New member and new CB!

[timwatts]

Hi guys,

Just wanted to introduce myself.

I dabbled with CB in about 1980 (or rather my dad did - i was onle about 4 or 5!).

I'm more recently involved with Cave Rescue here in the UK and also a 4x4 response group - helping people out in the winter, snow, ice,floods etc.

I've had an old midland CB for years (can't remember the model but it was the tiny one, really simple controls). that to be honest was never much good.

I've now bought myself a ebay special, (I guess cheap chinese?) Delta LT-318. I've used it a few times now and it seems ok. I've sorted out the aerial on my Landrover too (I think it was previously badly earthed - i've run a decent 6mm earth cable down to the steel chassis as well and ensuring its also well earthed to the aluminium roof too.

The manual for the LT-318 is typically foreign, even though its been translated to 'english'.

Theres a few things i really don't understand properly which i'm looking for advice on how to use and how they work:

1) I'm using it in UK 40 Channel mode FM - i think its right to just stick with that? Why would i change to 80 channel or AM??

2) I understand squelch (or at least what it does) and understand what the autosqueltch button does). But the auto squelch seems to make me miss parts of weaker signals coming in - so for these i specifically switch auto squelch off and try to do it manually. I guess this is 'normal'?

3) with regards to this, on the other ring of the squelch button theres a RF gain knob. I have no idea what i'm doing with this can anyone advise??

4) ANL i assume means Auto Noise Limiting - any advice on this - i also heard/ready somewhere theres a fault on these models which means the function is actually back to front - i.e. when on and shoing on in LCD its actually off - and vice versa?

5) DW - Now i've googled this but the manuals rubbish. Dual Wait i think it means and i assume it means i can listen to two channels at once (this will be useful for me when we have a general 'emergency channel' responding to incidents but when we might also have a smaller group of us who want to chit chat on another channel. If its listeneing to both channels, how to i know or choose which one to transmit to? And also how to i know which channel i'm listening to at any one time? I.e. if i hear someone speak, can i tell which channel its coming in on??

Soory for all the Newbie questions but i'm learning!

It would obviously help if i had another CB or owner locally i could test/play about with to learn this with.

Cheers guys.

I'm in North East Wales near Mold by the way.

Tim

[108EH002]

Hi Tim,

1 = Give you more modes for using abroad.On Eu channel 31 Fm is Eu calling frequency/27.315 Fm.
2 = Asq only good for strong signals.
3 = RF gain can increase or decrease the signal = better turned clockwise to 5 o'clock.
4 = Auto Noise Limiter is a noise filter for being mobile,cuts out electrical noise from alternator and such.
5 = DW = dual watch, for monitoring 2 channels/frequencies at the same time,to activate you need to turn the squelch on = will jump between channels and will stop on a channel if something breaks the squelch.You will know what channel the radio stops on as it will be on the display.Usually after hearing nothing for about 5 seconds it reverts back to dw

My advice would be to get something like a second hand Anytone 5555 V6 Tim,everything you need in a cheap SSB radio and it wont break the bank,cost about £150 new,google it for more info.

If you only have am/fm your missing out on the single sideband contacts

Whats the antenna Tim ? thanks in advance.

[The Collector]

5ft Springer/Stinger thing would be my guess lol, (stereotyping Landy drivers) If it's the 3ft version though, throw it in the bin immediately!

[timwatts]

Thanks guys. It is a Springer and I think it is the 3ft version. I seem to have great range rx but pathetic tx. 5ft Springer a better option then i guess. Problem is with using it a lot in the forests/offroad it gets caught in trees etc.

It there a decent but physically shorter (and ideally flexible) option i should look at?

[The Collector]

Unfortunately, the bigger the better is usually the case with aerials. The 5ft version is known to withstand a fair bit of abuse due to its springy coil, but hitting trees at high speed will obviously kink the whip. 5ft is probably the minimum length for half-decent comm's and the 3 footers just don't seem to work very well. I was at a radio shop a few years back when someone bought back a 3ft Springer, saying it was rubbish and they could hardly get out (on top of a quarry dump truck). The owner swapped it for a 5 footer.

Armies used to tie back their long aerials on jeeps etc. because of this if mounted towards the front, but most are mounted centrally or towards the rear, so tying it back isn't always possible.

There are other, better 5ft aerials with shorter coils such as the top-range Wilsons etc. but they will cost a fair bit more and I don't think they bolt on. Other good aerials such as the Les Wallen Modulators have long coils, which could suffer more damage and possibly damage the mounting point too if hit hard. The best serials are ones like the Sirio 3/4/5000 range, but they're 6ft plus and less practical.

Perhaps see if you can talk to someone a couple of miles away and swap aerials around outside a cb shop

[k40]

Once put a 9 foot whip on my landy roof, worked great but had to watch out for low trees.
Looked like an RC car lol