School me on Compact CB Radios

[Wasatch]

Hi all,

As most of you know CB radios are required at most off-road events/meets. I have never owned a CB before so I thought I would ask for opinions about the following radio:

Right now, I am plan to purchase a Cobra 75WXST 40-Channel CB Radio.

(http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-75WXST-40-Channel-CB-Radio/dp/B00005N5WW)


Any advice? Any other models I should look into? The radio will be going into a 2nd Gen Tacoma.

Additionally, I plan to mount a 3-4' antenna utilizing a hood mount (Driver's side to avoid interference with my AM/FM antenna). If not, then most likely off the tail-gate.

Looks like this:

Cheers.

 

[JGBB04]

I know several people that use the Cobra & were happy w/ it. I went w/ the Midland version as it gives the you the option of being portable, which has come in handy for spotting a few times. I've had it since 2009 w/ no problems.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=electronics&field-keywords=Midland® 75-822

 

[deserteagle56]

Hopefully the quality of the Cobra has improved. I went through 3 of them in about 3 years, the last about 6 years ago. They would just quit working. And for sure they didn't work as well as my Cobra 29 or 148 (as far as getting a signal out any distance), even when hooked to the same Wilson antenna. But for short distance vehicle-to-vehicle comms they worked just fine (until they quit!).

 

[craig333]

Reception is fine. Don't expect to "get out there" with one. It'll work fine for close range comms. I use one in my truck.

 

[rayra]

Uniden 40-Channel CB Radio (PRO505XL) gets pretty good reviews and it is compact and inexpensive.

 

[1911]

The compact radios have the same power and pretty much the same specs as larger console radios, since they are all limited by law to 4 watts. The biggest failing of the super-compact all-in-one radios like the Cobra 75 (and I run one in one of my trucks) is the tiny speaker. If you're older and/or hard of hearing like I am, it can be a real pain to hear. Fortunately, the Cobra 75 has an external speaker jack so you can plug it into the aux input of your stereo, which is what I do. The other thing I don't like about the Cobra 75 is that the dials are so small and fiddly - it's too easy to accidentally change channels and not realize it. But for occasional use without having to have a radio permanently mounted and in the way, it's a fair compromise.

The hood mount will give you better transmission range than the tail gate because it is a better ground plane, but as has been said even in the best of circumstances you will not get above a mile or two on the trail; less if you don't tune the length of the antenna for optimum SWR.

 

[mtaylor]

I have a 75wxst, with a good antenna and an external speaker it's as good as anything else.

 

[Wasatch]

The Uniden PRO505XL is only $34?! Not bad at all. The only drawback is I don't want to mount up a CB controller box (excuse my terminology), but that radio is definitely on my radar now.

Good to hear the hood mount will work out better than the tail-gate. As I only plan to use this radio on extended road-trips and trail-runs, I'm also contemplating getting a mag-antenna and throwing it on the roof when needed.


Thanks for all the helpful feedback.

 

[JGBB04]

I used a magnet mount for a while when I first got mine but it would get knocked over by low hanging branches a lot. Switched to permanent mount w/ quick release on the antenna.

 

[rxinhed]

I have a small Uniden CB and magnetic mount antenna that I use on my government truck, can drill holes or make permanent mounts to anything. I find that the 24" antenna works well in the California Central Valley for up to approximately 10 mile range with reasonable clarity.

For my Dodge Raider, I installed a Cobra 18WXST CB with weather channels in the dash and used an 8' fiberglass antenna or 9' stainless antenna mounted to the right rear corner of the truck. I had no issues with this radio bouncing around earthwork jobsites and chatting numerous miles from high peaks in the Tahoe area.

I prefer the fit and finish of the Cobra units.

Last, I removed the driverside mount antenna on my Ramcharger. As in your reference picture, the antenna was always a distraction while driving, felt like something that didn't belong.

 

[Inyo_man]

When in the market for a compact CB, a feature I was looking for was a front firing speaker.
The Uniden pro538w fit the bill for my needs.

With this unit, I was able to install it in the dash without the addition of an external speaker.
Coupled with a four foot Firestix, and tuning the antenna with a SWR meter, the unit performs well.

One suggestion is to be sure the unit has both RF gain and squelch adjustments.

There are many good units to choose from, good luck.

 

[anickode]

On the topic of antennas... a bottom loaded short-whip magnet mount antenna like a K30 or Lil' Wil on your roof will transmit a whole lot better than a Hood mounted firestik. The short whip antennas like that are extremely flexible. I started out with a K30 on my roof, and could drive into the garage without knocking it off, having only a foot of clearence from the roof to the door.

A whip in the middle of your roof is ideal from a radio performance perspective. The large, symmetrical ground plane (your roof) will give you a nice symmetrical radiation pattern and a lower SWR. A single antenna on the left side of the Hood, back near the windshield will transmit strongest towards the front right corner of the vehicle. Cophased dual antennas like big rigs run will transmit great front and rear, but not side to side. In an off-road scenario, you don't often have the option of pointing your vehicle one way or another to aim your Tx pattern at the person you're trying to reach.

A 102" whip on a beehive spring mounted at or near roof level will give you the absolute best performance, and it will take any abuse you throw at it, and you can just bend it over and tie it down Humvee style when you don't need it.

 

[AFBronco235]

I'll give you the advice I was given for a CB radio setup. Spend your money on a good antennae and less on the radio. I run a cheap Cobra with dual firestiks mounted on my hood and have no problems. As for the type of antennae you should go with, that depends on where you're going. If you're breaking trails in the back woods, either a steel whip with a beehive spring as mentioned above, or a fiberglass job on a spring will work, but a spring is absolutely essential to prevent damage to the antennae. If you're just out in the open, like a desert or on the road, roof mounts work fine.

Also, I have never noticed any interference with my AM/FM antennae from my firesticks.

 

[rayra]

some useful info in these topics -

http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_18/679778_CB_radios__couple_questions.html
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_10_22/679368_Do_you_guys_discuss_any_CB_stuff_.html


And you might want to get a mod to move this to the Communications subforum, you'll get more answers there.

 

[AFBronco235]

And you might want to get a mod to move this to the Communications subforum, you'll get more answers there.

I almost suggested the same thing, till I remembered how many Ham snobs there are who'll only say "Get a ham, its way cooler/better/stronger/sexier/more expensive." I think the OP will get more honest answers here.