gint2

Don't know how they do it... unless it is just good advertising and goons like me believe it but the Pro510 I have says it puts out 7 watts from the factory. I just wired it up and wow! That thing can reach out and touch someone! I also SWR my fire stick to 1.5... That may have something to do with it too.

arjeeper

Well, it probably puts out 7 watts of audio power from the speaker, not 7 watts of RF in the transmission.

FlameRedJK

You radio geeks crack me up, get so upset over mhz and other stuff i have no clue about, thanks for the info though...now if only I knew what it meant

Lifecast

Think of MHz as a radio station channel. Each cb channel 1-40 represents a frequency in MHz.

Watts is power and can be associated with distance or reach of signal if all other parts are tuned. Ie. radio, wire, antenna. Watts are regulate by FCC due to the fact that they can interfere with other frequencies at higher power. To control the interference they limit the power output. Proper Tuning can stop any interference but most people just buy the stuff and plug it in. That's why a lot of people have terrible cb experience and say their signal doesn't travel far. 1 to 2 miles at most if it's a bad tune.

Tuning is making sure all the parts radio wire and antenna are not stopping or giving resistance to the signal trying to leave the antenna.

Tune tune tune is key!

hypeiv

best way to increase your range legally is to put your antenna in a better place on your jeep see:

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-c...r-jeep-227276/

one of the best CB set ups I have personally seen was mounted on side mirror relocation bracket (so you have a mirror with your doors off) which I assume would be as good as the cowl mount. This jeep was just using a 2ft firestik and was getting better range and clarity than everyone else who was using tire carrier or bumper mounts with 3-5ft antennas

ValvMack

OK, Let me do just a little background here.

I was a 'CB' operator back when you actually had to apply for a license in the late 60's/early 70's.

Those days folks ran linear amplifiers that probably caused skin cancer (LOL)... People were always looking for ways to make the signal stronger (old Radio Shack/Archer ground plane antenna swapped for a directional moon-raker and the likes)... Back then if you did a no-no and got reported, you got a letter from the FCC threatening all kinds of bad things, and you stopped doing whatever immediately. You USUALLY got that letter because a neighbor complained about tv interference or whatever. If you kept doing it, some other CB person would probably show up at your place late one night and 'pin' your coax. I will not go into details but suffice to say it was not a good situation when you cranked up that 250 watt pileup buster.

Now TODAY... The FCC has COMPLETELY GIVEN UP on the 11 meter (aka CB) spectrum. It was costing WAY too much money to try and keep that area policed. It is now pretty much an open wasteland of scofflaws and other types trying to just get along, with the occasional true jerk doing whatever it is that makes them a radio jerk.

I have also been a ham radio operator for over 25 years, and, have nothing but the deepest respect for those folks. They are self policing, usually overly polite folks that are playing with some VERY expensive hardware, or very inexpensive hardware that takes a lot more effort to make functional. They/we are a proud bunch that don't take kindly to infringements in the rules PERIOD.

Thanks mostly to the FCC the 11 meter CB band is now just noisy, garbled, and only the strong survive. To that end, having a 200 watt 10 meter EXPORT radio that can be converted to 11 meter CB use, while illegal under part 97, is the best way to be heard, period. I travel up and down the interstates in Texas, and, I can tell you right now, the lowly cobra-29 (that I have) is severely UNDER powered for today. Not Cobra's fault, they are simply following the rules.

My point is, I would ALWAYS want my radio tuned by a technician, if to only make sure I am not leaving any signal in the box. I dont like the 'hot' tunes that push your finals right to the edge, chances are you will cause them to burn up much sooner, but if I can get another 50 watts out of my single side band (SSB) 10 meter rig, then I say go for it. Of course with the CB band enabled, that 50 watts also gets applied to 11 meters as well..

You want some excellent 10 meter radios (requires a ham license to be legal in the US) look at product like Ranger's 2970N2 or Galaxy's DX98VHP rigs. Both are 'export' type radios (can be converted for use outside the USA) and both have VERY HIGH POWER finals pushing 200-300 watts after a tune up.. And 100+ watts vs 4 watts DOES make for a much larger area of coverage. Pair that with a 1/4 wave whip (102-108 inches) and you will have a signal that nobody is going to squash easily. To that end MAKE SURE your antenna is tuned PROPERLY, and you are using the CORRECT coax for your application!


73's and 88's <-- (I know, OLD school)

Valvmack

DG1976

LOL! WOW, I have not heard of anybody doing that for quite some time. Then again, the volume of base installations and general use of cb aren't what they once were either. I have heard of quite a few "antics" to sabatoge malitious operators and bad installations...sometimes probably justified...

conifers4

This post is a month old but worth bumping IMO

edwin907

My brother, retired AF Col, is a HAM and a pilot, and it's amazing what you can hear in his plane.

shipjim1

I have a hand held Cobra. Rear mounted antnnae. It's mounted on a tab on my swing away at the right rear corner of the Jeep 1/2 way up the body and sticks over the top about 6".
I can hear others but they can't hear me sayinig ist really fuzzy. I shaved so now I don't know what to do.