What Kind Of Cb Radio Antenna Do You Guys Prefer?

[Josh_Fish95]

what kind of antenna or you guys running in your jeeps i used to have a whip but i got bored with it and i recently purchased a 4ft fires stick II i love it great reception and doesnt hit on trees and things what do you guys like or prefer? . :MJ 1: .

[ComancheKid45]

I have Firesticks installed on my 2 CB equipt Jeeps.....Adjustable with an SWR meter and have had no issues :thumbsup:

[Darren]

Get a firestick. They're great quality and very affordable. Buy directly from their site.

[87Warrior]

I have Firesticks installed on my 2 CB equipt Jeeps.....Adjustable with an SWR meter and have had no issues :thumbsup:

X2

 

IMHO most of the radios on the market are essentially the same. Some just have fancy bells, whistles, and names on them. I use Uniden since they are cheap, durable and fairly compact.  

[Comanche County]

Lil Wil magnetic base whip.  I get great reception with mounting in through the slider up on the roof...it just plops over if I bang it off a tree branch.  Its best for transmitting and recieving to have it as high as possible.  Its also good for up to 300 watts, I'm pushing about 100.

[Pete M]

I lost both my fiberglass sticks to tree branches. :(   definitely recommend adding a spring base to them (wish I had thought of that earlier).

[jimoshel]

Was running a SBE34 to a Collins 2KW linear, Ham rigs, with a Hy Gain 20-15-10 4 element beam mounted on a 34 foot tower fastened to the trunk. First time I went under a overpass I realized that i may not have made an intelligent choice. :doh:

[Pete M]

:rotf:

[mvusse]

I have used a 3' Firestick, currently running a 2' K40 on a spring mount.

[Comanche County]

As far as radios go,,,get one with illuminated dials and a backlit display.  It stinks to knock your settings off by turning the wrong dial at night. 

 

You can't go wrong with a Cobra 29 series, but don't get the blue tooth model, they're junk.  They have a 6 pin mic connector and they really give a crappy sound.  You'll want a good ole' 4 pin mic. 

 

Galaxy also makes a darn fine radio.  Seems a toss up among the trucker crowd between Galaxy and the Cobras, kinda like Ford and Chevy.

 

You want a radio that can be peaked and tuned.  The FCC regs limit output to a measly 4 watts.  That's good enough to talk around the block.  Any CB shop can peak a decent radio to  15-20 watts, or add an amplifier to give about 100-150 watts.  

 

The handhelds and miniature CBs have their place, but if you wanna talk more than a few hundred yards, you'll need a full size radio that's been set free from the FCC's ridiculous output limits.

[jimoshel]

You get a couple thousand CB'RS running high power outputs in a concentrated area and it's easy to see why they limit the output. Want to run a couple KW? Get a Ham license. I used Midland in all my trucks and was very satisfied with their performance. That's been many years ago. Haven't used a CB in over 15 years.

[Comanche County]

All it takes is one, there are some truckers that are running super high illegal outputs...if they're pushing enough power and if they're close to you, they can fry your radio just by keying the mic.

[mvusse]

All it takes is one, there are some truckers that are running super high illegal outputs...if they're pushing enough power and if they're close to you, they can fry your radio just by keying the mic.

Not to mention they bleed all over adjacent channels.

[92tanMJ]

Ive heard to buy a cheap CB and then repurpous the money you saved on a nicer antenna is that true?

[Josh_Fish95]

i used to have a whip but now i have a fire stick but trees hate them this is my second one  :doh:

[mvusse]

i used to have a whip but now i have a fire stick but trees hate them this is my second one  :doh:

 

Two word for you:

spring

mount

[AeroNautical]

I use a Cobra 29 LTD US Army radio and a 102" whip with a spring mount. No complaints, other than the antenna is parallel to the road on the highway, haha. 

[hitman72]

You have to remember that the operating range of a radio system (all the different users) is limited by the weakest radio.  There is no point in spending a bunch of money on a radio that makes the hair on your peaches stand up :???:  when the person you are trying to reach has a cheap one that can only broadcast a faction of the distance. So i say look at what the guys you wheel with have and then go from there.