OldSlowReliable Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 So I decided I needed a CB, after going to the offroad park and finding someone who was stuck for an hour....and if he had a cb, he could have called a ranger or someone else.... So I drive around town for 2 hours, looking for someone with a nice antenna (radiocrap had them, but not in stock) so i go to meijer, and they have a cheapo $15 20" antenna, and a 50 dollar Cobra 19DX IV.......i buy it cause i am done searching...but i stop @ wallymart and they have a Cobra 19 Ultra III...for 34 bucks, and the same antenna for 9 bucks... i buy those too... Now, i get home, and these are different cb's...although they have the same mic, size, mounting, and evry thing else, the dxIV has rf gain, whereas the III doesn't.... This will save me 20 bucks atleast (entrance fee to park) so is there really a huge diff? This will probably be for emergency use primarily.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavefromOZ Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 I dont understand how they are soooooo cheap over there, here for an entry level CB you are looking at $225 dollars, I have never even heard of a Cobra brand here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoPathyGo Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 (edited) I dont understand how they are soooooo cheap over there, here for an entry level CB you are looking at $225 dollars, I have never even heard of a Cobra brand here. $225 for entry level ??? Get one of these instead and add a $50 prepaid card! http://cgi.ebay.com/Iridium-9505-Satellite...93%3A1|294%3A50 On a more helpful note, Cobra has an NZ distributor in Auckland and an Australian distributor in Brisbane. www.cobra.com NZ Dealer is www.advancetrident.com They list a few Cobra models on their website. Also, if they are too expensive, I will gladly buy and ship you a few from here. Just gift wrap a nice Nissan Patrol (the real deal, no toys please) and ship it in return. Edited May 24, 2009 by GoPathyGo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted May 24, 2009 Author Share Posted May 24, 2009 well i got it wired up, i had to use some wiring from my broken baja lights (yeah...the spot where the fuse goes was faulty on that wiring, so i gave up on the lights and cut out the fuse holder) It kinda sucks, but heh, for 50 bucks total, i can kinda hear people, and it can probably get me outta a jam one day......if only i could find a real antenna, vs this wallymart magnet.... Oh yeah, for $$ purposes I went with the ultra 3 :\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteeevO Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 don't get the cobra DX III from wal-mart.... i have one and i doln't like it. it doesn't work well. there was rumor about a cobra radio that was made for wal mart to be cheap... give the DX IV a shot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavefromOZ Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 $225 for entry level ??? Get one of these instead and add a $50 prepaid card! http://cgi.ebay.com/Iridium-9505-Satellite...93%3A1|294%3A50 On a more helpful note, Cobra has an NZ distributor in Auckland and an Australian distributor in Brisbane. www.cobra.com NZ Dealer is www.advancetrident.com They list a few Cobra models on their website. Also, if they are too expensive, I will gladly buy and ship you a few from here. Just gift wrap a nice Nissan Patrol (the real deal, no toys please) and ship it in return. Yep, 270 for a radio/antenna package. The Aus Cobra dealer only has marine radios listed, so not sure if they can get them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted May 24, 2009 Author Share Posted May 24, 2009 don't get the cobra DX III from wal-mart.... i have one and i doln't like it. it doesn't work well. there was rumor about a cobra radio that was made for wal mart to be cheap...give the DX IV a shot Well, i took them BOTH out to RnV today, and neither one worked worth a damn. I got a great signal from the dxIII from my driveway, idk why, but one guy in a convo was coming through TERRIFIC Haven't been able to pick up much of anything since, just sounds like im about to catch one, then nada... Considering i don't even have a half decent antenna, ima go with the dxIII, and if i decide to upgrade, i can always go and sell that and buy the IV, but until then ill be returning the IV and looking for a new antenna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KP3S Posted May 24, 2009 Share Posted May 24, 2009 You can increase the range of a CB by installing a 107" steel whip or a fiber glass whip with a ball mount that you can get at a good price at a big truck stop. American CB radios are not legal in Australia. Due to specs. In Australia they need a license to operate in the 11 meter CB band. In USA there is no license requirement. A good CB installation will be achived with a long antenna, a good ground system, grounding the antenna base and CB radio to the vehicle chassis will improve reception and transmission. If you experiencing ingnition noise in the RX/TX change the spark plugs and spark plug wires or reposition the CB radio/antenna will help most of the times or you can get a filter that oues on the red/black power wires directly from the battery. For greater range get a CB radio with AM/SSB, SSB (single side band) has an output of rf signal of 12W max and AM only 5W. If any1 wants more information I will help you, I am a license amateur radio operator since 1991. Good luck and have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted May 25, 2009 Author Share Posted May 25, 2009 would it be bad to mount an antenna on the tire carrier? or would a magnetic mount in the middle work best for the ground plane Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KP3S Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) would it be bad to mount an antenna on the tire carrier? or would a magnetic mount in the middle work best for the ground plane Mags tend to rust and they dont make an adecuate ground. If you hit a low tree branch it can be knock down. If you want to install a good antenna use a steel whip or fiberglass whip with a ball mount and a heavy duty spring, if the antenna is a steel whip take a tenis ball and make two holes and run the whip thru the ball to keep the antenna from grounding while traveling and touching the vehicle. Edited May 25, 2009 by KP3S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted May 25, 2009 Author Share Posted May 25, 2009 Would a wilson lil will do good? (antenna) (sorry, im jumpin round here) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KP3S Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Wilson is a good antenna but a bit too expensive. But is a good choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted May 25, 2009 Author Share Posted May 25, 2009 Wilson is a good antenna but a bit too expensive. But is a good choice. Cool, cause a guy wants a wilson lil wil and a uniden 510xl radio for 30 bucks, and i don't need the radio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KP3S Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 (edited) Good buy. Good luck with the install. Remember 16-17' of coax cable from the radio to the antenna, don't coil the execess cable but try to keep is as straight as possible because when you coil the cable it works like a signal attenuator, the signal will degrade. Edited May 25, 2009 by KP3S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zibi Posted May 25, 2009 Share Posted May 25, 2009 Don't get a magnetic mount. I leave my sunroof open when I can wheeling just so I can stand my magnetic antenna back up every 8 minutes after it gets knocked down by a branch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted May 26, 2009 Author Share Posted May 26, 2009 Idk, i got in my truck to check the cb and roll up the windows, and was hearing people in springfield virginia and marshfield mass. clear as day O_O One of em just got his radio system redone, and when i said i could hear him clear as day in MI, he was pretty happy with the renovations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteeevO Posted May 28, 2009 Share Posted May 28, 2009 You can drastically increase range on your CB by simply making sure it's tuned!!! you need a low SWR or you can damage your radio! Did you check SWR of your antenna at all? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted May 28, 2009 Author Share Posted May 28, 2009 You can drastically increase range on your CB by simply making sure it's tuned!!! you need a low SWR or you can damage your radio! Did you check SWR of your antenna at all? ummm.YEAH!!!!... Lol, no not really, theres a guy who can tune it, but until i can get a better antenna ima wait, so im just not using it now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted June 1, 2009 Author Share Posted June 1, 2009 well I was just informed that my local 4x4 clubs have boycotted the 102" whip.......so i guess i'll have to go with the fiberglass then :\...radioshack.com here i come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteeevO Posted June 1, 2009 Share Posted June 1, 2009 firesticks work best in my experience. banning the whips are for good reason though... as far as SWR... you can have the best radio in the world and if the antenna isn't tuned then.... there is no point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fukinitupagain Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 banning the whips are for good reason though... Why is that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrimGreg Posted June 2, 2009 Share Posted June 2, 2009 Because they are just that, a whip. Granted if anyone is standing so close that the antenna can hit them, they are to close to the truck. There was a big debate about them on NOAS a while back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 apparently, they are pretty dangerous once they get goin...one guy said that his has cut clean through branches before...... It also apparently completely overpowers other antennas..... The only reason i was interested in it, was because it wouldn't really need a spring (save some cash) and it could get one for 20 bucks from radioshack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteeevO Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 no doubt they work well when tuned but... it's not worth it.. just run a firestick i run the 5ft one and no spring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldSlowReliable Posted June 3, 2009 Author Share Posted June 3, 2009 no doubt they work well when tuned but... it's not worth it.. just run a firestick i run the 5ft one and no spring Aren't you worried about snapping your firestik off on the trail? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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