I finally did my Tram 3500 CB MAX range test

[niceguy71]

I have been meaning to do this video for over a year! I watched Far Point Farms YouTube do a Tram 3500 Range test and get 18 miles range with a 4 watt radio..... my old radio is a 10 watts AM /FM with 25 watts on SSB so I figured I would do much better.
not that I'm competing with him or anything... but I always share his video as I am so impressed with how that antenna performed..... I would much rather share my video.... but I never feel like making it! LOT more work into making it... measuring the distance setting up camera's and editing it than you think.
so I went to Cape Cod not a lot of spots I can drive 20 miles without going into Boston and tall buildings or to another coast towards New Bedford / Fairhaven and that is going through a thick forest. so I went to the Cape...
I didn't want to go to Cape Cod but that was my best bet to get 20 miles. all the other roads keep circling me back to my area meaning it won't be 20 miles in a straight line from the house. ( I am 8 miles from the ocean if I get to the ocean I can only drive up or down the coast, I drive and drive and drive but the miles from my house stay about the same.... think of a big circle with my house in the middle... it's always 8 to 10 miles.)
once I was over the bridge it was thick forest and about 5 miles before I could turn around... no land marks to figure out how many miles out I was until I turned around under the 130 highway..... 20.14 miles away...sadly going under Route 130 I was in a low spot ... when I got home I listened to the recording and swore I heard me saying highway 130 test 1 2 3 .... ( I still swear I can hear me saying 10:07 ).... but making the video today no matter how much I stretch my ears I can't seem to make me out.
the bridge is 275 feet tall and has 135 feet under it for ships to pass... but your totally encased in metal so I didn't think it would transmit as I would be in a Faraday cage..... I have a little Chinese watt meter and SWR meter / SWR warning meter.... if the SWR is over 2 it beeps and tells me..... it was going off on the bridge quite a bit! so I guess that metal affected the SWR.... but I had a fantastic signal after the bridge 16.60 miles from my Base.
I need to put an intro video and an exit video on this... but I wanted to share it with a friend today and will make the intro / exit next week and change it on YouTube.
I thought I would share it with everyone here too..
I want to go and do the exact same test but use my Stryker Sar-10 antenna and see if it's any better..... but I know everyday the conditions are different so no way to really tell.... but I still plan on doing it sometime.
if your interested watch if not don't...

 

[niceguy71]

I wanted to use made up locations for my mile locations so no one tries to find my house.... I was going to say going by the top secret Nuclear missile silo's....
.I had a whole bunch made up.... but I figured the government would be knocking at my door.

 

[slowmover]

It can be argued that for AM anything past 7-8/miles proves adequacy mobile-to-mobile.

16-17/miles (to me) means adequate power used to reach a base antenna & NRC Receiver with sensitive ears. Nice.

Sideband to your base ought to be of interest.

A .5 to 1.5 db difference between mobile antennas is significant, IMO. (Assuming between two mobile units).

Can the Receiver be set in an automobile using a mobile antenna?

.

 

[niceguy71]

Can the Receiver be set in an automobile using a mobile antenna?

.

Not sure of the question??? ..... But I have two of the 5555 N II radios and plan on putting it in the pick up once I sell the President Grant.... And with that video I can do it..... I always planned on making a video of the Grant and showing it talking on sideband to other countries ( I've had that video for a while now ) and in AM talking up to 20 miles .... So soon I'll sell my 35 year old friend that has never let me down......and put the 5555 N II in the F-150..... Hope I don't regret it.... But if the Grant has
done this well for me with no bells or whistles ( no nrc) imagine how that 5555 N II is going to kick ass.... I lined it up yesterday .... Going to fit right into the same location as the old Grant..... I thought I was going to have to buy a short version but I got lucky.

 

[niceguy71]

On a side note
It was truly quite an achievement for me to make it past the Texas Road House..... I have set out to do this test several times and always wound up with a steak and some mixed drinks.
My stomach growled a little when I went by.... But I was committed to getting this test done

 

[slowmover]

I meant, leave the base station out entirely to determine mobile-to-mobile.

Do anything else, sure, but, IMO, it’s that test which tells us about a mobile antenna.

The goal is to overcome the deficiencies of the other mans radio rig. He doesn’t have one that’s very good.

With or without an NRC radio he’ll most likely have a compromised antenna system (too short, lack of bonds, half-ads tune).

The C29 and a 3’ Firestik to one side of a pickup roof rack. Mounted below top rail. No external speaker. Is MY antenna choice going to make a difference such that he’s more likely to hear me a bit better?

.

 

[niceguy71]

I meant, leave the base station out entirely to determine mobile-to-mobile.

Do anything else, sure, but, IMO, it’s that test which tells us about a mobile antenna.

well one of my YouTube tests I have planned soon is going to be
My HOA CB antenna
I know a lot of people come into the forum asking how to get a CB Base Station up without the antenna because they live in a HOA.
I always say just buy a good magnet mount mobile CB Antenna like the Sirio Performer 5000 and buy a 100 feet of RG8X and a barrel connector.... if you live in a HOA you still usually have a home with a driveway..... so plop the antenna on top of the car and run the coax to the base station.... I hear people talking skip all over the country from mobiles everyday so I think they would have fun with that... and for local AM I think it would give them all around town range...

but I tell people that and I don't actually know if it works???? does the antenna have to be on a ground plane that shares the negative side of the CB negative wire??... meaning can I have the base station on a power supply in the house and only have the antenna on the roof of my old chevy??

so I will park my old chevy in the driveway and slap my Stryker SAR-10 on the roof.... then I will talk skip and then I will send some friends out in my F-150 to see how far they can get.... .... should be a fun video and if it works maybe some people in a HOA can start enjoying the hobby too

 

[slowmover]

Bingo!

My experience is that some antennas (despite being similar height and/or design) allow me to acquire & maintain a signal seconds longer than another.

On a divided Interstate where traffic is moving anywhere from about 65-MPH to about 75-MPH (clustered below 70 for trucks) a few seconds at both ends of signal capture range (where the lesser distance is to the less-capable radio rig) one has upped his chances of an information tidbit.

A mile-marker, for instance.

The road-related problem has gone from, “near Lexington (KY)”, to a specific compass point from the center of that city which then affects one’s decisions on how to deal with it.

“Distance”, is great. But it’s a proxy for clarity meaning I can understand and be understood.

Where the NRC-equipped radio complements this is that I can hear how something is being said. The other man may be repeating what he’s heard or he’s a witness to the problem which is spoken differently; as an example.

It’s easy for me to use, “road-related problem”, as it directly affects my health & wealth. That day and up to the next six or seven.

The flip-side of this proxy is that one’s mental & emotional well-being can be positively affected by how well one understands and is understood in a spiritual sense. It’s said that humans ARE antennae.

The confidence with which one relates being at his best is felt by others. It’s a no BS phenomena-array. It’s not “answers”, as any question pre-supposes it’s own answer.

To be an American citizen is far more than having a piece of paper. In high-speed traffic there’ll be the experience of one or more “great radio rigs” (which of necessity includes the operator) as anodyne to the problems faced.

Everyone just got an operating system upload. Performance-enhancer. That everyone is a sub-set of radio-rig/operators. The Few.

1). Mobile-to-Mobile is the test.
2). Distance is proxy for clarity.
3). Experience is that the hidden is revealed.

— Where both ends of the test are with NRC + DX-901 is where a batch of 5’ antennas compete against each other. Or a batch of 7’.

Both vehicles stationary reading relative S-meter strength is a decent start.

Mobile-to-Base is one type of test. Handheld-to-Mobile. All good. (My family vehicles back & forth to our family base station and performance with hand-held to each is where it directly applies).

Mobile-to-Mobile is the one highest on the Life/Death scale of consequences.

.

 

[niceguy71]

Bingo!

My experience is that some antennas (despite being similar height and/or design) allow me to acquire & maintain a signal seconds longer than another.

On a divided Interstate where traffic is moving anywhere from about 65-MPH to about 75-MPH (clustered below 70 for trucks) a few seconds at both ends of signal capture range (where the lesser distance is to the less-capable radio rig) one has upped his chances of an information tidbit.

A mile-marker, for instance.

The road-related problem has gone from, “near Lexington (KY)”, to a specific compass point from the center of that city which then affects one’s decisions on how to deal with it.

“Distance”, is great. But it’s a proxy for clarity meaning I can understand and be understood.

Where the NRC-equipped radio complements this is that I can hear how something is being said. The other man may be repeating what he’s heard or he’s a witness to the problem which is spoken differently; as an example.

It’s easy for me to use, “road-related problem”, as it directly affects my health & wealth. That day and up to the next six or seven.

The flip-side of this proxy is that one’s mental & emotional well-being can be positively affected by how well one understands and is understood in a spiritual sense. It’s said that humans ARE antennae.

The confidence with which one relates being at his best is felt by others. It’s a no BS phenomena-array. It’s not “answers”, as any question pre-supposes it’s own answer.

To be an American citizen is far more than having a piece of paper. In high-speed traffic there’ll be the experience of one or more “great radio rigs” (which of necessity includes the operator) as anodyne to the problems faced.

Everyone just got an operating system upload. Performance-enhancer. That everyone is a sub-set of radio-rig/operators. The Few.

1). Mobile-to-Mobile is the test.
2). Distance is proxy for clarity.
3). Experience is that the hidden is revealed.

— Where both ends of the test are with NRC + DX-901 is where a batch of 5’ antennas compete against each other. Or a batch of 7’.

Both vehicles stationary reading relative S-meter strength is a decent start.

Mobile-to-Base is one type of test. Handheld-to-Mobile. All good. (My family vehicles back & forth to our family base station and performance with hand-held to each is where it directly applies).

Mobile-to-Mobile is the one highest on the Life/Death scale of consequences.

.

if I ever get another mobile set up I'll be able to do the mobile to mobile test..... hopefully when I do my friends Jeep we can do a mobile to mobile... but that jeep is going to have a directional radiation pattern so I think it would make a terrible test vehicle..... but when my Jeep friend comes over I always get a few of the old gang show up...
one of my old friends CB handle was Secret Squirrel back in the early 80's ....so if Secret Squirrel shows up I'll put my Radioddity CS-47 cb in his vehicle..... 8 watts AM and I have several Tram 3500 extra antenna's ( they are discontinued so I keep spares)
I always wanted to do the HOA test to see what would happen... I have been told by the smartest guy I know, that it will not work as the antenna and the CB radio have to be on the same ground plane.

 

[niceguy71]

Bingo!

My experience is that some antennas (despite being similar height and/or design) allow me to acquire & maintain a signal seconds longer than another.

On a divided Interstate where traffic is moving anywhere from about 65-MPH to about 75-MPH (clustered below 70 for trucks) a few seconds at both ends of signal capture range (where the lesser distance is to the less-capable radio rig) one has upped his chances of an information tidbit.

A mile-marker, for instance.

The road-related problem has gone from, “near Lexington (KY)”, to a specific compass point from the center of that city which then affects one’s decisions on how to deal with it.

“Distance”, is great. But it’s a proxy for clarity meaning I can understand and be understood.

Where the NRC-equipped radio complements this is that I can hear how something is being said. The other man may be repeating what he’s heard or he’s a witness to the problem which is spoken differently; as an example.

It’s easy for me to use, “road-related problem”, as it directly affects my health & wealth. That day and up to the next six or seven.

The flip-side of this proxy is that one’s mental & emotional well-being can be positively affected by how well one understands and is understood in a spiritual sense. It’s said that humans ARE antennae.

The confidence with which one relates being at his best is felt by others. It’s a no BS phenomena-array. It’s not “answers”, as any question pre-supposes it’s own answer.

To be an American citizen is far more than having a piece of paper. In high-speed traffic there’ll be the experience of one or more “great radio rigs” (which of necessity includes the operator) as anodyne to the problems faced.

Everyone just got an operating system upload. Performance-enhancer. That everyone is a sub-set of radio-rig/operators. The Few.

1). Mobile-to-Mobile is the test.
2). Distance is proxy for clarity.
3). Experience is that the hidden is revealed.

— Where both ends of the test are with NRC + DX-901 is where a batch of 5’ antennas compete against each other. Or a batch of 7’.

Both vehicles stationary reading relative S-meter strength is a decent start.

Mobile-to-Base is one type of test. Handheld-to-Mobile. All good. (My family vehicles back & forth to our family base station and performance with hand-held to each is where it directly applies).

Mobile-to-Mobile is the one highest on the Life/Death scale of consequences.

.

nice to see you back SlowMover
I went out to breakfast this morning and saw a small SUV coming at me... as it went by I saw an antenna on the roof... my eyes quickly looked and saw a chrome shaft going up 6 to 8 inches from the roof then a red and black piece that looked like a Sirio Performer 5000 ... I ALWAYS keep my cb on.... and on channel 19 so if something is happening in the area I can hear about it... I always keep the squelch WAY up so it doesn't bother me too often ....but it's always on and I think I could hear anyone within a mile or two area even with the squelch up..... so after that suv went by I grabbed my mic and said is that a Sirio I see on the roof that just passed me????? nothing.... so I tried again break 19 I just saw an antenna that looked like a Sirio... anyone close by me with a Sirio???? .... nothing but crickets...... why have a CB and a nice antenna on the roof and then leave it off all the time???? I'll never get it.
even back in the 80's before cell phones I talked all my friends into getting CB's and when I got out of work I would always call my friends Handles... Secret Squirrel are you out there???? sometimes I would see them and not be able to get them???? when I would run into them they would always tell me they leave it off for the most part???? if they saw me they would turn on the CB and call me and I always answered.
guess things haven't changed.

 

[slowmover]

why have a CB and a nice antenna on the roof and then leave it off all the time?

This is where an NRC radio + DX-901 speaker changed the tiresome into a more easily monitored band. Audio clarity. Low volume as key words come thru more easily.

.

 

[CaptainRay]

Nice video..thanks for sharing. With all conditions of the test being equal...you will do a bit better with the Stryker I am betting. However...the Tram does a fine job and is no slouch of an antenna for sure!

 

[KI4ZNG]

Back in the mid 1980"s when I was stationed in central Texas we had a tornado touch down no too far from the community that I lived in. We had some really strong straight line winds that caused extensive damage to many homes and also wiped out most of everyone's base station antennas including mine. So we ran coax out to our cars / trucks and it worked quite well for us.

 

[MackinNC]

Nice video. going to do my test in a few weeks.

 

[niceguy71]

Nice video. going to do my test in a few weeks.

that you Mack??? if it's the Mack I think you are... glad you're a member here.... it's funny I have shared your handheld CB tests here several times.... you do fantastic videos.... I'm sure your Tram 3500 Range test will be excellent!!!

I've even told the guys here that I've planned my retirement to do handheld CB tests like the guy I watch on YouTube ( meaning you)

I bought my Tram 3500 because of the great 18-mile range test Erik at Far Point Farms did, so every few weeks people are trying to get a CB antenna to work really well, and I ALWAYS show that fantastic video the Far Point Farms did..... I bet I've shared it 25 times!!!!!!
I'd much rather share your video.... if you can get the 18 miles he did.....
he did it with a subframe car.... a subframe car will work far better than your pick-up truck will... the subframe car has the engine bolted to the subframe and the subframe is then slid into the body and bolted together.... so all the metal is connected.
your pick-up sits on huge rubber body mounts that may not let the ground plane work.... your CAB and your pick up BED are not connected!!!! they both sit on rubber body mounts ... so your Bed and Cab are not Bonded ......that will not let the ground plane connect the two... meaning if the antenna is on the roof.... the metal of the bed may not help..... even the hood and the cab are not very well connected... so your Tram 3500 may not work too well....
I did RF Bonding on my pick-up and I really feel it helped a great deal this is a link to my mobile install

truck install finally done

I took the day off to figure out my base station antenna or buy a new Antron 99 with ground plane kit... it's rained all night and all day!!!! but this weekend I did finally finish my truck install after a few months...... I have been wanting my truck undercoated for years but I wanted to do the...

forums.radioreference.com

we'll see.... good luck!

 

[SmileySixguns]

I have the same antenna on my truck. My last conversation on it was responding to a radio check query. After a brief discussion, we came to the conclusion that we were 12 miles apart. I was using a Cobra 29LTD with this antenna. My longest distance conversation was when I was on the interstate in WV. I had my President McKinley II FCC scanning and picked up a conversation, so I just introduced myself. In that instance, we were 62 miles apart. In both cases, I was just transmitting with 4 watts. When I and my younger daughter have adequate free time, I'm gonna set one of these antennas on the roof of her car and drive off and see how well we can hear each other around here. I liked the first antenna so much that I bought a second one, but she won't let me keep it on top of her car lol

 

[MackinNC]

that you Mack??? if it's the Mack I think you are... glad you're a member here.... it's funny I have shared your handheld CB tests here several times.... you do fantastic videos.... I'm sure your Tram 3500 Range test will be excellent!!!

I've even told the guys here that I've planned my retirement to do handheld CB tests like the guy I watch on YouTube ( meaning you)

I bought my Tram 3500 because of the great 18-mile range test Erik at Far Point Farms did, so every few weeks people are trying to get a CB antenna to work really well, and I ALWAYS show that fantastic video the Far Point Farms did..... I bet I've shared it 25 times!!!!!!
I'd much rather share your video.... if you can get the 18 miles he did.....
he did it with a subframe car.... a subframe car will work far better than your pick-up truck will... the subframe car has the engine bolted to the subframe and the subframe is then slid into the body and bolted together.... so all the metal is connected.
your pick-up sits on huge rubber body mounts that may not let the ground plane work.... your CAB and your pick up BED are not connected!!!! they both sit on rubber body mounts ... so your Bed and Cab are not Bonded ......that will not let the ground plane connect the two... meaning if the antenna is on the roof.... the metal of the bed may not help..... even the hood and the cab are not very well connected... so your Tram 3500 may not work too well....
I did RF Bonding on my pick-up and I really feel it helped a great deal this is a link to my mobile install

truck install finally done

I took the day off to figure out my base station antenna or buy a new Antron 99 with ground plane kit... it's rained all night and all day!!!! but this weekend I did finally finish my truck install after a few months...... I have been wanting my truck undercoated for years but I wanted to do the...

forums.radioreference.com

we'll see.... good luck!

yep its me and thanks for the kind words. gonna do the test and see how it does. If I dont get 15 miles or so them I will bond the bed, cab etc. so that would make a different video. oh, been a member here since 2018 just dont post much. just read. Thanks Mack

 

[niceguy71]

I have the same antenna on my truck. My last conversation on it was responding to a radio check query. After a brief discussion, we came to the conclusion that we were 12 miles apart. I was using a Cobra 29LTD with this antenna. My longest distance conversation was when I was on the interstate in WV. I had my President McKinley II FCC scanning and picked up a conversation, so I just introduced myself. In that instance, we were 62 miles apart. In both cases, I was just transmitting with 4 watts. When I and my younger daughter have adequate free time, I'm gonna set one of these antennas on the roof of her car and drive off and see how well we can hear each other around here. I liked the first antenna so much that I bought a second one, but she won't let me keep it on top of her car lol

12 miles vehicle to vehicle is fantastic..... The conditions have been excellent for a while now. They say Tram is a terrible company for radio equipment... And I know that Tram 3500 is a cheap. Piece of junk compared to good quality antennas...... But quite a few people have really done well with it. Glad yours is working out good...
That sounds like a fun test with your daughter and it would be good to know what both CBs are capable of ... You never know when you may be needing it and knowing what you can do for range is helpful..... I just watched a lot of videos on surviving hurricanes and saw quite a few people that used a CB to save their lives...... Let us know how your test works out, I always have an interest how good this cheap antenna can do