Ford Powerstroke Diesel Forum banner

Which CB?

2K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  bigcountrysg 
#1 ·
I'm planning a cross country vacation with the fam damily and was wondering which would be a good buy for a CB radio. Any input would be appreciated. :confused:
 
#4 ·
If your just looking for a basic cb radio. I suggest a uniden ltd 29 classic. This radio and a k40 magnet mount antenna would be perfect for your needs. If you do not want a magnet mount then get a k40 fiberglass and mount it on your mirror.

Just make sure you get the radio and antenna matched. I suggest having this done by a radio shop.
 
#9 ·
CB RADIO

I run a Galaxy with a whip antenna.I try to stay away from fiberglass.They work good but they do not take abuse too well
 
#10 ·
i have a Uniden Bearcat 78 Elite, nice unit...i bought it while it had a $40 rebate on it....so i actually paid like $80 for a real nice unit and its new!

if you buy one, OEM site, i found my rebate their, the rebate made the deal over top for me.

also i use a 102 stell whip...gets good reception and 1.2 SWR...
 
#11 ·
I run an rci 6300ft with a 102 inch whip mounted on my bedside. I have 1to1 match with the engine off. With engine running I have 1.2to1.5 match. I love my setup. But like I said in my first post. If your just wanting a good radio to get road info on from the truckers then get a 29ltd classic or 25ltd both are good radios and both will work for what you need. Now if your getting into cb radios and you want to drop some money down. Then get a galaxy 99 or rci 2950, rci 2970, or like I have an rci 6300ft. Those are setup for serious talkers.
 
#12 ·
are those 10m radios not true CBs? what is a good info source. I have an old school CB, but would like some info on SSB and whether or not it is used........hard to make a decision, I would drop somewhere around 200 I think, not including antenna..
 
#17 ·
ssb is used. But unless your on it alot and talking and making friends. There really is no need to have ssb. I have ssb because of the farm. It was cheaper to run ssb capable radios then buying fm radios and having our own radio freq.

If your budget is 200 for the radio and then what ever for the antenna. Well you can get a Wilson 1000 or K40 for about 75 dollars. Radio You can get a Uniden 29ltd classic for about 100 dollars. You have it peaked and tuned. You would have about 150 wrapped up into the radio. If I was just wanting to have a radio in my truck this is the way I would go.
 
#13 ·
cb

12 volt electronics or premiere electronics both have web sites and good info on radios
 
#14 ·
Even though I may be new here. I am not new to the world of mobile communication. I have 3 years of over the road driving experience and 8 years of local and regional work. If you want to get serious about chatting on the road, I will suggest a good Cobra 29 or Uniden PC76. Uniden make the circuit boards for Cobra, so you can be assured of the quality and they are normally cheaper. Get a very good noise canceling mic, like Astatic. Have the radio looked at in a reputable CB shop. I would suggest peak & tune and a mod kit. Then get a good antenna. I suggest the Lil Wil by Wilson. I also recomend a some type of an external speaker installed near your ears. This is a lot of work to install properly and a lot of money.


But, you said you were wanting to use it for a family cross country vacation. With that information I will change my suggestion. Scrap the idea of having a radio in your truck. To get any use out of a radio you will have to have it turned up loud enough to ear everything. That means everyone else in the truck is going to have to listen to the radio as well. No movies for the kids and nor relaxing CDs for the misses. If you are not familiar with the CB lingo, you run the risk of getting laughed off the air or not getting any replies at all. And anytime you get near a truck stop the language that can be heard is most defiantly not PG. And the cost of a good starter radio like I mentioned above is cost prohibitive. A small Cobra 19 is a diecent radio, if you give it a good mic. I will still reccomend the Lil Wil antenna. The 19 can run very well off of a cigar plug. And it is very small. But, you still have the noise factor. I hate to give you bad news like that. But, I know your wife will thank me.

I have personally spent a lot more on radio equipment over the years. But, I used it every day for years. And for the last couple years, I very rarely even turned the radio on. I got tired of all the trash talk. My wife never let me run it when she rode in the truck with me. I had an XM radio in my truck, and could have never been happier. I hope this info helps.
 
#15 ·
cb

I am going to agree with wreckmaster if this is a family trip you are not going to be using that much so I wouldn't spend alot on it.I run mine with the squelch high so I can catch strong signals in case there is an accident or a traffic jam or something I need to know about in time to get around it or maybe to get some directions around a problem area.Other than that there are times you are just gonna shut it off especially around big cities or truck stops.They get kinda rude ,crude and obnoxtious.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top