General getting up and running thread (from handle to set up)

[ONMY6]

Hello,
My name is Ryan Tombs and I am 19 who is from NJ but goes to school in OK. Being out in Oklahoma really put me onto the idea about getting a cb for my mustang. The first part of this post will be about my set up and wants.
MY WANTS- I want something that can reach out 15 miles or so. I really just want something when I am out with friends to contact and just to listen in or emergency. I do not want to hear someone 100 miles or more away (I have no use for that)

MY IDEA OF A GOOD SET UP- Cobra 29 classic and a wilson 1000 series 3000 watt magnetic mount with a 62.5 inch whip.

Questions-
1. I DO NOT want to wire it into anything Can I run said whip and radio off cigarette lighters
2. Are these good items?
3. Any good ways of mounting it on a mustang?
4. What coax should i get?
5. amplifier or no?
6. should i get a speaker?



RADIO HANDLE- I really want TombStone as my last name is tombs (actually pronounced like bombs with out the first B) but everyone pronounces it like a tombstone in a cemetary. And the kicker is my dad is a funeral director. But is this a common handle, not original etc?

Sorry for all the noob questions but if anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it!

-Ryan

 

[n4yek]

Hello,
My name is Ryan Tombs and I am 19 who is from NJ but goes to school in OK. Being out in Oklahoma really put me onto the idea about getting a cb for my mustang. The first part of this post will be about my set up and wants.
MY WANTS- I want something that can reach out 15 miles or so. I really just want something when I am out with friends to contact and just to listen in or emergency. I do not want to hear someone 100 miles or more away (I have no use for that)

MY IDEA OF A GOOD SET UP- Cobra 29 classic and a wilson 1000 series 3000 watt magnetic mount with a 62.5 inch whip.

Questions-
1. I DO NOT want to wire it into anything Can I run said whip and radio off cigarette lighters
2. Are these good items?
3. Any good ways of mounting it on a mustang?
4. What coax should i get?
5. amplifier or no?
6. should i get a speaker?



RADIO HANDLE- I really want TombStone as my last name is tombs (actually pronounced like bombs with out the first B) but everyone pronounces it like a tombstone in a cemetary. And the kicker is my dad is a funeral director. But is this a common handle, not original etc?

Sorry for all the noob questions but if anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it!

-Ryan

Hi Ryan,
I would use any call i wanted, reguardless if it was used a bunch. Chances of you running into someone else usng that same are very remote. Anyway, you sound like you have a good one.
The CB can run off your cigarette lighter outlet, some CB's actually come with that adaptor on them.
Your CB and antenna are good units to use so you should enjoy them.
Mounting can be tricky, rule of thumb...the higher the better. If you can, mount it on the center of your roof. If you don't like it there, then at least do the center of your trunk lid.
The coax that comes with the antenna should be just fine.
I personally don't like using amplifiers, plus with electronics in todays cars you can actually run the risk of damaging some electronics by running high power. Anyways, an amplifier would not be able to run from the cigarette lighter outlet, it would need to be wired to the car's battery.
But getting a speaker is always a plus, you can mount it closer to you head if needed or anywhere you want.
As for 15 miles distance, i don't think you will be able to do that from a mobile. They are only good for a mile or two at most talking to other vehicles. Now you might be able to talk with base stations at people's home farther than that but that's because base stations usually have very good atennas mounted high up in the air. Also usually running more that the LEGAL amount of power.
Take care and God bless and always have fun
Danny

 

[ONMY6]

Thank you very much for the great response! A mile or two is fine! I just dont want to reach out far... it would be nice to reach some distance to check for police and traffic but oh well. And i was going to mount it center of the trunk lid.

 

[robertmac]

Won't get into the legal aspect of amplifiers as some do not like radio police. Too bad because when you look at CB, you can see what happens when rules are not enforced. If 1 or 2 miles, or even 15 miles, people will direct you to MURS or GMRS/FRS. Look at those threads as well as CB thread for a lot more information that has already been discussed. Use of cigar lighter is generally not a good idea. If using amplifier forget it. With the less than expected active sunspot cycle 24, crappy band can still be filled with foul or fowl mouthed people yelling and screaming. If noise does not distract your driving I guess you will be able to put up with it. Use of SSB might help to a point. In a couple of years with the low end of the sunspot cycle, crappy band will be more useful for a few years. For now if skip is rolling in, even 1 mile will be a challenge. But look at MURS for more reliable comms.. What you are proposing really doesn't fall into amateur radio. But then amateur radio opens up the world, even if you only want to be local. In looking at you questions some have been answered. Whips don't run off cigarette lighters. Magnet mounts may not hold on a mustang especially if speeding around in the wind. You don't want them flying off and scratching or denting the mustang. There are trunk or hood mounts that can be mount without drilling holes in the top of these areas. Have to drill into the sides of these areas but will be out of site. Coax usually comes with whatever mount you decide on. Speaker will be necessary as CBs have lousy speaker locations and poor speakers in general.

 

[ONMY6]

but if I get a MURS or GMRS/FRS will I be able to still contact other people... as in how popular are those.

I was on a hand held cb that worked no more then a half a mile. The antenna was about 8 inches if that long how can a 62 inch whip mounted out side maybe only get a mile?

Quick question- what is the typical distance of a trucker CB?

Never read reports of magnets flying off but I could deff see that happening. The scratching can be avoided by a cloth inbetween but denting is a real concern....
I would be interested in moving it from car to car hence the magnet mount
Are the "hideaway mounts" any better then the magnet for range?

 

[robertmac]

You kind of change what you are looking for. First it was 15 miles than just a mile or two. First it was to stay in contact with friends, then it was contacting other people. You will probably have more success in an emergency with MURS, GMRS/FRS than crappy band. Thus difficult to respond. As for crappy band, it is highly linked to antenna length [longer the better] and atmospheric conditions [sun spot activity increase how many distant radios you will hear]. Now the problem with hearing distant radios is that they all come in at once and you will only hear squawks, and general NOISE. With only the occasional clear voice. Even though you can hear people hundreds of miles away, you will not hear someone a mile away. This is all answered in the CB thread. With mag mounts, there is still the problem of scratches and when the antenna does fly off, it can be a problem. Had one almost break a window. Was like a rock hitting the window. Now VHF [where MURS frequencies are] are much less affected by sun spot activity. There is very little, if any "skip" but may be some "ducting" but much much less than on crappy band. GMRS/FRS is almost devoid of this radio "skip" problem. I am surprised you have not heard of GMRS/FRS. GMRS does require a license, FRS doesn't. GMRS allows a higher power output from the transmitter, FRS is limited. For more on this read GMRS / FRS - The RadioReference.com Forums. It discusses most of the things around GMRS/FRS. And as you go up in frequency [CB 27 MHz, VHF in the 150 MHz range, and GMRS/FRS in the 462/465 MHz range] the antennas required are smaller. So read that thread as well as the CB thread to fill in your varying needs.