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Re: CB power
Old Crow wrote:
> On Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:38:16 GMT, "Frank_v7.0" <none@no.net> wrote: > > <snip> > >>> tw >> Ya got me! "just being lazy" "It's just as simple to train yourself to >> turn off the radio at it's own power switch." LOL! For you and me and >> perhaps most Jeep drivers, but human nature dictates a lot of dead >> batteries. I learned my lesson the hard way. Sitting in a Navajo >> County cruiser with a dead battery. Had to call for a jump on my >> portable. I got out for lunch and left the "hard wired" radio on. :P > > You must be pushing a lot of power, or your battery was ----. I have > left my CB on for like 3 days(with the truck parked the whole time) > and not had it run the battery down. They draw almost no juice on > receive. As a matter of fact most of the newer fuel injected cars > draw more than a CB. > -- > Old Crow "Yol Bolson!" > '82 FLTC-P "Miss Pearl" > '95 YJ Rio Grande > BS#133, SENS, TOMKAT, MAMBM > > It wasn't a CB. It was a combo police radio, scanner and control for the light bar. And yes the battery was ---- :-) We replaced it last week at the county garage. I'd like to replace the entire vehicle. ;-) -- FRH |
Re: CB power
Old Crow wrote:
> On Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:38:16 GMT, "Frank_v7.0" <none@no.net> wrote: > > <snip> > >>> tw >> Ya got me! "just being lazy" "It's just as simple to train yourself to >> turn off the radio at it's own power switch." LOL! For you and me and >> perhaps most Jeep drivers, but human nature dictates a lot of dead >> batteries. I learned my lesson the hard way. Sitting in a Navajo >> County cruiser with a dead battery. Had to call for a jump on my >> portable. I got out for lunch and left the "hard wired" radio on. :P > > You must be pushing a lot of power, or your battery was ----. I have > left my CB on for like 3 days(with the truck parked the whole time) > and not had it run the battery down. They draw almost no juice on > receive. As a matter of fact most of the newer fuel injected cars > draw more than a CB. > -- > Old Crow "Yol Bolson!" > '82 FLTC-P "Miss Pearl" > '95 YJ Rio Grande > BS#133, SENS, TOMKAT, MAMBM > > It wasn't a CB. It was a combo police radio, scanner and control for the light bar. And yes the battery was ---- :-) We replaced it last week at the county garage. I'd like to replace the entire vehicle. ;-) -- FRH |
Re: CB power
Old Crow wrote:
> On Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:38:16 GMT, "Frank_v7.0" <none@no.net> wrote: > > <snip> > >>> tw >> Ya got me! "just being lazy" "It's just as simple to train yourself to >> turn off the radio at it's own power switch." LOL! For you and me and >> perhaps most Jeep drivers, but human nature dictates a lot of dead >> batteries. I learned my lesson the hard way. Sitting in a Navajo >> County cruiser with a dead battery. Had to call for a jump on my >> portable. I got out for lunch and left the "hard wired" radio on. :P > > You must be pushing a lot of power, or your battery was ----. I have > left my CB on for like 3 days(with the truck parked the whole time) > and not had it run the battery down. They draw almost no juice on > receive. As a matter of fact most of the newer fuel injected cars > draw more than a CB. > -- > Old Crow "Yol Bolson!" > '82 FLTC-P "Miss Pearl" > '95 YJ Rio Grande > BS#133, SENS, TOMKAT, MAMBM > > It wasn't a CB. It was a combo police radio, scanner and control for the light bar. And yes the battery was ---- :-) We replaced it last week at the county garage. I'd like to replace the entire vehicle. ;-) -- FRH |
Re: CB power
Nathan Otis wrote:
> > Hey fellas. I'm wiring a new CB tomorrow and I want to do it right. I > can't find the exact answer I'm looking for on the All Seeing Eye, so > here I am. > > When wiring power, I understand it's best to go to the source (battery). > What I don't know is... > > 1. Should BOTH the red AND black wire be connected to the battery @ pos > and neg terminals respectively? > > 2. If not, then the black wire should be attached to ground, but where? > > 2a. Should I ground in the engine compartment or... > > 2b. Is it best to make the ground wire as short as possible (i.e., > shorten the black wire to around a foot or two and ground in the cab)? Since you are getting contradictory information, here is what I have gathered on the subject: 1. Power: Go straight to the battery. 2. Ground: The following are grounded on the typical radio: a) power ground b) antenna wire at radio (ground sheath) c) antenna wire at antenna (ground sheath) You want to prevent ground loops as much as possible. Thus the correct answer is that whatever you're attaching your ground to on the antenna end (usually a metal antenna mount bolted to your bumper or fender) should be what you attach the ground to on the CB end. Since the antenna is generally bolted to the body (or has a low-ohm AC path to ground through the magnetic mount attached to the body), that, then, is what you should attach your CB ground to. In short, the best ground is to attach your CB ground to one of the sheet metal screws that you use to attach your CB to the body of the Jeep. If you are not attaching the CB to the body of the Jeep, the ground should instead be attached to the body as close to the CB as possible. The goal is to provide a good ground path between the CB ground and the antenna ground for use as a ground plane without worrying about whether there is enough corrosion on the cable that grounds the body to the battery to affect its impedence and thus cause it to serve as an extension of the antenna (a.k.a. "ground loop"). Note that there are antenna setups which do not require a ground plane. These use a fixed-length cable with a specified impedence and an insulated ungrounded antenna. These generally, however, provide a poorer reception on any metal vehicle that has sufficient steel for a proper ground plane. Short of attaching a radial-element base station antenna to your Jeep (which uses the radial elements as the ground plane, but it'd make your Jeep kinda tall!), you cannot get a good ground plane with a "groundplane-free" mobile setup. My handi-talkie CB with the mini-whip does not get anywhere near as good of reception as my properly grounded Firestick antenna, even if I attach the auxiliary antenna and place it on top of my Jeep so it's as high as the Firestick on the back of my Jeep. And this is despite the fact that the actual guts of this handi-talkie are absolutely identical to the guts of my permanently-mounted CB (both are Cobra designs and utilize the exact same circuit board internally, all that differs is the surrounding packaging, one is an all-in-mike design with a power/antenna box under the dash and the other is a handi-talky with the power and antenna as part of the package). The ground plane of the Jeep thus empirically has proven to be quite a bit more effective at receiving signals than the ground-plane-less approach, and you shouldn't even think about a ground-plane-less approach for your antenna setup. -Elron |
Re: CB power
Nathan Otis wrote:
> > Hey fellas. I'm wiring a new CB tomorrow and I want to do it right. I > can't find the exact answer I'm looking for on the All Seeing Eye, so > here I am. > > When wiring power, I understand it's best to go to the source (battery). > What I don't know is... > > 1. Should BOTH the red AND black wire be connected to the battery @ pos > and neg terminals respectively? > > 2. If not, then the black wire should be attached to ground, but where? > > 2a. Should I ground in the engine compartment or... > > 2b. Is it best to make the ground wire as short as possible (i.e., > shorten the black wire to around a foot or two and ground in the cab)? Since you are getting contradictory information, here is what I have gathered on the subject: 1. Power: Go straight to the battery. 2. Ground: The following are grounded on the typical radio: a) power ground b) antenna wire at radio (ground sheath) c) antenna wire at antenna (ground sheath) You want to prevent ground loops as much as possible. Thus the correct answer is that whatever you're attaching your ground to on the antenna end (usually a metal antenna mount bolted to your bumper or fender) should be what you attach the ground to on the CB end. Since the antenna is generally bolted to the body (or has a low-ohm AC path to ground through the magnetic mount attached to the body), that, then, is what you should attach your CB ground to. In short, the best ground is to attach your CB ground to one of the sheet metal screws that you use to attach your CB to the body of the Jeep. If you are not attaching the CB to the body of the Jeep, the ground should instead be attached to the body as close to the CB as possible. The goal is to provide a good ground path between the CB ground and the antenna ground for use as a ground plane without worrying about whether there is enough corrosion on the cable that grounds the body to the battery to affect its impedence and thus cause it to serve as an extension of the antenna (a.k.a. "ground loop"). Note that there are antenna setups which do not require a ground plane. These use a fixed-length cable with a specified impedence and an insulated ungrounded antenna. These generally, however, provide a poorer reception on any metal vehicle that has sufficient steel for a proper ground plane. Short of attaching a radial-element base station antenna to your Jeep (which uses the radial elements as the ground plane, but it'd make your Jeep kinda tall!), you cannot get a good ground plane with a "groundplane-free" mobile setup. My handi-talkie CB with the mini-whip does not get anywhere near as good of reception as my properly grounded Firestick antenna, even if I attach the auxiliary antenna and place it on top of my Jeep so it's as high as the Firestick on the back of my Jeep. And this is despite the fact that the actual guts of this handi-talkie are absolutely identical to the guts of my permanently-mounted CB (both are Cobra designs and utilize the exact same circuit board internally, all that differs is the surrounding packaging, one is an all-in-mike design with a power/antenna box under the dash and the other is a handi-talky with the power and antenna as part of the package). The ground plane of the Jeep thus empirically has proven to be quite a bit more effective at receiving signals than the ground-plane-less approach, and you shouldn't even think about a ground-plane-less approach for your antenna setup. -Elron |
Re: CB power
Nathan Otis wrote:
> > Hey fellas. I'm wiring a new CB tomorrow and I want to do it right. I > can't find the exact answer I'm looking for on the All Seeing Eye, so > here I am. > > When wiring power, I understand it's best to go to the source (battery). > What I don't know is... > > 1. Should BOTH the red AND black wire be connected to the battery @ pos > and neg terminals respectively? > > 2. If not, then the black wire should be attached to ground, but where? > > 2a. Should I ground in the engine compartment or... > > 2b. Is it best to make the ground wire as short as possible (i.e., > shorten the black wire to around a foot or two and ground in the cab)? Since you are getting contradictory information, here is what I have gathered on the subject: 1. Power: Go straight to the battery. 2. Ground: The following are grounded on the typical radio: a) power ground b) antenna wire at radio (ground sheath) c) antenna wire at antenna (ground sheath) You want to prevent ground loops as much as possible. Thus the correct answer is that whatever you're attaching your ground to on the antenna end (usually a metal antenna mount bolted to your bumper or fender) should be what you attach the ground to on the CB end. Since the antenna is generally bolted to the body (or has a low-ohm AC path to ground through the magnetic mount attached to the body), that, then, is what you should attach your CB ground to. In short, the best ground is to attach your CB ground to one of the sheet metal screws that you use to attach your CB to the body of the Jeep. If you are not attaching the CB to the body of the Jeep, the ground should instead be attached to the body as close to the CB as possible. The goal is to provide a good ground path between the CB ground and the antenna ground for use as a ground plane without worrying about whether there is enough corrosion on the cable that grounds the body to the battery to affect its impedence and thus cause it to serve as an extension of the antenna (a.k.a. "ground loop"). Note that there are antenna setups which do not require a ground plane. These use a fixed-length cable with a specified impedence and an insulated ungrounded antenna. These generally, however, provide a poorer reception on any metal vehicle that has sufficient steel for a proper ground plane. Short of attaching a radial-element base station antenna to your Jeep (which uses the radial elements as the ground plane, but it'd make your Jeep kinda tall!), you cannot get a good ground plane with a "groundplane-free" mobile setup. My handi-talkie CB with the mini-whip does not get anywhere near as good of reception as my properly grounded Firestick antenna, even if I attach the auxiliary antenna and place it on top of my Jeep so it's as high as the Firestick on the back of my Jeep. And this is despite the fact that the actual guts of this handi-talkie are absolutely identical to the guts of my permanently-mounted CB (both are Cobra designs and utilize the exact same circuit board internally, all that differs is the surrounding packaging, one is an all-in-mike design with a power/antenna box under the dash and the other is a handi-talky with the power and antenna as part of the package). The ground plane of the Jeep thus empirically has proven to be quite a bit more effective at receiving signals than the ground-plane-less approach, and you shouldn't even think about a ground-plane-less approach for your antenna setup. -Elron |
Re: CB power
Nathan Otis wrote:
> > Hey fellas. I'm wiring a new CB tomorrow and I want to do it right. I > can't find the exact answer I'm looking for on the All Seeing Eye, so > here I am. > > When wiring power, I understand it's best to go to the source (battery). > What I don't know is... > > 1. Should BOTH the red AND black wire be connected to the battery @ pos > and neg terminals respectively? > > 2. If not, then the black wire should be attached to ground, but where? > > 2a. Should I ground in the engine compartment or... > > 2b. Is it best to make the ground wire as short as possible (i.e., > shorten the black wire to around a foot or two and ground in the cab)? Since you are getting contradictory information, here is what I have gathered on the subject: 1. Power: Go straight to the battery. 2. Ground: The following are grounded on the typical radio: a) power ground b) antenna wire at radio (ground sheath) c) antenna wire at antenna (ground sheath) You want to prevent ground loops as much as possible. Thus the correct answer is that whatever you're attaching your ground to on the antenna end (usually a metal antenna mount bolted to your bumper or fender) should be what you attach the ground to on the CB end. Since the antenna is generally bolted to the body (or has a low-ohm AC path to ground through the magnetic mount attached to the body), that, then, is what you should attach your CB ground to. In short, the best ground is to attach your CB ground to one of the sheet metal screws that you use to attach your CB to the body of the Jeep. If you are not attaching the CB to the body of the Jeep, the ground should instead be attached to the body as close to the CB as possible. The goal is to provide a good ground path between the CB ground and the antenna ground for use as a ground plane without worrying about whether there is enough corrosion on the cable that grounds the body to the battery to affect its impedence and thus cause it to serve as an extension of the antenna (a.k.a. "ground loop"). Note that there are antenna setups which do not require a ground plane. These use a fixed-length cable with a specified impedence and an insulated ungrounded antenna. These generally, however, provide a poorer reception on any metal vehicle that has sufficient steel for a proper ground plane. Short of attaching a radial-element base station antenna to your Jeep (which uses the radial elements as the ground plane, but it'd make your Jeep kinda tall!), you cannot get a good ground plane with a "groundplane-free" mobile setup. My handi-talkie CB with the mini-whip does not get anywhere near as good of reception as my properly grounded Firestick antenna, even if I attach the auxiliary antenna and place it on top of my Jeep so it's as high as the Firestick on the back of my Jeep. And this is despite the fact that the actual guts of this handi-talkie are absolutely identical to the guts of my permanently-mounted CB (both are Cobra designs and utilize the exact same circuit board internally, all that differs is the surrounding packaging, one is an all-in-mike design with a power/antenna box under the dash and the other is a handi-talky with the power and antenna as part of the package). The ground plane of the Jeep thus empirically has proven to be quite a bit more effective at receiving signals than the ground-plane-less approach, and you shouldn't even think about a ground-plane-less approach for your antenna setup. -Elron |
Re: CB power
XS11E wrote:
> twaldron <dude@hairsproutingbunions.com> wrote: > > >>XS11E wrote: >> >>>At least you're consistently wrong. > > >>There's drool on your chin, idiot. > > > You'd be wise to learn what you're talking about before posting. > > So far you've demonstrated complete ignorance of electonics, CB radio, > Jeeps and common courtesy. > > Please do reply and show us your ignorance in other subjects. Oh, please advise me. Here's some advice for you...read what was written before you comment on it. Anyone who says running power and ground leads from the radio directly to the battery is incorrect is a F-ing moron. tw |
Re: CB power
XS11E wrote:
> twaldron <dude@hairsproutingbunions.com> wrote: > > >>XS11E wrote: >> >>>At least you're consistently wrong. > > >>There's drool on your chin, idiot. > > > You'd be wise to learn what you're talking about before posting. > > So far you've demonstrated complete ignorance of electonics, CB radio, > Jeeps and common courtesy. > > Please do reply and show us your ignorance in other subjects. Oh, please advise me. Here's some advice for you...read what was written before you comment on it. Anyone who says running power and ground leads from the radio directly to the battery is incorrect is a F-ing moron. tw |
Re: CB power
XS11E wrote:
> twaldron <dude@hairsproutingbunions.com> wrote: > > >>XS11E wrote: >> >>>At least you're consistently wrong. > > >>There's drool on your chin, idiot. > > > You'd be wise to learn what you're talking about before posting. > > So far you've demonstrated complete ignorance of electonics, CB radio, > Jeeps and common courtesy. > > Please do reply and show us your ignorance in other subjects. Oh, please advise me. Here's some advice for you...read what was written before you comment on it. Anyone who says running power and ground leads from the radio directly to the battery is incorrect is a F-ing moron. tw |
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