Powerful radio

Anyone that keys up that is next to you, your gonna get “step” on. What you want is a clear sounding radio. A good mic like a SRA 198(my preference) and/or the old “Telex/Turner 56 will do the job. Now everyone that’s posted are making a valid point about the antenna, there’s then just getting your SWR done below 1.5, you need a good ground plane and like mentioned also already, a good coax, not those factory coax built in. But you keep going back to, that you already have your antenna set up working correctly and your hooked on getting a bigger radio, those 29’s are good radios, instead of spending on export radio, purchase and linear(amplifier) instead. Make sure you wire it straight to the batteries(with a fuse). Make sure the radio is stock and not butchered. I myself am happy with my set up. I get compliments all the time on how clear it sounds. So back to your question, oh wait, I already answered it in the beginning.

 

I was like you when I got into CB’s. I wanted power. I settle for 175 magnum kicker(way back in the day). But there was always an issue. Either antenna, the kicker(linear) coax or short. And let me add, I had the linear with a “29” Cobra GTL. I eventually just thru the linear in the sleeper and ended up in the trash soon after. You’ll learn like everyone does in life, that what you think is better might not be, just settle for something simple done right.

 

If your goal is to communicate with trucks in your vicinity as opposed to long-distance skip, not very many trucks (I don't think) are driving around with 1000w linear amps. If it takes that much power for them to hear you, how are you ever going to hear their little 4-watt signals in return? Your range will far outpace theirs.

 

Stryker 497.

Good radio out of the box. Road king mic and a fire stick. Comes in crystal clear. The old 29s are good too. We have one in the other truck but it's been tuned by someone else.

 

With the right person listening there's no reason you shouldn't be able to reach out 40 miles under certain conditions with that Cobra 29 and 5 ft antenna. Naturally most people aren't going to be able to hear you from that far away but there will always be a few people capable of hearing you from three or four times further than most everyone else.

 

Not everything is about money.

One of the best antennas you'll find is the 29 dollar "coil" style antenna that replicates a 102" whip. Put one of those on each side of your cab WITH A GOOD GROUND and you'll be able to pick up radio free Europe.

CB antennas are like sex, you want the most inches you can get and there is no substitute for altitude. (Think the mile high club) A 5ft antenna on a mirror mount won't hold snot to a rubber duckie hand held from a guy standing up on top of a cell tower. So get it as high as you can. And as long as you can.

I have a little 5 watt handie talkie airplane radio as I am also a pilot. This thing has like a 6" rubber duck antenna on it.I wanted to see just how far it would go and so one day a buddy of mine took me up and let me be the passenger. We called on the CTAF (common traffic advisory frequency) used by airplanes at airports nearby. We were level at 1000 ft. I got a radio call from another small plane at an airport 60 miles away and he was also at 1000 ft. He said I was loud and clear. I was using this radio INSIDE the plane. meaning most of the power was being reflected right back into my lap and it STILL got out 60 miles. Why? altitude, baby.

 

Direct line of sight. No obstacles. No earth curvature.
Way to go.

 

That's right. As high as you can put it tries to eliminate the "curvature" of the Earth that we can't seem to figure out how to get around.

In fact, us HAM operators have used handie talkies 5 watt to talk to the ISS when it's overhead. That thing is 275 miles up doing 17,000 miles an hour.

But that shows you it's not all about power. It's about a well tuned antenna as high up as possible.