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Eastern Arkansas | I just went through putting cb's in all of my equipment. I have cell phones for all of my drivers and I wanted a low cost alternative to two way radios for close working situations like harvest or multiple units in the same field. Its hard to holler stop your fixing to back into my truck over the cell phone. They work well within a 5 mile radius.
I like the cobra ltd 25 it is a good simple radio. Its also not got to many knobs or buttons to confuse people. It is a better built radio than the ltd 29 and also can be turned up higher, which gets me to my next point. Either buy the radios from a cb shop or take them to a cb shop after you have bought them and get them peaked and tuned. All cbs from the factory cannot put out over something like 12 watts due to regulations but after a $10 p&t they will push 45watts.
Next mount the antenna bases to metal that is connected to the main frame of the tractor or if you cannot run a ground wire from the antennea base to the frame .The antennea base must be grounded for it to work,unless you use a special non ground plane antennea. On the new john deere equipment I make a bracket out of angle iron with one big hole in one side and four small holes in the other that line up with the holes in a big truck mirror antennea mount. I then take one of the bolts out of the top of the cab that is used as an ancor point to lift the cab and place the bolt through the big hole in the antenna mount and tighten it down. I use the mount on the drivers side of the cab. Then I loosen the glass bolts and run the coaxial on the outside of the cab to the closest point where it can enter the cab. The glass just has rubber weatherstripping and does not have a sealent so when you loosen the bolts the coixal with just slip in. I usually slip it in just behind the radio on a john deere cab then I run it under the trim to the cb. mount the cb above the power strip on the right there are already 2 screws there that hold the plastic that go into metal i just drill new holes in the cb mounting bracket.
Next you need to get a RMS meter and tune the antennea. There are a lot of good sites on the internet that teach you how to do it. I like this one http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs.htm
Also use an 18 foot coaxil it will be easier to tune the antennea
For antenneas I like the wilson flexible fiberglass whip.
I like fiberglass antenneas because they are durable and are top loaded so they are easier to tune. | |
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Tractor CB radio
