Cobra 19 DX IV

Nice radio choice. It has a simple LED-style meter that's enough to let you know if the radio is working correctly. It has an RF Gain control that you can use to help keep the radio's receiver from being overwhelmed when you're close to whomever else you're talking with, or if you're near a powerhouse station.
Since the radio is inexpensive, I hope you'll consider spending some of what you're saving on it and put it into an efficient antenna. Antennas make more difference in performance of a CB radio than any other single component.
-- Handlebar --

 

Geez handlebar...I heard from drivers that the Cobra 19's are junk and not worth wasting your time on! What's the difference between a Uniden 520ProXL and the Cobra 19 DX IV?

 

Nothing Buckeye....the small midland isn't bad either.....I had one of those little Cobra's when I first started out.....with a decent antenna and good coax it get's out just fine....yes it's a small radio...but until you can afford a good radio it works



to the OP buy a wilson k40 antenna with a magnet mount....you'll get out just fine

 

Not to step on your toes but a mag mount isn't as hood as a hard mount. Also while I agree on the antenna being the heart and soul of any radio, get the best you can; A 102 whip will hands down outperform most any other mobile antenna. The only thing is they sit 9 feet tall!

For what it's worth, below is my old set up which consisted of a Cobra 19 and a 102 whip. The radio was a standard 3 watt dead key/10 watt swing radio. With a low 1.5:1 SWR, I could get out 3 + miles easy!

 

yeah 9 foot whip will kick it REAL GOOD

 

AND .......

Just who did they hear it from .....

I ran a 19+ in the car for a decade .... 100,000 miles and it only was removed because it was warped from the heat here in TAMPA ......
It still worked ....

 

The earlier Cobra 19 models (there have been lots of variants of a Cobra 19!) that were in a plastic case were a little more susceptible to electrical noise that penetrated the cases, because one of the ways they were made so inexpensively was to scrimp on shielding of the foil side of the board. The metal-cased variants were better at rejecting noise like this.
Modern Cobra 19s and Uniden Pro520XL are nearly the same radio, and like Nik says, the Midland 1001 and 5001 are good performers, too.
A lot of folks seem to figure that if there aren't a lot of knobs to fool with, then the radio must not be any good. By that measure, these are towards the bottom of the list
I've got some Cobra 19s here that I use as loaners for customers who have to get back on the road before I can fix something for them: a couple of 19XSs, a 19Plus, an 19M, and a couple of Uniden Pro510XLs. A couple of them have been sold to customers who returned to pick up their own radios and didn't want to part with their loaners
-- Handlebar --

 

Yep plastic case and sat right on top of my DR-03 .......

It MELTED in the car heat but that took about 10 years and i paided $40 for it .... 4 bucks per year not a bad return ......

 

The older 19's and all the 18's IMO are a waist of money no mater how much you pay for one...But, the Newer 19 IV is not that bad a radio. And the best thing about it, is you can still find them for under $40!

If space is limited, you really can't beat the Cobra 19 IV. Heck, the thing can almost fit in your pocket if you need to take it with you.