CB Radio....How to Optimize it's use....

[roadkill]

volume and squelch should be self explanatory

the dynamic or mic gain controls how loud you are..."fire in the wire". usefull when talking close range and your radio has been "peaked and tweaked", lets the others understand what your saying alot better. you can turn it down when your close and up when you get some distance.

rf gain controls the incoming signal, very good when you have others running the same channel and wish not to hear them. most of the time its cranked all the way to the right and you do not use this knob at all. easier to just change channels.

some have two knobs often referred to as a connex board, all it does is adjust the amount of echo and reverb you have. some people think by manipulating this you can sound better or clearer to others.

 

[RoundOut]

Best optimization is to upgrade to Amateur Radio and encourage everyone to get their licenses.

That said, I have a CB, too. Best advice is to wire directly from a battery with a fused lead. Most of the problems can be eliminated there.

On SWR from Wikipedia:

Practical implications of SWR

The most common case for measuring and examining SWR is when installing and tuning transmitting antennas. When a transmitter is connected to an antenna by a feed line, the impedance of the antenna and feed line must match exactly for maximum energy transfer from the feed line to the antenna to be possible. The impedance of the antenna varies based on many factors including: the antenna's natural resonance at the frequency being transmitted, the antenna's height above the ground, and the size of the conductors used to construct the antenna.[1]
When an antenna and feedline do not have matching impedances, some of the electrical energy cannot be transferred from the feedline to the antenna.[2] Energy not transferred to the antenna is reflected back towards the transmitter.[3] It is the interaction of these reflected waves with forward waves which causes standing wave patterns.[2] Reflected power has two main implications in radio transmitters: Radio Frequency (RF) energy losses increase,[2] and damage to the transmitter can occur.[4]
Matching the impedance of the antenna to the impedance of the feed line is typically done using an antenna tuner. The tuner can be installed between the transmitter and the feed line, or between the feed line and the antenna. Both installation methods will allow the transmitter to operate at a low SWR, however if the tuner is installed at the transmitter, the feed line between the tuner and the antenna will still operate with a high SWR, causing additional RF energy to be lost through the feedline.
Many amateur radio operators believe any impedance mismatch is a serious matter.[1] However, this is not the case. Assuming the mismatch is within the operating limits of the transmitter, the radio operator needs only be concerned with the power loss in the transmission line. Power loss will increase as the SWR increases, however the increases are often less than radio amateurs assume. For example, a dipole antenna tuned to operate at 3.75MHz—the center of the 80 meter amateur radio band—will exhibit an SWR of about 6:1 at the edges of the band. However, if the antenna is fed with 250 feet of RG-8A coax, the loss due to standing waves is only 2.2dB.[2] Feed line loss typically increases with frequency, so VHF and above antennas must be matched closely to the feedline. The same 6:1 mismatch to 250 feet of RG-8A coax would incur 10.8dB of loss at 146MHz.[2]

They had a more technical definition and unless you are an electrical engineer with a PhD, it won't mean much to you, LOL. At least it was a bit over the top for me (read: WAY OVER THE TOP).

.

 

[gary in ohio]

volume and squelch should be self explanatory

Volume is used for the audio output level from the radio. That is pretty self explanatory. Squelch may not, Squelch is used to set the level of incomming signal that your willing to listen to. The receiver always has some input, usually noise and you can set a threshold where the noise stop and a valid signal is received. Some people run squelch open and listen to the noise all the time, others turn the squelch up to only listen to strong enough signals.

the dynamic or mic gain controls how loud you are..."fire in the wire". usefull when talking close range and your radio has been "peaked and tweaked", lets the others understand what your saying alot better. you can turn it down when your close and up when you get some distance.

Mic gain simply sets the audio level of the microphone. It compensates for people who dont talk as loud as others. Contrary to popular misconception. More mic gain doesnt increase your range. Once your at 100% modulation anything more is distortion.

rf gain controls the incoming signal, very good when you have others running the same channel and wish not to hear them. most of the time its cranked all the way to the right and you do not use this knob at all. easier to just change channels.

RF gain allows you to adjust the signal level of the incoming signal, Used with squelch it will allow you to remove distant stations and only hear those near to you.

some have two knobs often referred to as a connex board, all it does is adjust the amount of echo and reverb you have. some people think by manipulating this you can sound better or clearer to others.

[/QUOTE]
If you have echo or reverb sell the radio and buy a real CB. Neither do anything to increase your range or your clarity. Its just a JUNK option or addion people like to make. Usually found on gray market or export market radio and as illegal enhancments to CBs.