first radio

[Iraqvet]

I have no experience with cb's.I am thinking i want to get a uniden PC 78 elite as my fisrt radio.I dont plan on ever going bigger then that,and I dont plan on paying 200 for a decent setup and then goin out and spending more money on a better one down the road.I would rather just get a good setup now and stay with it..I have heard mostly good about these cb's.Does anyone have anything bad to say about them??And what else do I need besides the cb,mic,coax cable,and the antennas ?I would appriciate some info..Thanks....

[elharrison]

get a cobra 29ltd , i have one works like a charm. pretty good price i think pilot has them for 69.99

antennas are up to you, they can be pricey and some can be cheap...i put cheaper ones on my truck and they work fine , they cant get out 100miles but i can get out a little bit

mic will come with most any cb, so dont worry about that

coax isnt to much , i havent bought any in a while so i cant price that...

[CAZ]

I have a PC 78 elite works great Have had comments form guys with big radios comment on how good it sounds. It has been tweaked and peaked alittle. Now my antenna is a k40 whip. Guys may laugh at this but it work great the coax is built in and its mounts on a mirror mount and with a whip i have had to do very little adjustment with the swr's.

[earthbrown]

cobra29, cobra25 or uniden78 are all fine.

You will want the more expensive cable, 18feet....

You can run a single antenna, I prefer a 4ft "Firestik" or a 5ft "francis" both should be right on with a good mount. $19.99

If you are in a volvo, take the mirror cover off and run new cable into the cab.

If you are in a truck with metal mirror mounts, then get a mount for $8.00

Probably get off with about $100 if you find a deal on the CB.

[thetez]

these guys are right, im not arguing, but like everyone ive got my own suggestions, i would say get a cobra 29 or something, its a very common radio, has GREAT receive, and if you can get someone to work on it it will perform even better, its not too expensive (if you want one already tuned up in really nice condition i have one) or if you want to spend more money you can always get a .. more expensive radio, but for AM CB chat the 29 is a great radio.

if you want to run a single antenna you need to get rg58 coax cable, if you plan on running dual antennas get RU59 co phased 18' each way. radio shack coax is normally pretty cheap and it is GREAT stuff, this is more expensive slightly better stuff, but the radio shack stuff actually works.

the best antenna you can possibly get is a 102" steel whip antenna, but they are ugly..... i prefer the wilson silverload, its a lot like the firestick, and the francis... although i have hear negative things about the francis... and honestly it is the worst performing out of the three. i prefer the 4' wilson because well its done me amaizing, (im co-phased) the fire stick didnt impress me. But these three antennas have tunable tips, making it easy to set your SWR's (oh with the 29 it has a built in swr meter)

the mounting, its hard to say with out knowing what you drive, and if your willing to put holes in the body.

[truckerjaw]

I have 2 radios right now. I'm currently using my Galaxy DX949 with some power and audio tweaks with duel 4' Firesticks.I have a range of about 7-9 miles on the flat lands. The radio is about 4 years old and the only problem I have had was the light for the meter burned out (replaced it with a blue LED). Firesticks are great antennas for the price. I use them because I tend to break them in some of the places I go and their cheep to replace. About $20 each.
I also have a Cobra 29 Soundtracker w/ nightwatch that I keep as a back up. Nice radio to look at, weather band is a life saver in the winter time, but I feel like I am constantly making adjustments to keep radio interference out. If you don't already have a weather band in you truck stereo or some other way this might be something to consider.

Hope this information helps.

[fido1977]

i prefer a connex 3300 hp with two 4ft firesticks i have had them for 3 years now and they are great really thx fido

[truckstopcowboy]

the connex 3300 hp is a dame good radio it has dull finels, so they stand up over the years and for a hundredand fifty more dollers then the 29 ,its well worth it

[Iraqvet]

I appricciate all th info.I got hired with us xpress and They said i could wait til after christmas to go out with a trainer.So I still have plenty of time to make a choice.I will be out with a trainer for a month after that also.They said their trucks already come with antennas and a coax cable.So I am guessing its probably bottom of the barrel stuff..They said they would hook up the cb for me.I could get antennas and a different coax cable if I chose to.

[thetez]

from what i hear stock cables/anteennas are pretty horrible. it wouldent hurt to get your own, i recommend the wilson silverload 4ft FGT and go to .. radio shack or where ever andn dget some 18' of rg58x coax cable