My cb will transmit ok but my reception range is not very far and I have a K40 trucker antenna

The difference wont be very noticeable. The 2000 or 1000 will do nicely. The specs on gain and field strength are not posted but if you are not using a linear, you dont need the 5000

First, lets make sure that the unit does transmit. Get a power meter and see how much power it transmits. If no power is being radiated, you need to have a technician check out the unit.
If you have power then pick a less crowded time to test out if anyone can hear you. Other people with more powerful equipments can only be a problem when you are transmitting on the same channel and both of you happen to transmit at the same time all the time. Chances are remote that this is your problem. Good luck. es

Check cables and connectors.

• check antenna SWR,

A good SWR ranges from 1.2 to 1.5.

• check power output.

tighten it down it shouldn't be able to turn out like that.

the radio could be off freq. did you buy it new if you did exchange it if not somebody may of tinkered
with the channel pod. make sure your antenna is tuned as far as swr's the only thing you could do is take it to a radio tech and have him adjust it back on freq not alot of adjusting you can do to that radio but a tech should be able to adjust it back on for little cost.

Make sure your squelch is not on, keep it all the way to the left and the RF Gain must be all the way to the right...

The older base station was probably peaked and tuned by a CB shop, basically giving it a lot more power. Stock radios very rarely have a full 4watts of power, to tell you the truth. Mine now does 5 1/2 watts and swings to around 20 when I talk. Might be a good investment. Oh, the antenna can't be too big for any wattage. Might want to recheck the antenna's tuning, though...

The truckers wont pop the fuse at all, but I might recommend backing your RF gain down some when they are that close so they dont burn up your receive.

Antenna light should be a warning indicator for high VSWR..... simple rule of thumb for CB antenna.... the lower the frequency "channel" the longer the antenna length, higher the frequency "channel" the shorter the antenna length. Your vehicle is a ground plane, where you mount the antenna will also affect its operation and tuning. A properly tuned antenna will have lower reflection on the midband channels and gradually rise as you near the upper and lower end of the band. Some base loaded antennas will be noticably narrow in bandwidth, if you have that problem then tune it for the channel you use most!
K40 has always been good for easy tuning and band coverage, center it on the vehicle top for good omni coverage!
PS... always make sure your connectors are secure, a loose shield will ruin your day when adjusting SWR!

Hi,

Appreciate the direct "Ask Me". If I may clear up your concern:

• you have two CB radios, one is a Cobra 29LTD and the other?
• both have received and both do not transmit;
• you have two trucks, one with a Firecracker 1000 antenna, and the other?

In any case and initially, TX (transmit problems) could be caused by:

• defective PTT/mic;
• defective finals/drivers;
• defective PL-259 connector/RG58 Cable;
• antenna grounding/SWR;
• other electronics internally
  

Please check the above. You may need an SWR meter, a watt meter and a DVM/VOM to perform the tests.

Hope this be of initial help/idea. Pls post back how things turned up or should you need additional information. Good luck and kind regards. Thank you for using FixYa.

For the money,the Cobra 29 nw/st is just as good if not better than a Galaxy. Cobra is more durable by far. I have had 3 of these cobra's in the last 30 years. Only had to replace the last one because the tractor got hit by lightning.
Sure would not pay big money for a name.