Accessories for Radio

These are the parts that sit around the radio rather than in place of it: a fused DC power lead, two extension speakers, a two way coax switch and an angled aerial connector. A tired connector or an unfused supply will undo a good aerial, so choose them properly.

  • Power: the 3 pin lead is 20 gauge, with a moulded connector, fuse holder and 2 amp fuse.
  • Speakers: both are 8 ohm and 5 watt on a 3.5mm jack plug. One adds a switchable filter and 8 dB attenuator, the other a mounting bracket.
  • Switching: the CS201 is a 2 way antenna switch, 3 SO239 sockets, 0 to 1000 MHz, 0.1 dB insertion loss.
  • Connectors: the Sirio angled double SO239 covers DC to 600 MHz, 16 mm mounting hole.

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Choosing CB radio accessories: which part fixes which problem?

Five parts, three jobs: audio out of the set, power into it, and where the coax is allowed to go. Find the weak link first.

What decides between the two extension speakers is what is wrong with your listening. The speaker with the switchable noise filter and 8 dB attenuator is for audio that is present but unpleasant, described for a cab or shack where the radio sits low, behind other gear or under a dashboard. The 5 W medium external extension speaker is for a placement problem: the bracket allows a surface, vertical, horizontal or underslung fit, and is listed for taxi, CB and amateur sets with a standard 3.5 mm jack extension speaker socket.

From the listingsFilter and attenuator speaker5 W medium speaker
Dimensions110 x 40 x 95 mm65 x 130 x 80 mm
Frequency responseNot listed500 Hz to 5000 Hz
Filter and attenuatorSwitchable filter, 8 dBNot listed
Mounting bracketNot listedIncluded

The 3 pin fused CB power lead from Hi Way has the connector moulded on, so it fits only a set with a 3 pin power socket. Check the back of the radio, since connectors differ between makes and models, and keep the 2 amp rating when the fuse is replaced.

The last two touch the feeder and are not alternatives. The Sirio angled connector with double SO239, made in Italy in nickel and gold plated brass, stainless steel and PTFE, is for the point where the coax cannot leave the socket straight: it turns the run at the panel instead of straining it behind the radio or at the aerial mount, and needs a 16 mm hole with clearance behind. The Moonraker CS201 answers something else, letting one transceiver feed either of two aerials by hand, as a base station does when a CB aerial and a second antenna share one set.

The check most often missed: SO239 is a socket, not a plug, so both ends of the angled connector and all three ports on the switch need leads with matching plugs fitted, not a bare cable tail. After any change to the feed line, check each aerial in turn with a meter, in its normal working position, because a switch only selects a path and cannot correct a mismatch further up the cable.