Need a good clean, powerful radio

ok..1st knob is on/off/volume/squelch..Tune those as you like or dislike noise....Dynamike is sentivity of the mic,more you turn it up the less you have to hold it to your mouth and no need to speak as loud into it..My suggestion,turn it all the way up...RF gain is your receive...More you turn it up the farther you will hear but it also picks up a lil more noise that you can kill by adding a lil more squelch or by turning back the rf gain a smidge to likeing..
SWR/CAL.....When you first hook up the radio you need to calibrate the radio to see where your radio/ant is tuned...Easier to post a you tube vid to actually see what happens...Do all your checks in an open area not near cars and buildings ect...Make a note of what each channel shows for swr and go from there with ant tuneing..Oh he does it on channel 1-20-40..He is almost right,do it on 1-19-40...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ9sbVqd5fg

 

There are debates on the 18' length of coax..I have ZERO proof either way..I hear some guys say to use a length you need and others say its multiples of 9 ft..Sence i have taken more of a tech interest in antennas n such i have become more fustraited..So many different opinions on most everything so ya gottastudy..
Now that i have wandered off subject some ilk answer your question...Do not kink,bend,pinch your coax and dont buy the local truck stop crap..Get a cb shop to make a coax up for you and test it..If you have any extra length stretch it out as much as possible..A loose figure 8 would be ok as well..Try to keep coax away for and wires in your truck that supply power..
Originally you mentioned a powerful radio..Last sat night i was talkin to a fella 7 miles ahead of me on my cobra which is turned down(watt wise) to 1.5 watts for my linear..He was running a bearcat 880 with a 102"whip.
At the moment i have a 30 ft piece of coax running from radio in my new cascadia to my predator 10k ant mounted to the grab rail on back of cab wall..Bad place to mount by the way..

 

I have a couple of Bearcat 880s and a 980 that all sound good.

I run a Cobra 29LX with a Wilson 2000 and an RM Italy 203 in my truck.

I get good reports on the way they all sound 3-5 miles out.

I am about to convert over to a SIRIO Performer 5000 Trucker 3/8 antenna in the next couple of weeks.

 

That sirio is only gonna be any good if you can get the coils up over the roof..Like on a flat top pete or kw but its no better than a rock if you try it on a new areo pete/kw or freightliner..
Im battleing that issue on my new cascadia with my predator 10k..My temp set up has it on the grab rail on back of my cab..Tuning it makes me well over height and i know when im hitting stuff..Lost my corona ball in traffic the other week,hope it didnt go into a windshield..

 

What truck?

 

Peak and Tune is not a myth. Clipping the limiter, jacking the AMC/ALC wide open, or spreading the coils to get more power is a myth. Doubling the output power of any radio, even a stock legal CB, is a myth.

Making sure the transmit and receive are properly aligned and tuned is not a myth. Making sure the modulation is set at 100% (most come with it set at 60-80% from the factory) is not a myth. Modifications to the receiver to lower the noise floor are not a myth.

There are a small handful of techs in the country who do it right, and don't BS you. Look up Mark Sherman (fine tune CB) on facebook and watch his videos. You'll gain an understanding - of what needs to be done to do it right, and the sheer number of shops that don't do ANYTHING right.

 

2015 Volvo VNL780

 

Same as with the Wilson 2000 as far as the coil is concerned. I have a 10" shaft and a quick disconnect that puts it up high enough. The SIRIO comes with a 7" shaft, but I'll use the 10" shaft and quick disconnect off the Wilson.

I had a 36" aluminum shaft on that antenna when I had it on my Kenworth to get the coil up over the cab.

But, since the antenna is mounted on the top of the mirror mount on the Volvo instead of low on the mirror, as was the case with the Kenworth, the 36" would be too long for the Volvo install.