All right, all my friends have CB's in their truck and now that i got some money, i wanna get one so i got to lookin on ebay and found some good deals. What do you know about the cobra 29?? Seems like a good radio to me, but i dont really know anything about them. Thanks for the input

joe

..btw... im trying to keep it under 45 bucks

 

i run a cobra 25 in my truck and i like it pretty good. it is basically the same- the 29 has a few more features. When you get it take it to a CB shop and have it peaked and tuned, alsobe sure to get a good antenna and Coax cable.

 

alright thanks... what do you suggest for the antenna and cable... thinking on the cheaper side haha

 

Since your on a budget get a Cobra 19 and spend the extra money on the coax and antenna.

 

I'm running a Cobra 29 classic. It's a pretty nice unit. Has the Dynamike adjustment, Delta Tune and has a built in SWR meter. I've got it mated to a Wilson 1000 magnetic mount antenna.

Go with a cobra, any cobra and you'll be more than happy

 

alright thanks... whats a good brand for a cable? I found a good fire stik antenna, but i don't want a magnet mount, Whats the best way to mount it on the back of my cab. 99 ranger ext cab in the center

 

Get Beldin cable. DO NOT GET CABLE FROM RADIO SHACK! Its cheap. Most truck stops carry Beldin cable. Radio Shack and trucks stop also carry a little "ball" mount that you can bolt to your truck and does a nice job of hiding the cable.

 

alright, I'll look for the beldin cable, would a 2ft firestik antenna work good or should I go with the 3?? its only a dollar more. Any suggestions on the mounts for the back of the cab

 

3 ft would be better. 4 ft would be best. MOst people say 2/3s of the antenna needs to reach above the cab.

Something like this can be found easily and mounted to the bed rail.

 

that would be alright, except the getting the wires into the cab from there and I have a bed liner. Would one of the window mounts work on the top of the back center window??

EDIT: who knows, maybe I'll just end up gettin a little magnet mount for it. Seems like that would be the easy way out

 

With a mag. mount you still have to worry about getting the coax into the cab. Plus they WILL mess up your roof over time if not taken care off. Plus, I don't know your driving habits, but in my Focus the mag. mount comes off atleast a couple times a months. (Usually when passing people and what not...) Having an antenna get ripped off and dangling by the coax off the roof during a hide speed maneuver isnt fun.


Heres what Id do... Drill a hold into your bed rail and a hole under the cab to run the coax.

EDIT:

Also, ive never heard of a window mounted antenna mount unless your talking about thos little 6 inch antennas that stick to the window? In that case... No, they are crap. Stear clear.

 

Go find a cb shop in your area. They usually have good used radios already peaked and tuned. As for antennas, Get a steel antenna like a wilson 2000 or something along them lines. Have used cb's in my semi's for 20 years. This is what i use and has alway worked very well.
Cobra 29 LTD classic, peaked and tuned, talk back, echo board (i barely set the echo/reverb to help clarify audio) (have been running this radio for 8 years, no problems.)
Astatic 636L mic
Wilson Coax
Wilson Trucker 2000 antennas
No power boxes, I don't need to talk to a guy 3 states over to find out whats happening 5 miles up the road.

The trick is getting your radio and antenna tuned to work together.

 

alright sounds good. really appreciate the help man. thanks

joe

 

Hey Western, why do you prefer Steel over say Fiber Glass?


Just curious.

 

1. You can whack the heck out of a steelie and it might bend (bend it back). A fiberglass will start to crack if hit too many times (tree branches, drive thru's, etc.)
2. I have used both, and steelies (in my own opinion) seem to recieve a lot better.
3. If you do bend it beyond straitening, Get your allen wrench out and replace the top portion.
4. They tend to blend in better, 1/16" compared to 1/4" fiberglass.

Again these are all just my opinion, and what has worked for me over the years.
I drive 100,000 to 150,000 miles a year for 20 years.A cb sometime can be all thats between you and sheer madness from utter boredom! Other times i want to throw the dang thing out the window from the idiots that seem to habitate the truck stops.