Cobra 29 WX NW BT CB Radio Questions

Discussion in 'CB Radio Forum' started by NewbieTruckerWife, Jan 23, 2011.

  1. NewbieTruckerWife

    NewbieTruckerWife Bobtail Member

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    Jan 4, 2011
    St. Louis, MO
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    My husband is new to Trucking and today we bought him a new Cobra 29 WX NW BT and we need to get an antenna for it--a really good one. He is driving a FreightLiner. Any suggestions? Thank you!!!
     
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  3. BIGBUDDY29

    BIGBUDDY29 Light Load Member

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    Jan 9, 2011
    MONTROSE,CO
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    Wilson 2000 or 5000, very good antena's. they are pricey but well worth it.
    Also you need to tune it to your CB.
     
  4. BIGBUDDY29

    BIGBUDDY29 Light Load Member

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    MONTROSE,CO
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  5. Flying Dutchman

    Flying Dutchman Road Train Member

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    you dont tune an antenna to your radio, you tune it to your vehicle & its location. Once you do that, you can pop in 100 different radios and the SWR should be the same.
     
  6. NewbieTruckerWife

    NewbieTruckerWife Bobtail Member

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    Jan 4, 2011
    St. Louis, MO
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    I ordered the Wilson 5000...cool! I can't wait to get it. Another question--are the handheld CB's any good for household use? I had thought about getting one for my house just for fun and to listen to. Or would it be a better idea to get a regular Cobra like the 29 that I just bought for my husband's truck?
    Thanks again, Sandy...
     
  7. WA4GCH

    WA4GCH Road Train Member

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    Cobra makes a ht I have one and for short range it works well
     
  8. Flying Dutchman

    Flying Dutchman Road Train Member

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    handhelds work well when needed. If looking to monitor at home, I would look into setting up a dipole antenna if you want to be discreet, or something like an Antron 99 would work well for you too. Then you can get a base radio, or a Cobra 29 with a power supply.
     
  9. handlebar

    handlebar Heavy Load Member

    Handhelds work OK for very short distances. Their greatest limitation is the physical size/performance tradeoff of their antennas.
    I've got two CB handhelds, a Radio Shack and a Cherokee. The stock antenna on the Radio Shack looks like a typical scanner or VHF handheld "rubber duckie", about 6 inches long. It won't hear a typical mobile a mile away. The antenna on the Cherokee is about 10 inches long, part of which is a straight whip sticking up out of a rubber duckie. It will hear that same mobile from about two miles.
    If you want a radio that's easily portable to caravan with your husband in a second vehicle, a handheld would be OK. But to use it in the house and expect decent performance, I'd put a base antenna of some sort on the house as Dutchman suggested. And you'll have to keep it on a power supply or get used to charging it often, and the somewhat anemic speaker volume compared to a mobile-with-a-power-supply as a base radio.
    On balance, a Cobra 29 or 25 (for a little less money and no sacrifice for a base radio) with a 2-amp regulated power supply would make a very nice radio for the house. You can even use the mounting bracket to fasten it up under a cabinet in a kitchen or den, and put the power supply in the cabinet. That saves "real estate" on a desk or counter, and hides the wires.
    Easy answer is that a handheld will work for some things, but I think you'd be disappointed in its performance as a house radio.
    Hope that helps,
    -- Handlebar --
     
  10. NewbieTruckerWife

    NewbieTruckerWife Bobtail Member

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    Jan 4, 2011
    St. Louis, MO
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    Thanks for all the info...I appreciate it!!!
     
  11. NewbieTruckerWife

    NewbieTruckerWife Bobtail Member

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    Jan 4, 2011
    St. Louis, MO
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    Oh, the Power Supply... a simple 12 Volt to Household Plug would not work?
     
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