Where to sit on ssb.

This is the place to discuss any general CB radio related topics. Getting started, installations, operation etc.
108EH002
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Re: Where to sit on ssb.

Post by 108EH002 »

What is your Sirio 4000 sitting on to earth it sureshot and what is the swr like ? You can always add some wire radials under the antenna to try and enhance the performance,better that its 120ft up compared to being on the ground floor but eh ;)
Plenty are talking worldwide on 27.555 usb,
Some are too far up their own @rse to admit it,
Many happen to know otherwise dx-ing test free,
Showing a complete lack of respect for the law.

27.555 Usb
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Unit 148 Mobile
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Re: Where to sit on ssb.

Post by Unit 148 Mobile »

If band conditions are favorable and you have a quiet frequency of course you can talk great distances with flea power and a simple but 'resonant' antenna.

The trouble comes when everyone and their mother are on-air. The simple 4W/12W setup will rarely cut it unless conditions are running your way and not that of others outside the skip zone.

Another scenario where barefoot CB power would struggle is under poor skip conditions. You would just be lost way down in the ambient noise. Also if you are trying for late at night long distance ground-wave contact your signal is attenuated along the path. The only way round this is again, a directional antenna with good gain and ideally extra power to back it up.

Back around the late 70's in London there was a late night side-band net on I believe 27.635 with a number of high power stations, both base & mobile. High ERP was encouraged so that all could hear one another and none left out and as I'm sure most of you know beyond the typical 20-30 miles it was a struggle to make signal meters move much under completely flat ground-wave conditions. One fella stood out up in Norfolk who I think ran around 400W into a very long yagi antenna which was vertically polarized so all the mobiles could hear him. On a good night he was S8-9 down into London.

When you do strike it lucky with 4W the QSO tends only to last a short while. With power and or a high gain directional antenna nine time out of ten you'd hold that contact for the full duration of the communication.

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spyder3
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Re: Where to sit on ssb.

Post by spyder3 »

This is a great addition for DX hunters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFWh2gF1arQ

That’s live stream video from South Carolina. There is only 27.385 LSB
There you can check skip condition in the US/Canada and also can hear yourself (if strong enough) to adjust your power, antenna direction and mic gain.
From Toronto using my mobile (Lincoln 2+, Texas Start 500W + Sirio 5000) I can hear myself clearly during skip time.
9SD767
President Lincoln 2+, Sirio Performer 5000

QSO: Spain, Curacao, Holland, Mexico, Columbia, Salvador, Puerto Rico, UK, USA, Jamaica, Brazil, France, Italy, Scotland, Germany, Poland, Saint Lucia, Portugal, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Paraguay, Dominica, Uruguay, Santa Cruz, Ecuador
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