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Newbie CB set up question
- Thread starter Delmar
- Start date
I believe he has recommending the best meter for the amount of money you are willing to spend on one, in mind.Thank you "The Jerk", that's what I was looking for. I'm just getting started and am not looking for the biggest and best equipment.
The SWR meter I picked up at Fry's a while back only does SWR for tuning antennas. I'll swing by the local Radio Shack when I get a chance.
I am not into base set ups, just trying to learn how to work on the radios in my trucks.
Thanks again for the info guys.
The SWR meter I picked up at Fry's a while back only does SWR for tuning antennas. I'll swing by the local Radio Shack when I get a chance.
I am not into base set ups, just trying to learn how to work on the radios in my trucks.
Thanks again for the info guys.
Hey Delmar, please forgive the "qualifying" questions. Most of the guys here have been there and done that, so they are trying to figure out where you are in the game. There are hundreds of ways your question could have been answered. As it is, on a low budget, the Radio Shack SWR/Power meter is highly recommended. I own two of them... one in the mobile and one for the base. It is a very good and accurate meter for the money. See the review at cbradiomagazine.com:
CBRadioMagazine.com - Radio Shack 21-534 SWR Watt Meter Review
73,
RT307
CBRadioMagazine.com - Radio Shack 21-534 SWR Watt Meter Review
73,
RT307
Meter
I'd try to avoid buying any tools if I were you....if you decide to stay with 2 way radio, ham radio tools always better. What is not an experiment, it that for AM a quality power mike is a usually a good investment but a good Omni base antenna about thirty five feet(11 meters? Aint that Strange!*)off the ground is a must. It's a "poor man's amplifier", but a very good one and even the wealthy operators seem to like a good "gain" antenna. You can get about twice the effective power that way and without any risk of messing a new radio up. Buy a ratty old garage sale junker for "testing", if you notice after a few long chats, that it runs real hot on the new antenna then you know that you did something wrong, that is all that a SWR meter ever seems to mean to any body anyhow.
I prefer to have a modulation meter, but for the price of a good one, you can get radio that has one. The trend nowadays is to use mobiles, I don't like the itsy bitsy little buttons and meters but what mobiles do is "Mod" easily. They have an external power supply, so they the mods usually stop at the ability of the Chimpanzee that designed the original final amp circuit.
If you can get some help from one of your newbie CB friends with your newbie antenna and coax, you'll probably need it anyhow.
Search the Ham-forums under antenna and do a goggle of the same subject, you'll understand this much.....I enjoy messing with the antenna and the mics, so my "Fave" tool, the triple, mod, SWR, watts, meter, has become an old oscilloscope(Here in the US, every worthless drunk with a felony record and baggie of weed, seems to think that if he sees a transmitter antenna then it will put lines on his TV screen, fry the "brand new" computer that he just picked up at the dump and money in his pocket. I don't overmodulate.).....for SWR's, I use a cheap meter and even cheaper radio when I'm setting up a new experiment, but after that I use the watt meter on the radio. I live in a very lightning prone area, so my old tube amp is always in the circuit anyhow ,like most old boat anchors, includes a "SWR" meter in it's tuning instructions. If the Dials on my "antenna tuner" are too far off, the radio isn't actually at risk. The antenna, on the other hand.....I have all the parts of my next antenna experiment ready....and I think I'd rather try that than talk to Scotland in the morning...that's how the skip is running and "gee that's strange" that is the experiment that I have some of the parts for but will have to be AFTER this one.
(*Would you believe that that only actually works because that is what the 5/8 ground plane designers decided was right? What is right and always is that it defiantly does "work". You'll notice somewhat different results with the 1/2 wave antenna's. But best minimum effective height" it is actually the distance from that ground at an angle, the waves of the ground reflection have to be "In phase" with the antenna's designed pattern.)
73's
I'd try to avoid buying any tools if I were you....if you decide to stay with 2 way radio, ham radio tools always better. What is not an experiment, it that for AM a quality power mike is a usually a good investment but a good Omni base antenna about thirty five feet(11 meters? Aint that Strange!*)off the ground is a must. It's a "poor man's amplifier", but a very good one and even the wealthy operators seem to like a good "gain" antenna. You can get about twice the effective power that way and without any risk of messing a new radio up. Buy a ratty old garage sale junker for "testing", if you notice after a few long chats, that it runs real hot on the new antenna then you know that you did something wrong, that is all that a SWR meter ever seems to mean to any body anyhow.
I prefer to have a modulation meter, but for the price of a good one, you can get radio that has one. The trend nowadays is to use mobiles, I don't like the itsy bitsy little buttons and meters but what mobiles do is "Mod" easily. They have an external power supply, so they the mods usually stop at the ability of the Chimpanzee that designed the original final amp circuit.
If you can get some help from one of your newbie CB friends with your newbie antenna and coax, you'll probably need it anyhow.
Search the Ham-forums under antenna and do a goggle of the same subject, you'll understand this much.....I enjoy messing with the antenna and the mics, so my "Fave" tool, the triple, mod, SWR, watts, meter, has become an old oscilloscope(Here in the US, every worthless drunk with a felony record and baggie of weed, seems to think that if he sees a transmitter antenna then it will put lines on his TV screen, fry the "brand new" computer that he just picked up at the dump and money in his pocket. I don't overmodulate.).....for SWR's, I use a cheap meter and even cheaper radio when I'm setting up a new experiment, but after that I use the watt meter on the radio. I live in a very lightning prone area, so my old tube amp is always in the circuit anyhow ,like most old boat anchors, includes a "SWR" meter in it's tuning instructions. If the Dials on my "antenna tuner" are too far off, the radio isn't actually at risk. The antenna, on the other hand.....I have all the parts of my next antenna experiment ready....and I think I'd rather try that than talk to Scotland in the morning...that's how the skip is running and "gee that's strange" that is the experiment that I have some of the parts for but will have to be AFTER this one.
(*Would you believe that that only actually works because that is what the 5/8 ground plane designers decided was right? What is right and always is that it defiantly does "work". You'll notice somewhat different results with the 1/2 wave antenna's. But best minimum effective height" it is actually the distance from that ground at an angle, the waves of the ground reflection have to be "In phase" with the antenna's designed pattern.)
73's
Workman HP-201S 1KW Meter - SparkysCBShack.com
For 33 bucks this meter is hands down better then a Rat Shack meter. That said try this, buy yourself a radio that was tuned by a good tech for everyday use. Then if you want to get a ten dollar project radio to practice mods on go for it. This way you don't screw up a good radio and you always have something good to talk on.
For 33 bucks this meter is hands down better then a Rat Shack meter. That said try this, buy yourself a radio that was tuned by a good tech for everyday use. Then if you want to get a ten dollar project radio to practice mods on go for it. This way you don't screw up a good radio and you always have something good to talk on.
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