[galaxyhunter]

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As I'm fixing just a few small problems on my 1500, The next one is the CB. I had a feeling that it really wasn't working so good when I went by a truck stop at night& didn't hear hardly any chatter. I picked up an SWR meter & put it in line under the seat where there is a screw on type connector. I keyed the mic to set the calibration & the needle didn't move (that's not a good sign).

So today, I dug out an old CB radio & connected it to the antenna with the meter in line. I powered the radio up, keyed the mic & calibrated the needle & flipped the ref switch & it read half way between 3 & the end of the scale in the RED zone. Remembering my CB days in the late '70's, this is not good either. I tried adjusting the top antenna rod &it made little to no difference in the SWR. I checked the front coax cable (from the radio to the screw connector) to fine that there isa dead short. I unplugged the coax from the back of the onboard radio & put an Ohms meter on the center pin & the outer shield & it read .2 Ohms.

So I have two (possible three) problems. 1: I need to find a replacement coax, I looked at an a Honda dealers online page to fine the cable (while shown) does not have a part number. 2:I need to find a good antenna. I could put on the antenna off of the semi I used to drive , but that is a monster.Possible third problem is the power amp in the radio might be blown & need to be fixed.

So where do I find coax? Is there a good aftermarket antenna?:?

 

[Pwhoever]

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The coax for Honda CB's is #32 and is part #39169-MZ3-770 SUB FEEDEREven though this is on the microfiche for an SE, the Hondaline used the same coax.

As far as the antenna, it may be ok.Quite often, mostof the problems come in when the antenna doesn't have a good ground. One way is that the antenna mounts can come loose. You would have to remove the left pocket on the front side of the trunk to check.On mine, I have a random engine ground strap attached to the bottom mount of the antenna and then attached to the frame. Between this and the antenna ground plate in the trunk, I was able to get my SWR's pretty low. If aftermarket is the way you want to go, then I would suggest taking a look HERE. Plenty of choices. And if you were operating the CB with high SWR's for a length of time, there is a pretty good chance you did some damage to the internals. I would highly suggest contacting Sierra in case repairs may be needed....

 

[sle104]

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I own a cb shop in michigan and can make any cable for you alot cheaper than mother honda and better quailty too

 

[galaxyhunter]

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Thank's Mike for that page. That's not the page I found but it will work. As far as using the CB radio with bad SWR, I bought the bike a couple of months ago & only tried it a couple of times. I can not say how much the PO used/tied to use it. The fact that the coax has a dead short in it means that I would not be surprised if there is an internal problem. That wont be determined until after a new coax. I will check the antenna ground & might just as well add a grounding wire.

 

[sctrucker]

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i dont know how honda set all this stuff up but i think its a shared antenna, may be why you are getting weird readings on the multimeter, better call sierra

 

[galaxyhunter]

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sctrucker wrote:

i dont know how honda set all this stuff up but i think its a shared antenna, may be why you are getting weird readings on the multimeter, better call sierra

On the 1500's (at least mine), there are separate antennas for the CB / AM-FM radios

 

[JerryH]

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There are several possible problems. One is the antenna itself. I believe the Goldwing uses a center loaded antenna, and that is not the best to begin with. There may also be damage to the loading coil. I prefer either wound whips, the large diameter ones, or full 102" 1/4 wave antennas, though neither would work well on a Goldwing.

Look for a bad connection anywhere, including a bad ground. A motorcycle is not the perfect setup for a CB, because it's small metal mass and low height don't provide a very good ground plane. And the antenna is not mounted in the best location. They put it where it is most convenient. I don't know who makes the radio on a 1500, but considering what it costs, it should be capable of transmitting into a high SWR or even a dead short or no antenna at all indefinitely without damage. Most of my experience with 27 MHz has been with Galaxy and Connex radios, using 1/4 wave antennas. The Wilson 1000 and 5000 are decent base loaded antennas. I have a CB setup on my house right now, using a 1/4 wave antenna, and a 105" section of 10 gauge wire to create a dipole, and get a 1 to 1 SWR. The simple fact is, 27 MHz requires a fairly large antenna to work efficiently, too large for a motorcycle. So they cheat and use a loading coil, which gives the antenna the right electrical length, but it doesn't work very well. A full wave antenna for 27 MHz would be 35 feet long

Anyway, there is only so much you can expect out of the Honda system. It is limited to a legal 4 watts output, has a very inefficient antenna, and the antenna and ground plane are not well matched. You should be able to get the SWR down to 1.5 to 1. You may need to use an inline antenna tuner/matcher to do that, which again is not very efficient, but it will get the electrical length of the antenna right. Jerry, N7MUB

 

[tfdeputydawg]

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sctrucker wrote:

i dont know how honda set all this stuff up but i think its a shared antenna, may be why you are getting weird readings on the multimeter, better call sierra

OEM CB's, do not use a shared antenna, unless you hook it up that way! The 1500's that came w/a CB all had dual antennas! Since the CB was an option on the 1800's, you had a choice as to what antenna system you wanted to use.

To the OP, the dead short you cited, is it the coax from the antenna to the radio or is the short present with the antenna hooked to that piece of coax?

You also mentioned a power amp in the radio? Can you explain what you mean. Unaware of any power amp inside a CB radio!

 

[sctrucker]

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like vi said, i wasnt sure how it was hooked up, my sei has only 1 antenna but has both cb and stereo, not sure if the cb works though, i have only taken the cover off it a couple times to look at it

 

[galaxyhunter]

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tfdeputydawg wrote:

To the OP, the dead short you cited, is it the coax from the antenna to the radio or is the short present with the antenna hooked to that piece of coax?

You also mentioned a power amp in the radio? Can you explain what you mean. Unaware of any power amp inside a CB radio!

The Power amp might not be the correct term.It has been 30+ years since I've dealt with a CB. I was talking about the output circuit of the radio.

The dead short is in the coax between the radio & under the seat. I disconnected the coax from the radio & the connector thats under the seat(see pic below) & checked that with the Ohm meter.

I know that a motorcycle is NOT a VERY good platform for a CB, and I'm not looking to do much if anytalking on it. Back when I drove semi OTR, about the only time I'd turn it on is if there was a traffic jam/accident. But I would like to know that it actually DOES work if needed.

 

[tfdeputydawg]

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Understand what you mean now. The finals in the radio are what can be damaged if there is a problem between the radio and the antenna, especially trying to trans mit w/a dead short.
With everything working correctly and my SWR fined tuned down to 1:1.125 on the channel I use most, I can Tx as far as 6 miles(late in the evening and night) but more normal is 3 to 5 miles, depending on conditions.

 

[KAHUNAH]

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I don't believe that antenna coax is factory. I know the one on my bike is and it does not have the screw type connecter on it. Possibly the PO changed the connector anda bad connection(braided shield wire may be touching the center wire) may be the cause of your short.

 

[galaxyhunter]

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I didn't think that it was a OEM part that way it is coiled up. But it does have a factory molded ends on it. Probably in the wire routing, there's a kink or it may have been crushed. I haven't taken the left side shelter off yet. It is such a major PITA to remove & reinstall, I wasn't going to do it until I have the new coax ready to install.

 

[Wayne]

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That Coax with the dual Motorola female plugs is the dual antenna Y for a Kenworth truck, with a PL-258 double female connected to a 9' extension. Honda has never used PL-259 connectors on any antennas, only Motorola style push in. Without seeing the end at the CB I'm not sure what you need. If the Grey coax from the CB has a push in Motorola connection then you just need a 4' extension and throw the rest away. If PO put a PL-259 male or SO-239 female connector on the grey coax I have any of the different coax assemblies in stock. Just let me know.

 

[Pwhoever]

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Just out of curiousity, do you have the Hondaline CB that mounts in the left side of the lower fairing by your knee or do you have a J&M CB mounted on the left handlebar?

 

[galaxyhunter]

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pwhoever wrote:

Just out of curiousity, do you have the Hondaline CB that mounts in the left side of the lower fairing by your knee or do you have a J&M CB mounted on the left handlebar?

I have the Hondaline.

 

[Wayne]

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Still need to know what is the connector at the Grey coax coming out of CB?? As far as the radio being damaged, if you can get the meter to calibrate then you have nothing to worry about as this indicates the output is OK.

 

[galaxyhunter]

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It's the stock Motorola style connector.

 

[Wayne]

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Then all you need is a 4' extension. I don't see it on our site but we have them. I just can't imagine what PO was trying to do with that setup.

 

[Pwhoever]

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+1 on Waynes suggestion on the extension cable. Ditch the one you have now and a new one will go between the antenna and CB. Thenyoushould be good to go.

Whatever you do, don't cheap out and make the mistake like I did many years ago and just go buy an AM/FM extension cable. Yes they are cheap and can be found at just about any auto parts store. They have the same connectors butwill neverwork properly (different type of coax). Once you get the proper extension in there, check the SWR's at the connector attached to the CB and not the one closest to the antenna. To properly check the SWR, you also have to include extension as it actually becomes part of the antenna and the full length is needed for tuning it. You will need adapters to connect the meter and Wayne also has a set HERE.

Wayne's setup for the test cables is realy good but another option you can try is THIS ONE. It ends up costing just a little more than the Sierra setup. I used this setup before I knew about Sierra. The only change I made on mine was that instead of using the 2 foot extension, Part #278-968, I went with a double PL-259 adapter, part #278-192which eliminated the 2 feet of coax and I think may give a truer SWR readout for once the meter is removed.


And like I mentioned above, adding a ground strap from the bottom bolt of the antenna mount to a bolt on the frame can only help. I ended up using one very similar to this one:

I just went to an auto parts store and asked to see several engine ground straps til I found one with holes small enough to match my setup. Only cost a couple bucks and greatly improved the performance of my CB.