CB suggestions

rbo1577186

rbo1577186

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Location
Winston Salem
OK, I got the hankering to get a CB... anyone got any suggestions? I got a 98 TJ. I'm thinking about mounting the antenna on the rear bumper.
 
I ended up going with the Cobra 75WXST because there isn't much room in the TJ to begin with. This is the one with all the controls built into the mic that you can't hear when travelling down the road. To remedy that I added a speaker mounted to the factory roll bar in between the passenger and driver seat. I didn't try the bumper for the antenna mount due to not liking that location but I did try the tire carrier and eventually went with the Tera bracket that mounts between the body and tail light because the tire carrier was a horrible ground. HTH
 
Thanks people, I'll check into Joel's suggestion.. For the fact he alsmost has the same rig as I do.... I'll look at the uniden if they have a small unit... Seems to be the best bang for the buck...

Joel has a point about space... There is little room to mount this thing..

Hell bent and whiskey bound I'll have a CB soon....
 
I have the Cobra 75WXST in my tacoma. To me, it's not too quiet and it doesn't need an external speaker. I don't turn the volume all the way up because it's too loud.

I do have a few other notes.

1) I bought a Wilson 1000 and mounted it on the center of my roof. This is toward the high end of a stock CB setup. However, I still found the reception to be sort of weak for finding conversations while driving around (SWR at ~1.2 - 1.3). Now I only put the antenna on for wheeling because I don't like having the truck 11' tall.

2) CB conversations aren't nearly what I hoped they would be. Being a certified loony, I thought it would something like an interactive NPR where people talked about all sorts of things. Instead it's just guys complaining about traffic and saying, bababababababagotcha (or whatever).

3) Off roading is 100 times more fun when you're connected to the other guys via CB. Off road, it's nearly a must have.

4) The 75fjdlk (or whatever) doesn't have RF gain. That just another way to tune people out with weak signals. CB experts say it's something that you want.

This is what I'd recommend.

Cobra 75, 4' firestik, bumper mount, understand that the only thing worth listening to is your off road friends.
 
vanguard said:
I have the Cobra 75WXST in my tacoma. To me, it's not too quiet and it doesn't need an external speaker. I don't turn the volume all the way up because it's too loud.
Click to expand...

Try running around topless or with a soft top at 70MPH and I am sure you would change your assessment of that. :D

... understand that the only thing worth listening to is your off road friends.
Click to expand...

There is no better radar detector than a CB. ;)
 
Unidin pro 510 I believe is the model number of their small unit. I have mine mounted to the change depression on the top of the dash. Easy to remove when parked around town, just put it in when your wheeling.
 
Pro510 XL to be exact...

Mine has been in the cruiser for 5+ years, and was left mostly uncovered through 1.5 years of outdoor storage by the PO, and it still works great, 100% of the time.
 
I also run the Cobra 75wxst and Its the best CB i have ever owned. I have a the tow rig and the jeep wired for it so I just unplug it and take it with me when i wheel. I could not see spending the dough to buy 2 or 3 nice CBs. this one works well in all of them.
 
I'll second (or third) the Cobra 75WXST. I run it in my TJ. I added an external speaker, like Joel did, for the same reasons.

I'll warn you though, if you read up on this particular unit it would appear that they are notorious for weak transmission. This has not been a major issue for me, but I have noticed times when I can hear someone and they can't hear me. On the trail this is rarely an issue, on the highway it can be if you get separated from your group.

On the upside, I like the ability to unplug the CB and drop it in the center console and not worry about it getting ripped off, which is a big deal with a soft top. I also feel that the weather radio feature on this radio is a must have. We spend a lot of time at the beach and there are times when it helps to know tidal info and such.

One other small system you may want to consider is the Midland 75-822Handheld CB. I've read up on that one and several people seem to like it. It's got a pretty cool setup where it comes as a handheld CB, but it also ships with an auto kit that allows it to run off 12v power and use a standard antenna. It has the weather channels as well and sells for about the same as the Cobra 75WXST.

Jeff
 
I run a Cobra 25 I bought at a yard sale from a trucker. He went to the big Galaxy. A guy I know messed with it and told me it had been peaked and tuned( what ever that means) I get out really good with it. Often at Tellico and like places I am the back door man, or tail gunner because I can talk to the front with out any problems. 4 years, bought for 25bucks, with Radio shack co ax and 4 ft Wilson mounted who knows where since I have not got that far in my rebuild. It was on the rear of the old tub
 
How about some prices for all these?
 
some decent prices on the Uniden 510 and 520 here:

http://www.jeepersandcreepers.com/gear/pages/cbkit.htm


I run a Cobra 19DXIII...and mounted mine here:

cobra_swr1.jpg



...and run a Wilson antenna...

Greg
 
Trebissky said:
How about some prices for all these?
Click to expand...

I picked mine up for $89 but I can't remember where from. I did find this link that has them for the same price. Like Greg I also run a Wilson antenna.
 
Trebissky said:
How about some prices for all these?
Click to expand...

About the best price I've seen on the cobras is here:

http://www.buyreliant.com/

The C75WXST is $89.50 there, plus shipping. That place used to be Valco electronics and I've ordered from them several times.

Looks like you can get the Midland 75-822 for $83 at buy.com.

Jeff
 
i have just a small radio shack cb and it works fine. i mounted it just below the glove box as far to the left as i could. it doesn't get in the way at all. the internal speaker wasn't loud enough so i just took it out and wired an external speaker to it (also from radio shack). i removed the metal loop at the top of the windshield frame and used the existing holes to mount the speaker bracket. the speaker fits perfectly and up out of the way and is plenty loud.
 
Joel said:
Try running around topless or with a soft top at 70MPH and I am sure you would change your assessment of that. :D
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I just ran around the neighborhood topless. I got some strange looks from my neighbors but the CB is still loud. :D :D :D

Just kidding, you make a good point.
 
What about handhelds? Do they have enough range compared to these dash-mounted ones? And would they have enough volume for inside a CLOSED vehicle like my Jimmy? Or would I need an extra speaker? If so, can I plug one into a handheld?
 
As far as your antennae mount, I got one from Quadratec that mounte behind either of the tail lights. I think it was $15.99. I took mine off the TJ 'cause the wife unit drives it now and doesn't want a CB. If you'll pay the shipping, I'll let you have my old mount for $5.00.
 
ZJ

This is kind of along the same lines seeing as it has to do with a CB
I have one already and it is mounted under the glove box on the passengers side.

You know how the ZJ has the little info screen that has the nice little pic of the jeep and has moving statuses like when a door is open. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas about pulling that out and putting a CB there.

Good Idea?
Bad Idea?

I've never seen it done and was wondering if thats because its not worth it or because no one is a genius like me and hasn't thought of it :huggy:
 
khokhonutt said:
About the best price I've seen on the cobras is here:
http://www.buyreliant.com/
The C75WXST is $89.50 there, plus shipping. That place used to be Valco electronics and I've ordered from them several times.

Jeff
Click to expand...


I actually bought all my CB stuff from them when they were Valco...no complaints on prices or service...

Greg
 
Trebissky said:
What about handhelds? Do they have enough range compared to these dash-mounted ones? And would they have enough volume for inside a CLOSED vehicle like my Jimmy? Or would I need an extra speaker? If so, can I plug one into a handheld?
Click to expand...


I have a hand held Cobra also. Comes in handy when someones CB fails. Also handy when you are spotting someone green who doesn't know hand signals. I have loaned it out several times to others. My handheld can take batteries or plug into the cigg lighter. YOu can also use an ear set and you can get a little adapter and use an external antenna. Pretty versadle.
 
vanguard said:
I just ran around the neighborhood topless. I got some strange looks from my neighbors but the CB is still loud. :D :D :D
Click to expand...
:flipoff2:
bigwaylon said:
I actually bought all my CB stuff from them when they were Valco...no complaints on prices or service...
Greg
Click to expand...
Same. I just couldn't remember who it was.
 
$80 for a CB radio? :lol:

$40-45 for the 510XL..

It's AM radio fergawdsake, it's gonna sound like poo no matter how much you spend..
 
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