Suggestions on first cb? brand, etc?

The new model Cobra's and Uniden's are gaining in popularity.
1. Buy it from truck stop but get your antenna(s) and co-ax from a REPUTABLE cb shop (ask around) 2. Why, these are simple radios, affordable and durable. Any cb shop can work on them i.e add toys/ peaks etc, later on for you....aimhigh

 

Buy it peaked and tuned, maybe used from a shop the antennas can be bought with driver fuel points, if you not looking to buy really great antenna. i drive company and no longer mount anything i'd hate to lose later...... my two scents
happy owner of a cobra 29 ltd for 5 years

 

My first was a Cobra 19, it served it's purpose. inexpensive, as stated above, when I left a company it did not break my heart when I left it in the truck.
I now have a Cobra 25NW, it is simple and relatively inexpensive. I think I paid 77.00 for it at Wal-mart.

 

Buy a Cobra 25 or 29, or Uniden equivalent. There are a lot of bargans on used ones. I never buy new and always have my used ones checked out before installing them. Don't buy used if you can't hook it up and see if it is working unless the price is $20 or less....I'd take a chance if it was that cheap.

 

Don't buy from a Truck stop, you can find brand new Cobra's and Galaxy's on amazon.com for cheaper than a truck stop, then bring to a reputable CB shop for fine tuning with good antenna and coax, On radio, Cobra's are OK, but for around $170.00, you can get a nice Galaxy 939, these are not 10 meters, their just a CB, Better power than a Cobra and reliable

 

The Galaxy 939 is a legal CB limited to 4 watts output just like a Cobra. They are over priced for what they are and won't perform any better than a Cobra 25 or 29.....they look fancy and do have a few more non essential bells and whistles however.

 

I would think you need to decide and say what exactly you want from the radio and/or how much you would like to spend on set. Best case scenario you will end up with truck, which already have everything in place. More realistically you will have to buy radio, antenna(s), cable, external speaker.

From my recent experience Ebay is overpriced, people willing to pay for used, no warranty unit just $20 less, than new unit with all hardware, free shipping and warranty cost.

It's good you are asking well in advance, you have time to research and hopefully find what you need for reasonable price.

I would suggest use www.searchtempest.com, set reasonable distance of search, especially, if you go outside of your area, may be set alert on your local craigslist site, it will notify you when new item(s) appear. I found cheap used Cobra 29 NW and NOS(new old stock) antenna, I was not in a hurry and took my time, I think it paid off.

As mentioned before me, keep in mind cost of tuning/peaking etc. Buying used already put together set may be your best option(with right price, of course), may be double check with CB shop, so you would not miss something.

Research and decide what you would like to end up with, in my case magnet antenna is good, but may be permanent would be a better choice.

Happy holidays everyone!

 

My personal preference is a Cobra 29. When he quit driving, my dad gave me his which he purchased in the mid 80's and it has been bulletproof. No mods, just good quality coax and antenna and it talks great. You might look around for an older model. In 1994 production moved to China and in my opinion the quality just isn't as good. Use the usual precautions of buying something used and you might find a steal.

 

true, the FCC limits the wattage on cbs when sold, but a good cb shop can easily crank it up.