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I need to pick up a CB for GSW. I'd like to find some thing realitively inexpensive since I don't normally use CB's. I'd also like it to be compact so I'm not taking up a bunch of leg room or even mount it inside the center console. What about hand-helds?
Handhelds would be fine for on trail use. Distance is not great with them, but we're in close quarters on the trail (always keep the rigs in front/back in view). Otherwise, a Cobra 75WX is a hidden unit that only has a handset in plain view.
Other than that, you'd probably be fine with a Cobra 19 or something like that. The one you saw in my Heep (Cobra 25 LTD Classic) is probably not what you want to get. New, they run $80-120
Mine's peaked, tweaked and modified, and I've had it for about 12 years.
I have a cobra 75 WXST and it's nice and compact, but it's pretty old and beat up. I get a ton of static on it...but that might be a product of the magnetic antenna I use. I'm going to try and fine a 1/2 din sized unit and dash mount it...
My buddy uses this one, and he has much better range than me
http://cgi.ebay.com/COBRA-18-WX-ST-I...QQcmdZViewItem
I just picked up a small one from RadioShack.
Does fine for what I use it for.
x2 on 75 WX ST...have run one for 3 years now and has worked well for me. No static although I do have to turn up the squelch with the engine on (alternator noise I suspect).
I just barely picked up a cobra (unsure of the model) at my friends brother in law pawn shop in St. George. Have only used it once and sounds really good, but i would like a bit more range. I only paid 30 bucks for the cb and antenna. Retail for the CB is $75. And im pretty sure its on cobras website in the last page of CB radios.
Crazy good deals can be had at pawn shops. Most of the time, the company running the shop has not a fucking clue what they have, so you can get some incredible pricing.
Jot down some notes of what you see at pawn shops - I think you've got a Jumping Jack Cash down in your area, don't you?
Also, Big Lots a few months ago had a screaming deal on a Cobra 18-ish CB. Like 20 bones or something. Take a look at their ad.
I agree, pawn shops are the way to go if you can find them there. And they usually have something there so you can test them and make sure they work.
Uniden 520XL got it cheap off of ebay and it works great!
i saw cobra 19s at a biglots store about a month ago. they were 30 or 35.
Honestly, I think it is more in the antenna and proper mounting than the radio unit. Also, find a SWR meter and get the antenna set for the radio. I used a hand held for a couple of years with a magnetic antenna from wally world, but wasn't real happy with the bulk, but it worked. Spend some money on a better antenna though. I understand that line filters are good too, I need one as I'm getting some extra static.
$20 unit from Wally World. Works fine but I heard they are not selling 'em around here anymore. My brother has the small (cheapest) one Radioshack sells and it is the worst cb I have ever used in my life. Half the time he talks all I hear is aweful noise and half the time when we talk to him it cuts out.
I used to not really care about the CB, but as I do more of these long range trips, I've found it very handy.
Last fall we had a group of 11 vehicles, 3 of us had pretty good range so we spaced out front/middle/rear. At some times the front and back were 20-30 minutes apart, but we were able to call out and confirm important turns via CB which was critical to making good time.
I think the antenna is a big part too, and from what I know of them, the only useful part of the antenna is the part that extends above the ground plane of the vehicle (the highest point of ground, which for us is the roof). I'd really like to find a dual CB/HAM radio and get HAM licensed. We had a couple HAM radios in the backcountry last year and I can see how those would come in handy. Crazy range.
A HAM radio can save your life. Certification isn't that hard either - basic electronic knowledge and memorize the rules and frequencies, and you can get it. Equipment's not cheap though, at least the good stuff. Even a simple handheld HAM rig can do some amazing stuff.
Cody you might seriously look into antennas and antenna mountings first. A 102” whip is the best, several top brands out there. If you can’t live with that height then properly designed coils can make up for the height.
Where you place the antenna on a vehicle is also critical. The sensitivity is affective by the vehicle metal. So if you place the ant on the rear the front signal is much stronger than the rear and visa versa.
Ham radios run different freqs and power.
I don’t know what distance you want but a well designed CB system can go quite far.
At some point you might also check your SWR. If you system is out of tune you can be losing power to internal mismatches.
Speaking of SWR, I'll make sure to have my meter in the Heep for GSW if anybody needs assistance with a tune.
I too have heard good things about the new HAM radios, but unless everyone has one it makes it tough. But a good thought. If Radio Shack still made their FSR with the power in the antena base, those are great. My borther and I have a set we use and can get over two miles of clear commication, but alas...
I can clear 2 miles with my CB, but you won't get that out of the box
Only 2?? I was at 470 and University one night talking to a trucker at 70 and Genessee. There was somethin funky going on there though.
I run the cheapie unit from Wal-Mart in both the truck and the Jeep. FireStik antennas in both as well. Works good enough for me. The setup I used to have in the Jeep worked REALLY well, but the CB didn't care for the exposure to the elements all that much.
Dave, that would be a skip - I've definitely had those in my day.
We did pretty good when I was catching up with you, Scott and Putz on the way home last year.
Update: I picked up a Uniden PRO 510XL and a magnetic antenna off ebay. $26 shipped, woot. I might invest in a better antenna at a later date but this should get me buy for now.
That should serve you quite well on the trail. I wanna say Pam's is a 510, but it's also been peaked and tweaked. I re-ran the coax for the CB in the ZJ after 7 years. Something tells me the spots where the rubber shielding around the cable had worn off and bare wire exposed was negatively impacting my CB's performance.
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