Buy a portable handheld scanner and program in their frequencies. It is around 125 to 200. Depends on the model. I have a Bearcat. It picks up the local boys, the highway patrol, and the anbulance, oh, and also the fire departments. It is a 20 channel and scans automatically.

 

I never knew there was so much to learn abot CBs. Great thread!

 

What he's talking about is tuning your "SWRs". You should not have to get a meter cause every cobra I've had had a swr meter on it. If your not gonna get the radio peaked and tuned then tune your own swrs. It doesn't take long and you need to check em every once and a while. I check mine evry spring and fall. Its not hard to do either. If ground is a problem you can run a light copperwire and tape it to your coax and attach it to the frame. I don't know why it works but the cb shop taught me a trick about coax. 18' is the easiest to tune. If your mount is'nt 18' away don't ball it up. Run it out. Like under the seats. Under the truck etc. Of course if you need more than 18' you add as much as you need.
Don't get me wrong I like cobras. I liked every one I've owned. There's just no comparing them to galaxies and the others. You can buy a new cobra in most cases for close to what it cost to replace em. There good radios. You get out there in them moutains and forrest you cut you signal way down. Even worse if the trees and sides raise your swrs up. When you run your wattage up you need to start looking at altenators and stuff to keep power up.

 

You dont need 18' of cable. If you prefer to pay extra, for cable you dont need then get 18' of it.

 

18' is the easiest to tune in the SWRs. Most everytime that I have been in the shops, the cables usually run around the same price within a dollar or two. If it helps to keep the radio tuned, then I see no problem with helping. The quality of the older radios is better than the newer ones. They changed where the Cobras were made I think in the early 90s. I could be wrong, but that is why I bought the older 1989 model. I take mine to the CB shop to get it calibrated because my model does not have the SWR meter to calibrate it. The Galaxy models are good ones too. But for the price, if you just want a good basic radio, for the price, it is hard to beat a Cobra. Also, get a better mike. I have a noise canecelling mike. It cancels out all of the background noise like the kids or radio when you talk by keeping the mike within a quarter inch or so to your mouth. I run a chrome roadking. I think it was $45 on sale. It makes what you are saying "Loud and Proud".