AT my wits end.

Maybe so. But the op has another thread on this forum looking for cb shops in Ct, with no replies. As long as he is asking, ill try to help, as I'm sure others here will also. Maybe someone with more knowledge will chime in, that can pinpoint the problem.

 

Uhh... well yeah, that would make a difference lol

A cobra 29 and a wilson 1000 would be a fine setup bigbotes. Good luck

 

If both radios are working, one isn't any better than the other. Antenna location is still important. Too close to the back of the cab, while popular, is not a good choice.

 

ALL of your toggle switches on your radio are where they should be, correct?

Well, actually these are instructions, to check, but not set.

To set the calibration on my Cobra. I move a switch to CAL. Then I go to channel 1 or 40, and I key the mic down. Then there is a knob you can turn to make the meter needle go to the left. That knob is called SWR CAL. On the left side of my meter, is a little orange triangle. I line the meter needle up with that orange triangle. I then switch a knob to SWR. Then key the mic down again. Your meter needle should tell you where your SWR is set.

 

I would get someone who you can actually trust to ask for a radio check - best situation is to have them on the phone when you do it so you can hear the radio. I have a radio in my pickup that I know is working, the antenna is working very very well but yesterday I was showing someone the radio (thinking about selling it) and tried like hell to get someone to respond to my asking for a radio check ... no one did and this was at a truckstop visiting with the guy.

 

I wouldn't trust the built in meter until I had checked it with a good external meter. Even then, the scale is so small you can't really get an accurate reading. If you are going to run a mag mount, get one that is about 5ft long or longer for best performance. The Lil Wil is limited in it's performance......I have two and use them in temporary installations. Otherwise, it is a Wilson 1000.

 

I'm running a Cobra 29 with a Palomar Elite 250 and a Wilson 5000 and it really performs well.