Do any of you guys on here run an amplifier for your Cb radio? I am interested in adding one to my radio, mainly for better reception. I dont talk to much on the radio, but i enjoying listening to all the crazy things that people talk about, it is good entertainment. Let me know what you guys run and what needs to be done in order to run one, thanks

 

There are two different types of amplifiers. A linear amp will boost your transmit signal but will not help you pull in weaker signals. A better antenna will help you more than anything for receiving. They do make a receive amplifier. The only problem is that it also amplifies the noise and can also make your antenna match (swr) even worse due to the added cable.

 

Thanks for the reply, would a peak and tune of the radio itself be a better option for recieving better?

 

It wouldn't hurt but the best thing that you can do is put a good antenna on it and tune it to the lowest swr. I actually had a 1.1:1 match on a 102" stainless whip once. Only drawback is having the huge honkin antenna whipping the clouds as you drive. A good tunable mag mount is the wilson 5000. If you still want an amp I have an old one laying around ( for use on 10 meter of course ) it's a galaxy 350 and also has the receive boost on it. PM me if you're interested.

 

Yep, you got it, make sure what you've got is tuned, all connectors are clean, antenna cabling is good, and that your truck isn't making any any unnecessary electrical noise that will affect reception. Its best to connect the radio directly to the battery to minimize any electrical power noise intruding into the system. Not having sparkplugs helps greatly.

You didn't say what radio you've got. Often times with CB's, you get what you pay for. CB radio's are limited by law to 5W (used to anyways) output; so there isn't as much effort spent on improving the transmitters power and signal cleanliness as much as receiver sensitivity. The extra dollars for the higher end units usually go to improving receiver sensitivity.

I'll hold my comment on using linear amps on CB's; and you want the best SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) you can get - but SWR only applies to the transmit portion to protect transmitter - it has no affect on receive.

 

The rec amp used to called a preamp.

 

Yes, VSWR has no affect on receive, just transmit efficiency. If you are shopping for antennas, the spec you want to look at is called ANTENNA GAIN. It is usually expressed in db's(decibels). The higher the number for gain, the better that antenna will receive signals and feed the radio.

 

well i run a " BLACK " radio and no amp needed ;P but the fcc dont want no more that 4 wats by law and thw wilson mag mounts are great for recive as well as the 102 whips you can go on e-bay and get just reciv amps but make sure every thing eltse is good or eltse you will just amplifye the static from your own setup

 

I am running a cobra LTD 29 classic, i bought it brand new from a local truck stop that was having a sale on them. I got it for $80. I am running dual 3ft firestik tunable tip antennas. I am also running the Firestiks dodge ram hood mounts with the firering connector. I have my SWR dialed in pretty good, I am going be the SWR meter on the Radio. I am using Firestiks Fireflex coax cable. I have very little static noise, the only time that i have some is when i first fire up the truck and the grid heater is turning on and off. Once that truck is warmed up, i have no static noise.

 

no spark plug noise here.

 

i HAVE A MONGOOSE 120 CHANNEL WITH A 225 WAT AMP WITH STAINLESS ANTENNA WORKS GOOD WHEN WERE IN WOODS AT HUNTING SEASON, EVERYBODY CAN HEAR YA. STOCK RADIOS WONT WORK IN WOODS TO MUCH INTERFERENCE.

 

Welcome to the forums!

But with 225w, how bad are you bleeding into other channels (walking on) and just generally PO the neighbors?

 

If you guys want to do high power, then get your ham ticket and become legit. It's a lot better than bastardizing your CB radio and breaking federal laws while doing so. Heck, you can run 1500 watts on the ham bands. This one is closed. This is the very thing that ruined CB years ago.

Jack WA0ERX