CB Radios - Does size really matter?

[aslostasyou]

Looking to fit a small CB into the Diesel Liberty as space is scarce inside the cab and I'm looking at one of these:

http://www.emartinc.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=220 or something the like.http://www.buy.com/prod/cobra-19dxiv-40-channel-compact-cb-radio/q/loc/66357/90144327.html

My question is - Can you really get decent transmit/receive with one of these? Tuning the antenna and SWR is a must I know but even given those two variables can one of these little cheap units really go the distance?

I want to save space but if saving space means I won't get any longevity out of it there really is no point.

On another off-topic - I'm looking for a nice compact HAM as well. Gonna take my test soon and would be open to suggestions.

Tks,

- JPM

 

[Cypher]

I'd look into the Cobra 75 WXST all in handset CB radio. I have one in the Frontier and another in the FJ. They work great, save space, and I love them... I have consistently gotten 10 miles of range with them. One day I even got about 12 miles. Remember this when setting your system up: a crappy CB radio and a great CB antenna is far better than a great CB radio and a crappy antenna. That being said I use a Wilson Little Wil magnet mount antenna on both vehicles and highly recommend it. It is the best antenna for the money. I am getting ready to upgrade the antenna on the Frontier to a Wilson 5000, which is about double the price of the Little Wil, just for a little more range. You can't go wrong with Wilson antennas.

Cobra 75WXST:
http://www.cobra.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=314&category_ID=30

Also the install of your CB makes a HUGE difference in performance. As you mentioned, tuning your antenna to the vehicle is important. Providing the radio with the cleanest power (straight from the batter is best) and good ground also go a long way. The mounting location of the antenna also plays into the performance. You want the antenna as high as possible and located in such a way that you produce the largest ground plane possible for the antenna. Thus, the top and center of the roof is best. If you mount your antenna say at the rear corner of the vehicle you will get excellent range in the direction across the roof and poor range in a rearward facing direction since there is little to no ground plane under the antenna.

Hope this helps...

 

[theksmith]

the correct install of good wiring and good antenna willl make more difference than anything else including how expensive the cb itself is. readup on firestik.com about antennas, wiring, ground planes, etc.

if space is an issue the Cobra 75 WXST is certainly your best bet. I know several people in local clubs with them and they work great.

i personally have a Midland 75-822 and it has been a great compact radio for me. i originally bought it becuase it worked as a handheld as well as vehicle mount, this allowed me to use it even before i had a real antenna.

the only reason i would recommend the Cobra over the Midland is that the Cobra has an external speaker connection on it's base. otherwise, the Midland is a more flexible and IMO better looking unit.

with regard to HAM unit, i don't have one yet, but am looking at ones with a remote mounting face so that i will be able to tuck the main unit anywhere and then put the face either with my cluster or somewhere in the center dash area. hopefully i can come up with a nice clean install like this example from Expedition Exchange:

i'll probably go with the Yaesu FT-7800R, it's a very simple dual band with remote face mounting option.

 

[Cypher]

Agreed... Take a look at the Midland as well. You honestly can't go wrong with Cobra or Midland, they both make quality products that are reliable.

 

[soonenough]

I also use a Midland 75-822 in my truck. I flush mounted an extra 12-V outlet and a PL-259 bulkhead connector next to each other on the dash, with a mic hanger next to them. That way, the radio can be easily removed (less than 30 seconds), leaving little trace it was there and not permanently taking up precious space in the cab. It's worked well for me so far.

My soon-to-be-installed Ham radio (Yaesu 7800), on the other hand, will be given a proper permanent install, since I believe Ham to be superior to CB as a method of communication; obviously that's just my opinion. Having used both on a day-to-day basis, I've found myself using the Ham radio much more than I ever use the CB. On the highway and during road trips, however, CB does have some advantages due to the sheer number of people using them vs. 2m/70cm radios.

 

[gary in ohio]

Looking to fit a small CB into the Diesel Liberty as space is scarce inside the cab and I'm looking at one of these:

On another off-topic - I'm looking for a nice compact HAM as well. Gonna take my test soon and would be open to suggestions.

Tks,

- JPM

NO matter what "legal" CB you get the power output is the same. Receivers might be a little better in the more expensive units but with the short range communications most people use CB's for its not going to matter. When space is an issue the midland or cobra mentioned by others are the best option. I personally would go with a $22 CB, but it wil at least work.

Ham radio are going to be larger than a CB, but there are many units with remote control heads. The radio RF deck can be mounted away from the dash and the head goes on the dash.

 

[Abel Villesca]

I've got the Cobra and love it as well. My Defender is really noisy, so I'd recommend using the external speaker if your vehicle is as loud on the highway as mine is.

 

[aslostasyou]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. A set of Midlands will due the trick in the LR3 and Jeep. That way I can pull them if need be. Great tip! I assume these connect up to a normal antenna externally mounted?

Which leads me to my next question - Is there an advantage to running dual antennas and tuning them in? I believe I read somewhere that you can run two firesticks - eg: on on the left side of your roof rack and one on the right and use a dual connection cable to get better reception and longer range.

Which leads me to yet another question... Are firesticks really the best antennas? I've seen some great distance with old school metal whips but now as I'm learning more I don't see how you would tune the SWR on a whip antenna. Can anyone shed some light on that?

 

[theksmith]

Thanks for all the feedback guys. A set of Midlands will due the trick in the LR3 and Jeep. That way I can pull them if need be. Great tip! I assume these connect up to a normal antenna externally mounted?

Which leads me to my next question - Is there an advantage to running dual antennas and tuning them in? I believe I read somewhere that you can run two firesticks - eg: on on the left side of your roof rack and one on the right and use a dual connection cable to get better reception and longer range.

Which leads me to yet another question... Are firesticks really the best antennas? I've seen some great distance with old school metal whips but now as I'm learning more I don't see how you would tune the SWR on a whip antenna. Can anyone shed some light on that?

dual's shape the signal so that you get more range from the front/rear of your vehicle than out the sides, truckers run them because interstates are mostly str8 like that... the trail is rarely str8 and i don't think you want them.

everything i've ever seen is that a good ole 108" stainless whip will beat any more complicated antenna... however, they are huge and look red-neck IMO... so i run a shorter fiberglass wound antenna.. i.e. a firestik. i think firestik makes quality stuff, but there is no secret to thier antenna's... any other brand made in the same style will probably perform very similarly

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

If you got a bigger CB Radio....you could get better tuning capabilities. You could also get SSB which would help you communicate further out if your buddies had SSB also.

The main thing is.....

All standard CB's come stock with 4 watts.

The antenna is the key!

There are lot's of sites out there to give you idea's.

http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/mobile_antennas.html

http://jeephorizons.com/tech/cb_ant_basic.html

This site sells radios and has lot's of good info. They also do mods.

http://www.gijoesradioelectronics.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=161

Another good site

http://www.cbradiosplus.com/


I personally like the..... Galaxy CB Radio - DX949 . And it's on my list when I finally upgrade!

But I can't seem to let go of my trusty 'ole Johnson CB Radio.....because it has not failed me since 1976!

And she really puts out!:sombrero::victory::ylsmoke::costumed-smiley-007
.

 

[gary in ohio]

dual's shape the signal so that you get more range from the front/rear of your vehicle than out the sides, truckers run them because interstates are mostly str8 like that... the trail is rarely str8 and i don't think you want them.

everything i've ever seen is that a good ole 108" stainless whip will beat any more complicated antenna... however, they are huge and look red-neck IMO... so i run a shorter fiberglass wound antenna.. i.e. a firestik. i think firestik makes quality stuff, but there is no secret to thier antenna's... any other brand made in the same style will probably perform very similarly

The problem with dual (phased) antennas is on a vehicle you cant get them far enough apart on most vehicles to make them work correctly. They need to be about 18ft physically seperated to get the gain a phased antenna is suppose to provide. On trucks they help with blind RF spots caused by the larger metal trailers. They do nothing for gain. The large 102" whip is the best antenna but to make it work the best it needs to be on the roof when almost no one mounts them. Once you move them to the side of the vehicle you start getting directionallity. Since most CB communication only takes place over a few miles, moving to the shorter fiberglass whips work fine.

 

[Cypher]

gary_in_ohio is spot on with the details regarding the dual antennas. You don't need them and I wouldn't mess with it.

The Firesticks are great, I have used them before. My only complaint is I have seen a number of people snap them on the trail. They do not flex much at all. Two of the snapped antennas were mounted on springs as they should be, but they snap when the spring re-coils and whips them into another branch. This is the specific reason why I now run a Wilson Little Wil 36 inch steel whip magnet mounted antenna. You are not going to damage the steel whip and if you happen to find a way to really mess it up and or lose it, it only costs about $7 to replace the whip. This also allows you to remove just the steel whip with a small allen wrench and you need to get into a parking garage or the like. Also the steel whip can take the occasional beating of a low-hung drive thru like a champ. Put it the whip back on and you do not need to re-tune. You can tune a steel whip by shortening the whip. Only take very small amounts off though since too much and your are in trouble. The disadvantage is you can not lengthen the whip, but you can add more antenna cable to bring the SWR down if need be. Cable lengths of 9 ft increments work best due to the CB wave length, however, adding 3 ft lengths will not hurt you enough to care about.

:sombrero:

 

[theksmith]

i've never broken an antenna on 2 jeeps, i use thier "Firefly" product instead of their "Firestik II", the Firefly is a way more flexible, lighter weight version (everything the same otherwise, tunable tip, etc).

i also use thier medium duty spring becaust thiers is stainless steel instead of chrome plated.

finally, for cable i use thier 9ft fire-ring style cable as i think it provides a cleaner install.

there were no mounting brackets made specificly for the WJ, so this is what i came up with... http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5991829&postcount=81

also, this was the cheapest place i was able to find on the net for most of the parts i used (crappy site, but if you already know the part number from the manufacture site, it's easy to search for stuff): WestCoastMall.net

 

[soonenough]

Which leads me to my next question - Is there an advantage to running dual antennas and tuning them in? I believe I read somewhere that you can run two firesticks - eg: on on the left side of your roof rack and one on the right and use a dual connection cable to get better reception and longer range.

Which leads me to yet another question... Are firesticks really the best antennas? I've seen some great distance with old school metal whips but now as I'm learning more I don't see how you would tune the SWR on a whip antenna. Can anyone shed some light on that?

aslostasyou - I don't know if you've seen this site or not, but there's a ton of good reading on here - Firestik Tech Page. Just keep in mind that they're in business to make money, so if there's ever any topic that's debateable (perfect example - the whole "18' coax is the best" subject), they're going to err on the side that brings them customers.

 

[Cypher]

i've never broken an antenna on 2 jeeps, i use thier "Firefly" product instead of their "Firestik II", the Firefly is a way more flexible, lighter weight version (everything the same otherwise, tunable tip, etc).

i also use thier medium duty spring becaust thiers is stainless steel instead of chrome plated.

finally, for cable i use thier 9ft fire-ring style cable as i think it provides a cleaner install.

there were no mounting brackets made specificly for the WJ, so this is what i came up with... http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5991829&postcount=81

also, this was the cheapest place i was able to find on the net for most of the parts i used (crappy site, but if you already know the part number from the manufacture site, it's easy to search for stuff): WestCoastMall.net

Good point, the Firefly is MUCH more flexible than Firestick II. The antennas I have seen snap were all the Firestick II model.

Great looking mount theksmith!