CB Radio Coax Cables

[Kopf-Jaegar]

So I have my CB installed fully functional and whatnot but I've got extra coax cable and I'm not so sure what to do with it, should I coil it up nice and neat and leave it somewhere under the carpet .. or should I spool it out so its not wrapped up in itself ???

 

[off-roader]

So I have my CB installed fully functional and whatnot but I've got extra coax cable and I'm not so sure what to do with it, should I coil it up nice and neat and leave it somewhere under the carpet .. or should I spool it out so its not wrapped up in itself ???

I've been told that coiling it into large loose coils is ok. Tight small ones could introduce unwanted noise. BTW, did you tune your antenna with a SWR meter? Can make a world of difference in the performance.

 

[gary in ohio]

So I have my CB installed fully functional and whatnot but I've got extra coax cable and I'm not so sure what to do with it, should I coil it up nice and neat and leave it somewhere under the carpet .. or should I spool it out so its not wrapped up in itself ???

if its more than 3ft or so, cut the cable to the proper length and re-install the connector.

 

[off-roader]

if its more than 3ft or so, cut the cable to the proper length and re-install the connector.

Take care when doing this... http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question490.htm because you will need to tune it and it may be difficult to tune properly meaning you'll get less than ideal transmission/reception.

 

[gary in ohio]

Take care when doing this... http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question490.htm because you will need to tune it and it may be difficult to tune properly meaning you'll get less than ideal transmission/reception.

Unless the antenna was designed for a groundless environment, cutting the coax is not going to affect the SWR.

 

[off-roader]

Unless the antenna was designed for a groundless environment, cutting the coax is not going to affect the SWR.

Is that right? Didn't know that. Was always told not to cut it unless you cut it to a clean fraction of the original length (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc.) or it would make it difficult to tune the antenna. Perhaps that was told without knowledge about this kind of antenna?

 

[xtatik]

Is that right? Didn't know that. Was always told not to cut it unless you cut it to a clean fraction of the original length (1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc.) or it would make it difficult to tune the antenna. Perhaps that was told without knowledge about this kind of antenna?

As Gary says, it only matters if the antenna is acting as a counterpoise to the radiating element. That is a seldom wanted situation, and not the case with most mobile installations.

 

[theksmith]

We recommend that you serpentine it like a skein of yarn so that it is 10-14" long and tie it in the center with a wire tie then tuck it away. Do not roll it up in a tight circle as this can cause it to act like an RF choke, which often times will cause system problems.

(from: http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/coaxtalk.htm)

also good notes on there about the length debate

 

[Eaglefreek]

(from: http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/coaxtalk.htm)

also good notes on there about the length debate

I just installed a Firestick antenna and mount and read to keep it 18' but not familiar with how to wrap it up like a "skein of yarn". Can someone enlighten me?

 

[slomatt]

Stu offroad has an interesting article discussing the 18' cable myth.

http://www.stu-offroad.com/misc/myth-1.htm

I've used a whole range of cable lengths and have never had a problem getting the SWR down to 1.3 or less.

- Matt

 

[xtatik]

I just installed a Firestick antenna and mount and read to keep it 18' but not familiar with how to wrap it up like a "skein of yarn". Can someone enlighten me?

You can wrap it up up any way you want, it makes no difference. Just don't bend it sharply. Especially with foam dielectric types (RG8x, almost always is) as the center conductor can migrate and short on the shield. Simplest way is to coil it. It may or may not act like a choke, depending on how many turns and how big the loop. If it does...whoopee, no common mode current problems. But again, it doesn't matter.

 

[AxeAngel]

I think a lot of it has to do with antenna more than with coax cable. Getting a good ground, etc.

If you really want a decent SWR, stay away from Firestik. Im sure there are several users with respectable SWR using firestik antennas, but on the whole I think the Wilson, etc, guys get better SWR. Especially those of us with non-tunable firestik's

-Sam

 

[off-roader]

If you really want a decent SWR, stay away from Firestik.

Is this also true of their tunable antenna's? FWIW, I used to use a non-tunable 40" Wilson flexible fiberglass whip. Was tough getting it tuned.

 

[nwoods]

Stu offroad has an interesting article discussing the 18' cable myth.
http://www.stu-offroad.com/misc/myth-1.htm

That was a great article. Wilson bare metal antenna's are the bomb.