Uniden 885, RK56, and DSP Speaker in overhead console of a 579 Peterbilt
As I always enjoy looking through older threads, this one was revived again as I’ve lately been recommending to other drivers that a mobile DSP Speaker is “the missing ingredient”. Don’t leave home without it.
Given:
1). Fleet-spec Class 8 composite-body tractor.
2). No changes allowed to factory-supplied coax or power leads.
3). The use of factory antenna mount.
4). Must install in provided location (small case radio), usually in overhead console.
Thus:
THE START-UP CB RIG THAT WORKS IN ANY BIG TRUCK
A). A Uniden 880/980 radio ($120)
B). An RM Italy KL203 amp (size of a cigarette pack; 70-100W; $75)
C). Change to American-made top load SKIPSHOOTER antennas to get near 13’5” height (Pair $60)
And:
D). Add the WEST MOUNTAIN CLRSPKR (or BHI Mobile) Digital Signal Processing speaker to complement the little amp ($225).
Heard, and you shall Receive. Hay-soose can’t answer that prayer if he can’t hear it. And heaven (or Guadalajara) is a long ways away. Sabe?
While the overall $500 cost of the above isn’t the figure most drivers perceive as “the cost of a CB”, it sure beats making a turn onto Super Whack Pack Road for a guy who wants better performance, but is hampered by truck companies (understandably) wanting to avoid problems with these highly computerized vehicles thus their issuance of modification bans.
Don’t touch any of these. Not for now. Install, set SWR and go.
These trucks are noisy. Not just the sounds from operation at speed. Add the inverters, refrigerator compressors, electronics chargers, etc, prevalent nowadays and, IMO, one needs to Build The Wall. Keep those noisy, pesky critters out.
Now, with the DSP Speaker a radio transmission doesn’t need to move the meter for me to pick it up. Didn’t know some stuff was out there. Some even say you can pick up that moving mystery cult down south of the San Luis Valley.
And though these devices may not kill all the noise, noise is modified enough (so to speak) that I can hear around it.
I keep my Garmin Dezl 760 GPS moving map updated annually. Was into & out of Atlanta from the west with both construction & wrecks on arrival and at next day’s departure. This made leaving either IH20 or IH285 to get to the other desirable. Versus losing up to an hour. Maybe more.
The GPS routed me around. But in a big truck (especially when loaded) alternate routing can backfire. I’d like confirmation. Boy, does this tool do that!
I was able both times to get ahold of locals to check that I’d be alright. Worked well. Partly because next to no other drivers used those routes. (I guess no map updates, or just resigned to sitting).
Given that there are regional speech dialect differences, plus the tendency for folks to speak too quickly, and other potential problems, the DSP speakers break up the logjam (Ha, take that!). No drop-off of half a sentence as we haul tail. Info request supplied in full.
Saturday morning I was routed three miles north from IH20 onto old US-78. Had to run more about 25 miles. A few stoplights. No big trucks. Thirty minutes for me. Well over an hour for some of them I heard.
Do the math. If this happens even once every six weeks, consider income loss, morale (which is momentum) and timely delivery. Fuel burn. Extended idle. Etc. Its a long damn list for which brokers, shippers, receivers and your dispatcher will have penalized you. Maybe even bye bye that quarters fuel bonus. This’ll pay for itself, is the point.
As to aftermarket speakers I’ve no complaints about the Cobra 500 and Uniden BC20 I’ve used. Those are better than the speaker built into the radio, or the speaker built into the truck. Worth the small cost.
But the DSP speaker is from another universe.
You’ll know about that road problem ahead before most anyone around you. The infamous unannounced rolling road crew that has a major three lane Interstate down to one lane and a fast growing backup. Will be miles deep in minutes. You can pull over and put experience and an Atlas to work on whether alternate routing is a good idea (“No, alls good, driver. Thanks for checking. Just pulled off on shoulder to change routing. DOT is on the side roads and is running them over the portable scales”. [Sow confusion. Keep the alternate fast & clear] ).
I bought mine four years ago when running the oilfield. Had an overall outstanding rig in a large car. Remote areas of Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Impressive distances to hear, and to transmit. I’ve got about 200k miles on it now, and not just baby-butt smooth Interstate.
Sure, there may be no end to trying to clean up noise from all the possible sources. Fairly enjoyable to try. I’ve had real success there. Same for all other details pertaining. Only improves radio performance as we all know (as now the speaker will clarify transmissions from Aldebaran).
On the 15A factory binding post pair I can run the (stock) radio, DSP speaker and KL203. (I had Rays CB replace the KL203 power wiring with a heavier gauge and mate it to the CB power line with a quick disconnect).
Got that? A 100W foot warmer on a digital radio with custom digital filtration. Run off the factory’s dirty, low-power connection.
Give that pair of cattle haulers a few miles behind you and coming up some bull rap about their Connex radio and StarRay antenna. Too much echo and mike gain. All of it from Bobby Lee’s Chevy Astro Van CB Emporium.
Ha! Now CR England or Swift has better ears. Gets out farther. (“Speak up, Hand. No, I bought mine off Amazon and just stuck it in here. Sound okay?”).
Procedure:
1). Velcro the amp to the radio.
2). Find a place to Velcro the speaker.
3). Install longer antenna(s).
4). Make up a power harness from a Wilson HD with soldered ends to fit into binding posts. Join all power leads into it behind the fuse.
Done.
Turn her over and grab a gear. The other details of noise abatement will wait till you get to them.
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