Cobra soundtracker with Solarcon a99 antenna

[jakubman1]

Hey everyone . I have a 1997 cobra sound tracker 29LTD ST. Right now I have a mobile fire stick antenna 20ft in the air grounded to my house ground rod and can hear quite a bit here in Florida . I purchased the Solarcon a99 antenna because of the good reviews and tests.
What else can I hook up to the new A99 antenna besides cb ? I want to pick up the pl680 shortwave radio too. I've played with radios before but never got a legit antenna so I'm excited .

 

[alcahuete]

Hey everyone . I have a 1997 cobra sound tracker 29LTD ST. Right now I have a mobile fire stick antenna 20ft in the air grounded to my house ground rod and can hear quite a bit here in Florida . I purchased the Solarcon a99 antenna because of the good reviews and tests.
What else can I hook up to the new A99 antenna besides cb ? I want to pick up the pl680 shortwave radio too. I've played with radios before but never got a legit antenna so I'm excited .

Anything (including a piece of wire) will receive. The question is how well. Yes, you should probably be able to receive shortwave. Transmit-wise, CB and probably a bit of 10m and 12m

 

[mmckenna]

Just make sure you don't have both radios hooked up at the same time. The shortwave receiver will not like getting hit with the 4 watts from the CB.
Either connect them individually, or install a coax switch.

I agree, give it a try, while not a "perfect" short wave antenna, you'll pick up something.

 

[jakubman1]

Anything (including a piece of wire) will receive. The question is how well. Yes, you should probably be able to receive shortwave. Transmit-wise, CB and probably a bit of 10m and 12m

Will I really be able to talk to the world using this antenna with a stock radio ?

 

[522]

Marketing wouldn't lie... would it?

 

[slowmover]

Will I really be able to talk to the world using this antenna with a stock radio ?

“Antenna Theory” has received effort from some of the (literal) smartest men who’ve ever lived.

The Yes or No has a whole bunch of footnotes.

 

[DeeEx]

Will I really be able to talk to the world using this antenna with a stock radio ?

While it’s a decent antenna and QRP is a thing, you’re setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment if you expect to do that regularly or easily. Find a site that tracks solar activity and you may be able to time your radio activity to make the most of it. Pick a beacon you can receive (perhaps on another receiver that’s not the CB transceiver) and monitor that for activity.

 

[jakubman1]

While it’s a decent antenna and QRP is a thing, you’re setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment if you expect to do that regularly or easily. Find a site that tracks solar activity and you may be able to time your radio activity to make the most of it. Pick a beacon you can receive (perhaps on another receiver that’s not the CB transceiver) and monitor that for activity.

What is the beacon you're referring to ? Will I at least be able to talk to a friend 3 miles away if he's using a tram 1499 base antenna with a stock radio ?

 

[DeeEx]

Any 10m beacon you care to monitor.

Antenna brand and model doesn’t matter as much as size and height. Presumably that’s a base antenna.

Three miles is certainly likely with any full-power radio and a decent antenna. Reliably “making the trip” at any time, every day, is somewhat less likely due to atmospheric conditions.

It may sound sort of tongue-in-cheek when we say that on 10 or 11m “some days you can talk across the country but can’t talk across town”, but it’s not a joke.

 

[jakubman1]

OK so i have my antenna up and above the house roof. I calibrated my radio using the built in swr calibration switch. I made contact with someone about 5 miles away buut he said that i sounded far away . Is this normal? He was using a whip in the vehicle. Im hearing all kinds of talk on every channel is this skip ? What are the best conditions for using CB radio ? Should i look into getting an amp or raising my antenna higher ? Its like 22 feet in the air.

 

[jakubman1]

While it’s a decent antenna and QRP is a thing, you’re setting yourself up for a lot of disappointment if you expect to do that regularly or easily. Find a site that tracks solar activity and you may be able to time your radio activity to make the most of it. Pick a beacon you can receive (perhaps on another receiver that’s not the CB transceiver) and monitor that for activity.

Do i need like a shortwave radio to find a beacon ? I dont even know what a beacon is.

 

[mmckenna]

OK so i have my antenna up and above the house roof. I calibrated my radio using the built in swr calibration switch. I made contact with someone about 5 miles away buut he said that i sounded far away . Is this normal? He was using a whip in the vehicle.

"Whip INSIDE the vehicle" will absolutely cause problems. That could mean that the issue is totally on the other end. I'd try to make contact with someone who has a base antenna, or at least an external antenna on their car.

Kind of hard to fit any sort of efficient antenna INSIDE a car, plus all the steel around them will impact performance.

CB can be hit and miss. There are some CB users that are using really crappy antennas and will have really poor performance. Trusting their reports shouldn't be done.

Im hearing all kinds of talk on every channel is this skip ?

It could be. If you are hearing it on all channels, then very likely.

What are the best conditions for using CB radio ?

When mother nature and the atmosphere cooperate. Sometimes nighttime is better as the atmospheric conditions cooperate with you a bit more.

Should i look into getting an amp or raising my antenna higher ? Its like 22 feet in the air.

An amplifier won't help if the antenna setup isn't up to par. I'd make sure all your stuff is working as well as it can. Take some time to try making more contacts and see how well it's working. An amplifier on it's own only boosts your own signal. You'd want one with a pre-amplifier to boost the receiving also. I won't comment on the legalities of amplifiers...

22 feet in the air is good, but is the antenna in the clear? If you have tall buildings close by, then you may need to raise it more.

 

[mmckenna]

Do i need like a shortwave radio to find a beacon ? I dont even know what a beacon is.

A short wave radio would be one tool to use.
Beacons are just that, they are transmitters that beacon out a periodic message. Knowing which beacon you are hearing and where it is will give you an idea of what the 10 meter band conditions are like. 10 meter band is close enough to the CB band that the two will often behave the same.
If you can hear beacons from far away, you'll know that band conditions are pretty good and you may want to try making some long distance contacts on your CB.

https://wi5v.net/beacon-list-table-version/

 

[jakubman1]

"Whip INSIDE the vehicle" will absolutely cause problems. That could mean that the issue is totally on the other end. I'd try to make contact with someone who has a base antenna, or at least an external antenna on their car.

Kind of hard to fit any sort of efficient antenna INSIDE a car, plus all the steel around them will impact performance.

CB can be hit and miss. There are some CB users that are using really crappy antennas and will have really poor performance. Trusting their reports shouldn't be done.



It could be. If you are hearing it on all channels, then very likely.




When mother nature and the atmosphere cooperate. Sometimes nighttime is better as the atmospheric conditions cooperate with you a bit more.



An amplifier won't help if the antenna setup isn't up to par. I'd make sure all your stuff is working as well as it can. Take some time to try making more contacts and see how well it's working. An amplifier on it's own only boosts your own signal. You'd want one with a pre-amplifier to boost the receiving also. I won't comment on the legalities of amplifiers...

22 feet in the air is good, but is the antenna in the clear? If you have tall buildings close by, then you may need to raise it more.

oops i mean he had the whip on the OUTSIDE of the car like normal is what he said.

 

[jakubman1]

"Whip INSIDE the vehicle" will absolutely cause problems. That could mean that the issue is totally on the other end. I'd try to make contact with someone who has a base antenna, or at least an external antenna on their car.

Kind of hard to fit any sort of efficient antenna INSIDE a car, plus all the steel around them will impact performance.

CB can be hit and miss. There are some CB users that are using really crappy antennas and will have really poor performance. Trusting their reports shouldn't be done.



It could be. If you are hearing it on all channels, then very likely.




When mother nature and the atmosphere cooperate. Sometimes nighttime is better as the atmospheric conditions cooperate with you a bit more.



An amplifier won't help if the antenna setup isn't up to par. I'd make sure all your stuff is working as well as it can. Take some time to try making more contacts and see how well it's working. An amplifier on it's own only boosts your own signal. You'd want one with a pre-amplifier to boost the receiving also. I won't comment on the legalities of amplifiers...

22 feet in the air is good, but is the antenna in the clear? If you have tall buildings close by, then you may need to raise it more.

yes my antenna is in the clear. above my house and away from trees. There was another guy who could hear me clearly and he said he was close by and could hear me fine.
What is a good all around HAM radio i can get to go along with my antenna i have. I want to make the most i can out of this one antenna. Thank you very much for the reply and help. Radios are fun !!

 

[jakubman1]

What was cool i clearly heard people from Michigan and Arizona and im in Tampa Florida .

 

[jakubman1]

I have a tram 1499 base antenna on the way that I will test about 3-4 miles at a friends house . According to my built-in swr meter I'm at or below 1.5. I bought a legit radio shack swr meter just to be more accurate. Maybe my antenna needs to be higher.

 

[mmckenna]

yes my antenna is in the clear. above my house and away from trees. There was another guy who could hear me clearly and he said he was close by and could hear me fine.
What is a good all around HAM radio i can get to go along with my antenna i have. I want to make the most i can out of this one antenna. Thank you very much for the reply and help. Radios are fun !!

Well, if you have a ham license, you could retune the antenna to work on 10 meter band, but then it won't work well on CB.
If you are just looking for a shortwave receiver, it really depends on your budget. Shortwave radios can run from $50 up to $13,000 or more.

 

[mmckenna]

I have a tram 1499 base antenna on the way that I will test about 3-4 miles at a friends house . According to my built-in swr meter I'm at or below 1.5. I bought a legit radio shack swr meter just to be more accurate. Maybe my antenna needs to be higher.

I don't think your antenna needs to be higher. I think you need to do more calling and see who can hear you. Doesn't sound like you have any problems with your setup. You do need to keep in mind that the average CB'er has a really poor radio/antenna setup, and using them as your only judge of performance isn't a good idea. Also, atmospheric conditions will dictate how well your setup is going to work, and those conditions will change all the time. Before spending more money, take time to try out your radio setup at different times, morning, evening, night, try different channels, etc. CB can also be really hit and miss as to traffic and when people are listening.

1.5:1 SWR isn't bad, in fact, it's pretty good. Don't get hung up on numbers. 1.5:1 probably puts you way ahead of most users. There are people out there with CB's that have never tuned their antennas, nor tested them with a meter.

 

[prcguy]

Please send that antenna back, it works worse than a tiny mobile antenna and you probably won't get 3 miles out of it. A Solarcon is 10X the antenna.

I have a tram 1499 base antenna on the way that I will test about 3-4 miles at a friends house . According to my built-in swr meter I'm at or below 1.5. I bought a legit radio shack swr meter just to be more accurate. Maybe my antenna needs to be higher.