Cb Radio Yeeeeehaaaa!

[twanked~ls 10+ year member]

i really want a cb radio in my car since im on the highway alot. just wondering if anyone suggests a nice cb or knows about installing them. i want to get a big 62" whip antenna too. like the duke boys haha. i live in the country and we dont have cell phones yet

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[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

Uniden or Cobra's higher end units are worthwhile. Although modifying 10-meter ham radios will give you more power, and the audio quality is often times better than "export" CB radios. I use an Icom two-way radio that I modified for covering the CB band (simple as cutting a diode on the circuit board)...the antenna is a 102" full-size whip off the rear quarterpanel. Depending on terrain, I get about 15-20 miles.

The antenna is really the key. Get the biggest **** one you can fit, and mount it on a metal part of the vehicle. Drilling a hole is the best way to mount an antenna, I've never been a fan of "mag-mount" antennas, especially for CB. Not only do they scratch the paint and collect moisture, but they don't provide a good RF ground at CB frequencies.

 

[twanked~ls 10+ year member]

i was looking at a 62" whip. magnet mount for my car but im defietly not drilling a hole in my trunk. also what is ;ham" and how do you get more watts out of a cb

 

[05fronty 5,000+ posts]

you just want one so you can tell everyone else you have no panties on. also you want to look for some lot lizards

 

[JimJ 5,000+ posts]

OK...do you have a place you can bolt an antenna to on the underside of the vehicle? I've seen people bolt brackets to the underside of the bumper or frame, and mount an antenna off that.

If it's a trunked car we're talking about, mounting a whip on the edge of the trunk is the next best option. You'd only have to put three screws into the metal, and it wouldn't be visible from the outside. This is what the police do for their low-band antennas.

If you're really committed on a mag mount, fine...just know that they have a tendency to scratch paint, collect water and moisture underneath them, and be prepared to replace coax every few years as opening and closing the door tends to kink and damage the feedline.

also what is ;ham"

Ham (or amateur) radio is a licensed radio service, like CB but it allows you to do a lot more - use a lot more power, talk a lot farther. There's an amateur radio band on 10 meters, just above the unlicensed CB channels...so most radios built for amateur use can be easily modified to drop down into the CB band.

and how do you get more watts out of a cb

You can't, unless you use an external amplifier.

 

[twanked~ls 10+ year member]

cool im definetly going to not drill holes. ill just get a mag mount and put a piece of cloth between the car and the magnet. im still investigating the radios. also did you say somthing like you cant get every channel with a regular cb?

 

[twanked~ls 10+ year member]

i dont know of a good basic cb. im not a trucker or anything just want somthing that works.

 

[1badimport 10+ year member]

You can't, unless you use an external amplifier.

Just about any CB can be peaked out on power. No need for an external unless you just want one. Radios very anywhere from 11 watts stock output to 200 (modified of course). Galaxy, Connex, Ranger, Stryker and General all make great 10 meter radios that can be converted and peaked. Cobra and Uniden make the some of the most reliable radios that don't require any mods to work great and last. As far as channels go, all CB's made in the last 25 years or so have the basic 40 channels. Then you have radios with side band channels (Cobra 148, Galaxy 959, etc) Then you have the 10 meter radios after converted have multiple bands (A thru E) with 40 channels on each band, plus some radios have a 10k up switch which then gives you half channels. If your just looking to keep up with truckers and cops, a basic radio will do. Any of the extra channels, you only be able to talk to someone you wanted to have a private convo. with ..

 

[SilverSquared 10+ year member]

Cobra 29 LTD Classic. One of the best out there.

I built a few of them, and they were bad ass. I'd like to have another, but no one around talks on them anymore.

 

[1badimport 10+ year member]

I probably sale more 29's then any other radio. Their bullet proof for a basic radio.

 

[dvrmstrng 5,000+ posts]

what do cops talk about anyway

 

[1badimport 10+ year member]

nothing really. Around here they jack with truckers and act like another pavement pounder. Ch. 9 is the national emergency ch.

 

[dvrmstrng 5,000+ posts]

they jack with truckers and like another pavement pounder

what does that mean

 

[1badimport 10+ year member]

B.S. , start fights, try to catch them doing something illegal.

 

[matrxx dude 5,000+ posts]

dont put a piece of cloth between thev magnet and the car=no ground,and yes most any cb can be tuned up and get more watts out of it, i prefer connex,general,magnum.i was and still am in this buisness for over 15 years.thnks jon.