C B Radios
- Thread starter BigScott
- Start date
frankiefire702
New member
i have a 29.99 radio shack special. it's small and compact. it works fine if you only want it for talking on the trails and if it gets stolen i wont be too mad because it was cheap. :wink:
LVRockCrawler
New member
yea, go cheap - i drove a semi OTR for a while so i needed mine, i spent 150 or so for my cobra and its in my jeep now - go w/the simple even hand held if youre just going to use it on the trail - then you dont have to worry about mounting or theft...
I have had two radios. the first was a cobra that my father used to have in his boat, but that one dies last year. oh ya my father sold his boat in 1975, so it lasted the years. cause I had such good service with that one, I went with another cobra, but didn't get too many bells and whistles with it!
Can somebody delete this thread
I went with the Cobra 75WXST. It's a little more pricey than most other CB's out there but it takes up practically no room at all. I origionally had a larger Cobra unit which I had a lot of problems with noise through my stereo that I couldn't get rid of. Checked all grounds, tried noise suppressors ect., took it into a radio shop but it just wouldn't go away....I was told because of the high powered amp that is built into my CD player. I wanted to mount one in my center console but didn't want it to take up all the room. With the Cobra 75WXST, everything is built into the mic. It comes with a small power box which is about 2"-3" long by about 1" wide which I mounted up at the very front of my center console. I drilled a hole through the front of the console where my mic plugs into. This model is also good if you're worried about theft. Everything is built into the mic so just unplug it and take it with you. Also, whatever you decide to buy, don't cheap out on the antenna, it makes a world of difference between good and bad reception/transmission.
I went with the Cobra 75WXST. It's a little more pricey than most other CB's out there but it takes up practically no room at all. I origionally had a larger Cobra unit which I had a lot of problems with noise through my stereo that I couldn't get rid of. Checked all grounds, tried noise suppressors ect., took it into a radio shop but it just wouldn't go away....I was told because of the high powered amp that is built into my CD player. I wanted to mount one in my center console but didn't want it to take up all the room. With the Cobra 75WXST, everything is built into the mic. It comes with a small power box which is about 2"-3" long by about 1" wide which I mounted up at the very front of my center console. I drilled a hole through the front of the console where my mic plugs into. This model is also good if you're worried about theft. Everything is built into the mic so just unplug it and take it with you. Also, whatever you decide to buy, don't cheap out on the antenna, it makes a world of difference between good and bad reception/transmission.
LadyJeepFreak
New member
8) I'm getting ready to buy a Cobra too, I also chose this one:
Compact Remote-Mount Cobra CB Radio
$119.99 Brand: Cobra
Catalog #: 940-1588 Model: 75 WX ST
RSU #: 99401588
(Pricing and Availability may vary outside
the contiguous 48 United States.)
I hope to get it in a week or so and get it going before the 17th since I'll want to use it t hat weekend. I'll let ya know how that goes. Great advice here, love this place!
Lady
Compact Remote-Mount Cobra CB Radio
$119.99 Brand: Cobra
Catalog #: 940-1588 Model: 75 WX ST
RSU #: 99401588
(Pricing and Availability may vary outside
the contiguous 48 United States.)
I hope to get it in a week or so and get it going before the 17th since I'll want to use it t hat weekend. I'll let ya know how that goes. Great advice here, love this place!
Lady
the trtanmit is all in the antenna. i know guys with the cheapest radios and good antennas that get out close to 10 miles. you can take the radio to a shop and get a peak and tune to get better transmition. there's also mods like clipping stuff in the radio to get rid of the limiters and get full power out of your radio.
personally i've got a cobra 19ltd that i mounted in the ashtray.
as far as antennas go 102" whips are the best, but i wouldn't recomend them for the jeep. i've heard that most groups won't let you on the runs with those. to much of a safety risk. smack someone hard with those. a 3' or 4' fiberglass tuneable antenna on a spring mount is the best way to go. some people say you don't need the spring they flex enough, but i prefer the springs for those tight woods trails.
you can get them on ebay pretty cheap. i've gotten three. all work great.
if it's mostly for trails a cheap small basic radio is all you need. seriously, don't skimp on the antenna. you don't need a loaded whip antenna or anything like that. a decent tuneable fiberglass antenna is all you need. make sure you get a good coax too. it should be matched to the antenna. 50 ohm. rg8 i can't remember the other kind, but the rg8 (various kinds) should do you fine.
personally i've got a cobra 19ltd that i mounted in the ashtray.
as far as antennas go 102" whips are the best, but i wouldn't recomend them for the jeep. i've heard that most groups won't let you on the runs with those. to much of a safety risk. smack someone hard with those. a 3' or 4' fiberglass tuneable antenna on a spring mount is the best way to go. some people say you don't need the spring they flex enough, but i prefer the springs for those tight woods trails.
you can get them on ebay pretty cheap. i've gotten three. all work great.
if it's mostly for trails a cheap small basic radio is all you need. seriously, don't skimp on the antenna. you don't need a loaded whip antenna or anything like that. a decent tuneable fiberglass antenna is all you need. make sure you get a good coax too. it should be matched to the antenna. 50 ohm. rg8 i can't remember the other kind, but the rg8 (various kinds) should do you fine.
Remember too, in case you already don't know. When you run your antenna wire, try to run it so it's as far away from any power wires as possible. Also, if you have excess antenna wire, don't ravel it up into a big loop and just zip tie it somewhere. Spread the wire out. Snake it around under the carpet or somewhere and make sure it doesn't overlap itself.
graewulf
New member
skyjeeper said:
I'd find a new group to wheel with if this is the case... that's the most rediculous thing (and the first time i've ever heard of that one). I would recommend one of them to anyone that wants good transmission / reception. they get your transmission point nice & high, are extremely flexible, and are light weight. I've been using them for over 10 years now and wouldn't buy anything else.
graewulf
New member
Craig said:
That is good advice, but the best thing to do is cut the antenna cable to the proper length. Leave just enough slack to maneuver things and chop the rest out. You can use one of the twist on ends from radio shack to replace it if you don't have the crimp tool. I used to think there was an"ideal length" for an antenna cable.. it turns out to be a myth. the cable should be as short as possible to maintain the best signal.
PASmokeater
New member
I got a freebie mini uniden and a firestick that I paid about 30 bucks for....it's a great set up, and works well...just remember that a Jeep is not the best vehicle for maintaining a ground plane, and you should make sure you get a good ground...if not, Firestick makes a "groundless" antenna.
Similar threads
