Instruction book for those of us that are challenged

[sidewheeler]

I recently came across an ad for a book by a guy named Lou Franklin about how to do tuneups on cb radios. The name of the book is " The Screwdriver Experts Quide" I think the guy is from Arizona. The price is $25 + S&H which seems ok. My question is has anybody heard of this book and what do you think of it?. I have been around CB a long time and still don't know anything about how to service/tune one. Is this book worth my time or would you recommend something

 

[DTB Radio]

Most books by Lou Franklin are worth owning, in my opinion. He does over-simplify a couple things in the book you mention, but he WILL increase your general understanding.

 

[nomadradio]

I'll vouch personally for the book, the reliability of the material, and of the author to boot.

If you'd really like to know what goes on in there, it's a good introduction with no more math and gee-whiz stuff than absolutely necessary.

Over the years from time to time I've hired technicians who were qualified on other types of electronic technology, but had no experience with CB or ham radios. This book is the one I send home with them to read as an introduction. Had to buy a few copies over the years, when I forgot to ask for it back once or twice.

The larger and more detailed "Understanding and Repairing" book takes it a step beyond "Screwdriver Expert" if you are interested in repairing MORE than just your own stuff now and again. It goes into more depth concerning tools, test equipment, and the details of advanced troubleshooting.

Either book might be cheaper if you track down a used copy. The hard part will be persuading someone to let loose of his copy.

73

 

[AudioShockwav]

www.bills2way.com/equip/books.html

Here is a good price for the Understanding and Repairing CB Radios book

73
Jeff

 

[DTB Radio]

If you get the understanding and repairing book, be a bit wary of some of Lou's math in the sections on coax and antennas in relation to matching and wavelength. There was at least one error having to do with calculating the length of coax at a given frequency. I don't remember the specific section it was in any more, though.

 

[Switch Kit]

well everybody tends to make a mistake from time to time ....even Mr Franklin ......I personally think he has earned the right to call his books Bible's on the subject of radios and what not (-: for some, it is a perfect world and it can only be there ways or the highways )-: I've read a hand full of mod books over the years (there's dozens of them out there) and tried a little bit of this and that(weather I totally understood it or not ?) and for the most part ......even the wrong ways worked according to the quote on quote experts (-: The differance between right and wrong concerning radios tends to bore me when it becomes a my way is the right way according to Einsteins Theroy of relativity ....I've just known to many folks over the years and to this day that run there radios any damned way they please and are more then satisfied with the results they get from them ,weather or not it has a clipped diode or none at all or it just doesn't sound good to others ear holes .....BFD !!! You tell the the truth of the matter and they tend to not believe you anyway or they could give a rats ass about it ......I suppose after all these years ......can't say that I blame them. IM not nor will I ever be the Radio Police ......Hey DTB ? .....I bet you and a few others could have one hell of a book burning party huh ? .....Don't get me wrong here dude .......after learning a few things over the years .....some of those books can be pretty darn rediculous ....almost funny or at least when it comes to the "proven" facts and matters of whats really going on. It's all good. Peace

 

[mag69]

I agree with DTB and Switch kit, I love Lou's books and I have also learned alot from these two men, they have forgot more about radios then I will every know!

 

[Switch Kit]

hey mag69 ? don't cut yourself short there , it's all good dude !! but IM just like you there guy ...a hobbest at best , a tech IM not, I think I could honestly more fit into a hecks catagory ....do I like to play around some ? you bet'cha !!! I like both ways good and bad ...around here I tend to get to learn about why the bad is bad and why the good is good according to whom ever dishes it out at me and I hopefully get a better understanding of the subject at hand ...You confused yet ? (-: I just didn't know what I didn't know ...I don't even think that I ever did, to a certain degree anyway.It's real easy for a guy to tune a radio ,put mods in them ,clip diodes and crank up power pots to no living end ...I personally do not have a problem with what anyone does or has done to there radios or others ,I basically care about my own and if I might be able to help somebody else along the way ..so be it. Have even been known to pick up a few extra dollars for my cause from time to time. If you wanted something done to your radio and I could do it for you good or bad ...I'd gladly do it for you, the same things you might read about around here that are concidered bozo no nos )-: ....even though I truly do understand why .....it's just about what others want and are happy and pleased with is truly what really only matters to "them" and "me" in the end. It's truly nice to understand why things are done the right ways and why the wrong ways are so terribley wrong according to whom .....Well ,they maybe wrong but they work all the same ......there are times that I personally don't understand why a guy would clip a diode in a radio for more audio when there is a pot that he could use to turn it up with in the first place ? especially on a SSB radio !! is it because he just doesn't know or could care less or is it what the misinformed customer wanted ? ....I will say this much with limiter diodes in mind ....there are some radios that there really isn't a whole lot that can be done to them , diode clips can still be avoided with a resistor in line with it but even then ,on some I'd personally just clip the damned thing and wouldn't think twice about it ...so swing kits and npc's are bad things ? ....look like and supposedly sound like crap according to scopes and other peoples ear holes ? I don't disagree with the mathamatics and theroies why it's wrong ....ones I have heard have always sounded top notch to me ....Hmmm ? Yeah I know !! I wouldn't know what a good cb radio sounded like if it jumped up and bit me in the ass !!! because IM so used to hearing $hitty ones I wouldn't know the differents ? I doubt that very much. You know what the differents is between a Hack and a certified Tech ? ....plane and simple understandings of how it all truly works and why(unfortunately there are a few good ones out there but egotistically self richious at the same time) ....like I said earlier ...anybody can tune a radio but do they understand what they just did ????? I think that's truly the differents between the two. But I just don't have a ego that is so big that I could ever down anybody for what they do to any given radio ......weather it's the right way or the wrong way done ...it's still illegal anyway I look at it ....you bet'cha !! even the right ways can be concedered wrong in some peoples eye's (-: but yet the bashing and the smashing lingers on )-: I say be proud of what you do or don't do and how ever hard it might be for ones ego ? Humble thy selves . It kind of reminds me of another Forum ....they talk about those dreaded hateful "modifications" (seems that way around here anyway) I would read how these guys would share info on different mod's and how happy they would be after they were able to pull them off by themselves !! ....but yet it was all so wrong in somes eye's but yet here was a handful of happy campers all the same. and what it really all came down to is that "they" were all having fun. "Lazybones" once said to me that I was truly wasting my time with how I truly felt about things in certain posts and threads and why ...I really didn't agree with him but yet I still thought he meant well .....but then again , I've always thought that I've personally meant well in these parts since day one. Peace Switch Kit

 

[sidewheeler]

Thanks for all of the information on this book I think I will get it. Is there any other book that I might consider as someone with only basic CB knowledge.

 

[Switch Kit]

All of Lou's books ....I'd tell you to buy DBT's' if he had one

 

[DTB Radio]

I have all 3 of Lou's major books. All good references, the occasional math error notwithstanding. As for other books, get your hands on the Arrl Handbook, and the ARRL Practical Antenna Handbook.