cb antennas
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There's a thread about this from a couple of weeks ago. Most will say Firestik II. I had one, but it was very stiff and likely would've bent my tool box lid if it got hung up on something.
The Wilson Flex4 is a nice compromise, very flexy and has a tunable tip.
The Wilson Flex4 is a nice compromise, very flexy and has a tunable tip.
Get a handheld CB/weather radio from Radio Shack WEather Alert, I thiknnk it's called.
THe tiny whip antenna it come w/ is pitiful. Get a Firestick mounted and run the coax into the cab to hook it up. You can recharge the batteries on the CB at home or run an adapter plug from your cig lighter socket.
THe tiny whip antenna it come w/ is pitiful. Get a Firestick mounted and run the coax into the cab to hook it up. You can recharge the batteries on the CB at home or run an adapter plug from your cig lighter socket.
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Dont get a handheld.
And the antenna is more important than the radio. ie put more money into a good antenna than an expensive radio. A firestick II will be just fine in the 4' flavor. And radio choice is up to your interest, intended use, and your wallet.
Read up a little, http://www.cbradioforum.com/
And the antenna is more important than the radio. ie put more money into a good antenna than an expensive radio. A firestick II will be just fine in the 4' flavor. And radio choice is up to your interest, intended use, and your wallet.
Read up a little, http://www.cbradioforum.com/
Gotta buy all the pieces to make it work:bmw678 said:
CB Radio
Coax cable
Antenna mount
Antenna
Once you get it all installed, then you need to tune the antenna. If you don't, the radio wont transmit properly and you might damage the radio.
I personally recommend the Uniden brand radios and the Firestik II antennas. Also, please don't buy coax cable from Radio Shack. Their radios are bad enough, but their cables are horrible. If you need a good coax cable, I build them custom. Typical 18' cable is about $14.
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50 Posts
hey bmw678, i'm trying to sell a cobra cb. its in the for sale section if your interested.
Well..I'm braced for a slap in the face, now let me tell you why.
I'm not recommending it, but I've had two glass mount antennas and they've worked great for what I needed. Never had a problem with them offroad or even when my son took my truck through a car wash without asking me.
If you want to send/receive the maximum distance then don't get a glass mount. If you only need a couple of miles, and want a small antenna, consider a glass mount.
I'm not recommending it, but I've had two glass mount antennas and they've worked great for what I needed. Never had a problem with them offroad or even when my son took my truck through a car wash without asking me.
If you want to send/receive the maximum distance then don't get a glass mount. If you only need a couple of miles, and want a small antenna, consider a glass mount.
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355 Posts
Back in the late 80's and early 90's I was into CB radios in a big way (before discovering ham radio). After playing around with several radio and antenna combinations, I found that the Cobra 148GTL CB combined with a Wilson 1000 magnet mount antenna worked the best for me. As a matter of fact, the same 148GTL that I bought way back in 1988 still works great to this day. This is after several years of being banged up pretty hard off road (I thought I was Ivan Stewart back then and beat the hell out of my old lifted 2WD Toyota truck).
Anyway, I think that if you are just going to be using it for trail runs and the like, you'd be fine with pretty much any radio and antenna combination. If I were to buy a simple radio and antenna set up for trail use right now I'd buy a Cobra 25 WX NW ST along with a Wilson 1000 magnet mount antenna (or maybe a permanent mount). If you have the room and extra cash for it, the 148GTL is a fantastic radio that includes a few more features and is pretty much bullet proof.
Cobra 25 WX NW ST
Wilson 1000
Anyway, I think that if you are just going to be using it for trail runs and the like, you'd be fine with pretty much any radio and antenna combination. If I were to buy a simple radio and antenna set up for trail use right now I'd buy a Cobra 25 WX NW ST along with a Wilson 1000 magnet mount antenna (or maybe a permanent mount). If you have the room and extra cash for it, the 148GTL is a fantastic radio that includes a few more features and is pretty much bullet proof.
Cobra 25 WX NW ST
Wilson 1000
10-4?
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21 Posts
Cb Radio Do I need an antenna?
I'm new at this and looking to buy perhaps the Midland handheld 75-822 for its size and pack-n-go utility. My question is: Is it necessary to have an antenna to use this CB Radio? Additionally, why would I when it is portable?
I'm new at this and looking to buy perhaps the Midland handheld 75-822 for its size and pack-n-go utility. My question is: Is it necessary to have an antenna to use this CB Radio? Additionally, why would I when it is portable?
kd6ecz said:
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291 Posts
kd6ecz said:
I had a 148GTL in my last truck (75 GMC) Sure wish I could have found a good place to mount it in the Tacoma!
:welder:
I dropped the $30 bomb and bought a 102" whip. I couldn't be happier. Good luck breakin the thing and I'm getting TONS of range and clarity from it. Right out of the box the SWR meter was happy as I've ever seen.
I mounted it on the driver side rear bumper. I mounted a gutter clip to tie it down in the front of the bed.
I mounted it on the driver side rear bumper. I mounted a gutter clip to tie it down in the front of the bed.
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A good antenna and proper placement of it, is really what it comes down to. The antenna is most happy in the center of the truck (ie, on a bed bar, or the like) but will work else where. My swr could at best be tuned to ~1.5 on the passenger side rear bumper, while mounted on my bed bar can be tuned to ~1.2. Not being an expert on the radios, I'm not sure if that small difference will harm the radio or not, but hey, every little bit helps, right?
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