Looking for a new off the shelf CB.

What Cobra do you have?

 

Probably a 19. Go back to Walmart and get another one. Hook it up. You should be good for another 10 years or so.

 

Cheaper, Yes. More durable? Not really. I hear Uniden's newest models BC 880 or the BC980 (SSB) are real good ones. If I hadn't bought my Galaxy 949 and had it beefed up just a few months ago, I would be buying the Uniden.

 

If you decide to purchase a new radio, just do not buy a Cobra model 18. That one has a pretty bad track record for durability and reliability.
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Before you use your radio, always check your standing wave ratio (SWR) with a separate stand alone SWR meter. Do not rely on a meter that is in the radio because they are notoriously inaccurate. Operating a cb radio with a high SWR reading is probably the number 1 killer of radios.

 

If you just have to have a small radio like the Cobra 19, but want something a little better, look at either the Uniden 510 or 520, or the Newer Uniden 680...All these radios are about the same size, and would be better than the Cobra 19, and except for the Uniden 680, all run around $50 or less...the 680 is closer to $90.

But if you want a reliable radio with great ears and around $100, then look at the Galaxy 919. Same size as the Cobra 29, but IMO allot better radio for the money.

Forget about having your Cobra 19 fixed...It would cost almost as much to fix it as it would to get a new one...