Poll: Vehicle CB Radio options...

[DangerDog]

I'm moving across the country soon and figured it's about time to install a CB in my 97 Blazer for a multitude of reasons. I chose these as options because these are under $100 and I don't need anything crazy with a whole lot of options.

Please help me choose with the following POLL whether if it's something you'd use or have experience with given the options in the polls.

Much obliged in advance.

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[cigars]

They're all good radios. The only advantage the President's really have is that you can change the back light colors. I'm partial to the Midland and Radioddity. They all have the same 4 watts output. You could always check out the reviews on Amazon for each if you want to split hairs. The biggest factor will be your antenna. For my CB (Midland handheld) I use magnetic mount K-40 signal kicker. It performs. It also detaches from the base so when you go into a hotel you can just chuck the antenna inside the vehicle and lock up.
Best of luck on your journey.

 

[DangerDog]

They're all good radios. The only advantage the President's really have is that you can change the back light colors. I'm partial to the Midland and Radioddity. They all have the same 4 watts output. You could always check out the reviews on Amazon for each if you want to split hairs. The biggest factor will be your antenna. For my CB (Midland handheld) I use magnetic mount K-40 signal kicker. It performs. It also detaches from the base so when you go into a hotel you can just chuck the antenna inside the vehicle and lock up.
Best of luck on your journey.

Obliged. I like all the radios too but need only one. Did a lot of review reading and watching to come down to these ones. I already got an antenna system which is a 3' adjustable Firestik on a spring and Firestik firering cable that's all going to be put on a custom mount.

 

[edzz]

I agree the Cobra 75 WX ST is a good choice.
Easily transfers from vehicle to vehicle. Remote Mount Design Full Featured CB Radio with built-in NOAA receiver with emergency alerts and inclement weather warnings.
Cobra 75.
Very fast and easy to remove for storage.

FWIW Amateur radio license is easy to obtain. Beats CB any day.
That said in my 4x4 I have options foe GMRS / FRS, CB and amateur 2 meter / 70 cm each has a purpose.

 

[cigars]

For traveling light and fast I think he has some good radios to chose from. On the open highways, you will find a lot of CB traffic on channel 19 still. More so than ham. Although the truckers do use a lot of 10 meter which is very close in frequency to citizens band. The big difference is that you can run 400 watts on 10M versus 4 watts on CB. But in a 97 Blazer ( I had a 98) you run out of room fast when it comes to radios. I second having GMRS as well as 2M/70CM but CB is still king on the highways. There's also that magic of listening to skip transmissions after the sun goes down and listening to chatter way off in the distance.

 

[DangerDog]

I agree the Cobra 75 WX ST is a good choice.
Easily transfers from vehicle to vehicle. Remote Mount Design Full Featured CB Radio with built-in NOAA receiver with emergency alerts and inclement weather warnings.
Cobra 75.
Very fast and easy to remove for storage.

FWIW Amateur radio license is easy to obtain. Beats CB any day.
That said in my 4x4 I have options foe GMRS / FRS, CB and amateur 2 meter / 70 cm each has a purpose.

Obliged but already set on one of the options listed in the poll and nothing else. I also don't get licenses if I can avoid it.

 

[DangerDog]

For traveling light and fast I think he has some good radios to chose from. On the open highways, you will find a lot of CB traffic on channel 19 still. More so than ham. Although the truckers do use a lot of 10 meter which is very close in frequency to citizens band. The big difference is that you can run 400 watts on 10M versus 4 watts on CB. But in a 97 Blazer ( I had a 98) you run out of room fast when it comes to radios. I second having GMRS as well as 2M/70CM but CB is still king on the highways. There's also that magic of listening to skip transmissions after the sun goes down and listening to chatter way off in the distance.

Yeah I'm going to mount it to the right of the stick shift under the dash where the ashtray is because I don't smoke or use the ashtray and it'll be accessible and out of the way at the same time. Just would like a basic radio to be on the road with and I can use in case of emergency when I don't have cell service for whatever reason.

 

[Mark W.]

We have a fleet of 25 dump trucks over half of them run Uniden 510 or 550 cheap bubblegum radios and they are used all day long for YEARS and YEARS with no problems say the guys wearing out the cheap mic's once in a while. They are very small and have the same power rating as the most expensive radios. The only draw back is the noise cancelling features the expensive radios are better. Run at least a 4ft Firestick antenna properly tuned to the radio and install with an SWR meter and you will be happy.

 

[Expert308]

Anything from Midland or Cobra would be my choice. I've used both for decades (still have one of each that I bought in the `70's, and they still work).

 

[RedneckRampage]

I am a big fan of these, easy to mount and don't really take up any space, controls are in your hand so easy when you are driving, and they work just as good as the big radios. You can also run the plug to a glove box or console so you can't even see it when looking in the window. I would also recommend an NMO mount antenna, mounting through the center of your roof will be best, but they also make vehicle specific and universal mounts for them, much better than standard CB antenna mounts. The Antenna Farm is a great place for the antenna part of the system.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XJG6NYB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Frank RW]

Why get a CB when you can get a amateur "ham" radio and more reliably (in most cases) talk to the world.

Way more frequency ranges to work, WAY more legal power limits, and the gear is almost always better.

I'd wager there's A LOT more ham radio users than CB. There's over 100 FM "repeaters" I can reach from Hillsboro.

One can, with the help of technology, be walking down the street here with a 5W handheld and chat with a taxi-driver in London.

Hell, I've even worked someone via the ISS's repeater.

Washco is one of the largest amateur radio "communities". There's over 200 licensed hams in my zip-code alone.


/exit soapbox

Frank K2NCC

 

[DangerDog]

We have a fleet of 25 dump trucks over half of them run Uniden 510 or 550 cheap bubblegum radios and they are used all day long for YEARS and YEARS with no problems say the guys wearing out the cheap mic's once in a while. They are very small and have the same power rating as the most expensive radios. The only draw back is the noise cancelling features the expensive radios are better. Run at least a 4ft Firestick antenna properly tuned to the radio and install with an SWR meter and you will be happy.

Yeah I heard that. Was looking at those on the Amazon and the Unidens have far more reviews than the rest of them most likely due to price. And yes I opted for a Firestik 4' instead of the 3' I got from them.

 

[DangerDog]

Why get a CB when you can get a amateur "ham" radio and more reliably (in most cases) talk to the world.

Way more frequency ranges to work, WAY more legal power limits, and the gear is almost always better.

I'd wager there's A LOT more ham radio users than CB. There's over 100 FM "repeaters" I can reach from Hillsboro.

One can, with the help of technology, be walking down the street here with a 5W handheld and chat with a taxi-driver in London.

Hell, I've even worked someone via the ISS's repeater.

Washco is one of the largest amateur radio "communities". There's over 200 licensed hams in my zip-code alone.


/exit soapbox

Frank K2NCC

View attachment 857899

I'll most likely get a base radio set-up when I get out to WV where I'm moving. Just looking to get a CB in the truck for now. I already have some MidlandGXT1000's and Baofengs UV5R's set-up and tested. Comms are crucial and I don't trust cell services for the signals. Also I don't get licenses and give the government any money when I can avoid it. That's like paying someone to rob you.

 

[DangerDog]

Anything from Midland or Cobra would be my choice. I've used both for decades (still have one of each that I bought in the `70's, and they still work).

Obliged. I'm also leaning toward the Midland. Can't find much video reviews on that specific radio but seems to have overall good reviews.

 

[DangerDog]

I am a big fan of these, easy to mount and don't really take up any space, controls are in your hand so easy when you are driving, and they work just as good as the big radios. You can also run the plug to a glove box or console so you can't even see it when looking in the window. I would also recommend an NMO mount antenna, mounting through the center of your roof will be best, but they also make vehicle specific and universal mounts for them, much better than standard CB antenna mounts. The Antenna Farm is a great place for the antenna part of the system.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XJG6NYB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I already got things from Firestik but I'll check out the antenna farm in the meantime. Obliged.

 

[deadeye]

I used to run a Cobra 29ltd classic with the 4" Firestick ( not much more than your budget) but it does take up a bit more room. I switched to a 148 gtl for sideband but dont think its made anymore. I voted for the midland you have listed though.

 

[DangerDog]

I used to run a Cobra 29ltd classic with the 4" Firestick ( not much more than your budget) but it does take up a bit more room. I switched to a 148 gtl for sideband but dont think its made anymore. I voted for the midland you have listed though.

Well I am driving through the middle of the land so I reckon Midland is a good choice.

 

[cigars]

I'll most likely get a base radio set-up when I get out to WV where I'm moving. Just looking to get a CB in the truck for now. I already have some MidlandGXT1000's and Baofengs UV5R's set-up and tested. Comms are crucial and I don't trust cell services for the signals. Also I don't get licenses and give the government any money when I can avoid it. That's like paying someone to rob you.

I tend to agree with you on that. However, you'll find that the ham community thrives and is well structured compared to the wild west of the airwaves that is CB. The basic ham license is pretty cheap and easy to get. Ham operators tend to enjoy following the rules, as well as the protocols which are set by the ham community (ARRL, ARRG, etc). CB while fun and unemcumbered by much can be like mad-chugging Red Bulls. Ham on the other hand is more like drinking aftenoon tea with the little finger extended out. It's a nice way to communicate and the pleasantries will take you far.
You do need a license for GMRS. It's a bit more than the Ham but there's no test to take and it last ten years. Covers the entire family too. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

 

[DangerDog]

I tend to agree with you on that. However, you'll find that the ham community thrives and is well structured compared to the wild west of the airwaves that is CB. The basic ham license is pretty cheap and easy to get. Ham operators tend to enjoy following the rules, as well as the protocols which are set by the ham community (ARRL, ARRG, etc). CB while fun and unemcumbered by much can be like mad-chugging Red Bulls. Ham on the other hand is more like drinking aftenoon tea with the little finger extended out. It's a nice way to communicate and the pleasantries will take you far.
You do need a license for GMRS. It's a bit more than the Ham but there's no test to take and it last ten years. Covers the entire family too. Anything worth doing is worth doing right.

Really I'm just going to listen in and use in emergencies only; which at that point licenses are irrelevant. I get it though.

 

[DangerDog]

Made a scale mock-up of the Midland 1001LWX. Fits well where I'm planning on mounting the radio. Looks like the Midland is going to be the winner so I went ahead and ordered it. I'll do wire management for the mic cord also so it's not interfering with the shifter.