New cb having some issues!!!!

[cowboy3dc]

i recently installed a cobra 19 ultra 3 on my 04 ST. very cheap radio but gets it done. with it i have a 102" whip antenna. i ran the power straight to the battery. when the squat ch is on the low end, when i put the key in the ignition and when the truck starts i hear a whining noise through the cb. when i press the gas it whines and even when i do the power windows i hear it. i need help!

 

[LONO100]

where did you ground it? is your power routed through the rubber grommet on the firewall toward where your left knee points when you are in the drivers seat?

 

[interscope8]

Bad ground. Same symptoms as a bad ground for audio amps. for best results and clean mic talk, ground it to the negative on the battery

 

[01STrunner]

Interscope is right. That's a bad ground. I've got mine grounded to the silver metal plate behind the lower plastic in the dash.

 

[cowboy3dc]

i have the radio negative and the positive power on the battery also. the antenna is grounded to the side step rail bolt. still doing it

 

[cowboy3dc]

lono100 no i have it going through the driver side door.

 

[01STrunner]

You may want to check continuity between your ground points. Those are the exact symptoms of a CB with a bad ground. I'm not sure what else it could be. Even if the antenna isn't properly tuned it won't give you a ton of feedback.

 

[cowboy3dc]

So what your saying is I should take a screw from the cb unit itself. And put a wire on it and ground it to a screw in the truck?

 

[LONO100]

Continuity check would be a good idea, and if all else fails I would physically check your wiring for any breaks in the jacketing. I'm trying to think of other things in your truck that could cause interference like the fuel pump. Are you using quality pl-259 cable? Cheapo wiring can do this too. also look to see if you have you wires bunched up with other wires. Like if your pos and neg wires are running on the same side of your truck as your antenna. When I used to install car audio systems, we would always run the power on one side of the vehicle to the battery and then to RCA cables on the other side and to the head unit. Running them on the same side, especially touching can cause the same problem you are having. Good luck.

 

[01STrunner]

Oh yeah. Don't run your antenna cable parallel with any other wires. Also, I read somewhere that 18ft is about the optimal length for needed resistance but allowing enough to transmit.

As far as the continuity check, put one lead of the meter on your current ground screw and another on a known ground source such as the frame. Be sure to scratch up whatever you're contacting though as rust or dirt can kill the connection as I've found countless times working on mine. There's a possibility there is dirt between your step bracket and the body/frame.

 

[600remguy]

Antenna wire in lengths of multiples of 9 (9,18,27...). As stated, run no wires with others. Also, don't bunch up the access antenna wire if you have any. It should all be run free of itself. Try a different antenna just for kicks some time. The best place for a normal one is in the centre of the roof back from the Moon Roof.