mag-mount base and a black fiberglass (I am kind of just guessing of the fiberglass part) whip antenna.

Could it be a problem with the radio or is it just that the antenna is not good or what? Any insight into this problem with the very limited info I gave? (Sorry about that. I really don't know much about the antenna.)

Thanks!

 

[kb2vxa]

Diagnosing a problem by remote control is difficult at best but I can give you a few clues to think about. First and most important, a rubber duck is the WORST antenna you could use on CB or anything else for that matter. As you can attest to, it's about as efficient a radiator as the average dummy load and in fact that's just what we hams call them, dummy loads.

Unless the mag mount is badly out of tune and you can check that with an SWR meter it should "get out" fairly well although not exceptionally. From what you say my suspect number one is the lack of signals around you, CB is pretty dead these days and few truckers use them anymore. Sorry Mr. McCall but your convoy reached the end of the road years ago.

I wouldn't fault the radio just yet, base, mobile or hand held the only major difference is the packaging. The saying "90% of the station is on the roof" holds true, basically it's all in the antenna. My very first CB station was a 5W portable connected to a rooftop antenna and I was "wall to wall and treetop tall" with the rest of them.

 

[Dewey]

Hi all,

I have had the Midland 75-822 handheld CB that can convert to mobile for a while now. Simply put, I have never gotten good reception. When operating handheld with the rubber-ducky antenna, I have not gotten more than about 20 feet. When operating mobile, I don't know what kind of range I get, but I can tell you that it is really bad. I hardly ever hear anything even when it is scanning and there are a whole bunch of trucks around me. I use a black (I got it at Fry's Electronics) mag-mount antenna that I put on top of the car. I don't know the exact model or anything, but it is a mag-mount base and a black fiberglass (I am kind of just guessing of the fiberglass part) whip antenna.

Could it be a problem with the radio or is it just that the antenna is not good or what? Any insight into this problem with the very limited info I gave? (Sorry about that. I really don't know much about the antenna.)

Thanks!

This radio is not the greatest to start with. I've hooked one to a Lil' Wilson, and still couldn't get out! You might want to ask around in the CB forum, but I have the bad feeling that there will not be much that you can do.

Dewey

 

[KI4VBR]

I am not sure why companies produce radios like that as often the time, the radio with it's built-in antenna has quite the limited range. They even call these radios emergency radios sometimes, meaning, OK we had a wreck, break out the portable CB, plug cord in cig_lighter, transmit for help and wait........and wait.............and wait.

Seriously though, for that frequency range 27meg, you need a strong, up to the task transmitter approaching 4 true watts, and quality cable going to a properly mounted quality antenna. And then, you may be lucky to get a reply. I dont mean to be negative here, I really feel these radios are sometimes improperly marketed and mislead people about their capabilities.

Vince

 

[KI4VBR]

Image

I just saw some pics and specs on your radio. The rig looks very cool and "looks" to be made well. I have a better understanding of what you are working with now. I wish they made some rigs like yours for the 2 meter ham band.

I was also thinking of your antenna and how it is working (or not) with your car. Mag mounts are great when convenience and ease of use are concerned. However, not every vehicle provides a suitable ground-plane for the antenna. You may wind up radiating your signal straight up into the sky instead of a low angle needed to contact others on the road.

It may be a good idea to look into some topics here on RR that talk about getting a good ground reference for your radio and your antenna. You are more than welcome to contact me off-line here or e-mail me to dig a little deeper if you like. I am far from an expert, but I have been through a lot of trial and error over the years. I am hoping you can find a good solution to your problem as it looks like such a cool radio.

Here is kind of what I was thinking of when I first replied to your post:

 

[KC9VZV]

I am not sure why companies produce radios like that as often the time, the radio with it's built-in antenna has quite the limited range. They even call these radios emergency radios sometimes, meaning, OK we had a wreck, break out the portable CB, plug cord in cig_lighter, transmit for help and wait........and wait.............and wait.

Seriously though, for that frequency range 27meg, you need a strong, up to the task transmitter approaching 4 true watts, and quality cable going to a properly mounted quality antenna. And then, you may be lucky to get a reply. I dont mean to be negative here, I really feel these radios are sometimes improperly marketed and mislead people about their capabilities.

Vince

Yeah. So I guess I will need to purchase a new radio and antenna for it to work properly. I don't really know if it is worth it, but I'll think about it. Thanks to both of you guys!

 

[KC9VZV]

I just saw some pics and specs on your radio. The rig looks very cool and "looks" to be made well. I have a better understanding of what you are working with now. I wish they made some rigs like yours for the 2 meter ham band.

I was also thinking of your antenna and how it is working (or not) with your car. Mag mounts are great when convenience and ease of use are concerned. However, not every vehicle provides a suitable ground-plane for the antenna. You may wind up radiating your signal straight up into the sky instead of a low angle needed to contact others on the road.

It may be a good idea to look into some topics here on RR that talk about getting a good ground reference for your radio and your antenna. You are more than welcome to contact me off-line here or e-mail me to dig a little deeper if you like. I am far from an expert, but I have been through a lot of trial and error over the years. I am hoping you can find a good solution to your problem as it looks like such a cool radio.

Here is kind of what I was thinking of when I first replied to your post:

Thanks! Here is a picture of my antenna. I checked to see if you can tune it at the top, but you cannot. My mount is not in the best shape either, but I don't know if that could have anything to do with it. Actually, if I remember correctly, I have been having this problem even before the magnet mount "broke". (if this helps any, the antenna is on top of a Toyota Highlander.
Any ideas you may have on how to improve the range/reception would be a great help!
Thanks again!

 

[Dewey]

Thanks! Here is a picture of my antenna. I checked to see if you can tune it at the top, but you cannot. My mount is not in the best shape either, but I don't know if that could have anything to do with it. Actually, if I remember correctly, I have been having this problem even before the magnet mount "broke". (if this helps any, the antenna is on top of a Toyota Highlander.
Any ideas you may have on how to improve the range/reception would be a great help!
Thanks again!

Very interesting, because I am running on the same vehicle, a Gen-2 Highlander (2008). As I said before, my 75-822 was HORRIBLE running through a Lil' Wilson. It was sooooo bad, that I absolutly refuse to use it again on my highway trips. I know it's not the antenna, first because Wilsons have a very good reputation, and second because I have no problems what-so-ever when I run my Uniden PC-122 or Uniden PC68Elite through the same setup. I got the 75-822 due to the limited console space in the Highlander, but I now stick to one of the Unidens on the front passenger seat when the wife isn't with me, or just laying in the center console when she is. This is why I was so pessimistic in my first answer.

Dewey

 

[SCPD]

ive heard that ANY TYPE OF HANDHELD CB sucks, nothing but maybe a 1/2 of mile maximum range i have a older Fuzzbuster with a Radio Shack magnet mount antenna and i have great reception

 

[KC9VZV]

ive heard that ANY TYPE OF HANDHELD CB sucks, nothing but maybe a 1/2 of mile maximum range i have a older Fuzzbuster with a Radio Shack magnet mount antenna and i have great reception

Yeah. This is (obviously) not the best radio out there, but I just want to get some range so I can talk to the trucks around me on the highway. Does anyone have any ideas of any (legal) modifications I can make to the antenna or radio, etc. that will give me at least reasonable range for the trip home without buying any new parts? I just want to get through the trip home and then I will probably buy a new radio and/or antenna. I know that is kind of asking a lot, but any suggestion helps!

Thanks again guys!

 

[wyomingmedic]

First thing I would do is find an SWR meter and check the antenna. Those mounts are built by stripping the wire of the coax and compression fitting it between the magnet and metal. They are CHEAP to say the least.

You should be hearing SOMETHING, so I bet your antenna is screwy. Start there.

WM

 

[Dewey]

First thing I would do is find an SWR meter and check the antenna. Those mounts are built by stripping the wire of the coax and compression fitting it between the magnet and metal. They are CHEAP to say the least.

You should be hearing SOMETHING, so I bet your antenna is screwy. Start there.

WM

I agree that they do have "ears". The problem is transmitting... it's often hard just getting to the other side of the highway!

Dewey