More like 500 watts or so. I talk to my buddy with it because we work in the cities, simpler than dealing with phones.
Which CB to Buy and watts
Discussion in 'CB Radio Forum' started by 14er, Apr 16, 2012.
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14er Thanks this.
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With a $700 budget...If it were me, and all I was interested in was the basic CB Channels, and not SSB channels or any of the "Extra Channels" like the Export Radios have...
I would go with a Cobra 29LX or if space is limited then the New Cobra 25Lx, and then spend the rest of the money on something like a Texas Star 350 Amp or maybe even the Texas Star 500V, and a good decent antenna...And have money left over!
If you can use one of the Open Coil type antenna's, then the Predator 10K is a excellent choice, or if you rather go with a magnet mounted base-loaded type antenna, then the Wilson 1000 or 5000...
Now if you can get away with it, a 102" Whip antenna would be your best bet...Problem with those for most people is the height...
By not buying one of the Export High-Watt radios, and just going with something like a Cobra 29, and then adding a Amp in-line, you'll get more "Bang for the Buck" in watts...14er Thanks this. -
Personally, I would start out with a decent basic setup and add from there. Spend the money getting your antenna and getting it working properly. Although I don't have a predator 10K, I have heard lots of good things about them and that would be my choice. Cheaper then a Wilson 5000 and better working then anything you can buy in the truck stop. Problem is they are mostly a CB shop purchase or an internet purchase since I have never seen them in a truck stop.
Next is Coax, The factory junk in trucks is just that, JUNK. The better stuff in a truck stop will run you around 30 bucks or higher.
Now here is the other thing, todays trucks are terrible when it comes to CBs because of all the plastic, fiberglass etc that is used in the construction of the truck. No metal means less RF grounding or groundplane, something that is very important for CB use and proper function of the antenna. Running more power in a setup that has no groundplane will not help you. It might actually hurt the system.
For the longest time I ran a Galaxy 949 into a palomar 450 into a Wilson 5000. Total cost was less then 600 dollars for radio, Amp, antenna and coax. I am running a mostly metal truck, Peterbilt 379, so I did not have as many issues getting proper RF grounding etc. Just needed to check and clean all the chassis grounds and add ground straps between the doors and the door frames, since the hinges don't work very good when it comes to grounding.
On a quiet day with no skip, a 4 watt radio and a good antenna setup will net you 10-15 miles of transmission. And if the radio on the other end (that you are talking to) has a good setup then you can have a nice clear conversation. Now if his setup sucks, then you are going to end up with a one sided convo. Meaning he will beable to hear you but you won't beable to hear him.
Adding an amp will make you heard even further out and on a busy day were the channels are busy and have alot of noise on them, it will get you heard for 10-15 or further miles, It won't help you pull in them 4 watt setups that are farther out.
I don't know all the S units stuff etc, I do know for a fact that going from 4 watts to 100 watts is a night and day difference at 15 miles. You go from a mumble to being heard clearly with some authority. Going from 100 watts to 400 or 500 watts is the difference between being heard clearly to but with alot more authority meaning they will say it is like you are sitting in the cab with them and talking very loud. This also makes all the difference in the world when there is alot of noice on the channel.
If you want to play during skip conditions and try talking across the country, the difference between 4 watts and 400-500 watts is the difference between not being able to make a contact to being able to make a contact. I can't hardly get a comeback from ND to the sandpile (Florida) on 4 watts or even 100 watts, but flip on the Palomar and I am getting my name called back with no problems.
When talking locally, I have to have my rf turned all the way just to hear the other stations, meaning I have to try and understand what they are saying through all the extra noise, now they can have their RF gain and squelch dialed back to get rid of the noise and they can still hear me when I have the power dialed up. That is one of the reasons I like to have extra power.14er Thanks this. -
Now i do have the Texas star DX-350 High Drive but havent hooked it up to the connex radio...i had it hooked to the Magnum...Im not sure im really gonna hook it back up... all depends if i retire in august or not...
14er Thanks this. -
Hey,
Thanks for all the awesome recommendations. -
General Lee!!!
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I've had a Galaxy 33HML for almost 10 years and it runs great and sounds great, i just found a little Comet 200 Amp I'm thinking about hooking up to see if i can swing upwards of 150watts which is plenty for what I do even though I would love to have that Texas Star DX350 the other driver said he had but I don't need to drop $280 for a amp. I value what Rat and ChannelJumper say, they seem to really know there stuff. I would like to hear there suggestions to the perfect antenna for a truck application if your only planning on running one antenna in the middle of the cab.
14er Thanks this. -
if they can't hear you with that much power forget it .....
I run these in the car ......20 watts FM and worked GERMANY on 10 FM ....I run about 80 watts SSB/FM from my base.
Best money spent put your money into a ANTENNA .......Attached Files:
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