switched from cigarette lighter pwr to hardwiring - now trouble w/CB
hello,
I installed my cb radio the same way I did on my last vehicle (lip mount on hatchback) and it worked fine using a cigarette lighter but now that I hard wired it i am having trouble with it. the trouble is voices sound weird distorted or all staticky and no one replies to a radio check. the radio has power and the weather bands pick up their channels very clearly. despite the apparent pwr could the problem be a bad ground at the radio? I think I have a good ground. i didn't use my swr meter while using the cigarette lighter because I knew i would be hard wiring it. today when i used the meter my swr was way over 3, actually all the way over to the calibrate side. i believe i used the meter correctly.
any direction you could provide would be greatly appreciated, thank you
trouble after hard wiring radio
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'Doc
Just from what you've said (didn't say) I see two areas where there could be a problem. One is in the way you are getting power to the thing, and not re-tuning the antenna (or at least checking it). That's where you have to start from.
You have three obvious choices of where the problem may be, the power source, the radio, or the antenna system. Since the power source was the change that was made, then checking that for 'goofs' would be my first step. Measuring the voltage at the radio end of that line is a good way to start that checking. Same voltage as at the battery? How about when you are transmitting, does the voltage drop 'much' or at all (I wouldn't think so, but does it)? Don't know about you, but any connections I made in anything is always a possible 'problem'. And is the power wire(s) large enough to supply the amount of current required? How long is it anyway, longer runs require larger wire. (No, I'm not calling you an idiot! Just check things to make sure, you know?) Swapping back to that cig.lighter source is one way of doing it, still got the problem?
If the power source/line checks okay then the problem would be somewhere else. So, the next easiest thing to check is the antenna system. Not doing an SWR check when you had it hooked up the other way doesn't give you something to compare to, so you basically look at it like a 'new' antenna and see what/how it's acting. Have you 'tuned'/adjusted the antenna at all? That means where it is NOW, not where it may have been before now. If an antenna is moved then it's 'tune' will change, that's normal. That 'change' may not be much, or worth messing with, but it'll change. Since you are hearing WX stations okay then the thing isn't totally 'bad', but since those WX stations are not on the antenna's design band it doesn't mean that the antenna is problem-free. Some antennas are 'pickier' than others about their 'tuning'.
If you can eliminate the power source and the antenna then you've only got one more thingy that could be a problem, right? There's not simple way of checking what may be wrong with a radio. Maybe the easiest way would be to try it in another set up, someone else's car/base? That SWR meter usually has a watt meter also, so is the thing putting out anything? Maybe not what you may expect, but anything at all?
As for not getting answers, not being able to contact anyone, there are a lot of possible reasons for that. I'm not going to make any guesses about that. They range from you're just not being heard to no one want's to give a radio check.
Good luck.
- 'Doc
You have three obvious choices of where the problem may be, the power source, the radio, or the antenna system. Since the power source was the change that was made, then checking that for 'goofs' would be my first step. Measuring the voltage at the radio end of that line is a good way to start that checking. Same voltage as at the battery? How about when you are transmitting, does the voltage drop 'much' or at all (I wouldn't think so, but does it)? Don't know about you, but any connections I made in anything is always a possible 'problem'. And is the power wire(s) large enough to supply the amount of current required? How long is it anyway, longer runs require larger wire. (No, I'm not calling you an idiot! Just check things to make sure, you know?) Swapping back to that cig.lighter source is one way of doing it, still got the problem?
If the power source/line checks okay then the problem would be somewhere else. So, the next easiest thing to check is the antenna system. Not doing an SWR check when you had it hooked up the other way doesn't give you something to compare to, so you basically look at it like a 'new' antenna and see what/how it's acting. Have you 'tuned'/adjusted the antenna at all? That means where it is NOW, not where it may have been before now. If an antenna is moved then it's 'tune' will change, that's normal. That 'change' may not be much, or worth messing with, but it'll change. Since you are hearing WX stations okay then the thing isn't totally 'bad', but since those WX stations are not on the antenna's design band it doesn't mean that the antenna is problem-free. Some antennas are 'pickier' than others about their 'tuning'.
If you can eliminate the power source and the antenna then you've only got one more thingy that could be a problem, right? There's not simple way of checking what may be wrong with a radio. Maybe the easiest way would be to try it in another set up, someone else's car/base? That SWR meter usually has a watt meter also, so is the thing putting out anything? Maybe not what you may expect, but anything at all?
As for not getting answers, not being able to contact anyone, there are a lot of possible reasons for that. I'm not going to make any guesses about that. They range from you're just not being heard to no one want's to give a radio check.
Good luck.
- 'Doc
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rumrunn6
thanks but can a bad ground at the radio cause this symptom? I have a picture of the ground and i'll try to post it. I think everything is connected ok.
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'Doc
Couold your radio not being grounded cause your problem? I really doubt it. If it's powering up then it has a DC ground. If the antenna is grounded, then it has an RF ground. If the antenna isn't grounded, connected electrically to the body of the vehicle then that's probably at least part of the problem, and that would appear to be in the antenna mounting.
If you want to try grounding the radio to the vehicle do so. It shouldn't harm anything even if it doesn't help anything.
- 'Doc
If you want to try grounding the radio to the vehicle do so. It shouldn't harm anything even if it doesn't help anything.
- 'Doc
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DB_Cooper
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Hard wire it to the wires that feed your cig lighter.
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MDYoungblood
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Hi rumrunn6,
To post a pic you will need to make over 10 posts, once you do that you will be allowed to, keeps the spammers out of the sites system.
We could use a little more info, antenna location, how you ran and what size wire you used, type of car/suv/truck, where do you have it grounded and how. I know a pic is worth a thousand words so make some posts.
Go to the "Welcome to the Forum" topic and post a small intro.
3's
Greg
To post a pic you will need to make over 10 posts, once you do that you will be allowed to, keeps the spammers out of the sites system.
We could use a little more info, antenna location, how you ran and what size wire you used, type of car/suv/truck, where do you have it grounded and how. I know a pic is worth a thousand words so make some posts.
Go to the "Welcome to the Forum" topic and post a small intro.
3's
Greg
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rumrunn6
On my way to work I was able to communication with a couple truckers a couples miles from me. That was reassuring even though the SWR was pegged high.
After work, I made a ground jumper from the mount to the body of the vehicle and the SWR is no longer pegged to the right. it's till over 3 but it has improved. the jumper ground can be improved and I think I might. I also ordered a standard 18" length of high quality coax instead of the 20" cheap stuff at radio shack.
After work, I made a ground jumper from the mount to the body of the vehicle and the SWR is no longer pegged to the right. it's till over 3 but it has improved. the jumper ground can be improved and I think I might. I also ordered a standard 18" length of high quality coax instead of the 20" cheap stuff at radio shack.
