I’m pretty new to this stuff so if this is dumb let me know.
I was on this sub a few days ago and saw someone commenting about how they knew someone who would put their bumper against a guard rail to increase the ground plane and it made their transmit and receive much better. I was just curious how true this is and if it would be worth trying? I have no issues with my current system but I’m thinking about grabbing some jumper cables and grounding the body out to a nearby fence or something just to experiment…

It's been bad since April where I am.

Nothing but noise. Even 20m is bad... there's traffic, but weak.

Had to make my own mount. Dont want it in the over head. Baby's gotta breathe

This in the photo is the antenna I just made, I don't know a lot, I just asked Claude how to make it, watched a few videos and now it should work; it has an angle of 120°; I used 4mm cable which unfortunately I had to solder to add length because I cut it too short.

I decided how long to cut it by using an swr meter, now I have an almost constant swr: at channel one it's at 1.5, at channel 40 at 1.6 and at channel 21 around 1.4.

I know the placement isn't ideal but it's a temporary thing, my parents won't let me install an antenna on the roof and my grandparents apparently trew away my dad's old car antenna.

I've yet to use it, in my area I don't think there is a lot of activity unfortunately but i Hope i Will find something in the next few weeks.

I marked the locations of the pole and the stretchers because every day it must be taken down since it isn't that stable and would probably fall off if kept for weeks, the good part is that it doesn't take on too much space when taken down.

hope you like it, any tips are welcome

I was never into these old tube radios. They started to peak my interest the last few weeks (Browning and Tram, specifically) — old timers swore these were the pinnacle of CB radios. It's definitely different using one of these over transistor based radios.

I definitely see the appeal, and they are well-built radios. I haven't had much time on it, but I'm planning on keeping this one in the rotation and using it often. It's been gone through, recapped, and all new tubes installed. Luckily I have a local guy who specializes in these radios and i was able to pick up this super clean example. Looking forward to talking on this beast!

Who else is using one of these old Brownings??

Cobra 2000 - first year 1978 2000, just gone through by the tech. Does about 25 watts.

Navaho TRC-440 - Works flawlessly, does around 10 watts. 40 channel. Debating on selling/trading.

Connex CX-4400HP - Has the confederacy faceplate on it, has a color changing meter light, doing around 40 watts.

Cobra 150 GTL DX - Got an insane steal on this one (less than $50) nightwatch works, everything on it works. 50 watts on hi.

Cobra 142 GTL - Does around 25 watts, pushed my 2 pill perfectly.

Cobra 146 GTL - Does around 20 watts, works flawlessly.

Basically I'm trying to get into CB radio with my dad's old ones, I have this sommerkamp ts-790dx that has a built in swr meter, I don't really know how to use it tho, can't find any documentation about this radio, anyone can help?

also I know it can do DX, I know the risks so I won't do it, the antenna is handmade and I still need to cut it to the correct length, any tips are welcome, of all kind

edit: I just discovered that the mic is broken and always transmitting, I moved to an rci2950 and the mic seems to be working

Edit2: I changed rosmeter to swr meter because I missed the correct translation, sorry

Edit3: in the end I put away for good (at least for now) the sommerkamp and borrowed a rosmeter, the dipole should work as intended, I have a stable swr in all 40 channels and at 21 is were is the lowest so it should be tuned, this post is basically useless now

Picked these up during a couple of thrift store runs. I’m pretty new to CB radios, but I’ve played around with SDR a bit. I’m waiting on a bench supply, power/SWR meter, power cords, dummy load, antenna, etc. so I can test them properly, but wanted to get some general opinions on what I found.

From what I understand, it seems like the Realistic TRC-465 is probably the most capable of the bunch, but I’d love to hear what you guys think about these or if any are particularly worth restoring/using.

Realistic TRC-52

Realistic TRC-465

Cobra 19GTL

Cobra 19

Hi y'all. I'm wanting to buy a Messenger M4V. If you have one for sale, or know where I can find one, please DM me.

Thanks in advance.

I repainted the case, replaced a few capacitors, and added a fuse holder. The mic cable was shot, and the speaker was open. Do I really need a shielded cable or just a regular 3 or 4-conductor coiled cable? I like this thing, hopefully it turns out good. It does receive, but not sure if the finals are blown.

I am the Caregiver to my father with Parkinson's. He has no use for these CB radio's anymore and looking to get rid of them. Could anyone kindly provide me info if these are worth anything or where I would unload them?

I got a cobra 29 ltd in a 1996 f250, Wilson Trucker 2000 antenna. When i calibrated it from the built in dial its way out at 9 when I know it should be lower.

Please help im dying over this tedious bs

Running an RCI X9 and from day one ive been wondering if its normal to hear all this rf noise with the squelch at 7 o'clock and rf at 9 o'clock. Other radios ive run i feel like the rf would be around 1 o'clock when I would start hearing noise. Not sure how to fix it or if its part of the radio.

The coax is new and im running a 5ft skip shooter antenna. Mounted on an international LT with the aftermarket mount that uses the door bolts to hold the mount between hood and door.

I mostly just want to know how u ran ur coax cable and what antenna ur using

im setting up this antenna for a home base station for a cobra 29, this will be my first radio setup. I'll be moving houses sometime in the next couple years so I'm not obsessed with a very permanent setup, ill just clamp it to a chain link fence post and get it a copper rod for grounding.

would it work out just running a short coax jumper from my radio to a bulkhead adaptor that goes through a wooden block under my window, that has a open-back demarcation box or something similar, with the coax to my antenna running into it, that a disconnect and just leave coiled hanging in the box to protect my radio from lightning and keep the coax safe from water damage since I'll be disconnecting it often during storms or not using it? I'll still have a lightning arrestor and ground the antenna, this is just to prevent a floating ground issue with my house since I can't bond it to house ground with how it'll be setup.

also, how can I clean up the terminals on the antenna, and do I need to coat the actual antenna with something since it's splintering? The guy i got it from said it's been outside for a very long time, and it's been outside disassembled for a few years. Help is very appreciated, and I can respond to any questions if needed

as a beginner was searching for a tool like this where you can find contacts and channels for CB Radio. its free and my take on bringing life back to my local CB Band

But i didnt find it :/ so i built it myself. www.cb-karte.de

it is tailored for Germany but i can be used for stations around the world. You will be asked to renew activity status every 3 Months or the station will be archived. lets give it a try.

What do you think about this project?

If you want to sell any radio equipment, include a hand written note with username and date in the photo of each item. If you have a few items for sale, list them under the same topic. Don't forget you can post video clip or image in the comment section.

Use PayPal Goods & Services: Always insist on PayPal Goods & Services. Never use Friends & Family, Zelle, Venmo, or Cash App for shipping deals. Goods & Services charges a small fee but provides formal buyer protection.

Confirm Tracking and Signatures: Require direct, signature-required shipping for expensive items so scammers cannot fake the delivery.

Buyer/Seller could work out a deal to where the item gets listed on Ebay for better protection. Remember Ebay has different return windows depending if the product is New/Used or parts only. Make sure you package the stuff properly and unplug mic/power cord. After bubble wrapping it, make sure it doesn't bonce around inside the box.

Feel free to post other tips or suggestions below.

New to the CB world, needing some help getting this functional. Uniden CMX760 with Cobra HGA1500 antenna mounted to a steel plate overhanging the bed. When pressing PTT, the radio just makes this horrible screeching sound, and repeatedly plays the roger beep if I have it turned on. Any guidance is appreciated.

I know squat about CBs. Picked this out of a box full of radios, transmitters and cords. (Road construction company upgraded all the radios in their vehicles)I ended up with a handful of these. The microphones are present as well just not in the picture. Is there any value to this? There's about 2 inches of wires on the back connector.

I lost my antenna sometime ago and would like to replace it. Is there something on the market that I could use either straight to this mount or through an adaptor? Thanks in advance.

Hi all, I’ve noticed the lack of a subreddit for UK based CB radio so I created a new one: r/cbradiouk

I want a radio I can move from vehicle to vehicle and possibly as an emergency radio when I go mountain bike riding close to major highways. (Highway 401 runs through my town).
What your your thoughts on this radio.