Good advice gents, and that's coming from a qualified comms engineer. Soldering is fine for cable to cable connections that "float". Connecting to fixed items, like a relay you must use a crimp connector as the solder can and does fracture due to mechanical vibration. You may want to consider "dual wall" heatshrink for those solder joints (and crimp connections). Its cheap given the small quantity required and it will seal the joint against pretty much everything. Cheers, gents and thanks.
@@Nik-zl2xf It can Nik but results is likely to be pretty bad. Even a proper antenna switch rather than the T piece will cause some loss and a badly matched one could take out several dB from your antenna gain. You thinking of combining a 3.5dBi and a 6dBi antenna? Best to unplug and swap antennas is what I would do.
Yeh, but it can also save bulkiness in tight spaces - especially with a fair few wires, but heatshrink is the best invention since beer. Torbes should've put some over the cable for that joint anyway. Might have a look at your channel mate. yeh, had a look and subbed
I like to use slide connectors and when you have 2 next to each other they get bulky. Offset helps keep them neat / trim and helps keep them in the loom.
Hey guys great vid. Here’s a tip . To stop your connector at the back of the unit shaking loose when travelling. Once it’s done up nice and tight a couple of blobs of neutral cure silicone will stop it from shaking loose. And you can get if off easily later.
Love the format and the dual perspectives. Much better than your average DIY segments on other channels. Great idea recapping the tools "back to the future" style so nothing is forgotten but we can gather ahead of time to follow along in the correct order. Showing them instead of listing them helps us overseas viewers that have different name's for the same tools.
Good tips. In your sit-down discussion, I'd recommend covering wire gauge for rated current for any wiring project. Also, all of your antenna mounts are grounded, but it was something that wasn't really mentioned. Getting a good ground plane on the antenna is a large factor impacting antenna performance. From a US HAM and offroad camping enthusiast, 73, de N0IV.
If you put a rubber o-ring on the center pin of the UHF connector before connecting to the radio it cushions it and keeps a little tension on it preventing it from rattling loose.
Little antenna up high beats a low mounted high gain antenna everyday. Always been a fact, just not a trendy thing to do. This will video will change the trend! Well done 👍
Diy electric is one of the most rewarding work you can do, saves you huge amounts of money on labor but you need to be sure how to do it right. So this type of video can be really really helpful for people.
Greetings from Canada! Thanks guys for your fantastic contribution to the 4x4 / overland community. Will be hooking up a UHF unit to my modified Commander very soon . I have watched you for many years now along with another well known overland channel, the difference with your channel is that you remained true to us regularly Joe’s with lots of great DYI information. Unfortunately the other channel slowly became a fantasy builder of hard to afford Kit to mount on our 4x4’s ! Thanks for keeping it REAL.
You didn't discuss drip loops for outside to inside. The loom helps, but you can let the cable hang lower then the passthrough hole and put a cable tie on the cable to help shed water. Also, in the outside cable connections you can put di-electric in the connection to help keep water out and corrosion down.
I'm the biggest fan of your work Ronny, I'm from Tunisia and I'm grateful for all your advice, it really helped me to understand off-road. Good luck for your work and if you want you can come to Tunisia to go on trip in the desert of Sahara
@@hannahranga Your'e spot on there mate, silly old bugger tried to draw 50 amp out of a 10 amp charger and couldn't understand why it didn't work, then he turned comments off.
That Andrew bloke also can't wrap his head around freewheel hubs. Freewheel hubs are priceless when you break axles/CV's offroad and need to limp home. For a weekend warrior who mainly uses their UHF CB on hilly/high country tracks, it's useless if it's folded flat! Might not give the best signal, but a bullbar mounted antenna works better than a snapped/folded rooftop antenna. You can also clearly see when a bullbar mounted antenna it at risk of being taken out by a branch etc. Bullbar mount also means it takes 5secs to unscrew and remove the antenna tip if you're parking in the city so the drunks and drug addicts don't steal/break it. There are always pros and cons.
You can cut the cable to whatever length you need, it won’t make a difference in a 4wd application. You can even use extension cables and connectors mid line, you will start to see a reduction in performance but most people will not notice.
Good Video with loads of good advice BUT as an Hamradio Guy I can tell that Antennas where you are not allowed to cut the Cable are no good because that means that you have a lot of standing waves. That means that you have to cut the cable at a point where the SWR is low and on UHF that can be very critical and also dependent on the Radio AND it means that you have more losses in the cable than necessary. It is generally much bette if the Antenna resonant on that Frequency or matched by a matchbox (but than you need an Antenna analyzer or a SWR-Meter). I also would try to never solder anything on a vehicle. A soldered connection is much more likely to break from all the vibrations. I like crimping much better ;) For the upcoming talk you could compare a 12dB omnidirectional Antenna on a Car to a small, handheld directional Antenna (Yagi) with a small HT. You will be surprised! There is no use for Omnidirectional Antennas with more than 5dB of Gain on Cars!
Antenna selection is very important, not just size and gain or receiving pattern shape. Best to select a none earth plain type. GME vid on antenna selection is excellent.
I like the roof top fold down antenna. I have a rear door mounted quick release so I have to remove it to get in my garage. The fold down is just as easy but stays on the vehicle. Great video.
The little antenna that hes putting on the drivers side roof is a GROUND INDEPENDANT antenna which means you dont require to ground to the vehicle. The vertical on the passenger side is a GROUND DEPENDANT antenna which means you require to mount the antenna to something metal to ground it to the car. If your mounting it on the roof rack you need to make sure you ground your roof rack to your car for an effective ground situation.
Awesome content here Ronny, Big thanks to Torbs and yourself for your Shows. Keep them coming. I need all the help I can get with the black art of auto electrical.
An analogy that we use to describe transmission pattern, is the balloon. Low db is like a round balloon, or a spherical transmission. Now flatten the same balloon between two flat surfaces, it flattens and spreads outwards. The flatter and wider it is, the higher the gain equivalent. Hopefully this can help visualize the concept.
Excellent video, One thing, the most important thing with any type of radio system is good low loss antenna cable. Good quality cable will make a huge difference to your signal strength.
The antennas .. rule of thumb is 6.5db is good general use and 3db for bush or hilly environments The interference was probably from those solar panels The loss every time you add a conector is .2 db you wouldn't be able to tell the difference The reason you are getting better reception off the roof is the height and ground plane created by the roof I've installed thousands of radios and altered coax length with no issue
BEST "UHF CB Radio Install & TIPS" video i have ever seen!! Thanks Ronny & Torben!! Would've loved to have seen just a little bit more on how you mounted that fold-down 90' mounting bracket to the platform. step by step would've been choice!! Love the video!
I've got a special pair of cutters for zip ties that cuts them completely flush. No more ripping your skin off when you reach up under the dash. Bought it when I was rebuilding fraking trailers and its worth every penny.
Another great video Ronny and Torb 👍 2 quick tips you missed though - 1) when drilling metal above your paintwork, always put down a big piece of cardboard or a sheet as that hot swarf falling on your paintwork will do wonders for the clear coat 2) heat shrink those power and earth cables guys - just in case they run through. Oh yeah, and be careful pulling any electrical cable or antenna cable through freshly drilled holes in metal due to the sharp blurred edges from your drill 👍 Keep up the good work gents 👍👍 If people are after that yellow tongue plastic too, often timber yards may have some available separately or alternatively, keep an eye out on job sites as you’ll often see it in skip bins or on piles of rubbish. 😉
Love this. 2 things. Bullbar mounting: hit a roo and you broke your antenna. Hard to call for help. And cable across floor I'd hate to drop something heavy on that spot. (Remember screw with eye?) But great guide 👍
Also the reason why you less distance with a handheld than a mobile unit is the size and type of antenna used. The Handheld has a small antenna which means a low dbi gain. You try putting a handheld antenna on the mobile unit and you'll get the same thing.
How did your CB install go, and what vehicle did you install it into? (I guess, by your name, it's gonna be in a Landrover?) The offset is a good tip. If you're splicing multiple wires (such as that of installing a trailer plug to your vehicle's wiring) the offsets help keep the 'bulk' of it down, and give it a nicer, cleaner look to the finished 'taped' product. I'm going to install my radio over Christmas, in the newly purchased (and finally received) Outback Roof Console. I'm gonna cut the fuse off the rear of the unit and fuse it in the engine bay at the source of the power, that way it protects the whole cable as well as the unit. No point in having that fuse blow near the back of the radio only to have to pull half your car apart just to swap fuses!
glad to see you showing everyone the little upgrades here and there that most people don't look at. a question I have is what is your personal opinion on CB vs Ham / or / as our buddy brad from trail trailrecon has. CB and Ham? I have done wiring for years and have learned 1# all ways get more wire then you think you need. 2# routing it smoothly and safely will help it last. 3# and you know you have done a great job when no one else can see what you have done.
Im surprised with all these HAM radio operators & engineers commenting on here no one has mentioned anything about Torbs statement about antennas throwing out "radio active" waves at 13:23. Would have thought he broke the internet with that comment but nothing. Good vid guys, looking forward to the range testing between the antennas.
Another entertaining video. I thought you had an Icom in the roof? I wouldnt have change it for a consumer GME radio (since you have an Icom). Except the GME is easy to use, it wont perform nearly as well. The GEM's top out normally at around 3.5 Watts real world (tested many). The Icom you can adjust to the full 5 watts. The GMEs are nicer to use though, and you are right. The magnet mics holders are great.
1-Why don't you remove the old whips? 2-will you ever use them again? 3- Why are your antennas different sizes? 4- Max height of the antennas you can have on your LC?
the way you run UHF ronny 1 on narrow band and the other wide band use the other issue you will have ground plane issues because you need to ground the base of the antenna have you ever heard of expansion legs for your ants to raise the antenna up so it clears the roof line.. also make sure you channel listing for your state and areas you are traveling in because what is typical metro area use may not be typical for country use .. note what services use which channels and whether they use 80ch narrow or 40ch wide and note what repeater channel you use and always communicate with a call sign.. I would also consider running a hf option usb and lsb comms
Hey Torbs... joining wires.. slip heatshrink over wires first ...bloody tape sometimes slip off or unsticks....much neater too but sparkies being neat ? Ronnie, did Torbs pick up all his cut offs & strips ?
Good video, about a month too late for me as I did my one. One of the key bits of info besides putting the aerial on the roof was putting the aerial cable in the tube if it’s exposed to the elements. And I’ll add that I won’t cut the aerial cable after another RUclips video said “no worries”.
On soldered wires … Keep in mind that where the solder ends inside the cable is a breaking point that is sensitive to vibrations. - Meaning, secure soldered wire points with zip-ties to safeguard them from vibrations and future problems.
So what I still don't get (I'm new to the topic) 1. Why two radio's? Is it because you're on two frequencies? 2. Why do you still have the antenna on the bullbar at the end? 3. If you just wanted to do one for convoy driving with a bunch of friends, and you don't want to install two antenna's and units, what would you pick? 4. At what point would a handheld actually be the go-to choice? Thanks so much for making these videos!!
It might not be an issue at 5 watts, but the radio chassis should be grounded. Also, don't be scared of soldering your own connectors to your your coax. I'm sure you have an amateur radio club nearby that can teach you.
In the next video would you mind discussing the common radio types in Australia? Also what license requirements are associated with each type? In the US we have: FRS= short range/no license; CB= short/med range/no license; MURS= short range/no license; GMRS= medium range/paid license/no test; HAM= any range/license required/3 levels of license. Quite a few 4x4 groups are moving from CB to GMRS for the increased range and signal quality. It is quickly overtaking HAM radio (in terms of popularity) in my area.
There are (or at least used to be) clubs that required your radio to be wired to a permanently wired - the rationale being that if you lose your keys and your wired up to the accessory power, then you can’t call for help.
Nice vid guys - some good tips in there! Good to know I've done most of my bits right a few years back. Couple of topics for you in your torquin 4bys . . . . Best way to run cables into the cabin of a wagon? Have done mine thru corner of the door but will eventually wear thru I think . . . . What's the point if having 2 units installed? Especially when modern units can do a constant scan of 2 channels. One as a back up? . . . . . . . Any external speakers required? . . . . . . Where are you going to hang that annoying silver horse from now? 😁👌👍
IIRC they prefer 2 radios so when in convoy everyone is on an agreed channel & the other one is set to scan whole range ( except the convoy channel ) .. but i guess also it's nice to have 2 in-case one radio dies
Me and my mates still use the orginal cb(yes newbies not uhf) 27mhz cb still goes a hell of a lot further than uhf car to car…And I find it funny no one ever talks about vswr with antennas not all of these so called antennas are tuned correctly when they leave the factory ..And isnstead of say having a vswr under 1.5 there alot higher and over time you will kill the radio and not transmitt as far as you like..
Hi Bud tours around the hood .luv them I watched the whole the Tee hrs and couldn’t figure out to buy you a beer. Damn I’ll ask my son when he comes around how to do it lol . Keep them coming 👍
Damn good video, as always. Thanks. Watched it for a second time today. As I live in Central America we have the 22 channels GMRS (+HAM) band only, and doing simplex with a handheld isn’t much to write home about. - But with the right antenna on the roof it’s a different ballgame. Might get a 15-50W mobile later if I see the use of it, which I don’t at this time. As for now I’m good with the 5W handheld with the antenna/-s on the roof.
Another good video. Ironic that I came on this this morning. I redid my antenna yesterday. Wasn’t happy with where the coax cable was running. It was getting damage. About 3 hours to do properly. I tend to use talcum powder to help the cables slide through. When I have used silicone spray on old rubber it seems to break it down and the rubber grommets and fittings tears.
The antenna cable should be as short as possible. Having an antenna cable any longer than necessary is simply reducing the performance of the transmitter.
Hi Ronny. Could yo do a video on winter camp setup. For example: awnings dont go well in rain so how do you stay dry, how do you keep the moisture seeping in through the floor of your swag. Thanks
Ronny the only thing i will point out during the install is the inline glass fuse holders are not always reliable and can give you issues, All the uhf's i have installed as i do Electronics (hobby) for many years, have replaced them with in line standard ats or min blade fuse holders , also that way if a fuse was to blow it's easier to find a replacement fuse.
Inside the cab that’s Torben’s method outside he does heat shrink (external wires). I prefer heat shrink too but he was doing it and I wasn’t questioning what he does better than me.
Hey fellas, not to be a negative nancy, but i got done with a weapons charge for having a knife in my car, Possession of knife in public place or school. This is in QLD but I lost my Firearms lic because of it. I don't know WA laws but I wouldn't want anyone else to get stung with it,please be careful. Great video by the way.
2:25 ... Ronny's nail clippers... love it... esp Ronny's giggle in the background. Pretty much the set up that i am looking at (1x xrs370 6dB antenna). I need to figure out how to run the aerial on the roof of Subaru Outback... do you have any "neat" recommendations? Currently have the Rhino Pioneer Platform.
Great video gents. When running the coax through the loom tubing, how did you deal with the screw fitting to the back of the radio unit? That's fairly chunky and wouldn't fit through the tube?
Going from the scene with the fish tape they pulled the cable with no end and soldered one on. Some cables come with smaller FME connections that can then be attached to the radio with an adapter.
@@hannahranga pulled mine apart over the weekend and found a smaller connector with the larger one attached that then goes into the radio unit. Undid that and happy days.
You don't use VHF or any ham bands on your rigs? Do you carry handheld units for that, or just sat-phones? Just curious as to why. I run two radios in my Jeep, one CB, one Tri-Band Ham. For camping in the deserts or mountains, I can usually find some sort of repeater if there is an emergency. I wonder if AUS has the same infrastructure for long range amateur bands. I do hear blokes from AUS over the repeaters. Great video, and thanks for keeping them coming.
Nice install guys. just a couple of questions. Firstly, did you have to cut the hole in your roof lining (near you mirror) for your antenna cable, power etc, or was that already there from an accessory? Also, how does your radio work (transmit and receive electrical noise) with the antenna cable being up against the power cable, or does it only negatively effect the signal if it's running parallel with the power cables? Thanks.
Couple of questions Ronny...1. Why have 2 CB units? 2. Did the CB's come with those aerials as standard? If not what are the extras eg. Fold down elbow etc. Thanks m8. Good video!
Love your work Ronny but there is absolutely NO issue in cutting the coax to any length you desire, in fact the shorter the better! Obviously the longer the cable the more signal loss over the entire length. I’m not sure if you are getting confused with some ‘tuned’ antennas that have an adjustable tip, these should not be adjusted once set for UHF CB (477mhz) as doing so can put out the SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) reading, possibly leading to back feeding into the output of the radio causing damage. The only important thing to remember with the coax besides making sure all connections are done correctly is that the coax MUST be 50ohm - RG58, DO NOT EVER use some old tv coax you may have laying around, this coax is 75ohm, most probably either RG59 or RG6, using 75ohm impedance cable WILL throw the SWR out buy a HUGE amount and besides weak Tx and Rx signal you WILL damage your radio. Amateur radio enthusiast for over 30 years here. Looking forward to the next series mate 👍
The coverage patterns regarding antenna placement is not as described in the video, the car act's as an ground plane and with the antenna on the bullbar you will have better coverage to the back of the vehicle. So it will be opposite to what you showed. Please take a look at www.rfcafe.com/references/popular-electronics/images6/antenna-placement-popular-electronics-november-1966-2.jpg As you can see this was well known facts over 50 years ago. Thanks for the video and for sharing and inspiring. Cheers.
Hi Ronny, the quality of the vids is really up there now 👍🏼 was wondering, want to install the RFI on the 2018 Hilux roof rack, does the rear wall have grommets?? Or should I go under passenger floor??
Good advice gents, and that's coming from a qualified comms engineer.
Soldering is fine for cable to cable connections that "float". Connecting to fixed items, like a relay you must use a crimp connector as the solder can and does fracture due to mechanical vibration.
You may want to consider "dual wall" heatshrink for those solder joints (and crimp connections). Its cheap given the small quantity required and it will seal the joint against pretty much everything.
Cheers, gents and thanks.
Benny Bleuger thanks for the reply
Dual Wall heatshrink is also called Glue Lined heatshrink
Hey mate, i want to run two aerials on one CB Radio. Ive got a cb t piece can it be done?
@@Nik-zl2xf It can Nik but results is likely to be pretty bad. Even a proper antenna switch rather than the T piece will cause some loss and a badly matched one could take out several dB from your antenna gain. You thinking of combining a 3.5dBi and a 6dBi antenna? Best to unplug and swap antennas is what I would do.
I solder my crimps, But you should be using LMR and N-Type not RG58 and SO239
Love that wire offset cutting tip 👍
Shane Allen don’t need it when you use good heat shrink 😀👍
Yeh, but it can also save bulkiness in tight spaces - especially with a fair few wires, but heatshrink is the best invention since beer. Torbes should've put some over the cable for that joint anyway. Might have a look at your channel mate. yeh, had a look and subbed
I like to use slide connectors and when you have 2 next to each other they get bulky. Offset helps keep them neat / trim and helps keep them in the loom.
Hey guys great vid. Here’s a tip . To stop your connector at the back of the unit shaking loose when travelling. Once it’s done up nice and tight a couple of blobs of neutral cure silicone will stop it from shaking loose. And you can get if off easily later.
Love the format and the dual perspectives.
Much better than your average DIY segments on other channels.
Great idea recapping the tools "back to the future" style so nothing is forgotten but we can gather ahead of time to follow along in the correct order.
Showing them instead of listing them helps us overseas viewers that have different name's for the same tools.
Good tips. In your sit-down discussion, I'd recommend covering wire gauge for rated current for any wiring project. Also, all of your antenna mounts are grounded, but it was something that wasn't really mentioned. Getting a good ground plane on the antenna is a large factor impacting antenna performance.
From a US HAM and offroad camping enthusiast, 73, de N0IV.
all about ground plane...
If you put a rubber o-ring on the center pin of the UHF connector before connecting to the radio it cushions it and keeps a little tension on it preventing it from rattling loose.
Little antenna up high beats a low mounted high gain antenna everyday.
Always been a fact, just not a trendy thing to do.
This will video will change the trend!
Well done 👍
Diy electric is one of the most rewarding work you can do, saves you huge amounts of money on labor but you need to be sure how to do it right. So this type of video can be really really helpful for people.
Greetings from Canada! Thanks guys for your fantastic contribution to the 4x4 / overland community. Will be hooking up a UHF unit to my modified Commander very soon . I have watched you for many years now along with another well known overland channel, the difference with your channel is that you remained true to us regularly Joe’s with lots of great DYI information. Unfortunately the other channel slowly became a fantasy builder of hard to afford Kit to mount on our 4x4’s ! Thanks for keeping it REAL.
You didn't discuss drip loops for outside to inside. The loom helps, but you can let the cable hang lower then the passthrough hole and put a cable tie on the cable to help shed water.
Also, in the outside cable connections you can put di-electric in the connection to help keep water out and corrosion down.
Yellow tongue - Ronny “Can normal people buy this? “ Torben “ yep”
Classic
Great show fellas thanks
Haha yeah I had a laugh at that when I was editing
I bought one a couple of months ago at Bunnings.
It’s the tongue from tongue and groove chipboard. I drilled a hole in the end so you can twist or loop wire thru it.
Haha! A bit of tongue in cheek!!! 😋😉
Way better than any 4wd action diy video. Awesome job very well done video
"No one knows you've got a uhf" 2 ariels on the roof a dead giveaway
Well if you have one radio with one rubber ducky on the roof no one would know
I'm the biggest fan of your work Ronny, I'm from Tunisia and I'm grateful for all your advice, it really helped me to understand off-road.
Good luck for your work and if you want you can come to Tunisia to go on trip in the desert of Sahara
Love the install videos... You guys work well together! Keep up the DIY!!
I know Andrew St Pierre White hates antennas & aerials on the front bar but I have a feeling you’ve just started a new trend 🤙
Pretty sure him hating them is an argument for, he makes some spectacularly scenic content but damn he's an opinionated old bloke.
@@hannahranga Your'e spot on there mate, silly old bugger tried to draw 50 amp out of a 10 amp charger and couldn't understand why it didn't work, then he turned comments off.
That Andrew bloke also can't wrap his head around freewheel hubs. Freewheel hubs are priceless when you break axles/CV's offroad and need to limp home.
For a weekend warrior who mainly uses their UHF CB on hilly/high country tracks, it's useless if it's folded flat! Might not give the best signal, but a bullbar mounted antenna works better than a snapped/folded rooftop antenna. You can also clearly see when a bullbar mounted antenna it at risk of being taken out by a branch etc. Bullbar mount also means it takes 5secs to unscrew and remove the antenna tip if you're parking in the city so the drunks and drug addicts don't steal/break it. There are always pros and cons.
You can cut the cable to whatever length you need, it won’t make a difference in a 4wd application. You can even use extension cables and connectors mid line, you will start to see a reduction in performance but most people will not notice.
We didn’t want to encourage people to just do it as many would not solder it or connect it properly.
@@Ronny_Dahl you must get ham radio licence. #4S7JL
Antennas at 1.5m+...
Even the antennas are being socially distant.
lol , came here to post that .. have a like
Good Video with loads of good advice BUT as an Hamradio Guy I can tell that Antennas where you are not allowed to cut the Cable are no good because that means that you have a lot of standing waves. That means that you have to cut the cable at a point where the SWR is low and on UHF that can be very critical and also dependent on the Radio AND it means that you have more losses in the cable than necessary.
It is generally much bette if the Antenna resonant on that Frequency or matched by a matchbox (but than you need an Antenna analyzer or a SWR-Meter).
I also would try to never solder anything on a vehicle. A soldered connection is much more likely to break from all the vibrations. I like crimping much better ;)
For the upcoming talk you could compare a 12dB omnidirectional Antenna on a Car to a small, handheld directional Antenna (Yagi) with a small HT. You will be surprised! There is no use for Omnidirectional Antennas with more than 5dB of Gain on Cars!
This guy also needs to look up what diffraction is. Saying the a signal wont bend over the top of your vehicle is wrong
Thats the downfall of running Ground Independant Antennas
Antenna selection is very important, not just size and gain or receiving pattern shape. Best to select a none earth plain type. GME vid on antenna selection is excellent.
I like the roof top fold down antenna. I have a rear door mounted quick release so I have to remove it to get in my garage. The fold down is just as easy but stays on the vehicle. Great video.
The little antenna that hes putting on the drivers side roof is a GROUND INDEPENDANT antenna which means you dont require to ground to the vehicle. The vertical on the passenger side is a GROUND DEPENDANT antenna which means you require to mount the antenna to something metal to ground it to the car. If your mounting it on the roof rack you need to make sure you ground your roof rack to your car for an effective ground situation.
Honestly can't believe you guys just put out this video I'm going to get a UHF today.
Awesome content here Ronny, Big thanks to Torbs and yourself for your Shows. Keep them coming. I need all the help I can get with the black art of auto electrical.
An analogy that we use to describe transmission pattern, is the balloon. Low db is like a round balloon, or a spherical transmission. Now flatten the same balloon between two flat surfaces, it flattens and spreads outwards. The flatter and wider it is, the higher the gain equivalent.
Hopefully this can help visualize the concept.
Excellent video, One thing, the most important thing with any type of radio system is good low loss antenna cable. Good quality cable will make a huge difference to your signal strength.
The antennas .. rule of thumb is 6.5db is good general use and 3db for bush or hilly environments
The interference was probably from those solar panels
The loss every time you add a conector is .2 db you wouldn't be able to tell the difference
The reason you are getting better reception off the roof is the height and ground plane created by the roof
I've installed thousands of radios and altered coax length with no issue
do you see any issue running the coax down the outside of the windscreen exposed to the sun?
cheers
You should film and make more DIY electrical videos! Great watch!
BEST "UHF CB Radio Install & TIPS" video i have ever seen!! Thanks Ronny & Torben!!
Would've loved to have seen just a little bit more on how you mounted that fold-down 90' mounting bracket to the platform. step by step would've been choice!!
Love the video!
I've got a special pair of cutters for zip ties that cuts them completely flush. No more ripping your skin off when you reach up under the dash. Bought it when I was rebuilding fraking trailers and its worth every penny.
Another great video Ronny and Torb 👍
2 quick tips you missed though - 1) when drilling metal above your paintwork, always put down a big piece of cardboard or a sheet as that hot swarf falling on your paintwork will do wonders for the clear coat
2) heat shrink those power and earth cables guys - just in case they run through.
Oh yeah, and be careful pulling any electrical cable or antenna cable through freshly drilled holes in metal due to the sharp blurred edges from your drill 👍
Keep up the good work gents 👍👍
If people are after that yellow tongue plastic too, often timber yards may have some available separately or alternatively, keep an eye out on job sites as you’ll often see it in skip bins or on piles of rubbish. 😉
Love this. 2 things. Bullbar mounting: hit a roo and you broke your antenna. Hard to call for help. And cable across floor I'd hate to drop something heavy on that spot. (Remember screw with eye?) But great guide 👍
I just picked up an 80’s era Uniden for $10 Canadian for my bronco sport
Your videos were super helpful!
Instead of silicon in the grommit you could run the coax below then back up to the grommit. That way, water will run off the bottom of the loop.
Also the reason why you less distance with a handheld than a mobile unit is the size and type of antenna used. The Handheld has a small antenna which means a low dbi gain. You try putting a handheld antenna on the mobile unit and you'll get the same thing.
Lovin’ the vids came from 4wd action been watchin all your vids. Really diggin the torque n 4x4 episodes
I love that Fold-able C.B. Mount
Great video! Doing my CB install this weekend. :) offset on the cable splice is a great tip. Will do that on everything from now on. 👌Thanks, Simon
How did your CB install go, and what vehicle did you install it into? (I guess, by your name, it's gonna be in a Landrover?)
The offset is a good tip. If you're splicing multiple wires (such as that of installing a trailer plug to your vehicle's wiring) the offsets help keep the 'bulk' of it down, and give it a nicer, cleaner look to the finished 'taped' product.
I'm going to install my radio over Christmas, in the newly purchased (and finally received) Outback Roof Console. I'm gonna cut the fuse off the rear of the unit and fuse it in the engine bay at the source of the power, that way it protects the whole cable as well as the unit. No point in having that fuse blow near the back of the radio only to have to pull half your car apart just to swap fuses!
Nice work. A bit of blue loctite will help to prevent threaded connections from loosening up on those corrugated roads.
glad to see you showing everyone the little upgrades here and there that most people don't look at.
a question I have is what is your personal opinion on CB vs Ham / or / as our buddy brad from trail trailrecon has. CB and Ham?
I have done wiring for years and have learned 1# all ways get more wire then you think you need. 2# routing it smoothly and safely will help it last. 3# and you know you have done a great job when no one else can see what you have done.
Im surprised with all these HAM radio operators & engineers commenting on here no one has mentioned anything about Torbs statement about antennas throwing out "radio active" waves at 13:23. Would have thought he broke the internet with that comment but nothing. Good vid guys, looking forward to the range testing between the antennas.
The Magnet for the Handpiece.
Best upgrade ever.
I don’t even have a car😂 but I am saving your video to my “things to do when I get graduate “ playlist
cheers
Cutting the wires offset is a brilliant idea
Another entertaining video. I thought you had an Icom in the roof? I wouldnt have change it for a consumer GME radio (since you have an Icom). Except the GME is easy to use, it wont perform nearly as well. The GEM's top out normally at around 3.5 Watts real world (tested many). The Icom you can adjust to the full 5 watts. The GMEs are nicer to use though, and you are right. The magnet mics holders are great.
All about sponsorship
Quinn Warman that’s fair enough. Got to get paid somehow. :). They are a good consumer radio.
The roof one was a icom great radio. Now the other not so much which was the main reason for changing
@@torbs_littlebear If you dont want the radio, I might be interested. Or I am sure I know someone who will be.
when Ronny was transmitting, it sounded like a big outdoor speaker was receiving on ch40
1-Why don't you remove the old whips?
2-will you ever use them again?
3- Why are your antennas different sizes?
4- Max height of the antennas you can have on your LC?
Note and added to the list
the way you run UHF ronny 1 on narrow band and the other wide band use
the other issue you will have ground plane issues because you need to ground the base of the antenna
have you ever heard of expansion legs for your ants to raise the antenna up so it clears the roof line..
also make sure you channel listing for your state and areas you are traveling in because what is typical metro area use may not be typical for country use ..
note what services use which channels and whether they use 80ch narrow or 40ch wide and note what repeater channel you use and always communicate with a call sign..
I would also consider running a hf option usb and lsb comms
Call signs are only required for amature radio in Australia.
You are right on the money with your content Ronny. Fantastic video.
Hey Torbs... joining wires.. slip heatshrink over wires first ...bloody tape sometimes slip off or unsticks....much neater too but sparkies being neat ? Ronnie, did Torbs pick up all his cut offs & strips ?
Mark Somerville he’s a sparky, they don’t know how to pick up snips strips and cable tie ends.....
Good video, about a month too late for me as I did my one. One of the key bits of info besides putting the aerial on the roof was putting the aerial cable in the tube if it’s exposed to the elements. And I’ll add that I won’t cut the aerial cable after another RUclips video said “no worries”.
mate i have amatuer radio 27 mhz and crappy uhf in the car...it doesnt hurt to extend or shorten you coax..there is bugger all loss under 5m
you just goto somewhere like jaycar...and stick 2 pl259 plugs on each end...and put a so 239 joiner in the middle
Thanks guys great tips 👍👍👍 still got to but a CB in my 80 👍👍👍
I like the magnet for the hand piece.
Hi, guys. Great video ! One thought, maybe you could add a link with the stuff you used, the yellow tongue, corrugated tubing, etc.
On soldered wires … Keep in mind that where the solder ends inside the cable is a breaking point that is sensitive to vibrations.
- Meaning, secure soldered wire points with zip-ties to safeguard them from vibrations and future problems.
So what I still don't get (I'm new to the topic) 1. Why two radio's? Is it because you're on two frequencies? 2. Why do you still have the antenna on the bullbar at the end? 3. If you just wanted to do one for convoy driving with a bunch of friends, and you don't want to install two antenna's and units, what would you pick? 4. At what point would a handheld actually be the go-to choice? Thanks so much for making these videos!!
The antenna still in the bull bar will be removed we just didn’t have the time at the time
I’ll cover this in a torque N 4x4 as many would have similar questions.
Been swearing by the market for years and god it's the best thing ever
Great video, really useful. I love radios and comms in general.
It might not be an issue at 5 watts, but the radio chassis should be grounded. Also, don't be scared of soldering your own connectors to your your coax. I'm sure you have an amateur radio club nearby that can teach you.
Another great video Ronny, these diy videos are very inspiring
Excellent video boys, thank you, cheers.
In the next video would you mind discussing the common radio types in Australia? Also what license requirements are associated with each type? In the US we have: FRS= short range/no license; CB= short/med range/no license; MURS= short range/no license; GMRS= medium range/paid license/no test; HAM= any range/license required/3 levels of license. Quite a few 4x4 groups are moving from CB to GMRS for the increased range and signal quality. It is quickly overtaking HAM radio (in terms of popularity) in my area.
Hi gents, huge fan of the channel, and all your work
What is the best way to run cable from the roof, in to a wagon?
Via the rear door seals unless you are willing to drill holes
There are (or at least used to be) clubs that required your radio to be wired to a permanently wired - the rationale being that if you lose your keys and your wired up to the accessory power, then you can’t call for help.
Great vid fellas, loving the info and banter, keep it up the good work..
Wish we had some of those antennas, overhead consoles, and radio to choose from in America.
Used the ciggy lighter when I did mine yesterday recommend it
Yeah I was thinking about doing that. I wont be using my radio all the time.
Nice vid guys - some good tips in there! Good to know I've done most of my bits right a few years back. Couple of topics for you in your torquin 4bys . . . . Best way to run cables into the cabin of a wagon? Have done mine thru corner of the door but will eventually wear thru I think . . . . What's the point if having 2 units installed? Especially when modern units can do a constant scan of 2 channels. One as a back up? . . . . . . . Any external speakers required? . . . . . . Where are you going to hang that annoying silver horse from now? 😁👌👍
IIRC they prefer 2 radios so when in convoy everyone is on an agreed channel & the other one is set to scan whole range ( except the convoy channel ) .. but i guess also it's nice to have 2 in-case one radio dies
awesome guys. thank you for doing this for the newbies. can you do a video on what reasonably priced 4x4 for a newbie please.
Hey Gents! Great tips & video, thank you! Ron, you made my day with your 'ever - ever - ever - ever' editing effect! Quite funny! :) :) :)
I'm just about to fit one to my Prado. Good to see this Cheers
Me and my mates still use the orginal cb(yes newbies not uhf) 27mhz cb still goes a hell of a lot further than uhf car to car…And I find it funny no one ever talks about vswr with antennas not all of these so called antennas are tuned correctly when they leave the factory ..And isnstead of say having a vswr under 1.5 there alot higher and over time you will kill the radio and not transmitt as far as you like..
Totally fab, good on ya guys, nice one.
Hi Bud tours around the hood .luv them I watched the whole the
Tee hrs and couldn’t figure out to buy you a beer.
Damn I’ll ask my son when he comes around how to do it lol .
Keep them coming 👍
I really miss Wayne. Any chance we could get a cameo here and there or a belated farewell video so we could have some closure?
Damn good video, as always. Thanks. Watched it for a second time today.
As I live in Central America we have the 22 channels GMRS (+HAM) band only, and doing simplex with a handheld isn’t much to write home about.
- But with the right antenna on the roof it’s a different ballgame.
Might get a 15-50W mobile later if I see the use of it, which I don’t at this time. As for now I’m good with the 5W handheld with the antenna/-s on the roof.
Another good video. Ironic that I came on this this morning. I redid my antenna yesterday. Wasn’t happy with where the coax cable was running. It was getting damage. About 3 hours to do properly. I tend to use talcum powder to help the cables slide through. When I have used silicone spray on old rubber it seems to break it down and the rubber grommets and fittings tears.
Great video mate, now I know and learn more the used of this radio... will install one on my rig next time thanks for all the tips. cheers mate!
The antenna cable should be as short as possible. Having an antenna cable any longer than necessary is simply reducing the performance of the transmitter.
Just to add: the reason you’d need a whole new cable if you nicked it while feeding is that coax gets damaged by water
Awesome video. But could you brush over where to get power, how and fusing and all that ?
Question. Whats the rationale of having two radios? And the Pros and cons
Saludos de Tlaquepaque Jalisco México excelente vídeo
Hi Ronny. Could yo do a video on winter camp setup. For example: awnings dont go well in rain so how do you stay dry, how do you keep the moisture seeping in through the floor of your swag. Thanks
Ronny the only thing i will point out during the install is the inline glass fuse holders are not always reliable and can give you issues, All the uhf's i have installed as i do Electronics (hobby) for many years, have replaced them with in line standard ats or min blade fuse holders , also that way if a fuse was to blow it's easier to find a replacement fuse.
Very good point mate, I do carry extra glass fuses but blades would be better
@@Ronny_Dahl Sorry mate didn't want to make a fuss but i just wanted to bring that up.
It’s a good point
Great Video, but i was wondering why u didn't heat shrink the power cable for the radio?
Inside the cab that’s Torben’s method outside he does heat shrink (external wires). I prefer heat shrink too but he was doing it and I wasn’t questioning what he does better than me.
Hey fellas, not to be a negative nancy, but i got done with a weapons charge for having a knife in my car, Possession of knife in public place or school. This is in QLD but I lost my Firearms lic because of it. I don't know WA laws but I wouldn't want anyone else to get stung with it,please be careful. Great video by the way.
Excellent content, thank you
Why are so many batteries going flat and 4x4s catching fire? Because they watch the 3 minute “how to” vid, not yours! Great job guys. Thanks
Surely not.
2:25 ... Ronny's nail clippers... love it... esp Ronny's giggle in the background.
Pretty much the set up that i am looking at (1x xrs370 6dB antenna).
I need to figure out how to run the aerial on the roof of Subaru Outback... do you have any "neat" recommendations? Currently have the Rhino Pioneer Platform.
Great video gents. When running the coax through the loom tubing, how did you deal with the screw fitting to the back of the radio unit? That's fairly chunky and wouldn't fit through the tube?
Going from the scene with the fish tape they pulled the cable with no end and soldered one on. Some cables come with smaller FME connections that can then be attached to the radio with an adapter.
@@hannahranga pulled mine apart over the weekend and found a smaller connector with the larger one attached that then goes into the radio unit. Undid that and happy days.
You don't use VHF or any ham bands on your rigs? Do you carry handheld units for that, or just sat-phones?
Just curious as to why. I run two radios in my Jeep, one CB, one Tri-Band Ham. For camping in the deserts or mountains, I can usually find some sort of repeater if there is an emergency. I wonder if AUS has the same infrastructure for long range amateur bands. I do hear blokes from AUS over the repeaters. Great video, and thanks for keeping them coming.
I will comment this under every video I have watched..
Brilliant, at last a fellow sparky, great work Ronny and Torbs, gotta get myself a radiation hat , classic.
Nice install guys. just a couple of questions. Firstly, did you have to cut the hole in your roof lining (near you mirror) for your antenna cable, power etc, or was that already there from an accessory? Also, how does your radio work (transmit and receive electrical noise) with the antenna cable being up against the power cable, or does it only negatively effect the signal if it's running parallel with the power cables? Thanks.
Couple of questions Ronny...1. Why have 2 CB units? 2. Did the CB's come with those aerials as standard? If not what are the extras eg. Fold down elbow etc. Thanks m8. Good video!
Love your work Ronny but there is absolutely NO issue in cutting the coax to any length you desire, in fact the shorter the better! Obviously the longer the cable the more signal loss over the entire length. I’m not sure if you are getting confused with some ‘tuned’ antennas that have an adjustable tip, these should not be adjusted once set for UHF CB (477mhz) as doing so can put out the SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) reading, possibly leading to back feeding into the output of the radio causing damage. The only important thing to remember with the coax besides making sure all connections are done correctly is that the coax MUST be 50ohm - RG58, DO NOT EVER use some old tv coax you may have laying around, this coax is 75ohm, most probably either RG59 or RG6, using 75ohm impedance cable WILL throw the SWR out buy a HUGE amount and besides weak Tx and Rx signal you WILL damage your radio. Amateur radio enthusiast for over 30 years here. Looking forward to the next series mate 👍
We didn’t want to tell anyone you could as we then encourage people to do it and if you don’t connect them right it could ruin their signal.
Ronny Dahl yeah fair enough Ronny. Keep up the good work mate, looking forward
to the easing of intrastate restrictions next Monday! 👍
The coverage patterns regarding antenna placement is not as described in the video, the car act's as an ground plane and with the antenna on the bullbar you will have better coverage to the back of the vehicle. So it will be opposite to what you showed. Please take a look at www.rfcafe.com/references/popular-electronics/images6/antenna-placement-popular-electronics-november-1966-2.jpg As you can see this was well known facts over 50 years ago. Thanks for the video and for sharing and inspiring. Cheers.
Hi Ronny, the quality of the vids is really up there now 👍🏼 was wondering, want to install the RFI on the 2018 Hilux roof rack, does the rear wall have grommets?? Or should I go under passenger floor??
Good stuff guys just rewiring my rig please more vivid 👍 PS yes going to mic magnet for my CB
Great as always 👌