Yotoder865

So I do not know if this is the right category but I was wondering what CB Radio/Antenna Combo would get the best signal and get the most reach? I do not want to spend over $250.00 on either of them also. I heard Cobra CB's are good and I was looking at this https://www.cobra.com/products/professional/25-ltd
but I do not know what antenna is good with it or just good.
I have an antenna but I do not know what brand it is as I do not have it with me but it seems like it is kind of cheap and flimsy. Any help?
By the way I am wondering about reach because in case of weather and stuff I want to be able to talk to my buddies around town to make sure they are safe and don't need help or anything plus I like the portable one I had for the woods but it sucked after a certain distance.

dark_fairytales

Most CB's are all the same these days with regards to quality and response. The big factor is the antenna; the correct antenna matched to the ground plane and properly adjusted makes all the difference.

I had good luck with the Wilson 1000 antenna; easy to tune and was almost perfectly tuned when just plug and play. Also it was not pricey at all.

I would recommend getting a radio with a built-in SWR meter, as it truly makes life easier.

Yotoder865

So the radio above have an SWR Meter built in? And what is it haha

dark_fairytales

An SWR meter is what you use to tune the antenna perfectly. Without and SWR meter (built-in or stand alone), one would run the risk of collecting a charge in your radio and burning it up.

Do a google search on SWR meters for a total understand of the importance of such a tool.

Believe me you will be glad to have a built-in SWR meter. I almost forgot, no, the radio you posted above does not have an SWR meter built-in.

Yotoder865

Wait I thought that little box on the left of it was the SWR though?

Gevo

You can get a medium quality radio, a good antenna and mounting kit for 100 to 120 bucks. I spent 100. I got a uniden radio which has both gain and squelch. You only need to tune your antenna once for any practical use, thus you dont need a built in swr meter.

All CB are limited to a max output of 4 amp, so if you want bells and whistles you can spend more money, otherwise find the cheapest radio at 4 amp and get a good antenna.

I just installed mine and I did a lot of research to find a good system but not pay to much.

Yotoder865

@Gavo Alright but my parents are getting what I want for my B-Day so I was thinking why not get really good stuff haha but what is better this https://www.cobra.com/products/professional/148-gtl or this https://www.cobra.com/products/professional/29-wx-nw-st and I dont know what antenna to get.

abecedarian

SWR = "Standing Wave Ratio", but more accurately it would be VSWR or "Voltage Standing Wave Ratio".


An adjustable antenna such as the Wilson mentioned earlier, Firestik and K40 are the common ones available. Try to get 1/2 or 5/8 wave if possible, settling for 1/4 wave if that's all you can get. Some of the fiberglass whip antennae have screws at the tip for adjusting VSWR, others require you to actually, physically cut the antenna down for tuning. You want to target better than 1.1 to 1 VSWR if possible, and tune to the middle of the band, i.e. if CB radio tuning to around 27.185/27.215MHz should be okay.


FCC limits output power to 4 watts (not "AMP" as mentioned above); modulation swing should technically not exceed that either but people often get away with up to 25 watts if they do not cause interference to neighboring equipment, but that's not recommended.


Best place to mount the antenna is at the highest point of the vehicle, with a wide portion of metal around it to serve as a 'ground plane'. Co-phase antennae are an option, often seen on commercial vehicles with one antenna on each side. They use the side of the vehicle as a ground plane but since the metals are vertical, not horizontal, they typically do not work well for directing the signal.


Antenna impedance matching devices should be avoided if possible as all they do is waste transmitted power.


Cobra 148 GTL was once the 'best' CB one could buy, and is still not a bad option, but Uniden owns them now, I think, and have cut down on quality over the past few decades.


Linear TX and RX amps such as what's available from Palomar and similar are available but as mentioned FCC limits the TX power so be careful if you buy one, and don't have a license, and make sure the antenna can handle the TX power.


Overall, do not expect anything better than 'line-of-sight' communications and don't spend more than $200 USD on the set up, and you won't be disappointed.


And please try to join the local REACT- Radio Emergency Associated Communications Team, and listen to channels 9 and 19, so you can help when people need it.