purchasing a cb

I had a hand held CB bought it off another driver for 20.00 as he was needing money to send home. Had know Idea what i would use it for, Till one day I saw a truck to truck saleswomen walking around the parking lot of the flying j in Indianapolis. I declined to buy anything from her or make a trade but was able to explain to her how she could increase sales and save some wear and tear on her shoes by using the hand held CB She bought it for 60.00

 

The tried and true Cobra 29ltdClassic is probably the best "bang for the buck". They're reliable and one of the most used CB's. I believe Love's truck stop had them for under $90.

Craigslist is also a good place. But ALWAYS test it out first. You can buy a power cord that plugs into your cigarette lighter to test power for around $10. Keep it in your truck for when you blow a fuse or whatever, for backup power. It will usually allow you to use your radio even if your truck is not running.

 

Truckstops often have good prices on CBs, you just have to monitor the prices until you find a good price. I also noticed that Amazon.com often has good prices. The new Cobra 29 lx (computer display) I saw in truck stops for $125-129 and Amazon had it for $99.

I've been surprised at how many things trucks tops have that are priced reasonably. The secret is you recognize a good price. They also have lots of over priced stuff.

 

Yes, watch for sale prices.

Also if you have a smartphone you can download Shopsavvy. Just scan the barcode and it will search for comparable prices online and also nearby stores.

There are many other similar apps of course.

Mikeeee

 

I too use the cobra 29LTD classic. Intended to tide me over until I could afford a better one, Now I can afford a better cb and have yet to find a reason to upgrade from this one. Think I paid $99 for it on sale, used about $30 in fuel points and got it for $69.

 

Blue tooth on CB is useless but cobra does make one thats Bluetooth compatible. I run a Cobra 29 classic LTD I've the road and it does fine. Running off road logs friends run the same radio w/ a 200-500 linear amp and they work fine for that as well (adverse weather, mountains, longer range needed in that application)

The one thig I will say is if you get a big radio to run over the road with you will annoy most people. The others w/ a big radio will tell you how yours sucks, etc. I ran into one guy all the time in Connecticut w/ a big radio ($800+ in stuff) and after being irritated next trip out brought a modified MURS radio that ran on CB frequencies (used in woods in emergency situations) and he got running his mouth about how everyone's radio sucked and using his stupid noise board. This had annoyed me 10+ times over the last month, I parked at the truck stop, hooked up the MURS and waited for him to key up then keyed over him theb there was silence due to ,i am assuming, his radio blowing.

CB's are tools not toys. Use it to talk to shippers, give directions, heads up on police, and keep yourself awake at night. You don't need a huge radio with echo, roger beep, and a soundboard to do such so don't waste your money

 

I had an old Radio shack CB that worked great,somebody broke into my truck and stole it,I replaced it with a "cheap" Midland radio,which has been ok,it serves it's purpose.as long as you have a good antenna set up any CB will work fine.I've been told my little inexpensive set up sounds pretty good.I was running my Midland with a Radio Shack 5'whip and had almost perfect SWR's and could reach pretty far,I only used it to keep in touch with shipping/receiving departments and if I came up on any road hazards,there are to many crazy people on the radio out there...I'm a "yard guy" now,but I use the same set up in my personal vehicle for off roading,I live near 2 big retail distribution centers,sometimes I'll listen in and help out a driver looking for directions in my area.

 

Cb radios do come up on sale, usually in the first half of the year. During January and February 2012, T/A truckstops have a 10% off sale on Cobra cb radios. Last couple of years, Pilot had a sale on Midland 5001Z radios during March and April. So keep your eyes open for sales.
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Another option is to purchase a factory refurbished cb radio. Refurbished Uniden radios can be checked out at
. www.Uniden.com/cb-radios/icat/cbradios_b2c There is an underscore between /cbradios_b2c It does not show up when I listed the web address. Those listed as like new are refurbished. They are a couple of dollars cheaper than new and I believe they come with a warrant.