my brother gave me his old cb radio but he is not sure if it works. i want to test it to make sure it works before i make a bracket and wire it up. whats the easiest way to do this?
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Take the cb out to the truck and hook it straight to the battery and test that way is the way I would do it then if it works run your coax the way you want and mount it up.
im not sure which wire is positive and which is negative. i have a red, orange, and black wire running off it. i know that black is ground not sure about the other two. would i do any damage to the jeep if i tested them the wrong way.
just lay it to the side for the test and if the cb is good then you can hook it into the dashlights so you can control the brightness of the lights with the rest of the lights...
Make sure to use either an antenna and coax or a 50 ohm dummy load. Running the radio for any length of time without an antenna can burn up the radio.
alright so ill get my antenna before i test it. i think im going to go with this one http://www.wearecb.com/store/firestik-fs3-foot-tunable-tip-cb-antenna-p-200.html a 2 foot one will be like 3 inches above my cab so i think ill get better reception with a 3 foot. im going to make a custom mount coming off my tail light.
be sure to get a spring, dont want to break that firestick! here is a spring just for a visual https://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062089
yea i plan on getting a 6" heavy duty spring and a quick disconnect so i can take it off when i need to go through a parking garage or something.
You want as much antenna above the roof as possible. Most fiberglass antennas are top loaded BUT you want the most above the roof. If you go to Rat Shaq and buy a Dummy Load you can hook up the meter and dummy load with a short length of coax. That way you will see if there is output and what the wattage might be and then there is not worry if the antenna is out of tune. Dummy Loads are cheap, they are just a VHF Connector with a 50 ohm resistor inside. Luck
