# what cb's are you guys using?



## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

I'm in the market for 2 cb radios. I saw Cobra makes a remote cb where everything is built right into the head (mic) set. The only thing exposed is the cord and mic. Any one use one? I dont mean a hand held unit.


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## Clapper&Company (Jan 4, 2005)

Never heard of that style? Got a Link?

Were running radio shacks right now


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## stroker79 (Dec 2, 2006)

This is an edit because My original post didnt answer your question. 

But they were used a lot by some friends of mine when we went 4 wheeling and they work well in the woods but not so good for distance.


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## FISHERMANXLS (Feb 12, 2008)

Brian Young;820423 said:


> I'm in the market for 2 cb radios. I saw Cobra makes a remote cb where everything is built right into the head (mic) set. The only thing exposed is the cord and mic. Any one use one?


Yes, and they are not that bad. the nice thing about them is they don't take up that much room but i did not get that much distance out of it. I don't believe you can peak and tune them, but i have been wrong before.


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

The main reason for the cb's is last year trying to tell some one where snow goes or just ****/chat was a pita with cell phones and trying to plow. The longest distance would be maybe 100 yards away. Did those Cobra's at least reach that far?


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## Brian Young (Aug 13, 2005)

Clapper&Company;820434 said:


> Never heard of that style? Got a Link?
> 
> Were running radio shacks right now


I saw them on ebay. I just typed in cb radio's and scrolled through


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## stroker79 (Dec 2, 2006)

oh yeah they will work fine at that distance


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## KingDuramax (Nov 26, 2005)

I use cobra29 LTD's

Great range and ability to upgrade them.


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## plowmanben (Feb 7, 2009)

I use a Midland cb. It's not the top of the line but works great, I can usually range up to 5 miles depending on conditions. Here is a link...

http://www.midlandradio.com/CB-Radio.WYQ/1001z


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## metallihockey88 (Dec 12, 2008)

me and my buddy both have cobra 29ltd classics. got them peaked and tuned for like 30 bucks and they work great. clear as day and transmit/recieve from some good distances. they are a little price but i found mine brand new in the box on craigslist for 45 dollars, just gotta keep your eye out. only real drawback is their size, they are pretty big


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## dellwas (Oct 16, 2005)

Using a Uniden 78 (can't think of the letters, and I'm at work). Has Weather band and works quite well. I've got it mated to a Wilson magmount 5000.


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## Landscapes8988 (Oct 17, 2008)

i have been wondering about getting cb's. we service 3 neighboring towns so how well wood they work? they are about 6 miles from eachother at the most


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## doo-man (Feb 22, 2009)

I also have a Cobra its been tweeked with and can reach out and touch someone !!!! You should be fine with a cb out of the box and a properly tuned antenna to reach 6 miles. You get what you pay for in cb's also !!!!


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## Landscapes8988 (Oct 17, 2008)

how do you "tweak" the antennas


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## Pinzgauer (Oct 31, 2007)

Landscapes8988;821456 said:


> how do you "tweak" the antennas


http://www.firestik.com/Tech_Docs/Setting_SWR.htm


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## doo-man (Feb 22, 2009)

If you buy a quality radio you can have the transmit and recieve bumped up usually by 2-3watts more or you could add a linier (spelling) and have lots of power, its like adding an amlifier to your radio !!! Same prinipal as adding an amplifier to your car audio system gets louder and quality is better!!!!!


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## jlouki01 (Sep 21, 2006)

You can go pick up a couple old Nextel phones and turn them on with Boost.. no contract and you get Direct Connect. Beats a CB radio in my opinion. For the price of a good cb radio you can have cell / direct connect service for the winter season. 

I couldn't live without mine since we are now using some of the GPS features Nextel offers. No more " you weren't here at 7am "


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## Turkey (Feb 11, 2005)

Uniden, Ranger and Icom are what I run for radios. The cobra your looking at is the 75WXST. Never personally used one but they'll work just fine for what you're doing. I'd suggest a Wilson Lil' Wil magnet antenna, when not in use you can completely disconnect the entire system with nothing left visible on the truck. Another good option would be the handheld Midland 75-822, can be a hand held or use with vehicle adapters similar to cobra.

I wouldn't suggest "tweeking" the radio power or an amplifier. At the distance you'll be using them at these mods will cause the radios to over power each other.


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## ADLAWNCUTTERS (May 24, 2001)

Don't waste your money on cb's.Weather conditions and distance make them crappy.We have been running uhf two way radios for over twenty years.They work great but to tell you the truth we use our cell phones 90percent of the time.Get cell phones with direct connect.Also there are two many jerks on cb's anyway


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## Turkey (Feb 11, 2005)

If both trucks are in the same lot, I'd agree the cell phone would be a PIA. CB's will be fine for your application. I ran CB's with the guys I subbed for a few years back, worked great. We had a company channel everybody used. If you stay away from channels 6 and 19, and pick a channel between 10 and 30 you'll have the best luck. Less than 10 or greater than 30 you'll pick up "splatter" from the adjacent HAM bands. Channel 6 is generally the big radio DX area, and on 19 you'll get all the highway crap.


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## fisher guy (Nov 11, 2008)

cobra 29 ltd classic here I have mine mated with a Lil Will magnet mount antenna and surprisingly i've had guys hear me as much as 10 miles away on the highway. im not running a permenet mount set up only a cigarette light cord and a lil cheap antenna i love it all im in to it price wise is $130 with no holes drilled anywhere


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## big pusher (Sep 9, 2008)

Connex 4300-300 w/ a Wilson 5000.


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## JeffNY (Dec 19, 2005)

I just picked up 2 cobra 29s and Lil Wil antennas, and im getting about 2 miles. 

Im thinking about switching to a wilson 1000 antenna.


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## stroker79 (Dec 2, 2006)

JeffNY;929691 said:


> I just picked up 2 cobra 29s and Lil Wil antennas, and im getting about 2 miles.
> 
> Im thinking about switching to a wilson 1000 antenna.


I have a wilson 1000 trucker antenna and my radio is peaked and tuned and i get 10-13 miles as best as I can tell. Thats on the highway talking/listing to truckers.


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## Westhardt Corp. (Dec 13, 2009)

Being a trucking company initially, radios are standard in our business. I prefer "big" radios (Galaxy, Ranger, Connex, and several others) but for what you are describing a typical "dime-a-dozen" Cobra will work fine, just listen to what has been said already and run a good antenna (I'm also a big fan of Wilson mag mounts). You can easily get an honest, clean 15 watts from a typical Cobra with minimal work by a good CB tech (and they will work fine in close proximity to each other) but you'd be amazed how far 4 watts will go with a good antenna.

Antennas are like good tires on a race car--all the horsepower in the world means jack squat if you have junk tires. Don't skimp.


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## hockeypro1411 (Dec 13, 2008)

I run a Uniden Pc68XL with dual 5ft. whips. On the highway in ideal conditions, I've gotten about 10 miles or so out of this setup.


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## Westhardt Corp. (Dec 13, 2009)

FYI, if those whips are closer to each other than 8 feet, you're probably losing some performance...


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## santaclause (Jan 11, 2008)

pilot truck stops have cobra 29s for 59.00 bucks I think


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## stroker79 (Dec 2, 2006)

santaclause;930049 said:


> pilot truck stops have cobra 29s for 59.00 bucks I think


I thought you made them?


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## Westhardt Corp. (Dec 13, 2009)

WOW....buy them all and make money on them!


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## JD Bird (Jan 1, 2010)

I prefer either a President Lincoln,made by Uniden,or a HR2510,also made by Uniden.The government banned these radio's and last production was 1998.E-bay will not allow you to sell one of these rigs on there site since there banned by Uncle Sam.They were banned because there Ham Radio,10 meter, easily converted to 11 meter,CB radio.If matched with a good antenna,with good SWR's,and if both operators know how to use this radio on SSB,on a frequency other than "normal 40 channel",8-10 miles apart can be achieved.All that aside,you can't beat nextel!!!! Here's a link:http://cbradiomagazine.com/May 2007/HR2510 Review.htm


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## Dissociative (Feb 28, 2007)

i run a cobra weather radio with a 500watt heater on a wilson 1000...peaked and tuned...all kinds of mods. 

pretty easy to get 50 miles.


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## Gavins Lawncare (Feb 11, 2005)

I have 2 cobra ultra III for sale if anybody is instrested $70 shipped to your door in great shape used maybe 5 time in winter only


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## jzeller4 (Oct 2, 2008)

i run cobra 29 classic's in my truck's and get out about 5 mile with duel whips.


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## dellwas (Oct 16, 2005)

I use a Uniden PC78 Elite with a Wilson 5000 magmount on a F350 Powerstroke. Probably get out about 10 miles. Bought this one as it has Weather channels.


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## DugHD (Nov 1, 2005)

Think mine is a Cobra 25 or 29. What is a good CB that has the weather channel built in to it?


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## StormRanger (Oct 15, 2009)

DugHD;938781 said:


> Think mine is a Cobra 25 or 29. What is a good CB that has the weather channel built in to it?


Weather works good on my Cobra 29NWWXBT


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## DugHD (Nov 1, 2005)

Thanks . is it the letters after the 29 that i am looking for? NWWXBT


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## elite1msmith (Sep 10, 2007)

before the day of the next tel, i tied cheapy 2 way radios, and for working on the same site, they seem to work well for the money. worked really well for side walk crews


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## Westhardt Corp. (Dec 13, 2009)

DugHD;938814 said:


> Thanks . is it the letters after the 29 that i am looking for? NWWXBT


Cobra-isms...

NW = Night Watch (light up/backlit face)
WX = Weather Band
ST = Sound Tracker (improved receiver gain , less noise)

I have a 29NWST with bigger finals (higher power, about 40 watts), and it's a great little backup radio, pretty loud with a powered mike (D104M6 currently).

I would _highly_ recommend for novices a backlit faceplate, especially in this business. Until you know the knobs blind, it is indispensable during "working hours" (read: overnight).

HTH


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## Westhardt Corp. (Dec 13, 2009)

elite1msmith;938827 said:


> before the day of the next tel, i tied cheapy 2 way radios, and for working on the same site, they seem to work well for the money. worked really well for side walk crews


Exactly...and they're cheap, so when they get lost or broken...

(we all know that *never* happens, though)

:laughing:


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## tuna (Nov 2, 2002)

I have a Cobra 75 WXST with a Wilson Lil Will and it works great,Does not have the distance that a big radio has but for truck to truck it works good.


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## mud (Dec 15, 2005)

For truck to truck across a parking lot any cheap radio will work just fine, even with the cheapest mag mount antenna.

Personally I run a cobra 29 with a foot warmer. I have had it for ten years now and it has been in four different trucks and still works great. Before that I had an old John Q president that was probably built before I was born that had been my grandpa's. Worked great for the first four years I had my license and had ok range, then one day it let out a belch of smoke and was dead.


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## Dissociative (Feb 28, 2007)

Cobra-isms...

NW = Night Watch (light up/backlit face)
WX = Weather Band
ST = Sound Tracker (improved receiver gain , less noise)


thats what i run....VERY nice radio,,,,,,changed the dial led to green instead of white.


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## unit28 (Jan 1, 2007)

29 LTD with a firestick and a bearcat scanner works for me.


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## DugHD (Nov 1, 2005)

Westhardt Corp.;938948 said:


> Cobra-isms...
> 
> NW = Night Watch (light up/backlit face)
> WX = Weather Band
> ...


Thank you! I looked at mine today. Its a 29NW?? but no WX. Im going to go get WX.


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## Westhardt Corp. (Dec 13, 2009)

Meh....WX is so 1978...


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## zipp669 (Jan 23, 2001)

i use the cobras from wal mart and the lil wil antennas.


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## DugHD (Nov 1, 2005)

I have a K-40 mag mounted antenna. Is this a good model. Or should I have the little willy like everyone else here. haha


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## Westhardt Corp. (Dec 13, 2009)

Uh....not sure about your willy, but...

No, K-40 mag is OK, It's not the ultimate, but you already have it, so I wouldn't spend money on something else you don't need...


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## DugHD (Nov 1, 2005)

THanks , I appreciate your info.


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## Westhardt Corp. (Dec 13, 2009)

No problem. Also, don't make the mistake of shortening the whip (antenna), as it will really cause problems. I've seen guys do this because the long whip hits things and drives them nuts--yeah, don't do that.


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## DugHD (Nov 1, 2005)

Ya , I cut my whip off 2' because it hit stuff. Then someone told me that was why my cb didnt work well. I bought another whip to put back in the base. I think I need a swr meter to dial it in. I will see if the new cb i am getting has one built in.


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## Westhardt Corp. (Dec 13, 2009)

OK, it should be fairly close, and the SWR "meter" in many radios is not very accurate. As long as the ratio is not off the charts, you'll be ok. Just make sure you calibrate the meter (except for most "big" radios, they self calibrate)--it's in the book.


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