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[Sarhan]

Just installed CB  on my FLHXSE3, Everything working fine except the reception distance, its very hard to hear any one with 100 meter distance between the bikes, as I know the distance of the reception is approx 400 meters.

I troubleshoot the CB twice but issue still remain, is there any extra checks/solution can be done to rectify this issue?

cheers,
Sarhan

[SteveFLHTK]

 Have you checked the SWR on the antenna?

[Fireguy]

I added a cb also and had the same problem. First make sure the mic is close to your mouth for the best transmission. Next I bought an SWR metor.(You will need to buy fittings to make it work. Harleys fitting are smaller than stndard cb's) The taller the antenna the better plus adjusting the signal is done on the antenna. I bought a new antenna called a Firestick 2 that has an ajustment screw at the end of it.  The antenna is a little bigger but the reception is much better. There is also an adapter for the antenna mount I got from sierra electronics. I really like  having a cb just for the fact that talking to others about hazards on the road or ect. The ultras get better reception because the antennas are mounted on the tour pack. Hope this helps. 

[Sarhan]

Have you checked the SWR on the antenna?

SWR checked 1.3

[Sarhan]

I added a cb also and had the same problem. First make sure the mic is close to your mouth for the best transmission. Next I bought an SWR metor.(You will need to buy fittings to make it work. Harleys fitting are smaller than stndard cb's) The taller the antenna the better plus adjusting the signal is done on the antenna. I bought a new antenna called a Firestick 2 that has an ajustment screw at the end of it.  The antenna is a little bigger but the reception is much better. There is also an adapter for the antenna mount I got from sierra electronics. I really like  having a cb just for the fact that talking to others about hazards on the road or ect. The ultras get better reception because the antennas are mounted on the tour pack. Hope this helps. 

After all what you did to the CB what the distance you have now?

[SteveFLHTK]

SWR should be checked at at least 3 points, Channels 1, 40 and midpoint like 19 or 20.  Very unlikely your SWR is 1.3:1 across the whole band, it's likely that where you checked it, but higher at each end.  SWR is usually a bell curve.  As another poster said, the size of the antenna matters. Optimum is 1/4 wavelength or 108".  Obviously, this is too big for a bike, which is why you get MFR's like Firestick that have coils in them to make them electrically 108".  CB is line of sight only, any constructs in between will deminish the signal quickly, depending on it's material of construction.  Another point is that transmission and to a lesser extent, reception, is dependent on the ground plane of the vehicle.  Since there is a lot less metal on a bike, the distance you can send and receive will be less than the same setup in a car.

Bottom line, there isn't a lot you can do to improve CB reception other than ensuring that you have a good antenna and connections.

[Sarhan]

SWR should be checked at at least 3 points, Channels 1, 40 and midpoint like 19 or 20.  Very unlikely your SWR is 1.3:1 across the whole band, it's likely that where you checked it, but higher at each end.  SWR is usually a bell curve.  As another poster said, the size of the antenna matters. Optimum is 1/4 wavelength or 108".  Obviously, this is too big for a bike, which is why you get MFR's like Firestick that have coils in them to make them electrically 108".  CB is line of sight only, any constructs in between will deminish the signal quickly, depending on it's material of construction.  Another point is that transmission and to a lesser extent, reception, is dependent on the ground plane of the vehicle.  Since there is a lot less metal on a bike, the distance you can send and receive will be less than the same setup in a car.

Bottom line, there isn't a lot you can do to improve CB reception other than ensuring that you have a good antenna and connections.

Well noted,

however, I'm not sure if the below dose affect CB reception..

My CB was hold by national security in Bahrain as they advised that I will be limted to certain channals, now onley 10 channals on the CB.

I will check the SWR on anthoer channels, also I'm using short HD antenna in order to match FM antenna.

[SteveFLHTK]

Those antennas suck. 

[Fireguy]

I have 2 street glides and are both set up the same. Reception, line-of-sight is from 1/4 to 1/2 mile.

[mrmagloo]

When I got my SEUC I did a lot of testing with trying to enhance the CB with some moderate improvements. I got better cables, played with lengths, with and without the coil, new vs old style HD antennas, etc, but the best improvement I got was changing to an aftermarket antenna.  I bought about 6 different models and did all sorts of range/quality tests with a meter, and with a friend stationary at my house while I charted the distance on a map. I even talked to an electronics guy about upping the wattage, and there was only so much you can do with the crappy HD unit.

Sierra makes an adaptor that allows you to use an automotive antenna.  I tried a bunch of different combinations and the best possible performance was a big ass Firestik, removing the AM/FM antenna, that will sap perfomance. It looked mighty out of place, but it worked good.  However, I learned the hard way while 1/2 way through Canada a couple of years ago that the stock Harley mount just isn't up to the task of supporting these heavier antennas, and somewhere it snapped and I lost the whole shebang.

Anyway, after replacing the mount, I then backed into using the lighter Firefly, which also didn't look so out of place. However, it didn't really work all that much better than the older version of the HD antenna without the coil.  After all of this monkeying around, I lost interest and just left it like that. When a few of us ride, as long as we're still in sight, we can probably reach out to a good mile or a little more. However, we usually stay much closer, so it hasn't been an issue.

The bottom-line is, without the gound plane of an automobile, you will just never get near that same kind of range. Imho, the effort to double the performance from 1 to 2 miles, especially in the middle of a desert is worthless. It is what it is.