dantastic Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 I have a TTi TCB-550 CB radio, it's a budget radio so not many settings to mess with. The problem is I don't seem to have a whole lot of reach with my transmission. I have tried 2 different aerials, both SWRd in place and I've very good readings (To the point where I'm not sure my meter is actually working...). In general I can hear everyone else just fine. Other people report that I'm coming through at a lower volume than everyone else. I sound faint. Also, I seem to drop out of range quicker than other people. What I mean by that is that I can hear them but they can't hear me. This is all too common and I'm always the common denominator so I know the fault is with my setup and not theirs. Is there something I can do, try or check? Other than SWR I don't know what to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 What power are you transmitting on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantastic Posted August 14, 2017 Author Share Posted August 14, 2017 1 hour ago, Bowie69 said: What power are you transmitting on? I don't know. It's whatever is standard for the band/channel I suppose. We are generally on EU-FM. There are no settings to modify the power, no gain knob. Or when you say power, is that something I can check/modify outside of the controls on the front of the radio? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bowie69 Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 In the dim dark days of playing with CBs, there was always a 0.4/4W switch on the back of the unit, does yours have one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantastic Posted August 14, 2017 Author Share Posted August 14, 2017 No, there are no switches on the back at all. It's as basic as it gets really.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davo Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 Is the +12v straight from the battery, or from somewhere else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantastic Posted August 14, 2017 Author Share Posted August 14, 2017 Straight from battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 What antenna are you using and where is it mounted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantastic Posted August 14, 2017 Author Share Posted August 14, 2017 Using a 0.89m stinger (I think it is) and it's mounted on the ladder on the rear. I also have an artificial ground plane. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwhacker Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 Hi check you are on the same frequency as who you are and communicating with. I have the same cb and had similar problems. You can get how to,s online on how to change frequency. I found I had to put an extension speaker in and velcro'd to the dash. Good wee CB should work ok when you get it set up. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dantastic Posted August 14, 2017 Author Share Posted August 14, 2017 I've found the service manual but to setup the frequencies you need a whole lot more equipment than just a multimeter. Hmm... A new one with warranty is about £50. Not sure repairing will be much cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballcock Posted August 14, 2017 Share Posted August 14, 2017 10 hours ago, dantastic said: Using a 0.89m stinger (I think it is) and it's mounted on the ladder on the rear. I also have an artificial ground plane. Try re-positioning your ground plane and see if that improves your signal. my swr meter also gives the wattage output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynic-al Posted August 15, 2017 Share Posted August 15, 2017 Are you zeroing your SWR? On mine you have to zero it first then flick a switch to test. My local CB shop (knights cb) will test CBs on an array of equipment and can do some repairs like transistors. When you buy off them they always open them up and twiddle things to optimise it. If that's not local to you and you don't have a local one then maybe you could sent it to them. I had one of those and it worked ok apart from I found I had to have an external speaker to hear it. It wasn't as good as an age old alba I had but I dunked that and killed it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happyoldgit Posted August 15, 2017 Share Posted August 15, 2017 To keep it simple my advice would be to see if you can borrow a rig from someone else and try connecting that to your existing antenna and power setup and compare the results with your set by getting signal checks from others in the area. Rigs have come a bit since the 27/81 days and before but there is usually still room for a one or two tweaks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryhuang Posted October 19, 2017 Share Posted October 19, 2017 Which kind antenna are you using ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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