Community Forums

brooksbbb · 03-16-2015, 10:14 PM

I have a 2010 Fleetwood Revolution LE it has a CB antenna installed from Fleetwood. Thinking about installing a radio in my coach. Anyone have a factory installed CB antenna? Do you use it? Would love to hear the good or bad stories from anyone.

ecurb74 · 03-16-2015, 10:21 PM

Mine came from factory with one installed. Got bored one day and turned it on for a while. Not much traffic but for a guy trying for a radio check every two minutes. I guess everyone uses their phones now. Got on my nerves and I turned it off.

gruelens · 03-17-2015, 12:32 AM

There has been lots of discussion on this topic before. Using the search window at the top of the page will guide you to them.

My first career was truckin'. Years ago would have never considered hitting the road without my ears on. Due to changes in technology and people, the CB is an endangered species. Few beneficial conversations occur via the citizens band today. The push for an RV channel has gained little traction over the years.

Waiter21 · 03-17-2015, 04:55 AM

Great for identifying road problems, i.e. why am I stopped, how long is the backup. I leave mine on when traveling, volume may be turned down

Pigman1 · 03-17-2015, 01:42 PM

Even if your manufacturer supplied the wiring and antenna, you'll still need to use a SWR meter to tune your system. About $40 at Radio Shack if you can still find one open. Perhaps cheaper on line.

T Gibson · 03-17-2015, 02:17 PM

I been told they are invaluable if you head to Alaska, cell phone are at best sporadic but the cb seems to work fine. I like mine but it doesn't have a SWR meter, unless it's built in. Pigman how would it help my cb, it seems to work fine. Never thought about checking the range on it, if that's what a SWR does. Ok ill goggles SWR to find out what it does. Maybe when the MH comes out next week I'll check the range on it then. One more on the to do list. LOL

waroland · 03-17-2015, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T Gibson

I been told they are invaluable if you head to Alaska, cell phone are at best sporadic but the cb seems to work fine. I like mine but it doesn't have a SWR meter, unless it's built in. Pigman how would it help my cb, it seems to work fine. Never thought about checking the range on it, if that's what a SWR does. Ok ill goggles SWR to find out what it does. Maybe when the MH comes out next week I'll check the range on it then. One more on the to do list. LOL

SWR stand for standing wave ratio, it tells you how well you antenna is tuned for max power out. If the SWR is high the signal is getting reflected back into your transmitter and can cause your output to transistor burn-up or you will have a more limited range. It does not have much effect on receiving signals. During the CB hayday I used to repair them.

T Gibson · 03-17-2015, 02:39 PM

My unit is one year old, would that be built into them now a days?

Pigman1 · 03-17-2015, 06:30 PM

Using an SWR meter is a good idea regardless of how your set works. If you have a large reflected wave you can actually damage your radio. The tuning procedure is to select various channels across the spectrum you can use and minimize the reflected wave as much as possible. You never get to reduce it completely on all channels and very small changes in antenna height can show up as large changes on your meter.

The only place I've seen in Alaska that I would say makes a CB mandatory would be on the Dalton Highway between Fairbanks and Deadhorse (Prudhoe Bay). Even there all you'll be hearing are animal sightings and notices of oversize or very slow moving vehicles on hills and blind curve areas. All other routes have a lot of summer traffic and if you're having a problem, you can expect the next person by to stop and offer help if you look like you're having a problem. We were on a paid tour from Glennallen to McCarthy and after the third flat the driver needed to go to Chitina to get a new tire. He got a ride from the first person by and while we waited about 3 hours for him to return, we had to decline help from about 90% of those who passed us by.

We've been to Alaska 5 times and will go again this summer. Although my rig has a manufacturer installed antenna and wiring I've never felt the need to carry a CB.