Ok.....i went mudding this weekend and i found out really fast how important being able to contact your buddys when you need them is. Well i got stuck and i needed to call them but i had no cell reception, so i decided i need to purchase a CB radio.

Anyone have any suggestions but something also on the less expensive side.

I have seen a few at radio shack (yes i know radio shack stuff is ****, but its cheap for a reason)

Has anyone heard of the brand "Deluxe" ? and if yes is it any good?

Any help would be GREAT......never had a CB b4 either so details on whats needed is also good! THANKS guys!

CB-less in FLA...........

CJ

 

I have a Maxon MCB-30. Works great and it was $40.00 at Walmart. Don't know if they still carry them. I got it a while back.

Maxon makes good commercial rigs as well, so it's a nice piece for the price in terms of performance. No-frills though. Very compact. I have it mounted on the roof behind my OHC.

 

how did i know youd be the 1st to reply!

 

First and one of the most informative. I think you have your answer man! Hope you have one next time we're out.

 

me too man i had so much fun!

Hey if you got aol or aim hit me up ill send you that pic for you avatar!

 

I vote for Cobra and a High Quality antenna. The Antenna realy does make the radio. I have a Cobra 29LTD and it works great. I have mine mounted behind my center console with an external speaker mounted on the front.

 

Actually, I know guys with the cheap Radio Shack ones and they work fine.

Mostly, they are just "truck-to-truck-intercom" and you don't need "big performance". If you offroad with guys at different places that are too far apart it can be dicey. Then you would want that Cobra and good antenna. We've had range limitations in both Wharton due to distance, and even a bit at Centralia because of hills.

Best offroad radio experience was with Doc -- he's a ham like me and 2 meters has a LOT more range than CB, and is FM and very low noise. Wish everyone had an amateur license!

I love radios, and I love GREAT radios particularly -- but for some purposes you don't need a bunch of extra features like you do if you're a long haul trucker, or a CB enthusiast.

 

ok...well i went to walmart and they had the damned glass cases locked because the automotive MFers went home. BUT this is what i found.

Click here its a cobra

Click here and this is a uniden

of the two which is better (Mr. Griggs i assume youll be the 1st to respond)

The only thing i think leans me towards the uniden is the PA capability. something i might care to add in the future.

other than that which is the better choice.
Also i can get either one at my local walmart so dont worry that the uniden is out of stock.

CJ

 

Ha I win!

I would get the Cobra. Its a good quality basic radio. No need to spend the extra money on the Uniden for basicly the same radio. Take that extra cash and get a good FireStick.

 

yes true. but can you get the PA out of that particular unit......i dont believe you can....thats my problem...

And yes you did win

6000 pts for beating the former "Electrical Goo-Roo" to the punch

 

So do I, and a RS with a good FireStick works great. The only reason I say Cobra is because of reliablity. I'v seen a coule of the RS brand ones fry (one smoked) on the trail and leave them with no comunication while some guys have 20year old Cobras that are still working great.

2 meter is definatly the way to go if you have the license. One of the guys I wheel with has a 2meter in his rig and we had an issue on a trail once and I had to run back into town (to pick up tires believe it or not) so I took his hand held and the two of us were able to keep in contact with him on the trail with the group and me in town. That is on my list of things to do someday for sure, get licensed.

 

You said other than the PA feature

If thats the deal breaker then you would have to go with the Uniden, or shop for a cheaper one with PA capability.

 

well those also arnt my only two choices. Thats just walmart. i havent even been to the local Radio Shack yet because its closed. Walmart is open 24/7 here so i figured hell.....why not go down there maybe ill leave with a cb and something to do tonight......well those mfers lock everything up at night so whats the point of even selling it if you cant get to it when you can.....EHHHHHH....any way so yeah i wanna have PA later so that might be the deal breaker. AND how much and where do i find firestik?

 

FireSticks are ~40bucks and you can get them online, truck stops, places of that nature...

 

40 buck isnt bad......what makes them so damn good?

 

IF you are going to spend $40 on a Firestick.... Why not add a few more $$ and get a REALLY good antenna such as a Wilson 1000.
Remember ....a quality antenna such as Wilson will make a cheap radio such as Radio Shack perform quite well, but a lesser quality antenna such as Radio Shack will make a quality radio such as an older Cobra or Uniden perform poorly..... The ANTENNA makes the system !!!!!!
IF you want a better alternative to the Firestick.... why not try the Wilson Silverload...... This is one of the antennas of choice by numerous truckers !!!
The radios of choice for my '98 Jeep Cherokee is a "AM/SSB" Uniden Grant LT with a Wilson 1000 magnet mount works quite well with a SWR of 1.0 on 27.355 - 27.455 (my common transmit freqs.) and FM 2 meter Icom 2100H with a Hustler dual band magnet mount.

http://www.fototime.com/2E2478BC41B9F96/standard.jpg

OR 4x4

PS.... I have a slightly used Wilson 1000 for sale at $45 if you are interested.

 

My Firestik was only $30ish with S&H and I've never needed more, a "REALLY good antenna" as it was put. I love my Firestik and see no need for anything else. He's not looking for HAM stuff but CB stuff.

CJ, here is my recommendation. Cheaper, Cobra, PA...I love PA http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=40055

 

well it is a good recommendation. I might have to do that. Im also and i know i hadnt shared that with any of you b4 but im trying to possibly mount this cb underneath my aftermarket radio.....dont know if its possible but im gonna try with maybe the walmart Cobra i found.....who knows maybe it will work. And i might have to invest in a firestik.....and a magnet mount.

Edit: what Length antenna is best? somewhere between 3-5ft?

 

Firestik with a mag mount? I may be overly cautious about this but I wouldn't put the CB below the stereo due to cooling. Someone else may be able to vfy if this makes any sense but the CB and stereo both generate heat so both together wont allow either to "breathe" as well.....

 

yeah a magnet mount..........i dont have anywhere to mount it. so the magnet would allow me to put it on the roof.

 

Didn't know they made a mag mount for a Firestik...very kool. Roof is the best place for it...I think I already told you that so nevermind :)

 

yeah if you go to firestiks web page they even sell one directly from there. so i might just get it from there.........im getting my antenna in black though....red aint for me.

 

also what length antenna is the best? i know the higher the better but ........for my application...whats best?

 

I wanted black but when I wont the auction I forgot to specify black and not red so there it was...I've found tho that it helps to see me if I go wandering off and stuff so it's all good :)

I've had no problems with my 4' antenna but the roof would be over a ft taller than my setup so you could get away with the 3' but buy it on eBay and save some money. You are correct, the higher the better but for our use I think 3 or 4 ft is fine.

 

I have a cobra CB with a K40 wip antenna. Given many options I would buy a better antenna and a medium CB radio. I like the wip antennas a 6 foot one is plenty. I have mine on a magnet mount and stick the magnet to the side of the bed inside laying down in the bed. Works great, I can hear people sometimes before they can hear me.