Thread: 10-4, Good Buddy - CB control

ooooh very cool.

Im interested in computer control of that scanner. Not really a CB guy, mainly because I dont want that antenna hangin off the back of my CRX (it would look like a remote controlled car!) but the scanner might be VERY handy for my cross country trips =]

Originally Posted by h3rk

My first day back, and I'm already starting new threads about obscure applications. I guess I havent skipped a beat:

I was on a little road trip the other day, it was about a 9 hour trek. I thought about how cool it would be to drive down the highway with confidence that ...well to stay a little PC, I knew that no emergencies were down the road. So I purchased a crappy radar detector, a cheapy trunking scanner, and a CB radio. I've always had a slight fascination with CB's but being that I missed it's hayday by a decade or two, and it's redneck - trucker stigma, I've stayed away from them (that, and skoal). But they truely are better than radar detectors. And appearantly you just can't throw a radio in your car and stick a cheap antenna on your glass, plug it in, and expect to hear a damn thing.

Check out this scanner with gps, it's computer controllable and programmable.

I'd hate to streamline my dash controls to a single touchscreen, only to slap a box full of knobs and various other prehistoric electronics under my dash. So obviously, you know where my thoughts went. After hours of searching to see if this has bee done before (like this guy wanted to do), I found this guy, with this parallel interface kit.

Here's his skimmy:


And a screenshot:


So his software covers tuning the unit via the DSP, needs a ton of asthetic and practical usability work, does not provide for quieting or volume via computer and in general leaves a lot to be desired, but for the application, it is a good springboard. I've talked to him, and he has no interest in taking his project further, but, hey this could be the perfect ice-breaker for carputers and the world of truckers. I am no trucker, but I think it would be a cool retro mod, sans much of the stigma.

So any thoughts on The Brain's capabilities for handling this one? And please vote me in for the most obscure automotive application for Fusion Brain.

Maybe this is just my oddball, creative way of asking for analog outs in the future again.

Edit: Hooray for analog outs!!!

Edit: Well, this topic is about as popular as I expected it would be....oh well.

It is possible to have a CB in your vehicle without looking "redneckish". It depends on how you set it up. If you're driving a huge pick up truck with monster-truck sized tires and a long magnet mount antenna on the roof, then yeah, you'll look like a redneck.

But if you're careful with how you install the CB, it can look factory and quite aesthetic. Many late 80s and early 90s conversion vans come with CBs installed from the factory, so it is possible to pull it off.

How concerned are you with range? If range isn't too important, you can get an antenna splitter, which utilized the radio's antenna for the CB as well. I can't vouch for the effectiveness of this though.

Me personally, I intend to install a motorized CB antenna, much like a motorized radio antenna. One way to achieve this is to install a relay. The CB's power cord will be spliced into the relay, and the relay will power the antenna's motor, thereby raising the antenna when the CB is on, and vice versa (down) when the CB is turned off.

I may do something similar with a scanner antenna. I'm not sure yet.

What would affect the legality of it?

Linear amps, eh? Gotcha. Well what people don't know, won't hurt them, lol.

Would you be able to integrate a CB application with a front end without having to use an actual CB?