Who still has one and uses/listens to it? Been reminiscing a little tonight and thought about them.

I still have one. Mainly use it when we running deer dogs, but I keep it on just going down the road.

I'm not at the CB level, but I run some Ham level stuff up to HF and SATCOM. Fun stuff and I learn a ton from the old timers who run CBs and home grown Ham/HF stuff.

We’ve switched to VHF . A lot less noise and more distance

I use one constantly because I travel often and long distance, its better than a comedy show sometimes, and does keep me aware of many highway happenings.

Its a rednek must have

What kind of antenna are y'all running with your rig?

I have 2 of em

I use these decent Wilson magnetic mounts for running the road. I really never talk, just listen. At the house of or camps I have a 102” stainless mounted up a tree, it covers you for a good distance.

So basically a 102" whip antenna? I've learned a bit about folded dipoles and NVIS antennas. Not sure if they come into play in the CB world to be honest. We spend a ton on stuff but I also see a ton of cheap home grown gear too.

Man, I’ve never learned much of anything new about CB’s since the seventies except single side band. I think 102” is a full wave and the coils on the shorter antennas compensate for the loss of length. It works for me all these years later. There was a time when I used amplifiers and power mikes but I lost touch with them.

Honestly, I think they are a decent communication device for many situations and I’d like to see a comeback.

Thanks for the feedback

You can tweak and peak it a bit with a meter and adjusting the length a bit. Going to one of them CB shops might work better if you are trying to max it out.

Man I got relatively unlimited resources to pick the best application. I'd appreciate your opinion. We've got a ton of resources but need some help spending it.

I also use a CB radio running dogs. So many people have switched to something else (vhf, business band, ect) that traffic and skip doesn't seem near as bad as it was 10-20 years ago. I also think that everybody having cell phones has cut down on the Mexicans using them for long distance calls. With some power, talking to someone with power that can talk back, I can talk 15-20 miles and have talked much further.

If I remember right, a wave it 36'. I've heard a steel whip refered to as a quarter wave antenna. Maybe its 102" to account for 6" of spring making it 108"?

I work around old school guys. They say the antenna length doesnt matter. That you gotta have it peaked. Gotta get cb adjusted at a truck stop they recommend. For 10 bucks. They all run nice cb radios and we use them everyday at work talkin to drivers.

What I miss most about my CB was the PA system. It was loud and We disturbed a many a person with that thing.

We went by the cb shop in dodge city to pick some up for our loader at work so the operators could talk with the drivers. It’s crazy all the stuff they had and how busy they are.

I did a quick look up, obviously I was way off on the wave length but here is some info.

https://www.cbradioclub.com/how-to-articles-a-advice/220-antenna-wavelength-what-it-means.html

Again, I would let the CB junkies at the “shop” tweak it or recommend stuff if you are trying to max it -vs- just GP use like I do.

https://www.rightchannelradios.com/products/102-cb-antenna-whip

I fool around with base station cb’s occasionally when I’m not doin much in the winter, work on amps, radios etc. Just enjoy it as a hobby. I used to have a set of beams now I’m just down to a jo Gunn pistol all directional.

seems like you had to put a meter on it to check the swr or something like that. They can adjust coax length to get it right. That way you get the most out of it and it dont burn out your radio. Seems like radio shack use to sale the meter.

We use marine radio now for running dogs. It doesnt need all that adjustment. Something about the frequency waves. Some old cb'r explained it to me, but it was awhile ago.