Autocom w/ CB Radio Setup

[alvisdl]

I presently have the Sport 7 unit on my bike, but won a deal for the Pro AVI and will be receiving it later this week. My father rides a Goldwing with CB/NOAA radio on it and we are planning a couple of trips, hence the desire to add CB functionality to my communication system. I saw that Autocom does not recommend using CB's however, I don't always adhere to the recommended speed posts either :assassin: .

I have to believe someone has been successful at this and if that person is here, I'm open for lessons learned.

 

[user 17287]

I know I have read about this topic in the forum before. It can be done you just need to power the CB off its own batteries or the Autocom (not the bike). I have not yet done this .....yet. You need to have the proper cables. 1 for the CB to the Autocom (this cable will be CB modle specific) and if desired 1 for a Push to talk switch. I am sure someone will speak up soon that has already done this.

 

[canucklehead-biker]

I've got a Cobra handheld that I hooked up to the Autocom and I've used it occasionally. The handheld sits upright in a pocket of my tank bag, so the antenna is pointed straight up. This has proven to be the best location for it. If the weather get's ugly, the only option is to stow it in the tankbag and hope it doesn't get too wet, as it is NOT waterproof by any stretch of the imagination.

Every radio you hook up to the Autocom seems to have it's own unique cable, and trying to figure out which one you need can be a bit of a puzzle. Ideally you'll have an Autocom dealer close by who can help you decipher it all.

Once hooked up, the reception I got was mediocre... lots of noise and interference, even with the squelch cranked up. You HAVE to run the CB on it's own power or your noise issues will be even worse. Raising/lowering the windscreen will fill your head with the most God-awful squealing you've ever heard. There are apparently noise chokes that you can add that will help. Despite all that, the CB is ok for monitoring the trucker channels and NOAA weather, and the dope you can get on traffic and LEO activity up the road can be very helpful. If the noise really gets to you there's always the on/off switch...

I've all but given up on using CB for transmitting... the range with a rubber duck antenna is abysmal, and I've had a lot of difficulty hearing or being heard. I don't blame that on the Autocom, it's one of the limitations of a handheld CB radio. If you intend to transmit (and it sounds like you do), you should consider hooking up to a good quality 3 or 4 foot no-ground-plane antenna, and then get someone with an SWR meter to dial it all in properly. This should improve both clarity and range by a considerable margin.

I may do the external antenna at some point, but at present I've pretty much relegated the CB to monitoring only and use a FRS/GMRS for the rare times when I want/need bike-to-bike comms. The Goldwing folks do seem to use CB a lot, and most seem to like it, so maybe it's just me....

Hope this helps.

Griff

 

[blkredlinedrvr]

I may do the external antenna at some point, but at present I've pretty much relegated the CB to monitoring only and use a FRS/GMRS for the rare times when I want/need bike-to-bike comms. The Goldwing folks do seem to use CB a lot, and most seem to like it, so maybe it's just me....

Hope this helps.

Griff

Most of the Goldwings were also designed from the outset with a CB Radio integrated into them. Honda spent time and money on their R&D to make it a good setup with minimal electrical noise from the bike. no one I know has those kind of resources at their disposal to attack the problem of electrical noise and finding a good antenna setup for use on their bikes.

 

[k7lvo]

It's not that most Gold Wingers LIKE the CB, it's a vicious circle: Gold Wings are only equiped with CBs, so other/new Gold Wingers install CBs, insuring that most Gold Wings have CBs. And so it goes...

 

[Tree Doc]

I run an Autocom but a CB or other transmitter is the ONLY thing I haven't connected. As with most technical Autocom questions, you should call Keith at Tulsa Truck Center. He is the Autocom Guru and has yet to be stumped by any far out questions pertaining to Autocom that I have come up with lately.

918-446-2245

I'd be very interested in hearing your results. I've considered doing a CB, just haven't got that far, yet.

 

[pso]

I have Autocom CB/XM/Radar detector and GPS on my Buell, Installed Autocom w/xm radio on spouses BMW F650GS, now on her Wee Strom. Friend has one on BMW GS. We use them to communicate. I used shielded marine wire to connect my COBRA 38SWX cb to bike power and also used same source for Autocom, cleaned up noise nicely. On spouses bike run autocom off bike power and use rechargeables in same model Cobra CB as mine. She use rubber duckey antenna and works well for short distances. I use a 3 foot mast n my bike as does my friend w/ the BMW works very well for longer ranges. Good for talking w/each other.

 

[Scarman]

I've been using my ham radio with an Autocom Super Pro Automatic on the FJR. I have a 38" dual band antenna mounted on the back and I built my own cables instead of using Autocom's. Unless you really understand what you're doing I recommend you use Autocom's cables. Otherwise you could damage the radio and / or the Autocom itself. It was a challenge for sure and I was tempted to drop kick the whole setup across the street more than once but it's finally noise free and working great. With a 5 watt vx-7r radio and external antenna there is no problem getting my signal out there.

Dave

 

[ahchiu]

I have the Autocom AVI and use the GMRS Kenwood TK-3101 , I also have the option to run a CB, I have the Midland CB but have not been able to use it as I have not ridden with anyone yet with a CB setup.

 

[pso]

Auchu-What autocom PTT cable # are you useing w/the Kenwood?

 

[ahchiu]

Auchu-What autocom PTT cable # are you useing w/the Kenwood?

The PTT Autocom part #2388.

PM me if you have any other questions