Is my CB junk?

What is a Cobra 18? I have a 19 and it does ok....

Of course it COULD be better.

 

18 is the predicisor to 19 it a 40 channel has a 9 - 19 switch button. still using same mic It came with and it is a 17 y/o radio my dad used it. Same radio he had in truck when was killed in rollover.

 

The Cobra 18 series has been "problem plagued" for years. Most people consider them to be the worst CBs Cobra ever made. The Cobra 19 series is a much better radio if you want a very cheap basic model. You can buy the newest Cobra 19 for about $34 at Walmart. A much better bet would be the Cobra 29. You can find nice used ones for about $40 and up.

 

I ran a 19 for many years untill it died in the Florida heat very good basic radio

 

Okay, somebody says get 18 feet of coax. Why 18 feet? Because 18 feet is the half wave length of the CB frequency. Coax needs to be 18 feet to work best on a CB radio installation.

Sounds good but this is actually a load of bull.

Well, 18 feet is the halfwave length of the CB frequency BUT ONLY when the signal is traveling through air. CB radios are connected to the antenna by coax cable. The halfwave length of the CB frequency when the signal is traveling through metal, like the metal wire that forms the center conductor of the coax cable, is 11 feet 10 inches not 18 feet.

Now 18 feet of coax will work but so will 12 feet, 7 feet, 2 1/2 feet or any length that is long enough to connect the antenna to the radio.

But 18 feet of coax can also create a problem if the excess length is coiled tightly. Better would be to coil the excess in the form of a figure "8" about 10 to 14 inches in length. Best idea would be to buy coax that is long enough to connect the antenna to the radio without a significant amount of excess cable. The shorter length is also cheaper.

Do you think a ham operator changes the length of coax cable from the radio to the antenna every time they change to a different frequency band? NOPE!