CB Radio

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[color=#00BF40]I really do not care for my CB very much at all. I have made the decision to replace it with something else. Anybody have any input on this subject? Exports, SSB, Pill Boxes, MosFet vs BiPolor Finals, Straight up 11 meter rig?[/color]

[Desert Dog]

A good CB like a Cobra 29 (if you have the room) or Uniden Pro (if you don't), with tune and Mosfet finals is all you will ever need for wheeling. Even with that, 99% of jeepers will not be able to respond outside of their 4-5w range.

I also have a modded VHF FM radio that has some awesome range, but useless for communicating on the trail because I am the only one with one. But I can make emergency calls and tune in to race frequencies at the hammers

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="desert dog"]A good CB like a Cobra 29 (if you have the room) or Uniden Pro (if you don't), with tune and Mosfet finals is all you will ever need for wheeling. Even with that, 99% of jeepers will not be able to respond outside of their 4-5w range.

I also have a modded VHF FM radio that has some awesome range, but useless for communicating on the trail because I am the only one with one. But I can make emergency calls and tune in to race frequencies at the hammers [/quote]

[color=#00BF40]What are you running for the VHF FM? The Cobra 29 of today is different from when they used to have Uniden chassis. Read this:[/color]

[b]NEW INFORMATION ON THE COBRA 148 NW ST.
[/b]
"Cobra has really shot themselves in the foot with this new radio, why you ask? I'm getting to that but first let me say that Cobra has been the industry leader in producing good quality CB radio's down through the years, there was the great line of Mobil "AM" radios such as the 25LTD, 29LTD. Their Sideband radios such as the 146, 148 gtl and 2000 were superb, they were stable and a radio you could be proud of.

The first thing that happened to Cobra was that Uniden wanted to raise the price on there PC boards, Cobra did not like this so they got some other company to make there boards cheeper! The first thing that happened was that they started using 1/6 Th. watt resistors throughout the whole radio, don't know how many radios failed in the field because of this, I had several myself that had a failure of several resistors that had previously been 1/2 watt. Of course this is all history, they fixed that problem.

Now we have this new radio, the 148 NW ST, It looks real pretty at night. I had a customer send me a 148 NW ST for peaking and tuning for better receive and transmit. So before doing anything else, I hooked it up to my antenna to get some radio checks, well, AM was OK, nothing to write hone about but clear and clean. Then I went to Sideband, now people say they can't "clarify" me in, What! So I tried some others on the band with the same results, can't clarify me! So I'm thinking maybe my oscillators are off frequency so I check them and find that they are a little off so I align them. This time is the same as the last, they can't clarify me!

So I really got concerned! After checking the oscilator frequencies I find that they change when I modulate! What the Hell! they are not supposed to change, they are supposed to be rock solid! I placed a volt meter on several test points and found that the voltage to the oscillators is changing with modulation! So I start looking for the reason for this and ran into the cause right away.

The new units don't have the MB3756 Voltage Regulator, They have decided to further cheapen the radio by doing away with it! and installed a 3 pin voltage regulator in its place with a series resistor on the 8 volt pin, on the input pin there is no voltage drop, on the output pin there is. "

[color=#00BF40]All of this makes me want to scream. The C29 has buku problems pertaining to the 1/6w resistors in todays models.. If I got one of those I would have to send it to some "Golden Screwdriver" and have it peaked and modded. That leaves the money equasion. Should I just go ahead with a Big Box Galaxy, RCI, Connex, or Stryder. I want a good set. I am just tired of siffting through the BS. I'll go 10 meter if I have to, but I do not want a splatterbox. Heck I will take the amateur HAM test and go legal but it still does not solve my what do I get problem. If I could get a straight up 11 meter that has a pill box and was clean I would go that route for the Jeep. SSB intrigues me. I like the idea of getting out there on the troposphere.[/color]

[CJNewbie]

I have the Uniden Pro520XL and had my antenna tuned at Jericho. He did it all for a good price plus put in the external speaker for more volume while driving in the noisy jeep. I am very please with how this small unit performs. It is not like your smaller 4-5watt units it is pumping out 7-8watts. I would recommend this to anyone that wants a trail radio.

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="CJNewbie"]I have the Uniden Pro520XL and had my antenna tuned at Jericho. He did it all for a good price plus put in the external speaker for more volume while driving in the noisy jeep. I am very please with how this small unit performs. It is not like your smaller 4-5watt units it is pumping out 7-8watts. I would recommend this to anyone that wants a trail radio.[/quote]

[color=#00BF40]I will look into your choice. I went to Jericho yesterday (as I have when he was on the other side of 99) and looked at some of his rigs. He is a nice guy and does good work. There is only one problem with that guy, He is beyond expensive. Exp: A Mirage MX 36 HP $330.00+tax. You can buy these units all day long for under two hundred dollars peaked and tweaked. RCI63FFC2 $550.00+tax, under three hundred almost everywhere etc. I like that guy but not that much. I have been looking at a modded Cobra 29 LX LE, but even with the mod it may be difficult for some added basics like a roger beep and/or echo board. [/color]

[Goatman]

I had Jericho tweak my CB radio, even though I didn't buy it there.

I have a CB in the XJ, and I'm adding a VHF. VHF is the only way to go, not much more than a CB and much superior, we just need more folks to move over to VHF, which will gradually happen. I only run VHF in the buggy, since all the buggy guys only run VHF, no one has a CB anymore.

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="Goatman"]I had Jericho tweak my CB radio, even though I didn't buy it there.

I have a CB in the XJ, and I'm adding a VHF. VHF is the only way to go, not much more than a CB and much superior, we just need more folks to move over to VHF, which will gradually happen. I only run VHF in the buggy, since all the buggy guys only run VHF, no one has a CB anymore.[/quote]
[color=#00BF40]So what VHF are you going for. That is the delima. As soon as you go SSB with 11 meter capability there is a lot of bleed into other channels ala splatterbox. I have been considering a couple of models. The Ranger (RCI), Galaxy and Connex. So far I think the Galaxy has most of my attention. It is a nice unit and pretty stable. I went ahead and purchased a Galaxy DX-98 VHP AM/SSB 10 Meter Transceiver . It is pretty tech. Just for the CBness of it all I decided to go with a modded Cobra 29LXLE also. When one is not bolted into the Jeep I can use it as a base. I have a good power supply for a base. I think the Galaxy 98 is going to be an awesome machine. I ordered one from Sparky's CB Shack online. They do the "tune and tweak" before sending them out. I did my homework. [/color]

[Goatman]

I use a Yeasu FT2900. Huge heat sinks for cooling rather than a fan like some radios have, 75w, and less than $200. You have to do a simple mod to be able to broadcast on the business band frequencies that we use. We don't ever use the ham frequencies, so we don't get a license. No license is needed for the business band frequencies that we use.

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="Goatman"]I use a Yeasu FT2900. Huge heat sinks for cooling rather than a fan like some radios have, 75w, and less than $200. You have to do a simple mod to be able to broadcast on the business band frequencies that we use. We don't ever use the ham frequencies, so we don't get a license. No license is needed for the business band frequencies that we use.[/quote]

[color=#00BF40]The Yeasu FT2900 is a nice rig and at 75w it will get the job done. That rig has automatic CTCSS for opening up the repeaters too. Many owners of that rig open them up and desolder a pad on the front board which opens up buku more freqs. It is probably the easiest mod I have seen in any radio. Is this the simple mod you speak to? I have taken the Technician HAM practice test (a bunch of times) and always seem to pass it in the comfort of my home. So on the 13th I am going to go take the real exam and attempt to get a license :[/color] [color=#BF0040]01/13/2012 | Bakersfield CA 93305-4124
Sponsor: Kern County Central Valley ARC
Location: Kern County Veterans Hall
Time: 6:30 PM (Walk-ins allowed) [/color]

[color=#00BF40]If I pass I might go for a General or Extra Amateur just for the heck of it. Could be hooked up with VHF by Hammertime.[/color]

[Goatman]

[quote="Lime_Green_Rubi"][quote="Goatman"]I use a Yeasu FT2900. Huge heat sinks for cooling rather than a fan like some radios have, 75w, and less than $200. You have to do a simple mod to be able to broadcast on the business band frequencies that we use. We don't ever use the ham frequencies, so we don't get a license. No license is needed for the business band frequencies that we use.[/quote]

[color=#00BF40]The Yeasu FT2900 is a nice rig and at 75w it will get the job done. That rig has automatic CTCSS for opening up the repeaters too. Many owners of that rig open them up and desolder a pad on the front board which opens up buku more freqs. It is probably the easiest mod I have seen in any radio. Is this the simple mod you speak to? I have taken the Technician HAM practice test (a bunch of times) and always seem to pass it in the comfort of my home. So on the 13th I am going to go take the real exam and attempt to get a license :[/color] [color=#BF0040]01/13/2012 | Bakersfield CA 93305-4124
Sponsor: Kern County Central Valley ARC
Location: Kern County Veterans Hall
Time: 6:30 PM (Walk-ins allowed) [/color]

[color=#00BF40]If I pass I might go for a General or Extra Amateur just for the heck of it. Could be hooked up with VHF by Hammertime.[/color][/quote]


Yeah, that's the mod we did. DD has the same radio and we did the mod to his. Any HAM radio needs the frequency mod to be able to broadcast on the business band frequencies, and each radio is different. The mod on the FT2900 is pretty easy. Some of the buggy guys run Icom's, which are really easy to mod by switching a switch inside the radio, but I hear they can have a problem with the cooling fan. The FT2900 looks like a pretty rugged radio. A simple search can show how to do the frequency mod on any radio.

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="Goatman"][quote="Lime_Green_Rubi"][quote="Goatman"]I use a Yeasu FT2900. Huge heat sinks for cooling rather than a fan like some radios have, 75w, and less than $200. You have to do a simple mod to be able to broadcast on the business band frequencies that we use. We don't ever use the ham frequencies, so we don't get a license. No license is needed for the business band frequencies that we use.[/quote]

[color=#00BF40]The Yeasu FT2900 is a nice rig and at 75w it will get the job done. That rig has automatic CTCSS for opening up the repeaters too. Many owners of that rig open them up and desolder a pad on the front board which opens up buku more freqs. It is probably the easiest mod I have seen in any radio. Is this the simple mod you speak to? I have taken the Technician HAM practice test (a bunch of times) and always seem to pass it in the comfort of my home. So on the 13th I am going to go take the real exam and attempt to get a license :[/color] [color=#BF0040]01/13/2012 | Bakersfield CA 93305-4124
Sponsor: Kern County Central Valley ARC
Location: Kern County Veterans Hall
Time: 6:30 PM (Walk-ins allowed) [/color]

[color=#00BF40]If I pass I might go for a General or Extra Amateur just for the heck of it. Could be hooked up with VHF by Hammertime.[/color][/quote]


Yeah, that's the mod we did. DD has the same radio and we did the mod to his. Any HAM radio needs the frequency mod to be able to broadcast on the business band frequencies, and each radio is different. The mod on the FT2900 is pretty easy. Some of the buggy guys run Icom's, which are really easy to mod by switching a switch inside the radio, but I hear they can have a problem with the cooling fan. The FT2900 looks like a pretty rugged radio. A simple search can show how to do the frequency mod on any radio.[/quote]

[color=#00BF40]That is an excellent choice in radio's. They are rugged, dependable with a stock high output and inexpensive. Many 11 meter radio's cost much more after you do the mods and then all you get is an 11 meter radio.[/color]

[Desert Dog]

Yep, as Goatman said, I have a Yeasu FT2900. At the 75w setting, that thing gets HOTTTTT, so you can't run on that setting constantly IMO. I have not used it much, removed it this weekend and plan on remounting it in a different location and having everything dialed in before the hammers. But it seems like a great radio and the mod that G&G did works great. Richard is the only one in our group besides me that has one, so its probably not going to get used a lot.

On the CB side, I think you are over-complicating things a bit for an off-road CB. On the trail, normally in canyons, crevices, hills, depressions, valleys, or forests, line of sight is always bad and the group is usually close together anyway. Even with a "souped up" CB, most of the group will have the cheapest radio they could buy with no tuning or SWR check done at all, so your hyped up radio is no help in communicating with the group when you are the lone voice in the wilderness. On the drive to the trail, we generally caravan and stay close enough to talk to each other on a $15 radio shack CB pushing 3w. If you are a tech guy (like I am) and just like to have a bad ass CB for the cool factor or to shoot the shit when you get bored of listening to music on the highway, then go for it. But, really, on the trail, its just to tell the jeep 50 ft behind you that you need a strap or tell the guy in front of you that his rear dif is hung up, or to tell a Trevor joke

That is the first I have heard of the 29 quality going downhill. My 29 is about 10 years old and has always functioned great. I was considering getting a new one with illumination (for all the night runs we do) and moving my old 29 to my truck, but it looks like I may have to do a little more research now.

You are right about Jerico. He does great work and is a nice guy, but his prices on equipment are highway robbery; often 50% above retail.

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="desert dog"]Yep, as Goatman said, I have a Yeasu FT2900. At the 75w setting, that thing gets HOTTTTT, so you can't run on that setting constantly IMO. I have not used it much, removed it this weekend and plan on remounting it in a different location and having everything dialed in before the hammers. But it seems like a great radio and the mod that G&G did works great. Richard is the only one in our group besides me that has one, so its probably not going to get used a lot.

On the CB side, I think you are over-complicating things a bit for an off-road CB. On the trail, normally in canyons, crevices, hills, depressions, valleys, or forests, line of sight is always bad and the group is usually close together anyway. Even with a "souped up" CB, most of the group will have the cheapest radio they could buy with no tuning or SWR check done at all, so your hyped up radio is no help in communicating with the group when you are the lone voice in the wilderness. On the drive to the trail, we generally caravan and stay close enough to talk to each other on a $15 radio shack CB pushing 3w. If you are a tech guy (like I am) and just like to have a bad ass CB for the cool factor or to shoot the shit when you get bored of listening to music on the highway, then go for it. But, really, on the trail, its just to tell the jeep 50 ft behind you that you need a strap or tell the guy in front of you that his rear dif is hung up, or to tell a Trevor joke

That is the first I have heard of the 29 quality going downhill. My 29 is about 10 years old and has always functioned great. I was considering getting a new one with illumination (for all the night runs we do) and moving my old 29 to my truck, but it looks like I may have to do a little more research now.

You are right about Jerico. He does great work and is a nice guy, but his prices on equipment are highway robbery; often 50% above retail.[/quote]

[color=#00BF40]I agree with you about what is needed for the trail. I just can't help myself. I like playing with radios besides on the trail. I am working on building an inverted "V" ) with dipoles in my backyard supplemented with a Yagi or two right now. I am still trying to figure out how to make it look like it is not there and I am open to all suggestions. I have been looking at the Palstar AT4K 2500w tuner, being able to switch between operational antennas and manually adjusting impedance from inside the house. I am going to make twin brackets in the Jeep overhead so I can switch out machines on occasion. A good example would be at the Hammers. I would run my Galaxy DX98 VHP then there would be three of us! The finals on that thing are 300w just with a tune. Other than something like that I would run the Cobra 29 LX. It really is a neat looking 11 meter. They did a good job with this one. With a straight tune and no extras it will accurately put out 8w. Of course this varies from machine to machine. I am not going to get carried away with any 3 pill boxes in my Jeep. I would have to have many power supply mods, although it does sound intriguing.......Naaaaw won't do that....but maybe if I........Nope, nope banish the thought............[/color]

[Loki XJ]

[quote="desert dog"]

On the CB side, I think you are over-complicating things a bit for an off-road CB. On the trail, normally in canyons, crevices, hills, depressions, valleys, or forests, line of sight is always bad and the group is usually close together anyway. Even with a "souped up" CB, most of the group will have the cheapest radio they could buy with no tuning or SWR check done at all, so your hyped up radio is no help in communicating with the group when you are the lone voice in the wilderness. On the drive to the trail, we generally caravan and stay close enough to talk to each other on a $15 radio shack CB pushing 3w. If you are a tech guy (like I am) and just like to have a bad ass CB for the cool factor or to shoot the shit when you get bored of listening to music on the highway, then go for it. But, really, on the trail, its just to tell the jeep 50 ft behind you that you need a strap or tell the guy in front of you that his rear dif is hung up, or to tell a Trevor joke

[/quote]

This is exactly how I looked at it, I only need a CB for keeping in touch between rigs.
I actually bought a midland 75-822 which is a handheld that converts to a solid mount by simply removing the battery pack and sliding on the power/antenna adaptor. Depending on how much they cost I may get my antenna tuned up by jehrico.

Only accessory I plan to buy is a lil will to increase my range

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="Mikeys_cougar"][quote="desert dog"]

On the CB side, I think you are over-complicating things a bit for an off-road CB. On the trail, normally in canyons, crevices, hills, depressions, valleys, or forests, line of sight is always bad and the group is usually close together anyway. Even with a "souped up" CB, most of the group will have the cheapest radio they could buy with no tuning or SWR check done at all, so your hyped up radio is no help in communicating with the group when you are the lone voice in the wilderness. On the drive to the trail, we generally caravan and stay close enough to talk to each other on a $15 radio shack CB pushing 3w. If you are a tech guy (like I am) and just like to have a bad ass CB for the cool factor or to shoot the shit when you get bored of listening to music on the highway, then go for it. But, really, on the trail, its just to tell the jeep 50 ft behind you that you need a strap or tell the guy in front of you that his rear dif is hung up, or to tell a Trevor joke

[/quote]

This is exactly how I looked at it, I only need a CB for keeping in touch between rigs.
I actually bought a midland 75-822 which is a handheld that converts to a solid mount by simply removing the battery pack and sliding on the power/antenna adaptor. Depending on how much they cost I may get my antenna tuned up by jehrico.

Only accessory I plan to buy is a lil will to increase my range[/quote]


[color=#00BF40]Yes, yes, I am pulling out the stops. I have several radio's. Galaxy DX98VHP is bad ass, Cobra 29LE rfX 75 is more than anybody needs for AM, Uniden BC 680 is small but mighty and the most perfectly suited to the rigors of off road driving. Yet, I am going for it. Next on the list is either the iCom 7000 or most likely the Yaesu FT-897D All-Mode HF thru UHF Transceiver AM-FM-CW-USB-LSB . When I am not talking to the other jeeps one hundred (100) yards away, I like to DX just for the fun of it. I often pull the Jeep out into the driveway and monitor USB or LSB just to see who I can pick up. During daylight hours I sometimes hear things over a thousand miles away. Just another form of entertainment. I am a member of a local club and the members are as enthusiastic about radio's as we are about our off road vehicles. It is nice to be able to combine both aspects.
[/color]

[REDxj5150]

All of these acronyms just confuse the hell out of me. I'd like to add a question to this...

I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-18WXSTII-Mo ... 19&sr=8-17

and an antenna and cable from radioshack. Is there any benefit to getting a better antenna and cable? Usually my system is pretty clear, but at the Ball/Chain run i was having trouble understanding about 50% of the rigs. Point me to some specific brands, or homegrown techniques to tuning it in so i don't have to pay someone.

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="REDxj5150"]All of these acronyms just confuse the hell out of me. I'd like to add a question to this...

I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-18WXSTII-Mo ... 19&sr=8-17

and an antenna and cable from radioshack. Is there any benefit to getting a better antenna and cable? Usually my system is pretty clear, but at the Ball/Chain run i was having trouble understanding about 50% of the rigs. Point me to some specific brands, or homegrown techniques to tuning it in so i don't have to pay someone.[/quote]

[color=#00BF40]The radio you choose is about 20% of the rig. Antennas and the wire that connects them to the rig are the most important for sending and receiving a loud and clear signal. The eleven meter , AM, CB band radio's are limited to four (4) watts output by law. Almost any radio when the finals are tuned will give you a Peak Emission Power (PEP) five (5) to ten (10) times that amount. Many CBer's run a pill box, aka; linear amplifier to be able to reach out and touch someone. In my opinion that is pretty cool but now you have to be able to supply it enough DC power to make it all work. If you go past a 1Kw amp you will best have a high output alternator. A side note is that if you run a pill box the output section (finals) on your chosen machine have to be tweaked way down to around one (1) watt output so the foot warmer (amp) does not amplify an over driven and distorted signal. For trail use and all around just knocking around a CB machine like the one you listed is fine if you have good wire, antenna and a great mic. The "Astatic mic's are a good choice along with the SkyThumper mic's" the mic's that come with almost all of the machines are junk. If you have the room I like the Cobra 29 LX with the rfx 75 mod. This will give you one hundred (100) watts PEP on a otherwise stock looking unit. It has the same circuit board as the various Cobra 146 GTL/LTD models (the old models rock, not so much the new one's) wich are the most popular, except this one has an all digital face and a metal case (which is good). The unit you are looking at has a plastic case (this is bad). If I were going small, I would get (and have) the Uniden Bearcat BC 680, it is a much, much better unit then the Cobra model in your post. Now antennas. Firestiks work great, the Wilson Lil' Will is a good choice if you want to run power. The best but most obnoxious especially for off roading is a full wave stainless steel whip. Very rugged. It can hit the trees and other things without breaking. when not in use you can tie it down. A coax antenna wire with mount is the way to go. As long as there is no way for moisture to get into the shielding you are good to go. One more thing about antennas. There is the phenomenon that is called Standing Wave Ratio (SWR). This a ratio of impedance from the antenna in relation to the transmitter. This ratio is expressed as 1:1 (the best) to 1:5 which can do damage to the finals of your machine. Tuning your antenna for the desirable 1:1 ratio is accomplished several ways. The worse the ratio, the more signal loss by virtue of your output power reflecting back into the transmitter finals. Hard on the machine and distorts the output signal that manages to make it out you antenna. Many machines have SWR meters built into the front panels. Many do not. If they do not, you have to put a SWR meter inline with the antenna and the radio output and "keydown" to see where you are with the SWR ratio. These SWR meters are cheap. You can buy a real good one and tune everybody else's radio or just get one that will do the job. When you are done tuning you remove the SWR meter. It is just used for calibration. Ultimately you are trying to make the antenna and feed wire's [u]electrical length[/u] divide evenly to the wave length (in your case eleven (11) meters). The Firestik's have an adjustment rod on the tip of the antenna that you extend or retract for this adjustment, other antenna's like the SS antenna you would just snip off a fraction of an inch at a time until you have the electrical length correct. Pretty easy but wordy to explain. Hope all of this helps you. Before you go out and do the deed, you might want to consider a couple of different choices of machines that I have that are new and I will eventually sell for less than what I bought them. At the very least after you have a satisfactory antenna set up we could plug different machines in so you could see and hear the difference. Choices are good. I am increasing my Freq capabilities with an ultra bad motor scooter of a radio. If you need help with any of your decisions do not hesitate to bring everything over and let's hook it up...
[/color]

[REDxj5150]

Do you have an SWR calibration meter? I was reading good things last night on a Wilson antenna with a low SWR of 1.2:1. That reading was on channel 4. Channel 20 was 1.1:1. I'm going to change the antenna and tune it. I realize there's way better radios than mine, but the one I have works fine for the range that we communicate with each other.

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="REDxj5150"]Do you have an SWR calibration meter? I was reading good things last night on a Wilson antenna with a low SWR of 1.2:1. That reading was on channel 4. Channel 20 was 1.1:1. I'm going to change the antenna and tune it. I realize there's way better radios than mine, but the one I have works fine for the range that we communicate with each other.[/quote]

[color=#00BF40]All of my machines have the SWR meter built into the unit. Of course the radio you have is good enough for the purpose you intend to use it. Anything below 1:2.5 is going to work, just not as good as 1:1. Ch. 20 is in the middle of the band so 1:1 is appropriate. you would have to have an on board antenna tuner to do any better than you have now SWR calibration meters are cheap and a nice thing to have in the tool box.[/color]

[Loki XJ]

Just picked up my own CB today, I got a hand held midland 75-822 Its a 2-1 setup, I can take the batt pack off and slide on the cigg adaptor and alli have to do is connect the whip antenna and it's like a fixed CB...
[img]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e88/sik05civic/d96ab90a.jpg[/img]

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="Mikeys_cougar"]Just picked up my own CB today, I got a hand held midland 75-822 Its a 2-1 setup, I can take the batt pack off and slide on the cigg adaptor and alli have to do is connect the whip antenna and it's like a fixed CB...
[img]http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e88/sik05civic/d96ab90a.jpg[/img][/quote]


[color=#00BF40]I have a Cobra Wx 75 that I ran for two years. It is a small all in the mic CB.. No performance and I thought somewhat of a PITA. I liked the small part. So now it can be small on my workbench. What I like about the one you are showing is that you can walk away from the vehicle with it. That's pretty cool.[/color]

[Desert Dog]

[quote="REDxj5150"]Do you have an SWR calibration meter? I was reading good things last night on a Wilson antenna with a low SWR of 1.2:1. That reading was on channel 4. Channel 20 was 1.1:1. I'm going to change the antenna and tune it. I realize there's way better radios than mine, but the one I have works fine for the range that we communicate with each other.[/quote]
I have an SWR meter you can use. I have found that the meters built into most CBs are not accurate. PM me and you can come by any time.

[REDxj5150]

Thanks chris. I'll message you after i pick up a new antenna in a few days.

[chrisrigby]

s oyou guys seem very knowlegable with communication. i have a team that in augest is doing an ultra distance bicycle race. this is a team event and we are trying to figure out good reliable vehicle to vehicle communication without breaking the bank. basically we need about 10 (probably much less) miles max communication 3-4 being normal thats reliable through the ricky land of utah and dosnt have a million people on our frequency. can somone please take me to school here on whats what in the com world

[Lime_Green_Rubi]

[quote="chrisrigby"]s oyou guys seem very knowlegable with communication. i have a team that in augest is doing an ultra distance bicycle race. this is a team event and we are trying to figure out good reliable vehicle to vehicle communication without breaking the bank. basically we need about 10 (probably much less) miles max communication 3-4 being normal thats reliable through the ricky land of utah and dosnt have a million people on our frequency. can somone please take me to school here on whats what in the com world[/quote]


[color=#008040]10 miles is a lot for AM. I would suggest some very basic CB's (Uniden)and a 1Kw amp out a Firestick. Probably the cheapest way to go is that walkie talkie feature they have on cell phones, I would check who has what in that part of the country. Big telephone has a tendency to build repeaters all over the place.[/color]