Idea for hooking up radio in the truck. Need advice.

[Robb]

Im wondering if Robb is reading another post and then replying to this one??

Anyway, Binrat: Gonna have the battery and alternator checked today. Also gonna check all ground wires to see if something is perhaps loose or not connected properly or maybe even corroded. Again, Im not gonna replace the antenna solely because I rarely use the mobile and dont wanna justify to the boss (wife) why I have spent more money on CB gear haha. My whole concern is the dimming of the lights and how I could minimize and/or prevent it.

On a side note....20 Watts is exactly what I am currently driving the AMP with.

I think that CK has already addressed the problem on this thread, but you haven't addressed the problems you are having overall very well. Wouldn't dream of squashing the enthusiasm for radio that I heard on the radio; but would temper the enthusiasm for needing an amp. If you do it right, you just might find that it isn't really necessary. Too many operators are enthralled with them and forget the more important principles. Trying to do you a solid - is all . . .

 

[mb91w126]

I refuse to cut a hole in my truck to mount anywhere on the sides. !

how about a k-40 trunk mount on the hood next to the windshield?

 

[8113 Northern MN]

I simply refuse to get into a conversation about needing or not needing an Amp. Ive seen it cause far too many harsh words shared on this battleground we call the internet. I will leave it at my reasoning and say that i understand others dislike for them or choice to not use one. When mobile: I use it to stay in contacts with local friends and family who sit by the radio all day. We have a great group here and staying chatting is alot more fun then listening to the horrible radio stations we have here in extreme rural minnesota. ALL of us use them when mobile because contact outside of a few miles is literally impossible in the mobile without some fire in the wire due to the mine dumps surrounding us. When in the base I am more times then not running barefoot. I chose to run power: 1) To get across the east coasters to get across the pond. 2) When noise levels are high and I feel like adding some names to my DX contacts list.

Do I feel running an amp with my Imax 2000 is an absolute necessity, of course not Ive made plenty of contacts running barefoot. Can it be said there is a time and a place....of course. 12 Watts only gets ya so far and heard by so many people when the conditions are extreme.

Thats all about my amp now lol.


Anyway, I went through the truck this morning and redid all my grounding for the audio/CB systems. I will wait until it is dark tonight to see how much it has helped in the dimming. My alternator and battery both got a clean bill of health from the local automotive shop. Alternator is putting out a constant 130 amps and they agreed that the CB even with the amp should not be straining the system even with the headlights on. We will see how redoing the grounds has helped this evening. I may upgrade the cables from the alternator to the battery as well.

 

[binrat]

Im wondering if Robb is reading another post and then replying to this one??

Anyway, Binrat: Gonna have the battery and alternator checked today. Also gonna check all ground wires to see if something is perhaps loose or not connected properly or maybe even corroded. Again, Im not gonna replace the antenna solely because I rarely use the mobile and dont wanna justify to the boss (wife) why I have spent more money on CB gear haha. My whole concern is the dimming of the lights and how I could minimize and/or prevent it.

On a side note....20 Watts is exactly what I am currently driving the AMP with.

OK, totally understand with the XYL. Mine is a licensed ham and I still have trouble procuring new equipment. I would keep an eye on the spring (especially if its a truck stop special).
So, I would say to spend $5 and supersize the cable from Alternator to battery after the tests are done. Make sure you buy a battery that's optimized for your area. Some battery companies have a map like this.
http://www.interstatebatteries.com/Static/pdf/HowToLongLife.pdf

 

[binrat]

I may upgrade the cables from the alternator to the battery as well.

That to me is the chocking point of your system.
This link (below) will show the difference compared to your factory 12 gauge and 8 or 6 gauge wire. (It maybe not the extact chart but you will get the idea.)
http://encorewire.com/wp-content/uploads/amp voltage.pdf

 

[M0GVZ]

While I do shoot occasional skip in the mobile the main reason is for local contacts. I live in an Iron Ore mining area conveniently called the Iron Range of Minnesota. Between all of the communities here are many many man made mountains of pure Iron Ore rock. Communicating over just a few miles outside of town while mobile gets next to impossible without the help of a huge base antenna, thus the need for more power.

CB is line of sight for local contacts so putting in more power isn't really going to help. If a hill is in the way there's little you can do about it. I have a hill in-between me and the next town 10 miles away. From home on a homebase vertical putting out 100W I cannot make it to the next town and I can barely hear them. If I drive a mile down the road so the hill is no longer in the way I can very easily talk to them sat in the car with just 4W.

I've come across the situation you have of a mobile not working more than a few miles even with a lot of power before and in every single situation without exception it is down to a poor antenna installation. When I can do 30 miles easily with 4W and someone running 100W+ can barely manage 5 miles then there's something wrong and it is inevitably the antenna system. Typical errors are using mirror mounts, mounting with them shadowed by the body, using crap antennas.

You say you run a magmount. That already provides a poor ground and if the metal is thin that it is mounted to it gets even worse in efficiency for providing a ground. As you run more power it becomes even poorer for the power being put through it. Magmounts aren't really much good for running power. You've effectively got the equivalent of a light bulb in a room running with one wire disconnected. It'll still light but very dimly. Adding a ground wire to the magmount will not cure it.

Want an indication of how crap it is? You're running 500W to shoot skip to Europe, yes? I've talked to the Falkland Islands mobile with 50W, a distance of over 9,000 miles. Difference between me and you? The antenna installation. Mine was installed by a fixed mount in the middle of the roof of my car and the trunk and hood bonded to the main body of the car.