CB Radio ideas

[AdvisorX]

Okay guys and girls, looking at purchasing a CB radio set up for the 2010 Xterra, any suggestion on Radio, Antenna and mounting would be helpful. Radio will be used for trail communication and on the highways as well
thanks in advance!

 

[mitssan]

I went with the Cobra 75wx. The controls are located in the hand held mic so there isn't really a "head unit" to mount in the cab. I located the antenna connector under the console and ran the connector to the mic wire out by the passenger seat. By locating it on the passenger side I don't risk tangling my feet with the wires. When I unplug the mic no one sees the connector. There was no need to cut into a bran new interior and it remains stealth to avoid theft. I've seen people with similar radios hard mount the mic connector through the centre console which is fairly cool. I picked a 2' fiberglass whip from the local truck stop. It'll be mounted to the bumper. At 2' in height I'm not getting the best antenna, but I won't be catching it on my parkade roof or on logs hanging across the trail. I was running a K40 wire antenna but it whips around allot on the trail which can be dangerous for spotters and annoying when it hits the cab.

Maurie

'09 Frontier

 

[AdvisorX]

Thank you for the response, I have though about going with even a portable handheld radio. There are just so many options out there to sort though.

 

[davidshourd]

I went with the Cobra 75wx. The controls are located in the hand held mic so there isn't really a "head unit" to mount in the cab. I located the antenna connector under the console and ran the connector to the mic wire out by the passenger seat. By locating it on the passenger side I don't risk tangling my feet with the wires. When I unplug the mic no one sees the connector. There was no need to cut into a bran new interior and it remains stealth to avoid theft. I've seen people with similar radios hard mount the mic connector through the centre console which is fairly cool. I picked a 2' fiberglass whip from the local truck stop. It'll be mounted to the bumper. At 2' in height I'm not getting the best antenna, but I won't be catching it on my parkade roof or on logs hanging across the trail. I was running a K40 wire antenna but it whips around allot on the trail which can be dangerous for spotters and annoying when it hits the cab.

Maurie

'09 Frontier

I have teh exact same setup in my 07' frontier. works well. I just ran a mag mount antenna out the back window and set it on the cab roof. usualy just stored in the cab unless I am out on logging roads or long road trips.

 

[RonapRhys]

I picked up the Midland handheld version - roughly $35 on Amazon right now. It's self-contained and seems to be good for trail use, though I really didn't test it out when I was last out. I've borrowed similar units on prior runs and they seemed to work well enough. Range is somewhat limited, though, and when power goes away they tune back to the default channel (9, IIRC).

 

[cnynrat]

Lots of people use the Cobra 75 WXST. It's more than capable enough for trail use and easy to install in almost any vehicle. I have mine hooked up to a Firestick Firefly antenna.

If you go the handheld route your range will be very limited unless you hook it up to an external antenna. That's easily done, so if you want to be able to take the radio with you when you leave the vehicle that may make sense.

Even better would be to get your amateur radio license and go with a ham radio. Way more capability and much higher quality.

 

[AdvisorX]

Lots of people use the Cobra 75 WXST. It's more than capable enough for trail use and easy to install in almost any vehicle. I have mine hooked up to a Firestick Firefly antenna.

If you go the handheld route your range will be very limited unless you hook it up to an external antenna. That's easily done, so if you want to be able to take the radio with you when you leave the vehicle that may make sense.

Even better would be to get your amateur radio license and go with a ham radio. Way more capability and much higher quality.

Ham Radio? what kind of difference is there between this and a cb radio......
also Ive heard there is some sort of testing you have to have to get your license??

 

[cnynrat]

Ham Radio? what kind of difference is there between this and a cb radio......
also Ive heard there is some sort of testing you have to have to get your license??

There is a test you need to take to get an amateur radio license. For the Technician class license it covers basic principles of electricity and radio, FCC rules and regulations covering amateur radio, and ham radio operating procedures. 35 multiple guess questions IIRC. You will need to study a little, but you definitely do not need to be an engineer to pass.

In terms of radio capability, all CB radios are limited to a maximum power of 5 watts, while most ham mobile radios are 50 watts, so you get a big difference in range. You typically will find that with ham radio you are not competing with as many other people trying to use the same frequency as you often find on CB.

I still have both CB and ham in my rig because so many people use CB, but I prefer ham and try to convince my regular trail friends to switch.

Lot's more good info in this thread here on ExPo: Ham Radio FAQ

 

[AdvisorX]

There is a test you need to take to get an amateur radio license. For the Technician class license it covers basic principles of electricity and radio, FCC rules and regulations covering amateur radio, and ham radio operating procedures. 35 multiple guess questions IIRC. You will need to study a little, but you definitely do not need to be an engineer to pass.

In terms of radio capability, all CB radios are limited to a maximum power of 5 watts, while most ham mobile radios are 50 watts, so you get a big difference in range. You typically will find that with ham radio you are not competing with as many other people trying to use the same frequency as you often find on CB.

I still have both CB and ham in my rig because so many people use CB, but I prefer ham and try to convince my regular trail friends to switch.

Lot's more good info in this thread here on ExPo: Ham Radio FAQ

Thank you very much. I will work on that, seems like the ham radio power would be a great advantage to the cb radio......

 

[mcm4090]

You can fit a compact CB in the center console like An Cobra 19 DX IV.

 

[IggyB]

One more for Cobra 75 and a K40:wings:

 

[Scenic WonderRunner]

The most important thing to do is to buy a Quality CB Antenna.

Next is Proper Antenna Placement.

Then set your swr.

I have posted several helpful links in this thread. Log in to view.

http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41544


Since all cb radios can only legally be 4 watts, it's Really All about the Antenna!



.

 

[Rev]

I have a Cobra 29. I like the features, mostly the SWR meter. It is very large so I put it in the door pocket.

 

[soonenough]

I use a Midland 75-822. It's one of the radios where everything's in the handheld unit (similar to the Cobra 75 WX ST). It can be converted between a walkie-talkie setup (by attaching a battery to the bottom) and a semi-permanent setup (by attaching a hybrid power cord / external antenna connection to the bottom). I have a 4' Firestik antenna and a 6" spring mounted to the lid of the toolbox in my truck. It works fine for trail use, although I'm sure there are better setups if you're really into CB communication (which I am definitely not after hearing UHF and VHF communications).

I flush mounted a 12V outlet and an SO-239 bulkhead connector (for the antenna) next to each other at the back of a little cubby in my dash. When not in use, I simply unscrew the antenna connection, pull the 12V adapter out, and stick the entire radio in the console. If you weren't looking for it, you'd probably never notice the two little plugs were there.

I can definitely tell you this - it will not work acceptably for trail comms without an external antenna. I tried using the radio with just the ~1' flexible antenna when I first bought the radio (because I didn't have time to install the antenna before the trip), and I wasn't able to talk to another truck that was 25 yards in front of me.

EDIT: Now that I'm thinking about it, the time I tried using it with the rubber duck antenna, I actually used the 12V/antenna adapter instead of the battery pack; I just plugged in the 12V for power and left the antenna connection not plugged into anything. I'm wondering if the radio is configured to ignore the antenna recepticle on the top of the radio when the external antenna adapter is attached, meaning that it wasn't using the rubber duck antenna attached to the top, it was attempting to use an external antenna (which obviously wasn't there). This would mean that the radio was basically operating without an antenna.

What I'm getting at (in a very long-winded sort of way) is that you might be able to use the radio without an external antenna from inside the cab if you use a battery pack instead of the 12V adapter. However, if this did work, I still doubt that it would work well.

 

[sandor]

I'm running a Cobra 75 as well, paired with a Wilson 4' flex fibreglass antenna mounted by the rear hatch like so:

As you can see, it is flexible enough to tuck under your roof rack for when you want to go in parking garages. Seems to work well.