CB power
#211
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: CB power
In the Ericsson systems I was using, if you mixed the two, all hell
broke loose. We were transmitting data packets and the retries went
through the roof if the coax got frayed and touched metal or the edge of
the mag mount touched a roof ridge or a beam. (yes some fools insisted
on running the antenna stuck to the 'inside' of the van roof or wall
despite me showing them page one of the manual that warned, in one inch
high bold letters, of burns if you were within 3' of the antenna when it
transmitted. These were 6 Watt units)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> No really Mike
> They are capacitivly coupled to the metal body of the vehicle
> The negative node of the signal is carried in the vehicle.
> It can fry the electronics just as easily.
> In the DC world yes it's isolated
> But RF = AC.
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>
>> Everywhere Frank.
>>
>> The mag mounts are totally isolated 'electrically' but require a 3'
>> circle of metal under them for the best 'reflective' ground plane.
>>
>
broke loose. We were transmitting data packets and the retries went
through the roof if the coax got frayed and touched metal or the edge of
the mag mount touched a roof ridge or a beam. (yes some fools insisted
on running the antenna stuck to the 'inside' of the van roof or wall
despite me showing them page one of the manual that warned, in one inch
high bold letters, of burns if you were within 3' of the antenna when it
transmitted. These were 6 Watt units)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> No really Mike
> They are capacitivly coupled to the metal body of the vehicle
> The negative node of the signal is carried in the vehicle.
> It can fry the electronics just as easily.
> In the DC world yes it's isolated
> But RF = AC.
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>
>> Everywhere Frank.
>>
>> The mag mounts are totally isolated 'electrically' but require a 3'
>> circle of metal under them for the best 'reflective' ground plane.
>>
>
#212
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: CB power
In the Ericsson systems I was using, if you mixed the two, all hell
broke loose. We were transmitting data packets and the retries went
through the roof if the coax got frayed and touched metal or the edge of
the mag mount touched a roof ridge or a beam. (yes some fools insisted
on running the antenna stuck to the 'inside' of the van roof or wall
despite me showing them page one of the manual that warned, in one inch
high bold letters, of burns if you were within 3' of the antenna when it
transmitted. These were 6 Watt units)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> No really Mike
> They are capacitivly coupled to the metal body of the vehicle
> The negative node of the signal is carried in the vehicle.
> It can fry the electronics just as easily.
> In the DC world yes it's isolated
> But RF = AC.
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>
>> Everywhere Frank.
>>
>> The mag mounts are totally isolated 'electrically' but require a 3'
>> circle of metal under them for the best 'reflective' ground plane.
>>
>
broke loose. We were transmitting data packets and the retries went
through the roof if the coax got frayed and touched metal or the edge of
the mag mount touched a roof ridge or a beam. (yes some fools insisted
on running the antenna stuck to the 'inside' of the van roof or wall
despite me showing them page one of the manual that warned, in one inch
high bold letters, of burns if you were within 3' of the antenna when it
transmitted. These were 6 Watt units)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> No really Mike
> They are capacitivly coupled to the metal body of the vehicle
> The negative node of the signal is carried in the vehicle.
> It can fry the electronics just as easily.
> In the DC world yes it's isolated
> But RF = AC.
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>
>> Everywhere Frank.
>>
>> The mag mounts are totally isolated 'electrically' but require a 3'
>> circle of metal under them for the best 'reflective' ground plane.
>>
>
#213
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: CB power
In the Ericsson systems I was using, if you mixed the two, all hell
broke loose. We were transmitting data packets and the retries went
through the roof if the coax got frayed and touched metal or the edge of
the mag mount touched a roof ridge or a beam. (yes some fools insisted
on running the antenna stuck to the 'inside' of the van roof or wall
despite me showing them page one of the manual that warned, in one inch
high bold letters, of burns if you were within 3' of the antenna when it
transmitted. These were 6 Watt units)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> No really Mike
> They are capacitivly coupled to the metal body of the vehicle
> The negative node of the signal is carried in the vehicle.
> It can fry the electronics just as easily.
> In the DC world yes it's isolated
> But RF = AC.
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>
>> Everywhere Frank.
>>
>> The mag mounts are totally isolated 'electrically' but require a 3'
>> circle of metal under them for the best 'reflective' ground plane.
>>
>
broke loose. We were transmitting data packets and the retries went
through the roof if the coax got frayed and touched metal or the edge of
the mag mount touched a roof ridge or a beam. (yes some fools insisted
on running the antenna stuck to the 'inside' of the van roof or wall
despite me showing them page one of the manual that warned, in one inch
high bold letters, of burns if you were within 3' of the antenna when it
transmitted. These were 6 Watt units)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> No really Mike
> They are capacitivly coupled to the metal body of the vehicle
> The negative node of the signal is carried in the vehicle.
> It can fry the electronics just as easily.
> In the DC world yes it's isolated
> But RF = AC.
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>
>> Everywhere Frank.
>>
>> The mag mounts are totally isolated 'electrically' but require a 3'
>> circle of metal under them for the best 'reflective' ground plane.
>>
>
#214
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: CB power
Ok, better said, without the proper 'reflective' ground plane, the
signal will be weaker than it's potential.
Better?
;-)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> Hi Mike
> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>
> This site is really good.
> No garbage
>
> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>
>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>
>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>
>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>
>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>> Chrysler books.
>>
>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>
>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>
>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>
>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>> in... GIGO eh.
>>
>> Mike
>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>
>>
>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>
>>> 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
>
signal will be weaker than it's potential.
Better?
;-)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> Hi Mike
> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>
> This site is really good.
> No garbage
>
> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>
>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>
>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>
>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>
>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>> Chrysler books.
>>
>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>
>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>
>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>
>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>> in... GIGO eh.
>>
>> Mike
>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>
>>
>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>
>>> 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
>
#215
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: CB power
Ok, better said, without the proper 'reflective' ground plane, the
signal will be weaker than it's potential.
Better?
;-)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> Hi Mike
> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>
> This site is really good.
> No garbage
>
> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>
>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>
>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>
>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>
>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>> Chrysler books.
>>
>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>
>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>
>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>
>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>> in... GIGO eh.
>>
>> Mike
>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>
>>
>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>
>>> 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
>
signal will be weaker than it's potential.
Better?
;-)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> Hi Mike
> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>
> This site is really good.
> No garbage
>
> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>
>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>
>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>
>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>
>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>> Chrysler books.
>>
>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>
>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>
>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>
>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>> in... GIGO eh.
>>
>> Mike
>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>
>>
>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>
>>> 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
>
#216
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: CB power
Ok, better said, without the proper 'reflective' ground plane, the
signal will be weaker than it's potential.
Better?
;-)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> Hi Mike
> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>
> This site is really good.
> No garbage
>
> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>
>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>
>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>
>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>
>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>> Chrysler books.
>>
>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>
>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>
>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>
>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>> in... GIGO eh.
>>
>> Mike
>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>
>>
>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>
>>> 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
>
signal will be weaker than it's potential.
Better?
;-)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> Hi Mike
> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>
> This site is really good.
> No garbage
>
> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>
>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>
>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>
>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>
>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>> Chrysler books.
>>
>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>
>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>
>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>
>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>> in... GIGO eh.
>>
>> Mike
>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>
>>
>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>
>>> 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
>
#217
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: CB power
Ok, better said, without the proper 'reflective' ground plane, the
signal will be weaker than it's potential.
Better?
;-)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> Hi Mike
> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>
> This site is really good.
> No garbage
>
> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>
>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>
>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>
>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>
>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>> Chrysler books.
>>
>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>
>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>
>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>
>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>> in... GIGO eh.
>>
>> Mike
>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>
>>
>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>
>>> 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
>
signal will be weaker than it's potential.
Better?
;-)
Mike
FrankW wrote:
> Hi Mike
> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>
> This site is really good.
> No garbage
>
> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>
>
>
> Mike Romain wrote:
>
>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>
>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>
>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>
>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>
>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>> Chrysler books.
>>
>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>
>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>
>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>
>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>> in... GIGO eh.
>>
>> Mike
>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>
>>
>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>
>>> 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
>
#218
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: CB power
LOL...... No
How about
"Without the proper counterpoise, the antenna feedpoint will not be 50
ohms, resulting in increased reflections in the feedline otherwise known
as, load mismatch or poor SWR"
:-)
Mike Romain wrote:
> Ok, better said, without the proper 'reflective' ground plane, the
> signal will be weaker than it's potential.
>
> Better?
> ;-)
>
> Mike
>
> FrankW wrote:
>
>> Hi Mike
>> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>>
>> This site is really good.
>> No garbage
>>
>> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>>
>>
>>
>> Mike Romain wrote:
>>
>>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>>
>>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>>
>>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>>
>>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>>
>>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>>> Chrysler books.
>>>
>>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>>
>>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>>
>>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>>
>>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>>> in... GIGO eh.
>>>
>>> Mike
>>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>>
>>>
>>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>>
>>>> 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
>>
>>
How about
"Without the proper counterpoise, the antenna feedpoint will not be 50
ohms, resulting in increased reflections in the feedline otherwise known
as, load mismatch or poor SWR"
:-)
Mike Romain wrote:
> Ok, better said, without the proper 'reflective' ground plane, the
> signal will be weaker than it's potential.
>
> Better?
> ;-)
>
> Mike
>
> FrankW wrote:
>
>> Hi Mike
>> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>>
>> This site is really good.
>> No garbage
>>
>> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>>
>>
>>
>> Mike Romain wrote:
>>
>>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>>
>>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>>
>>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>>
>>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>>
>>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>>> Chrysler books.
>>>
>>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>>
>>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>>
>>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>>
>>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>>> in... GIGO eh.
>>>
>>> Mike
>>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>>
>>>
>>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>>
>>>> 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
>>
>>
#219
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: CB power
LOL...... No
How about
"Without the proper counterpoise, the antenna feedpoint will not be 50
ohms, resulting in increased reflections in the feedline otherwise known
as, load mismatch or poor SWR"
:-)
Mike Romain wrote:
> Ok, better said, without the proper 'reflective' ground plane, the
> signal will be weaker than it's potential.
>
> Better?
> ;-)
>
> Mike
>
> FrankW wrote:
>
>> Hi Mike
>> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>>
>> This site is really good.
>> No garbage
>>
>> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>>
>>
>>
>> Mike Romain wrote:
>>
>>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>>
>>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>>
>>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>>
>>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>>
>>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>>> Chrysler books.
>>>
>>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>>
>>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>>
>>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>>
>>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>>> in... GIGO eh.
>>>
>>> Mike
>>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>>
>>>
>>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>>
>>>> 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
>>
>>
How about
"Without the proper counterpoise, the antenna feedpoint will not be 50
ohms, resulting in increased reflections in the feedline otherwise known
as, load mismatch or poor SWR"
:-)
Mike Romain wrote:
> Ok, better said, without the proper 'reflective' ground plane, the
> signal will be weaker than it's potential.
>
> Better?
> ;-)
>
> Mike
>
> FrankW wrote:
>
>> Hi Mike
>> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>>
>> This site is really good.
>> No garbage
>>
>> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>>
>>
>>
>> Mike Romain wrote:
>>
>>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>>
>>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>>
>>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>>
>>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>>
>>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>>> Chrysler books.
>>>
>>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>>
>>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>>
>>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>>
>>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>>> in... GIGO eh.
>>>
>>> Mike
>>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>>
>>>
>>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>>
>>>> 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
>>
>>
#220
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: CB power
LOL...... No
How about
"Without the proper counterpoise, the antenna feedpoint will not be 50
ohms, resulting in increased reflections in the feedline otherwise known
as, load mismatch or poor SWR"
:-)
Mike Romain wrote:
> Ok, better said, without the proper 'reflective' ground plane, the
> signal will be weaker than it's potential.
>
> Better?
> ;-)
>
> Mike
>
> FrankW wrote:
>
>> Hi Mike
>> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>>
>> This site is really good.
>> No garbage
>>
>> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>>
>>
>>
>> Mike Romain wrote:
>>
>>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>>
>>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>>
>>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>>
>>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>>
>>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>>> Chrysler books.
>>>
>>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>>
>>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>>
>>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>>
>>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>>> in... GIGO eh.
>>>
>>> Mike
>>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>>
>>>
>>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>>
>>>> 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
>>
>>
How about
"Without the proper counterpoise, the antenna feedpoint will not be 50
ohms, resulting in increased reflections in the feedline otherwise known
as, load mismatch or poor SWR"
:-)
Mike Romain wrote:
> Ok, better said, without the proper 'reflective' ground plane, the
> signal will be weaker than it's potential.
>
> Better?
> ;-)
>
> Mike
>
> FrankW wrote:
>
>> Hi Mike
>> To nit pick, it does not amplify the signal
>>
>> This site is really good.
>> No garbage
>>
>> http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/index.html
>>
>>
>>
>> Mike Romain wrote:
>>
>>> A 'ground plane' is a reflective area for amplifying the signal.
>>>
>>> An 'electrical' ground is a power path.
>>>
>>> The 'only' thing they have in common is the word 'ground', nothing else.
>>>
>>> If you use an electrical ground for the transmitter's ground plane,
>>> you will void the vehicle's warranty for all things electronic
>>> according to all the manufacturers I have dealt with while installing
>>> and servicing transmitters for 9 years.
>>>
>>> Here is a link to the GM book and others posted links to the Ford and
>>> Chrysler books.
>>>
>>> http://service.gm.com/techlineinfo/radio.html
>>> http://www.fordemc.com/docs/download...adio_Guide.pdf
>>> http://www.neons.org/neontsb/TSB/08/081698.htm
>>>
>>> When in doubt, RTFM eh.
>>>
>>> OK, so I just did and WOW, the person who wrote the Neon one also has
>>> the electrical and reflective grounds mixed up in his head but at
>>> least he refers to the TSB which is correct.
>>>
>>> 3rd party websites are only as good as the person typing the garbage
>>> in... GIGO eh.
>>>
>>> Mike
>>> 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
>>> 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
>>> Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
>>> Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
>>> (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)
>>>
>>>
>>> L. Ron Waddle wrote:
>>>
>>>> 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
>>
>>