CB Shop'n
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 115
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From: okc
cb radios
Don't buy a cheapie, spend the money and buy a good quality radio like a cobra or uniden. Do not buy the bottom end model as you will not be happy with the noise suppression or reception. Personally, I have a cobra 25, cobra 29 and run a Conex 3300 hi power in my pete. Also, radio is only as good as the antenna system - cheap antenna and coax = poor performance. Just my experience from 30 years of playing with them.
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,543
Likes: 2
From: Georgia
Originally Posted by truck_guy
I think i'm going with the cobra 19DXIII. It's simple, it'll get the job done, and it's only 44 bucks.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 270
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From: Carthage, IL
Senior User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 195
Likes: 0
From: wisconsin
hey i have a uniden PC 78LTW bought new to start with and had about 150 bucks worth of work done to it, I'm not entirely sure what was done to it of hand but i do remember that the output was boosted to 50 watts ( something like that anyway) Id have to ask my brother because he's the one that had the work done for me (he is a truck driver) he is also giving me a set of antennas that use to be on his truck, i think they were like about $100 bucks each. So i will have around 400 to 500 bucks into the radio and setup by the time I am done. I know I haven't given a ton of info but does this sound like a decent setup? any tips or opinions would be appreciated, thanks.
FORDS_FORLIFE
FORDS_FORLIFE
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 270
Likes: 0
From: Carthage, IL
the high end cobras have them
i have a uniden in my truck with a 4ft wilson flex and i cant seem to get my swr out of the red zone for some reason
i have a uniden in my truck with a 4ft wilson flex and i cant seem to get my swr out of the red zone for some reason
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Brett Foote
Senior User
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 178
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From: Central TX and Central WY
Since it looks like there's a lot of CB geniuses on here, I've got a question...What might make a CB work only part of the time? I've got a heck of a nice Cobra 29LTD and here in the past few months there have been times when I know I should be getting some chatter on 19 and don't hear a thing. When it's doing this I can also turn the squelch all the way around and get no noise. Other times, it works just fine. I don't know if it transmits or not when it's not picking up (hard to get a radio check when I know I can't hear them...). I had the radio peaked and tuned about a year or less ago right before I put it in my truck because I'd had it in a box for a few years, and I just can't figure out what's going on with it now. Even when it's not picking up the guage reads normally, it just doesn't move like it would if it were getting something, but it does move over if I key the mic. I'm thinking it looks like a short somewhere, but don't really know where to start looking. Any ideas?
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 143
Likes: 0
If your looking for a good radio with just the standard 40 channels I would suggest either the Cobra 29 or the Cobra 148 bothe are great radios and will last a long time. If you are looking for something with a lil more kick and all the bands...Connex 3300 or the 3300HD, Galaxy, RCI 2970 are good ones to...Personally I have a Connex 3300 in my rig...someone posted earlier that was offering a Connex in the $110 range....good deal there
Cargo Master
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,543
Likes: 2
From: Georgia
Originally Posted by markethopper
Does Galaxy not even deserve a mention? They have units in the $400 range.
My post the other day in this thread was bluntly saying you get what you pay for, but I'm afraid he had his mind made up & bought the playskool walkie talkies.
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 115
Likes: 0
From: okc
Wyo.... check your coax with an ohm meter, it may be shorted or the solder connections on the end(pl-259) might be bad. Another poss. is that the center conductor may be broken inside the connector. Unhook coax from radio and antenna, then check the coax with an ohm meter. If the center conductor shows poor or no continuity, that is where your problem is. Also move your coax around while checking, it may be good connection in certain possitions and bad in others( small wire in larger hole). I usually use a coax that has a stranded center rather than a single small wire. I recommend using RG-8x, which is what I use on all single antenna installs.