CB radio not transmitting
#1
08-17-2013, 07:07 PM
CB radio not transmitting
Currently own a 2011 Ultra. Been riding an Ultra for a number of years and never really used the CB. The last trip I went on, thought it might be fun to use the CB and work on my material (i.e. jokes) with one of my riding partners. Turns out I was able to hear him, but he couldn't hear me. So, basically I'm able to receive but not transmit.
I get home, open up the service manuals and immediately notice two things.
1. According to the service manual, the CB antenna is supposed to be on the right and the AM/FM antenna is supposed to be on the left. On my bike, it is backwards. The antenna on the left says "CB" on the base, and the antenna on the right says "AM/FM" on the base.
2. The parts manual has different part numbers for the two antennas, so I assume even though they look the same, there is some internal difference.
I'd like to switch the antennas around, but I'm not sure how to remove them. Does the antenna just unscrew from the base? I tried to unscrew it, but it seemed very tight and I didn't want to break it. I wasn't sure if there was some sort of set screw, like the antennas on my previous 2004 Ultra.
Any help/advice as to how one removes the antenna is appreciated.
I get home, open up the service manuals and immediately notice two things.
1. According to the service manual, the CB antenna is supposed to be on the right and the AM/FM antenna is supposed to be on the left. On my bike, it is backwards. The antenna on the left says "CB" on the base, and the antenna on the right says "AM/FM" on the base.
2. The parts manual has different part numbers for the two antennas, so I assume even though they look the same, there is some internal difference.
I'd like to switch the antennas around, but I'm not sure how to remove them. Does the antenna just unscrew from the base? I tried to unscrew it, but it seemed very tight and I didn't want to break it. I wasn't sure if there was some sort of set screw, like the antennas on my previous 2004 Ultra.
Any help/advice as to how one removes the antenna is appreciated.
#3
08-17-2013, 07:53 PM
Club Member
#4
08-18-2013, 02:59 AM
#6
08-18-2013, 07:42 AM
Used a little more brute force and was able to get the antennas unscrewed and off their mounting post. The problem was that the base of the antennas and the mounting post were rusted and I'm guessing bonded together.
Unfortunately, I ruined the CB antenna in the process. The fastener internal to the CB antenna started to break free from the antenna itself. Looks like I'll need to purchase a new one.
This is just another case of a dealer performing a ****-poor PDI (predelivery setup and inspection) and my fault for not actually testing every available feature of the bike while it was still under warranty.
Unfortunately, I ruined the CB antenna in the process. The fastener internal to the CB antenna started to break free from the antenna itself. Looks like I'll need to purchase a new one.
This is just another case of a dealer performing a ****-poor PDI (predelivery setup and inspection) and my fault for not actually testing every available feature of the bike while it was still under warranty.
#7
08-18-2013, 07:52 AM
i fired mine up the other day....finally, for the first time on my year old bike. i get a lot of motor noise. works fine if not running (receive anyway) but a lot of noise. from my previous experience with CBs, it sounds like plugs or wires...or both. anything i can do to reduce it? i know you can get resister plugs for a car, but wonder about switching out the plugs on the bike.....not trying to hyjack, just thought i'd throw in a question about CBs too
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#8
08-18-2013, 08:14 AM
Elite HDF Member
You can find them on Ebay. Some guys think they are too long and somehow take away from the looks of their bikes so they remove them.
To answer your other question about why the antennas are different...the CB antenna is designed to operate in the 26-27 MHz band. The AM/FM antenna is designed to operate in two totally unrelated bands (.55 to 1.7 MHz on AM and 88 to 107 MHz on FM). I have tried two different CB antennas and measured reflected power, both suck. At 26-27 Mhz, you really need a quarter wave whip that is about 104 inches long for decent feedpoint impedance and radiation efficiency. But because of "style over function" that ain't happening on a Harley. So the antenna you have has a coil in the bottom that electrically "lengthens" the antenna to adjust resonance close to the operating frequency. But it still falls short in many ways.
The power output into a 50 ohm purely resistive load for the Midland radios on our HDs is around 2 watts. So if you have feedline and/or antenna problems (such as a poorly tuned antenna), the circuitry in the CB unit will decrease the power output to protect the final power transistor. In my case, the power is reduced to about one watt because of the crappy antenna.
It's possible to insert a small LC circuit to adjust impedance the transceiver sees, but not many will go that route because they just don't use the CB enough to warrant the aggravation. Plus it will do nothing to change the poor radiation properties of the antenna itself.
To answer your other question about why the antennas are different...the CB antenna is designed to operate in the 26-27 MHz band. The AM/FM antenna is designed to operate in two totally unrelated bands (.55 to 1.7 MHz on AM and 88 to 107 MHz on FM). I have tried two different CB antennas and measured reflected power, both suck. At 26-27 Mhz, you really need a quarter wave whip that is about 104 inches long for decent feedpoint impedance and radiation efficiency. But because of "style over function" that ain't happening on a Harley. So the antenna you have has a coil in the bottom that electrically "lengthens" the antenna to adjust resonance close to the operating frequency. But it still falls short in many ways.
The power output into a 50 ohm purely resistive load for the Midland radios on our HDs is around 2 watts. So if you have feedline and/or antenna problems (such as a poorly tuned antenna), the circuitry in the CB unit will decrease the power output to protect the final power transistor. In my case, the power is reduced to about one watt because of the crappy antenna.
It's possible to insert a small LC circuit to adjust impedance the transceiver sees, but not many will go that route because they just don't use the CB enough to warrant the aggravation. Plus it will do nothing to change the poor radiation properties of the antenna itself.
#9
08-18-2013, 09:27 AM
You can find them on Ebay. Some guys think they are too long and somehow take away from the looks of their bikes so they remove them.
To answer your other question about why the antennas are different...the CB antenna is designed to operate in the 26-27 MHz band. The AM/FM antenna is designed to operate in two totally unrelated bands (.55 to 1.7 MHz on AM and 88 to 107 MHz on FM). I have tried two different CB antennas and measured reflected power, both suck. At 26-27 Mhz, you really need a quarter wave whip that is about 104 inches long for decent feedpoint impedance and radiation efficiency. But because of "style over function" that ain't happening on a Harley. So the antenna you have has a coil in the bottom that electrically "lengthens" the antenna to adjust resonance close to the operating frequency. But it still falls short in many ways.
The power output into a 50 ohm purely resistive load for the Midland radios on our HDs is around 2 watts. So if you have feedline and/or antenna problems (such as a poorly tuned antenna), the circuitry in the CB unit will decrease the power output to protect the final power transistor. In my case, the power is reduced to about one watt because of the crappy antenna.
It's possible to insert a small LC circuit to adjust impedance the transceiver sees, but not many will go that route because they just don't use the CB enough to warrant the aggravation. Plus it will do nothing to change the poor radiation properties of the antenna itself.
To answer your other question about why the antennas are different...the CB antenna is designed to operate in the 26-27 MHz band. The AM/FM antenna is designed to operate in two totally unrelated bands (.55 to 1.7 MHz on AM and 88 to 107 MHz on FM). I have tried two different CB antennas and measured reflected power, both suck. At 26-27 Mhz, you really need a quarter wave whip that is about 104 inches long for decent feedpoint impedance and radiation efficiency. But because of "style over function" that ain't happening on a Harley. So the antenna you have has a coil in the bottom that electrically "lengthens" the antenna to adjust resonance close to the operating frequency. But it still falls short in many ways.
The power output into a 50 ohm purely resistive load for the Midland radios on our HDs is around 2 watts. So if you have feedline and/or antenna problems (such as a poorly tuned antenna), the circuitry in the CB unit will decrease the power output to protect the final power transistor. In my case, the power is reduced to about one watt because of the crappy antenna.
It's possible to insert a small LC circuit to adjust impedance the transceiver sees, but not many will go that route because they just don't use the CB enough to warrant the aggravation. Plus it will do nothing to change the poor radiation properties of the antenna itself.
On the bike, the decision to not use a 104" whip is definitely not a style issue: To put it in perspective, the overall length of a 2011 FLHTCU is 98.6".
Last edited by Mike_M; 08-18-2013 at 09:35 AM.
#10
08-18-2013, 09:49 AM
Great information, thank you! I do have another question in regards to the load coil. Does a 2009+ model year bike have a load coil? I don't see one in the tour-pak and based on the below instruction sheet, I'm not sure there is one. If there isn't one, how is the antenna being electrically lengthened?
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US...ts/-J04773.pdf
http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US...ts/-J04773.pdf
You can find them on Ebay. Some guys think they are too long and somehow take away from the looks of their bikes so they remove them.
To answer your other question about why the antennas are different...the CB antenna is designed to operate in the 26-27 MHz band. The AM/FM antenna is designed to operate in two totally unrelated bands (.55 to 1.7 MHz on AM and 88 to 107 MHz on FM). I have tried two different CB antennas and measured reflected power, both suck. At 26-27 Mhz, you really need a quarter wave whip that is about 104 inches long for decent feedpoint impedance and radiation efficiency. But because of "style over function" that ain't happening on a Harley. So the antenna you have has a coil in the bottom that electrically "lengthens" the antenna to adjust resonance close to the operating frequency. But it still falls short in many ways.
The power output into a 50 ohm purely resistive load for the Midland radios on our HDs is around 2 watts. So if you have feedline and/or antenna problems (such as a poorly tuned antenna), the circuitry in the CB unit will decrease the power output to protect the final power transistor. In my case, the power is reduced to about one watt because of the crappy antenna.
It's possible to insert a small LC circuit to adjust impedance the transceiver sees, but not many will go that route because they just don't use the CB enough to warrant the aggravation. Plus it will do nothing to change the poor radiation properties of the antenna itself.
To answer your other question about why the antennas are different...the CB antenna is designed to operate in the 26-27 MHz band. The AM/FM antenna is designed to operate in two totally unrelated bands (.55 to 1.7 MHz on AM and 88 to 107 MHz on FM). I have tried two different CB antennas and measured reflected power, both suck. At 26-27 Mhz, you really need a quarter wave whip that is about 104 inches long for decent feedpoint impedance and radiation efficiency. But because of "style over function" that ain't happening on a Harley. So the antenna you have has a coil in the bottom that electrically "lengthens" the antenna to adjust resonance close to the operating frequency. But it still falls short in many ways.
The power output into a 50 ohm purely resistive load for the Midland radios on our HDs is around 2 watts. So if you have feedline and/or antenna problems (such as a poorly tuned antenna), the circuitry in the CB unit will decrease the power output to protect the final power transistor. In my case, the power is reduced to about one watt because of the crappy antenna.
It's possible to insert a small LC circuit to adjust impedance the transceiver sees, but not many will go that route because they just don't use the CB enough to warrant the aggravation. Plus it will do nothing to change the poor radiation properties of the antenna itself.