Common CB Radio Questions

Common CB Radio Questions

Hello, from Buy Reliant Blog. Naturally we get asked a lot of different questions about products, specifications and features. We will be addressing specific common questions on products in this and upcoming posts. We thought a good place to start is with CB Radios, yes a lot of CB Radios are still in use today and these aren't the Smokey and the Bandit crystal controlled style you may remember from the old days. With Truckers, RV's, and all types of automotive activities the CB Radio is still playing a vital roll in communications. With everyone using cell phones txt messaging etc there is much more room on the CB Bands to talk effectively and clearly with new features and functionality of today's CB Radios. Listed here are a few questions we get asked almost daily about Citizen Band Radio.

How Much Power Will the CB Output and How Far can I Talk?
Power output of CB Radios is controlled and set by the FCC which is limited to about 4 Watts. Some single sideband radios which is a set of 40 or 80 additional channels you can legally put out 12 Watts of Power.
Range of transmission and reception will vary depending on conditions and terrain. Usually the best rule of thumb is to get a quality antenna and mount it as high as possible. Always Check your SWR (Standing Wave Ratio). We will go into detail about SWR Adjustment in our next post stay tuned!!!

How easy is it to install a CB Radio.
CB Radio installation is quite easy. The CB Radio should come with a mounting brackets and a power Cord. Just locate a spot in your vehicle you would like to mount the radio, install the bracket with provided hardware mount the radio and run your power to +12VDC and ground. Don't forget to hook up the antenna.

What do all of these knobs do? Of course the obvious power and volume need no explanation.

Mic Gain Mic Gain: controls how much modulation is put on the carrier wave. Normally it should be left in the full clockwise position, which is 100% modulation. If it is turned all the way counterclockwise, then no modulation occurs. If you use a power mic you may get feedback if you use full modulation.

RF Gain controls receiver sensitivity. Normally this should be in the full clockwise position, which gives the best sensitivity. If you are receiving a strong signal from a nearby transmitter, turning this control decreases the sensitivity, protecting the receiver.

Noise Blanker or ANL Switch depending on radio helps reduce some of the noise from some vehicles electrical systems.

Squelch Control The Squelch control shuts out the audio portion on the receiver to eliminate unwanted static and noise. However, when someone is transmitting, the signal is powered enough to override the squelch and allow you to hear the incoming transmission.

Take a minute to stop by our website and view all of our CB Radios and Accessories Click Here

Check back tomorrow for SWR Adjustments.