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  • freekforge

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    Jul 20, 2012
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    Any body here into cb radios? I'm about to buy one just trying to get it all figured out. Is it worth the extra money to buy like a cobra 29lx or would me cheaping out and getting a uniden 505 be ok. I'd really like one with the weather on it but it is Not a deal breaker since I usually have another radio of some kind on me. Also can you tune your antenna yourself or will I have to take it to a cb shop.
     

    K_W

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    8   0   0
    Aug 14, 2008
    5,385
    63
    Indy / Carmel
    I have a handheld in 2 of our 3 vehicles and a 2 full setups (one Cobra, one Radioshack) for longer trips. I am not big into it by any means, I just plop the magnetic antenna on the roof and go. It is fun to listen to when traffic gets tight.
     

    ditcherman

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    22   0   0
    Dec 18, 2018
    7,608
    113
    In the country, hopefully.
    Don't know about the quality differences between the models you list. Tuning the antenna makes a huge difference. Don't turn on the cb without the antenna attached, it can let the smoke out. You gotta keep the smoke in it. You'll want a swr meter to tune it yourself, cheap and easy if you want do it. Even simple mag mount antennas benefit from tuning. Just google tuning a cb and you'll have your choice of youtube or reading. I have expensive radios in the big trucks that don't work all that great and I have this little guy in my tundra which I love c75wxst . Needs aux speaker I will add.
     

    Super Bee

    Master
    Site Supporter
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    10   0   0
    Nov 2, 2011
    4,798
    149
    Fort Wayne
    I have two handheld Cobras also. For as much as I use them they work great.

    My dad was big into CBs back in the 70's, we even had a large, Cobra base set up at home. I have my dads old Cobra which he used in one of his cars. Always thought about hooking it up in my Excursion. They are kind of fun to listen too, plus the truckers always announce where the cops are sitting.
     

    freekforge

    Master
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    12   0   0
    Jul 20, 2012
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    My grandpa used to be really into it he had a base station at the house and a unit in the truck and camper and a few handhelds. He could tell you all kinds of stories about people from all over the country. Unfortunately he's not around to guide me through it. I think I might try a uniden model just for the price. I have a beofeng that we use in the igr and have plenty of airtime on the public service Motorolas but can't tell you anything about any of them
     

    OurDee

    nobody
    Trainer Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    25   0   0
    Sep 16, 2017
    7,970
    113
    Camby
    cobra 29lx, I had one set up right and liked it. Let it go with the Wrangler. I'm looking to get one of the hidden radios that have all the controls on the mike. I want a good antenna that is hidden too. No luck so far.
     

    Old Dog

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Mar 4, 2016
    1,377
    97
    Central Indiana
    In the 70s CB was 90%, today CB is at best 10%. I have 2 Gold Wing motorcycles with CBs. Keep in contact with wife while riding. About 1/2 of our riding group has a CB for communications between bikes. Very little truck traffic anymore, a lot of foulmouthed idiots on some channels. Don't think LEOs monitor Channel 9 anymore. I use a handheld in the car when traveling, just in case.
     

    freekforge

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    Jul 20, 2012
    2,732
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    I have a couple buddies that have some older set they jabber on everyone in a while. My Dept. has a cb that monitors 9 and 19 but there's hardly ever anybody in the radio room. I went ahead and ordered the uniden 505 just to test the waters with.
     

    fullmetaljesus

    Probably smoking a cigar.
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Jan 12, 2012
    5,850
    149
    Indy
    I don't mean to be a broken record.
    But if you are interested in ham radio (which has way more people active than cb)
    Check out
    Hamstudy.org

    And please feel free to ask me questions, I've been a ham for 10 years.
     

    Wstar425

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    May 20, 2018
    440
    93
    Sandia Park, New Mexico
    Don’t waste your money. Trucker on the CB since 1976, the cell phone and XM Radio pretty much killed it off. It’s just a bunch of garbage now, people arguing politics and looking for drugs or sex.

    Originally, when the nationwide speed limit was 55 mph, truckers were using it to go faster. Now the speed limit is 70mph plus most places and most trucks can’t even do 70 due to the company going for fuel mileage. The go for days, maybe weeks without a peep, nobody would mention a Police Convention on the comedian strip, you’d be lucky to even hear about a 100 car collision in a blinding snowstorm before you got there.
     

    Ingomike

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    May 26, 2018
    28,174
    113
    North Central
    I have two handheld Cobras also. For as much as I use them they work great.

    My dad was big into CBs back in the 70's, we even had a large, Cobra base set up at home. I have my dads old Cobra which he used in one of his cars. Always thought about hooking it up in my Excursion. They are kind of fun to listen too, plus the truckers always announce where the cops are sitting.

    Not anymore. Truckers aren't really truckers as we thought of them. The just yack on cell phones if they are not watching TV or worse fiddling with the pickle watching porn...
     

    Trigger Time

    Air guitar master
    Rating - 98.6%
    204   3   0
    Aug 26, 2011
    40,112
    113
    SOUTH of Zombie city
    I think CB is very undervalued today. For SHTF you should have every option available to you. We've seen in other countries where the government turns on it's people they use signal jamming and shut down the internet.
    Remember if you get jammed there are ways around it. Also often your incoming signal is jammed but you can still transmit and get help incoming if you have a network of people established ahead of time. HOPEFULLY you have enough power to bypass their Mobil jammer. Or you can find the guy or guys with the Mobil jammer and shut it down. But that's a discussion we probably shouldn't get too deep about on INGO.
    It's gonna be uneasy not hearing replies to your sos calls but you have to keep the faith and rely on your training. You have been training right?
     
    Last edited:

    fullmetaljesus

    Probably smoking a cigar.
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Jan 12, 2012
    5,850
    149
    Indy
    I think CB is very undervalued today. For SHTF you should have every option available to you. We've seen in other countries where the government turns on it's people they use signal jamming and shut down the internet.
    Remember if you get jammed there are ways around it. Also often your incoming signal is jammed but you can still transmit and get help incoming if you have a network of people established ahead of time. HOPEFULLY you have enough power to bypass their Mobil jammer. Or you can find the guy or guys with the Mobil jammer and shut it down. But that's a discussion we probably shouldn't get too deep about on INGO.
    It's gonna be uneasy not hearing replies to your sos calls but you have to keep the faith and rely on your training. You have been training right?

    If they are jamming signals a cb won't be useful just like ham radios or cell phones.

    Granted CB's are better than no comms. But if you have the resources to do better you should.
     

    PistolBob

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Oct 6, 2010
    5,387
    83
    Midwest US
    My grandpa used to be really into it he had a base station at the house and a unit in the truck and camper and a few handhelds. He could tell you all kinds of stories about people from all over the country. Unfortunately he's not around to guide me through it. I think I might try a uniden model just for the price. I have a beofeng that we use in the igr and have plenty of airtime on the public service Motorolas but can't tell you anything about any of them

    The Uniden is the Baofeng of CB radio...it'll work just fine.
     

    Trigger Time

    Air guitar master
    Rating - 98.6%
    204   3   0
    Aug 26, 2011
    40,112
    113
    SOUTH of Zombie city
    If they are jamming signals a cb won't be useful just like ham radios or cell phones.

    Granted CB's are better than no comms. But if you have the resources to do better you should.
    If your signal is more powerful than their jammers output then yes theyll be useful.
    But regardless there are ways around jamming. It's not so cut and dry.
    I wasnt necessarily meaning CB. Best to have the ability to transmit across many different bands because odds are mobil jammers will target specific ones first. You'll know easily if you have that ability to transmit and receive over different frequencies
     

    freekforge

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    Jul 20, 2012
    2,732
    113
    marion
    Sorry for the absence my son was born on Sunday and I've been spending some daddy time with him. I agree that there's better things out there I'm going to pick up my gmrs license as well and then maybe my ham later. I got a service message on my phone about complications that might happen with service because of the kung flu. So I want a couple ways to communicate. Maybe I should pick up some pigeons
     
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