Engine noise/electrical interference can make it extremely hard to hear incoming transmissions and can occasionally get so bad as to render your CB radio unusable. Electrical noise can often be reduced by keeping the following in mind:
- If you have a noise blocker or automatic noise limiter feature (NB/ANL) on your CB, make sure these features are enabled.
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Wire the ground connection from the CB radio (black wire) to an independent ground location on the metal vehicle body. It's important that this connection is not shared with any other electrical wires as noise often comes through the ground wire.
- If possible, try to wire the CB power lead directly to the battery. This will reduce the likelihood of electrical noise from other systems entering your CB through the power lead.
- Make sure power leads and coax cable are not run parallel to other electrical lines for long distances, as this may result in interference bleeding through. While it's usually not possible to route coax and power leads so that they NEVER come near other electrical components, try to limit this as much as possible.
- CB noise filters are available that install between the CB and power source to filter out electrical noise. These should be used in conjunction with the preventative steps listed above for best performance.
It's often impossible to eliminate ALL engine noise in problematic vehicles, but the above steps should help reduce it and make your incoming CB signal cleaner.
