Help me set-up a COBRA brand CB, inside the cabin.

[Sourdough]

I don't know why I bought this thing 12 or 15 years ago. I've never taken it out of the box. My phone (actually phones for all eleven people who live in this city) frequently go out for days. Last time was 10 days, a few years ago it was 32 days. So, I am thinking the CB could be a backup in emergencies.

What do I do about a roof mounted antenna.....???

 

[Tootsie]

I don't know why I bought this thing 12 or 15 years ago. I've never taken it out of the box. My phone (actually phones for all eleven people who live in this city) frequently go out for days. Last time was 10 days, a few years ago it was 32 days. So, I am thinking the CB could be a backup in emergencies.

What do I do about a roof mounted antenna.....???

Do you have any metal, magnetic mount? The one on my truck is very strong, and I would think could work on a roof.

 

[Sourdough]

Do you have any metal, magnetic mount? The one on my truck is very strong, and I would think could work on a roof.

No metal. I am thinking as tall as is legal. Likely build something.

 

[Hardcalibres]

If it will always be mounted on the cabin and you want the best range, then a wire dipole would be better than a whip antenna.

Use some paracord to hang the ends to a couple of conveniently spaced trees. To make the setup easier, you can use pulleys on the tree ends. Attach the balun to the radio with a coax cable. Connect the radio earth to a ground stake.

You can set it up so it is harder to spot than a whip.......I would buy/build it and then store it when you are not using it.

https://www.amazon.com/WINDCAMP-7-30MHz-Horizontal-Antenna-Waterproof/dp/B074CW8GXH
https://www.amazon.com/Ready-Meter-Dipole-Antenna-Balun/dp/B01CYKFU4Y
27MHz is the HF 11m band.

 

[kd4ulw]

If you want to talk locally you will need a vertical antenna. You could use a coax switch and hook up a vertical and a dipole and switch back-and-forth.

 

[Magus]

If you'll unblock me I'll show you a 10$ fix you can get at any home depot.

 

[Magus]

Done deal.
Go to the hardware store and get two LARGE shelf brackets and 4 screws and nuts to fit, clamp it around your shaft so it looks like an inverted "T"
then using wood screws, mount it to whatever wood surface suits you.

I'm not clear, are you using it in your house or on a vehicle? a vehicle mount is even cheaper but more involved labor wise, and it involves drilling holes in your bumper. it just takes a piece of iron pipe, a PVC cap and some silicon caulk.
Get some iron pipe your antenna nub slides freely in, but not sloppy.
Drill an oval hole approximately 2" down on a 6" pipe you can easily fit your coax through, push it through and screw it to your antenna and pull it back, jack it full of caulk, drill 2 holes below where your wire goes in and mount it to your bumper. being Alaskan, I'd forget the stupid end cap, you'll need drainage.

EDIT. if its 9' above your vehicle, the state of TN says its illegal 30 years ago. the way we got around it was to put a hook on the hood and bend it over until we got to the woods. no big deal, just a "S" conduit clamp and a string.

 

[Sourdough]

You are unblocked. Everything must come from Amazon. Already went to town this year. Will this unit reach 35 miles. That is line of sight to Los'Anchorage. Closest place likely to find someone with a CB. Now days everyone has a cell phone, no cell phone reception here.

 

[Sourdough]

If it will always be mounted on the cabin and you want the best range, then a wire dipole would be better than a whip antenna.

Use some paracord to hang the ends to a couple of conveniently spaced trees. To make the setup easier, you can use pulleys on the tree ends. Attach the balun to the radio with a coax cable. Connect the radio earth to a ground stake.

You can set it up so it is harder to spot than a whip.......I would buy/build it and then store it when you are not using it.

https://www.amazon.com/WINDCAMP-7-30MHz-Horizontal-Antenna-Waterproof/dp/B074CW8GXH
https://www.amazon.com/Ready-Meter-Dipole-Antenna-Balun/dp/B01CYKFU4Y
27MHz is the HF

I cleared all the trees near the cabin, so just brush here now. Another problem is I get 7 to 9 feet of snow, with 4 feet typically on the roof. Maybe I should just sell this thing.

 

[Hardcalibres]

I cleared all the trees near the cabin, so just brush here now. Another problem is I get 7 to 9 feet of snow, with 4 feet typically on the roof. Maybe I should just sell this thing.

Old CB radios provide a very narrow capability......

If it is a prep, then buy a triband portable like Yaesu FT817 or the newer/current 818.

With those, you get HF, VHF and UHF out of a radio that you can run on a 10Ah battery with a small solar panel. For VHF and UHF you can use the shorty antennas that mount to the radio.

One of those is a prep.

 

[Magus]

You are unblocked. Everything must come from Amazon. Already went to town this year. Will this unit reach 35 miles. That is line of sight to Los'Anchorage. Closest place likely to find someone with a CB. Now days everyone has a cell phone, no cell phone reception here.

You probably have what you need on hand already for the vehicle mount, if not, I know for a fact they have 6" shelf braces. Or you can just use the vehicle mount on your house, just increase the screw size.

Here's two antenna I have personal hands on with:
https://www.amazon.com/Firestik-FS3...hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584482464274653&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/Firestik-FS-...4USX7EE/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=B004USX7EE&psc=1
Both allow you to pinpoint a signal for best reception, but if you use them in a vehicle, I'm lost as to how the ground works.

 

[kd4ulw]

Will this unit reach 35 miles. That is line of sight to Los'Anchorage.

A stock CB outputs 4 watts AM (12 watts SSB). You would need a pretty long beam antenna to have a chance and at 27 MHz those are BIG.

It’s a lot easier with VHF Ham radio but I don’t think you have a license. FWIW, a Technician license isn’t very hard to get and the study material is free online. That would give you VHF privileges.

 

[Sourdough]

It’s a lot easier with VHF Ham radio but I don’t think you have a license. FWIW, a Technician license isn’t very hard to get and the study material is free online. That would give you VHF privileges.

I'll be blind in about 16 to 20 months and dead in 24 months. I'll pass on getting one more license.

 

[Biggkidd]

You are unblocked. Everything must come from Amazon. Already went to town this year. Will this unit reach 35 miles. That is line of sight to Los'Anchorage. Closest place likely to find someone with a CB. Now days everyone has a cell phone, no cell phone reception here.

35 miles is going to be a stretch unless you are up high above most everything. 5-10 miles is more realistic without adding watts.

Far as your antenna goes try and get it 11 meters up for the best performance. Hope I am remembering that right it's been a LONG time.

 

[Magus]

I'll be blind in about 16 to 20 months and dead in 24 months. I'll pass on getting one more license.

Damn dude!

 

[Alaskajohn]

You are unblocked. Everything must come from Amazon. Already went to town this year. Will this unit reach 35 miles. That is line of sight to Los'Anchorage. Closest place likely to find someone with a CB. Now days everyone has a cell phone, no cell phone reception here.

You should be able to pick up and communicate to those traveling on the Seward Highway across Turnagain Arm. The state maintenance vehicles monitor CB, if I am not mistaken.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

CB range is only about 5 miles. Unless you are elevated, like on a tall hill.
Trees block the transmission, for some reason Southern Yellow Pines seem to suck that transmission right up.
I've had CB's in my pickups for almost 50 years now, right now I've got a Galaxy 40 channel.
On a vehicle mount, the optimal antenna length is 108 inches. It has something to do with CB wave length. I know that when the CB shop replaced my roof mount that somehow burned up, the slim whip that went into the base was very touchy to adjust. The tech set my CB using the radio's SWR gauge, (standing wave ratio ?) and moving the antenna fractions of an inch at a time to get the best numbers on my radio's gauge.
I'm a technical dummy on this kind of stuff.

Channel 9 is the emergency channel, usually monitored, and used only for emergencys.
Truckers (and I) generally use channel 19.
There are channels used by hispanic truckers speaking spanish, and with the influx of truckers from Eastern Europe I'm assuming they have their own channels as well.

I will never take a road trip without my CB and paper road maps. People who depend on their cell phone's GPS map app scare me. Or their car's navigation system. These can be helpful additions to a paper map.
My system saved me from a 35 mile back up on I-95 in South Carolina a few years ago. And, I got to see the SC backroads.

 

[Sourdough]

I have decided to sell the unit, thanks to everyone for your help. I am going to get something much better. This is for emergency, and I want to be comfortable that whatever I buy has the range. Basically, now looking for the most powerful.......without getting another special license.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

Years ago, they used to sell CB "base stations". These were for a fixed location, like a house or office.
Before I met her, my wife used to have one. She's an old 18 wheel driver.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

https://www.wearecb.com/base-station-cb-radio-kit.html

 

[Magus]

No experience with these at all, but deep woods hikers swear by them.
https://www.rei.com/product/140110/...f637964f98db128b6c11f4ba7cddd866&gclsrc=3p.ds

 

[Curmudgeon]

Basically, now looking for the most powerful.......without getting another special license.

I might suggest a CB linear amp. Technically when putting out more wattage you need a license, but if you use it responsibly the FCC isn't going to bother you.

I would also recommend an SWR meter if you stay with a CB, the match is important not only for transmission but for the radio itself.

I have run a 350 watt Texas High Drive amp on my base unit and didn't have any problems.

 

[Wingnut]

Rice Paddy Daddy, I never take any out-of-town trip without my trucker's atlas, I'm old school so I like the paper maps, and the trucker's atlas is more detailed than most. Technically, it's a Rand-McNally Motor Carriers' Road Atlas, but it has SO MUCH additional information: parks, forests, mountain ranges, etc. Low-clearance locations too, in case you're driving a tall rig. Anybody can buy this atlas at the nearest large truck stop or travel plaza.

Magus, that Garmin inReach Mini "satellite communicator" looks good, and it's lightweight too... a big plus when you're schlepping gear in the wilderness. I'd only carry it for emergency use, but that's what it's for, right? Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it... same can be said for bear spray & sidearms, lol. When I rode my dirt bikes in the White Mountains, I'd carry bear spray on my belt and a pistol in a "Tuco Sling" so I could reach it in a hurry...

 

[bkt]

I have decided to sell the unit, thanks to everyone for your help. I am going to get something much better. This is for emergency, and I want to be comfortable that whatever I buy has the range. Basically, now looking for the most powerful.......without getting another special license.

More power does not guarantee more range. VHF and UHF are line-of-sight. CB is HF - around 27MHz - and with the right antenna can bounce off the ionosphere to reach out several hundred miles. It isn't reliable, though.

I've tried CB, GMRS (have a license, even!), MURS, and FRS and settled on becoming a ham radio operator. With only 20 watts and a low horizontal (NVIS) antenna, I can reliably communicate within a 200 mile radius. I don't need to worry about obstructions because my signal is coming down from the sky, not traveling parallel to the ground.

If you really don't want to get your amateur radio license, I would recommend a CB with a horizontal dipole and an amp, as well as a high-power GMRS rig (50W at least) and a vertical UHF antenna outdoors raised as high as you can get it.

 

[rice paddy daddy]

Rice Paddy Daddy, I never take any out-of-town trip without my trucker's atlas, I'm old school so I like the paper maps, and the trucker's atlas is more detailed than most. Technically, it's a Rand-McNally Motor Carriers' Road Atlas, but it has SO MUCH additional information: parks, forests, mountain ranges, etc. Low-clearance locations too, in case you're driving a tall rig. Anybody can buy this atlas at the nearest large truck stop or travel plaza.

I have the 2022 edition of the Motor Carrier's Atlas. It and Rand McNalley's regular road atlas went with me last September from Florida to North Carolina, where I picked up my older daughter.
Then we went on to Providence, Rhode Island for the 100th annual reunion of the 5th Infantry Division, "Patton's Red Diamond Devils".
After 4 days there, we pressed on to Maine. All my ancestors, from my parents back to my Great (X4) Grandfather who fought in the Revolution were from the tiny town of North Berwick, Maine.

All in all, two weeks on the road and 3,100 miles.
This was my daughter's first experience with our reunions. She got to meet my Vietnam buddies, guys I would have died for. And they for me. It's a bond unlike any other. She got to see things "regular people" never will, and hopefully she learned a little more about Dad.
She had such a good time she wants to go again in 2023, this time San Antonio.