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[GOMO]

Just curious if anybody had any idea on what the distance range for the H-D CB radio is. I realize terain will make a difference. Also is there a way to boast the pwer/signal?

[bogman]

Range depends on obstructions, sunspot cycle, summer sporadic e conditions, your take off an a given direction, your radio's power output and your aerial, aerials fitted on motorcycles tend to be small and have minus gain, full size 1/4 wave aerial would be 8ft 6",  4 watt output under ideal conditions will get you 10-20 miles, under poor conditions you might be lucky to get 1/2 mile, amplifiers are costly, need stable voltage and flatten your battery

One of my interests is Ham radio

[mrmagloo]

My friend claims anything over 5 miles starts degrading quickly, fwiw.

[arcticdude]

GOMO,
If you haven't already gotten a SWR meter and tuned your antenna, you should find it improves things.  Both of ours were quite a ways out.  It only takes a little bit off the antenna to make a huge difference.  I ended up with about 2" off both to get a 1:1 or less SWR on each bike.  Start with an 1/8" removed and see what happens.  You may not need as much taken off.  I get a couple or 3 miles out of ours with good results.

[Diamondback]

I get about 1.5 to 2.0 miles with my CB.  So I should hook up my swr meter from the seventies.  Figured HD had this one figured out.

Thanks.

[arcticdude]

Of the ones I've seen and worked with, the factory SWR is typically pinging the top of the scale.  That's mass production for ya.

[Diamondback]

Now all I have to do is find my SWR meter from 20 years ago.

 

[GOMO]

GOMO,
If you haven't already gotten a SWR meter and tuned your antenna, you should find it improves things.  Both of ours were quite a ways out.  It only takes a little bit off the antenna to make a huge difference.  I ended up with about 2" off both to get a 1:1 or less SWR on each bike.  Start with an 1/8" removed and see what happens.  You may not need as much taken off.  I get a couple or 3 miles out of ours with good results.

So i am just guessing, but the fact that I switched the antenna to a shorter one from J&M probably shortened my range.

[arcticdude]

Theoretically, yes.  But if it happens to be better tuned (most who've switched to the J&M's and have checked them find them very close to correct), it may do better than the factory whip.  I'm one of the nuts that actually like the long whip flying in the air, so I still have both of mine.

[Diamondback]

I agree.   My J&M's are better than the Stock HD's.

Must be the tuning.

[arcticdude]

It's strictly the tuning.  After tuning mine, I haven't found that anybody gets any better range than what we get.

[rheiner]

I just learned a good lesson about Harley CB transmitting. I only get about 1/2 to 3/4 mile range. I bought a SWR meter as suggested here to tune my CB antenna and was having trouble finding adaptors, but I finally did find them at a specialty two way radio shop. I had my front outer fairing off. The tech offered to do a check of my system right at the radio before I bought the adapters. He said it's better to do it there rather than in the tour pak where there is a different type of connection. He told me the technical term but after running some tests he told me my antenna was totally out of tune.

He had me run my hand slowly up and down the antenna as he took readings with the PTT in transmit mode. He was getting no result changes on his meter (which he was supposed to), which really confused him. He looked over the two whip antennas on my tour pak. He unscrewed the FM one and noticed it had "CB" stamped in the plastic. He switched the two antennas and told me they were reversed and in the wrongs spots. He then took new meter readings. Lone behold, my CB antenna and transmitting power now work perfectly and he said he couldn't really tune it any better than it is. How they got switched is anyone's guess.

Lesson learned for me: (1) I'm glad I didn't get the adaptors to fit the SWR meter and my antenna line and start cutting my antenna 1/8 inch at a time only to see no results but huge frustration; and (2) electronics is above my pay grade. Next time I'll leave those kinda problems and issues to the pros.

But I'm very happy now. I haven't tested the range but I'm sure it's a good as most anyone else's.

Randall

[Texas 103]

Just curious if anybody had any idea on what the distance range for the H-D CB radio is. I realize terain will make a difference. Also is there a way to boast the pwer/signal?

Just slipped in an  R&M KL40,http://www.copper.com/cart/product_info.php?cPath=61&products_id=610 25-20 Watts, sat quite nicely on top on the radio... put in a J&M antenna in place of the Harley one SWR Flat on  ch20. 1.3 on40  1.4 on ch1 . Sierra makes an adapter to let you use the 3/8x24 antennas..  You have to make some adapter cables, TNC to Pl-259. TNC are the conncetors coming out of the radio and the antenna Greg

[Diamondback]

Great.

So which side is the Cb and which side is the FM???

[rheiner]

Great.

So which side is the Cb and which side is the FM???

The CB is the right side (air filter side) and at the base of the antenna you should find the letters "CB".