New to CB

[bornandraisedLV]

I will be making the drive from Las Vegas to Minneapolis mid to late February in a 26' uhaul towing my Toyota Highlander and then 3 weeks later flying back to Las Vegas and making the drive back to Minneapolis in my wife's Forde Edge.

I am sold on the idea of getting a CB for the following reasons: constant weather updates, contact with the outside world when there is no cell reception and just to help pass the time if I happen to come across some conversation.

With all of this being said I want to make sure that the following set up will be adequate and universal for both the uhaul and the SUV and finally ending up being used on the Highlander for random road trips.

CB unit I am looking at the Uniden bearcat 980ssb. I like that it has weather and am starting to read up on the ssb aspect to see if it interests me as much as I think it will. I will have to power it via a 12v adapter for now, is there a noise reduction filter I can put between the power and cb to reduce engine noise?

Antenna I am looking at a 4' Firestik(R) II FS Series Tunable Tip CB Antenna - 900 Watts Black FS-4BK using a 5" magnet and a spring. For the uhaul I'm not sure if I can pop it up on the roof or if I should just put it on the passenger side hood. For my suv's I will put it center roof. I was originally just going to get a little wil but I'm reading good things about the firesticks.

Will also grab a swr meter to try and get the antenna tuned in as best as possible.

I think that about covers it. I think I just want a little reassurance that this set up in theory will work as I have very little experience.

Any feedback or suggestions would be great!

Thanks!


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[TheSpaceMann]

I will be making the drive from Las Vegas to Minneapolis mid to late February in a 26' uhaul towing my Toyota Highlander and then 3 weeks later flying back to Las Vegas and making the drive back to Minneapolis in my wife's Forde Edge.

I am sold on the idea of getting a CB for the following reasons: constant weather updates, contact with the outside world when there is no cell reception and just to help pass the time if I happen to come across some conversation.

With all of this being said I want to make sure that the following set up will be adequate and universal for both the uhaul and the SUV and finally ending up being used on the Highlander for random road trips.

CB unit I am looking at the Uniden bearcat 980ssb. I like that it has weather and am starting to read up on the ssb aspect to see if it interests me as much as I think it will. I will have to power it via a 12v adapter for now, is there a noise reduction filter I can put between the power and cb to reduce engine noise?

Antenna I am looking at a 4' Firestik(R) II FS Series Tunable Tip CB Antenna - 900 Watts Black FS-4BK using a 5" magnet and a spring. For the uhaul I'm not sure if I can pop it up on the roof or if I should just put it on the passenger side hood. For my suv's I will put it center roof. I was originally just going to get a little wil but I'm reading good things about the firesticks.

Will also grab a swr meter to try and get the antenna tuned in as best as possible.

I think that about covers it. I think I just want a little reassurance that this set up in theory will work as I have very little experience.

Any feedback or suggestions would be great!

Thanks!


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Sounds like a pretty good set up! The 980 is a very good rig. I have used some Wilson antennas with good results, and have also heard good things about firesticks.

 

[bornandraisedLV]

Sounds like a pretty good set up! The 980 is a very good rig. I have used some Wilson antennas with good results, and have also heard good things about firesticks.

Yeah I keep going between the little wil and the firestick. It seams like there might be less grounding issues with the firestick than the little wil?

 

[FiveFilter]

When in an auto, I use the equivalent of the magnetic-base Lil Will, a 3-foot K30. It is a rugged little thing with its stainless steel whip, and it works quite well.

However, one problem with a steel-whipped antenna (and a non-screwtip-adjustable glass antenna) is if the antenna is used for various vehicles, it likely will have to be used with a less-than-best SWR value because of its use in various vehicles. I know the steel whip can be adjusted up-and-down a little bit in its base, but I choose not to do that because I want it planted as deeply as possible in the base to keep it from being blown out by the 70++ mph winds it will be regularly subjected to on the road.

When putting the K30 on different cars, I test the SWR to make sure it is in a location with a value of under 2 on channel 19 and use it thusly with good results.

I've wondered why they don't make a steel whip that can be slid up-and-down like the old-fashioned AM car radios used to have. Maybe I just haven't looked hard enough to find one, not that I've looked at all come to think of it.

 

[TheSpaceMann]

Most hams swear by Larsen mobile antennas! You might want to look at their 11 meter versions as well.

 

[bornandraisedLV]

I've pretty much settled on the 4' firefly with the hustler mbm magnet mount for the SUV and I will throw a window mount on the uhaul. Should be set to go with that set up. Thanks for the input


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[hill]

May not be able to put on the hood of the U-Haul, since many trucks of that size have fiberglass hoods.

 

[KC5AKB]

There is some wind load on the fire stick, skip shooter style antennas
Make sure your mag mount will hold at 70 mph.
Hustler / newtronics is a good product.
It is also easy to arch a non-fiberglass antenna to fit in a suit case.
Just a thought about wind load with the fire stick .
Be Safe on your trip.

 

[w0fg]

The advantage of the Lil' Will over a Firestik on a mag-mount is that an casual brush with an obstacle is less likely to knock the antenna off the roof, which is a major issue with roof-mounted magnet mounts. In my particular case, I found the Lil' Will to deliver a less-than-2:1 SWR with no tuning necessary. YMMV, as every installation is unique.

 

[bornandraisedLV]

The advantage of the Lil' Will over a Firestik on a mag-mount is that an casual brush with an obstacle is less likely to knock the antenna off the roof, which is a major issue with roof-mounted magnet mounts. In my particular case, I found the Lil' Will to deliver a less-than-2:1 SWR with no tuning necessary. YMMV, as every installation is unique.

Will the addition of a spring help in this situation?

I might also go with a hard frame mount from under the hood as they seem to be pretty universal and skip magnet mount all together for the SUV. I think a trip to the local TA might be in order and see what I can find.


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[w0fg]

Will the addition of a spring help in this situation?

I might also go with a hard frame mount from under the hood as they seem to be pretty universal and skip magnet mount all together for the SUV. I think a trip to the local TA might be in order and see what I can find.

I think a hard mount is a much better choice if you are going with a stiff fiberglass stick. I prefer flexible metal whips if I'm restricted to a mag-mount.

Rick, W0FG

 

[bornandraisedLV]

So after some suggestions for a few of you this is the set up I have went with. I think along with a pair of vise grips, some heat sharing and duct tape that this set up should work well for both the uhaul and my SUV. Just wondering if there is anything obvious that I missed or if this in theory should get me up and running?

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[bornandraisedLV]

So after some suggestions for a few of you this is the set up I have went with. I think along with a pair of vise grips, some heat sharing and duct tape that this set up should work well for both the uhaul and my SUV. Just wondering if there is anything obvious that I missed or if this in theory should get me up and running?

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Ugg I should have read that before I hit the post button....


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