CBRadio

COMMON PROBLEMS WHEN SETTING UP YOUR CB RADIO

NOT READING THE MANUAL - Please read your CB Radio manual before connecting your radio or contacting me to tell me it doesn't work

REVERSING POLARITY - Your radios power cord will consist of a red and black wire. Red is Positive and Black is Negative. These wires must match the corresponding terminal on your power supply or battery, as connecting them to the wrong terminal will cause damage and render your radio useless. This is one of the most expensive, and common mistakes both first-time and experienced CB'ers make.

PA SWITCH - Most radios have a PA function and quite often the reason a radio won't transmit and receive is because the PA/CB switch is in the PA position. My tech told me around 10% of the radios taken to him for repair are switched to PA.

NO POWER - If your power supply is working and you are not getting power to the radio, it may be a blown fuse in the power cord. These are easily replaced and are available from most electronics stores

NO AUDIO - If you've turned the volume up and no sound is coming out, make sure your squelch is turned down and your RF gain is up full. With most radios, your microphone must be plugged in to receive audio (for sound to come out of the speaker)

HIGH SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) - Most often a bad connection is due to bad soldering in the plugs on the patch lead. If you have ensured your coax and plugs are not causing the problem, you will need to look at tuning your antenna. All antennas are tuned differently, so type the model number into Google for instructions on tuning. Do not transmit on your radio when it has a high SWR as it will eventually cause damage to your rig.

SCREWDRIVER EXPERTS - Unless you are a qualified tech, DO NOT open the radios to attempt repairs or modifications. Every CB'er who has been on longer than 3 months thinks they are an Electronics Technician, but most will only end up causing expensive damage. If you want to learn how to repair radios, don't start out on your brand new Galaxy or Cobra - pull one out of a hard rubbish and play with that. The majority of my tech's work is fixing radios that have been "fixed" or modified by screwdriver experts