CB Help

[KMSCD]

Friend wants to get a CB for her and hubby's truck (not TDR members - yet!). Its a 2005 2500 CTD club cab swb a/t 4x4. What CB and antenna should she get and where can it be mounted in the truck. Thanks!

 

[JHardwick]

I've got my General Lee dual final radio mounted on the knee bolster, my Palomar foot warmer under the driver side seat, and my Wilson 1000 roof mount smack in the center of the roof ... ... ..... ~425W PEP.



Ranger, General, Magnum, Connex, Galaxy and even Stryker are all very popular radios.

 

[steved]

PM BigBob on a custom mount...

And a Cobra 29 is about the most reliable cost effective radio to buy...

steved

 

[bmoeller]

Since you are in AK, I'd get a REAL radio. Not an off the shelf 4W radio. Although, get a Cobra 29, give it a peak and tune (if it can be done), throw on a Superstar DM452 power mic, it does pretty good. That is what I have in the Ram.

Have a Magnum S6 (Says 45W on the box, mine swings 44 PEP) in the KW. Great radio. The only thing that sucked for me, they came out with the S680 (80W) about 3 weeks later, for the same money. Still have the stock mic, but I'll probably replace it with a Astatic 636L later. Had this one peaked and tuned, and also has the Nitro Knobs.

www.walcottcb.com

Run a single 3' K40 in the center of the headache rack on the Ram, and dual 4' K40 Superflex antennas on the KW.

 

[steved]

Since you are in AK, I'd get a REAL radio. Not an of the shelf Cobra. Although, give it a peak and tune, throw on a power mic, it does pretty good.

/QUOTE]





Umm, for someone who know little about a cb, the Cobra 29s are about the most user friendly (and won't get you into trouble)... a good entry level radio.



I ran a Cobra 29 for a long time before upgrading... my current "barefoot" radio will push between 200 and 250 watts...



steved

 

[bmoeller]

That was my suggestion, given he probably gets out on the middle of nowhere in Alaska, and could maybe use more power at times. A linear would help a small radio.

This ought to be a nice addition. http://cgi.ebay.com/RM-ITALY-KL-60-...hZ020QQcategoryZ48700QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Not to much power to get in too much trouble, and not to expensive.

Oh, and I'd suggest a good external speaker. The stock Cobra speakers really suck, particularly compared to the one on my Magnum.

 

[CRuth]

If all they want to do is chat as they follow each other, any stock cb will work fine.

 

[JHardwick]

Umm, for someone who know little about a cb, the Cobra 29s are about the most user friendly (and won't get you into trouble)... a good entry level radio.



I ran a Cobra 29 for a long time before upgrading... my current "barefoot" radio will push between 200 and 250 watts...



steved

I ran a Cobra 29 on my Palomar for a long time ... ... variable power, echo board etc. But, if they ever get to the point of wanting a little heat, they will have to find a HD amp, or have a variable power installed in the 29. The 29 will only do 20W without clipping limiters and making a "splatter box", but the dead key will need to be lowered to 1 or 2 watts, not 6 or 8 after a 20 watt peak and tune.



All of the radios I listed are just as simple as the Cobra with no internal amp like your 200w radio. Radios with internal amps run hot and are not usually very reliable.



The radios I listed will do 40-60 reliable watts and are easy to operate, plus have variable power to run with a heater and no internal amp. If you lose an external amp, you can still run the barefoot radio.



If you are just running with a buddy, a handheld does just fine. A 4W radio won't make it out of the swamp if your looking for information from the truckers.



As far as antennas go ... ... ... . here is my take, take it or leave. A bad antenna will kill a good radio, and vise verse.



A 102" whip on the ball hitch is a good as it gets for foreward TX, but ugly and cumbersome even on the RR corner of the bumper which will give you foreward/left propogation.



A roof mount (requires drilling a hole), is as good as it gets for omni directional, but a 102" is tool long. A W-1000, K-40 etc will work here.



A magnet mount in the same spot as a roof mount is good, but doesn't ground as good.



A W-1000, K-40 on the head-ache rack would work good, roof mount style, however, is back to a more foreward propogation.



A firestick on a passenger side fender or passenger side bed rail is my least favorite. A continuous wound antenna is darn good, but the glass antenna lacks mounting options good for a ground plane.



Any antenna will use your truck as a ground plane, and the roof is the best ground plane on the truck. a 102" whip plucked down in the center of the roof would be the best you could do.



back quiet in the Suthern Buckeye :-laf

 

[bmoeller]

A 4W radio won't make it out of the swamp if your looking for information from the truckers.

Yep. If you don't have a REAL radio, you generally get ignored, even if needing info for help, as in even finding fuel. Been there, done that. To some, if you don't have a REAL radio, you aren't a REAL driver. Nice guys will help anyways, but the cocky *******s won't.

 

[bmoeller]

I've been on the receiving end of a Cobra 200, and they sound great.

 

[JHardwick]

I've been on the receiving end of a Cobra 200, and they sound great.

I'm not sure who has the Cobra200, but those radios were the 6. 0L of the radio world for awhile.



I think a 4W radio gets ignored because halfway through helping the guy, you lose him back to the swamp.

 

[Grumpytrkr]

Friend wants to get a CB for her and hubby's truck (not TDR members - yet!). Its a 2005 2500 CTD club cab swb a/t 4x4. What CB and antenna should she get and where can it be mounted in the truck. Thanks!

Geno's Garage sells a nice CB mount that requires no drilling. Just loosen up the two bolts for the bottom counsel, and slide this unit in. It will handle about any radio. I'm running a Uniden 76 Pro that has been peaked and tuned by Wallcot CB, and use a Wilson 1000 antenna.



Tell your friend good luck. You will get lots and lots of answers on this.

 

[CBrahs]

I have a Ranger turned up a bit:-laf . works pretty good, just need to install it in this truck.