Slowmover your post brings back memories of when I was stationed at Ft. Riley Kansas in the early 90s, Our home was located on an access road along I-70. We had a base station set up in the living room and it was on about 18 hours each day. we would do what we could to assist drivers when ever we could. I always made it a point to talk to the regulars that passed through until they were out of range.
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New to CB and New to the Forum...
- Thread starter jcrmadden
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slowmover
Active Member
Finally got the 7' Skipshooter yesterday. First antenna tube was delivered empty! Walcott shipped a replacement same day no questions asked. I love those guys.
SWR out of the box was 1.1 (as long as I'm stationary). At 55 mph it's flexed a fair amount and SWR is 1.8. At interstate speeds she's laid back heavy and SWR hits 2.8 to 3.0 (no cut out yet but SWR protection is set to 3:1). Still getting those readings from the internal meter though. No external swr meter yet. Went to 2 truck stops to look for one yesterday. Ordered the NanoVNA from my buddy Jeff Bezos today instead. Along with 15' of braided bonding strap.
My DX901 has been floating around "in transit" with USPS for 6 days 🤞 🤞
So is my Astatic 636L and adapter cable.
I made the mistake of tallying up all the dollar bills spent so far too...
Is there like a support group for this sort of thing?
SWR out of the box was 1.1 (as long as I'm stationary). At 55 mph it's flexed a fair amount and SWR is 1.8. At interstate speeds she's laid back heavy and SWR hits 2.8 to 3.0 (no cut out yet but SWR protection is set to 3:1). Still getting those readings from the internal meter though. No external swr meter yet. Went to 2 truck stops to look for one yesterday. Ordered the NanoVNA from my buddy Jeff Bezos today instead. Along with 15' of braided bonding strap.
My DX901 has been floating around "in transit" with USPS for 6 days 🤞 🤞
So is my Astatic 636L and adapter cable.
I made the mistake of tallying up all the dollar bills spent so far too...
Is there like a support group for this sort of thing?
It's a podcast called Hamradio Workbench.
niceguy71
Active Member
how do you know what the QT60 SWR limit is set at? the Anytone 5555 N II is the same board and it's factory set at some ridiculous level like 5 or 6..... the only way to change it, is to hook it up to a computer and do it through the computer
personally
I would buy this cheap-o SWR power meter from China.. for $38.00 the SWR is VERY close to being perfect. I own two if these... one is strapped to the side of my mobile unit and stays there all the time and I turn it on when I'm using my radio.... you can set the SWR alert... I have it set for 2.4 ...if it goes over that it beeps and alerts me... also when I'm talking on my radio I can glance down and see the watts digitally... I like it for my older style radio in my mobile.
using it as a SWR meter you just key the mic and you can see what it is digitally.... I have to charge it about once every two months... I just plug a cable into it and into my cigarette /usb plug.... they sell two different ones..... I like this one MUCH better as the display is bigger.....both have three lights that show me the charge level and the SWR light when talking and the display is much bigger than the other style.... the only draw back is the on/off button is in the back..... and a little hard to get to.... but you want the one with the button in the back
the 2nd one I own if the one with the button in the front... the display on that one is so small I have to use a magnifying glass... i use it on my bench to test different radios... it works great and the SWR is close to my expensive Rigexpert.
120W SWR Digital Standing Meter 1.8-54MHz Shortwave Meter AM L0E1 | eBay
When the SWR is below 1.5, a green indicator light will illuminate. When the SWR is between 1.5 and 2.5, a yellow indicator light will illuminate. If the SWR exceeds 2.5, a red indicator light will illuminate.
www.ebay.com
slowmover
Active Member
Lose the spring. It could be cause of wild SWR swing. Should be minor.
Of course, if you’re still running that competition setup with the Wil, then that and composite bed are what to solve.
12-18” of pvc pipe that’ll fit down over metal ferrule at bottom of antenna is a trick we used for big truck to reduce swing radius. Paint to match.
Is there like a support group for this sort of thing?
That’s us as got to the tavern ahead of ya.
“The Church is near,
The Tavern is far,
The road is icy.
I shall walk carefully”
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🤷🏼♂️
I bought the rig from Scott's Radio...
Part of that deal was him setting up and fine tuning things that I'm too tar-tar to do myself.
What I know for sure is that if I'm transmitting and SWR crosses 3.0 it cuts out and the screen displays "SWRHI"
Which hasn't happened since I came back to band D from whatever the hell I wandered onto...
The Lil Wil and Uniden have migrated to the wife's Yukon so no competition there.
There's a hell of a lot more roof on that thing and it does a lot better there. Not great, just better.
Plus, the only time she's inclined to talk is when she knows I'm listening. She likes that part. So it's the carrot to dangle that distracts from the expense.
The composite bed and lack of bonding are still a major issue. I ordered a 15' roll of braided copper bonding strap and a sheet ton of eye terminals today. I picked up a multimeter, soldering kit, and some heat shrink tubing from the Harbor today also.
Now all I gotta do is learn how to solder...
niceguy71
Active Member
that's awesome, I wish I could get my SWR limit adjusted to a usable setting... but I didn't want to pay that much more for a radio..... I wanted one cheap, and I could have it from Amazon the next day.....and now.... I just don't want to go plugging computers into my CB
being off the D block sure explains the high SWR you could have been on the 24,000 range... glad it's working now.
not sure this will help you but this is the stuff I bought to do my RF bonding.
when I did my RF bonding I bought the 28MM strapping it's 1 1/4 inches wide......these crimpers , rings and star washers... I also bought some large self tappers and smaller star washers to go with the self tappers..... but didn't need any as I just kept taking bolts on the frame or body panels out grinding the paint off and putting the RF Straps with Star washer back on then painting it with clear paint a couple coats. then covered the whole ends with thick under coating.
I didn't solder the ends...... I was planning on putting 20 RF Bonding straps 10 each side....so that was 40 terminals.... and I was putting on 6 #4 AWG ground wire/ grounds on each side from frame to body each side of truck,,,, total of 12 meaning 24 more terminals so it would have been a day just to do the soldering..... I rolled the RF bonding straps into a tight roll and pushed them into the terminals.... YOU NEED THE CRIMPERS!!! I crimped them and there was no way I could pull them off..... YES moisture and water will get in..... but those stranded braided RF Bonding straps are going to wick water no matter what.... so I faced the terminal ends down so the water would have to go up hill.....and I also put lots of under coating on the terminals.
I keep my truck in the garage and try not to drive it in the snow or rain too much...so I will see if the RF bonding keeps working....... I was told by some very smart people the RF bonding is a waste and doesn't do anything... one guy in particular is a VERY, VERY smart guy that assured me it would do nothing he has helped me a great deal with everything... so I completely trust him..... but so many others here were big on the RF Bonding and I certainly trust the guys here too...... so I figured I'd do it and see for myself.
only problem is I got the radio wired in on a Thursday or Friday .... I only did one test trying to talk to my neighbor's CB with his Little Wil, we did the test in the middle of the day and conditions were terrible he was also parked in his driveway under electric wires and a transformer.....so we only got three miles.... on the weekend I did the RF Bonding and undercoated the whole truck, so I never had a before and after.
the Farpoint farms guy put a tram 3500 on his small car's trunk and got 18.5 miles range... I asked him if he did any RF Bonding... he said he didn't... so his install was just slap it on the trunk and he was done..... but a car's body is all welded together and has a unibody not a full frame, so the body is part of the frame unlike a pick-up truck that sits on the frame. and a pick up doesn't have the cab and bed connected. so I think the bonding was a win.... but can't prove it.
I would love to see jcrmadden go as far from the wife's truck as possible before the RF Bonding and then do it again to see if the wife could hear him better after the bonding.
anyway good luck!
I'll put it on the calendar!
She and I will be convoying this weekend and the bulk of the drive is on highway 80. It crosses several ridges and passes through the national forest. Should be decent testing grounds.
I'll post up on the first ridge and have her stop on each subsequent ridge for a radio check. I'll drop a couple location pins and figure out the air miles.
Not sure when I'll get the bonding done though. Life is full to the brim and spilling over at the moment.
slowmover
Active Member
Trucker700
Member
- Joined
- Jun 24, 2017
- Messages
- 296
For several years I worked for a company that the owner was also a bull hauler. ( has a big ranch near Wichita Falls) ALL of his bull wagons would run over 120mph easily. I drove one of his rock trucks for his company that built oil well drill sites. My truck was the only one of his rock trucks that could run with his bull haulers. That used to make the other drivers in the company mad. The other trucks could " only" run 90mph. Mine would easily do 120 or slightly more. ( loaded or empty didn't matter)
Then, he hired a new driver that didn't use good sense and tried to run his truck at or near top speed everywhere he went. One day, on a Farm to Market road, a couple of drunks pulled out in front of him. He swerved to the right ( no paved shoulder) and ended up, upside down in a creek. He was pretty beat up. But, we got him out of the truck. He spent a month in the hospital and a year in rehab.
The owner's insurance company made him set the governors on all his rock trucks to 68mph. Or get dropped completely. Lots of crying that day!
James
slowmover
Active Member
Yup. It’s always that one guy the others need to beat up as his warning. You don’t get to affect my livelihood or hurt Mr Smiths reputation.
The WW2 Generation understood this.
The word about him got put out . . . and reports got made ON-AIR.
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The WW2 Generation understood this.
The word about him got put out . . . and reports got made ON-AIR.
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Man that is pure crazy running a big truck that fast! I bet that is not a pretty sight when one of the recaps on the drivers blow out. The fleet that I work speed limits are 65 on the pedal and 70 on the cruise. What is the average speed that the big trucks run out there these days?
slowmover
Active Member
67, probably.
Being ungoverned means an operation-style that is more safe (far more safe) than anything governed under 75.
Best cruise is about 68. Decent MPG with 2.19 rear and a downspeed 15L Detroit. but doesn’t have to wait to get around or put up with aholes who won’t let you get around.
The guys governed at 67/68 are against the wall all day. Need to have 2-4/MPH to pass.
But from 67 down to 64 means getting trapped fairly often behind problems. Run 62 to have the same friction as being able to easily pass.
6-7/MPH adds up fast. Especially over a week East of IH-55. There’s not really a choice when my life is on the line.
Your fleet is FULL of bad drivers getting out into the left lane in the packs of cars just to try to make a living (no different than others doing the same).
Truck companies are happy to lie about this risk as it’s the driver who gets the blame.
Someone in front of me, behind me and next to me. Nowhere to go when something happens.
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Trucker700
Member
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- Jun 24, 2017
- Messages
- 296
Just because we could didn't mean we did. Actually, it rarely happened that way. And usually, if it happened at all, it was in an area with little to no, traffic. On dry, straight roads.
Most fleet trucks are governed below 70mph. Also, we did not run recaps anywhere on the truck or trailer. Those are a problem waiting to happen.
If you see a loaded cattle truck running fast, just remember, he is hauling live cargo that needs to get somewhere soon before they get sick. Or, need to be unloaded, fed and watered. Then a short rest before being loaded back on the truck on their way to another ranch, feed yard or packing house.
A cattle haulers life is a lot of hard work. They are not just running down the road in a large car looking cool as they breeze on by you.
James
Trucker700
Member
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- 296
I must be behind the times on this one. Does this mean you can drive up to 75mph for 30 minutes in 12 hours? I thought the maximum on duty drive time was limited to 11 hours out of 14 total. ( 11 hrs driving and 3 hours on duty not driving)
The last truck I drove would easily hold 75mph loaded on all but the most hilly areas. But, because of traffic etc, the average speed was less than that. Plus, as you know, it depends on where you are. And what the speed limit is. Along with any speed limit difference for trucks.
James
slowmover
Active Member
Get off IH-10 in AZ before dark!
Stay out of the Monfort Lane!
Remembering The Monfort Circus Wagons - Psyne Co.
The trucking community has always had its own language, or lingo. Some phrases, such as the 10-codes, are more universally used, but many other phrases were
psyne.co
Boss only paid speeding tickets if above 90-MPH (the legend, F the truth).
Same plant in Greeley, CO, I earlier noted, but it’s now JBS.
Need to stay in the Schneider lane, boys.
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slowmover
Active Member
You’ll use up your 1/2-hr in under 4-hours running something like IH-81 thru Virginia.
Apply skill and time the pass won’t matter as the constant hill climbs and clueless drivers aren’t any help.
It’s only a help west of Chicago on the big E-W routes.
If the goal is made to be Vehicle Separation Distance (mine), then staying in The Rocking Chair is a bit easier.
As on occasion one needs to get away from pesky furriners who pass and slow, best to run hard at 75 to get a gap of over 1.5-miles.
Then back to rockin’ and snoozin’.
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