c.b. radio

[kevtra2001]

what is the best way to wire up a cb radio on a boat? i have a 18ft starcraft nova with a 1971 50hp johnson.

 

[Bob in Calif.]

Re: c.b. radio

K.........<br /><br />Due to the fact your boat is fiberglass, you do not have a normal ground plane, such as a metal vehicle. <br /><br />You will need to use a CB antenna kit, for which no ground plane is required. The only brand that I know of that is avilable for this application, is the "FireStik" brand, but I'm sure there are other brands. <br /><br />I use this type on my boats and on my van conversion, that has the raised, fiberglass top.<br /><br />The "FireStik" brand is quite popular with over-the road truckers, which I would attribute to their performance, quality and ability to withstand high wattage.<br /><br />Other than the no ground plane antenna, you can install your CB, as you would install a normal marine radio.<br /><br />Go to www.firestik.com<br /><br />...Bob in Calif...

 

[cp]

Re: c.b. radio

IMHO, the best way = the simplest way that works . Presuming your CB has an in-line fuse and an Off/On switch, just wire the red lead to the positive 12V power buss in your console/dash and the black lead to the ground or negative power buss. Mount the antenna as high and unobstructed as feasible, running the cable to suit yourself (don't cut the cable), connect it to the radio. And you're basically done .<br /><br />The fuse will protect it, and you use the Off/On switch to control it. Set squelch to eliminate the desired level of weak signal or noise. Add an external speaker if you want or noise levels in your boat require it. Add a noise filter if your engine makes enough EMI to warrant it. Have fun .

 

[Bob in Calif.]

Re: c.b. radio

K.......<br /><br />After you go to the "FireStik" site, look at the left side of the page where it says 27 MHz CB Antennas.<br />Go to no-gound-plane antenna kits and click on "3-way mount" and it will take directly to what you need.<br /><br />...Bob in Calif...

 

[cp]

Re: c.b. radio

Not disputing anything written here , and not advocating one make antenna over another or anything, but just want to make sure that kevtra2001 gets complete info with which to make his choice. The below is an excerpt from a major antenna manufacturer's website FAQ (name deleted to avoid pushing any one brand):<br /><br />

Do I need a ground plane for my CB antenna? No, all ** brand** Marine CB antennas have independent ground planes built into them.

Note that these are marine antennas purposefully designed for use on boats. All the fishermen out here use these, and the built-in ground planes allow us to easily communicate over 15+ miles normally. The larger boats with higher and longer antenna do even better .

 

[kevtra2001]

Re: c.b. radio

sorry been away thanks for the replys and help the boat is aulm. it was hooked up, the cb and a radio hooked to one antenna. can that be good for the cb?

 

[kd6nem]

Re: c.b. radio

An aluminum boat in the water is about as good a groundplane as you will find.<br /><br />If the antenna is made for both it might be OK. If it was some jury rigging it will fry the radio and may or may not harm the CB depending on how it was done and what built in protection your particular CB has built in. I prefer separate, myself. Often the combo antennas are compromise antennas that do neither very well. Will this be your main communication in case of emergency? Go quality for sure if so!<br /><br />One thing to watch out for is making sure you have nice clean connections which are kept absolutely dry. Especially for the coax at the CB and at the antenna. You would do well to make sure the antenna is matched resonably well by using an SWR meter between the radio and coax to get a quick reading before weatherproofing the connection with amalgamating tape. SWR should be fairly low- 1.1:1 being ideal. Try to keep it as far as possible under 2:1 or else you are just heating your coax instead of using the power to be heard. By the way, a good antenna properly mounted is more effective and cheaper than boosting your output power, which is illegal anyway.

 

[Keith Buchanan]

Re: c.b. radio

And it drains your battery!!

 

[cp]

Re: c.b. radio

IMHO for best reception/transmission and troublefree operation you should use antennae specifically designed for the application. Antennae are designed for the frequency of the application and are inefficient at other frequencies: CB uses 127 MHz, FM is 88 Mhz to 108 MHz, and AM is something like 550 kHz to 1620 kHz.<br />Like Bearcat said, dumping part of the 4 watt output of your CB into the AM/FM radio can't be good for it, and it sure won't help you get distance on the CB.

 

[kd6nem]

Re: c.b. radio

127 Mhz is in the aircraft band- typo there I think. Maybe 27 Mhz for CB.... <br />You're right about efficiency.

 

[cp]

Re: c.b. radio

Whoops! Who put that #1 key right next to that #2 key where a clumsy finger could hit both ? Bearcat's correct - CB is 27MHz. Thanks for correcting it .

 

[kevtra2001]

Re: c.b. radio

thanks again. i'm going with two antennas. just got to find a spot that i want to drill a hole in the boat to mount the cb antenna. thank you guys for all the help you gave me.

 

[skeffer]

Re: c.b. radio

Just a side note Some ants are made for a am/fm radio and a cb radio as I had one. Got the swr reading down realy low also.

 

[kd6nem]

Re: c.b. radio

Good for you, skeffer. But understand that low SWR does not necessarily mean it works well. Might have a perfect SWR and still hear about as much as a wood fencepost hears. It could work fine, just hard to say without lots of testing.<br /><br />By the way, what year silverline? (Old US made or new Canadian?) Have you checked out the old silverline website & forum?<br /> Old Silverlines

 

[wajajaja]

Re: c.b. radio

C B on a boat, should be doing marine vhf/dsc. that is what is monitored by any marine emergency org on the lake or other water youll be on, and all the boaters around you if a mayday call goes out, next choice would be a cell phone, frs hand held and last cb.

 

[Backlash]

Re: c.b. radio

Most of the folks up in these parts have/use both CB & marine VHF while on the water.<br />Backlash

 

[TwoBallScrewBall]

Re: c.b. radio

CB is better than nothing, it successfully got me towed in earlier this year when I was in trouble. Of course after all the trouble I had actually getting help on the CB, I now have VHF as well. No muss, no fuss. At least pick up a handheld.