Stock Cobra 29

Try the local library for a book called "The Big Dummies Guide to CB Radio" but don't expect much luck in finding it. Maybe you will be lucky. Otherwise you will need to purchase through a used book seller on the internet "The Big Dummies Guide to CB Radio". It is a very easy read. If unavailable try to find "Chilton's CB Handbook" with an ISBN of 0-8019-6623.
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Note these books are from the 70's so any reference to getting a CB license is no longer applicable.
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The distance you will transmit is mostly determined by the antenna that you are using.
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General guideline number 1, longer antennas work better. Forget the 2 and 3 feet long antennas on large trucks because they do not work well. A 4 foot long antenna is the minimum length that you should use. Personally I prefer antennas that are in the 4 1/2 to 6 foot length range. The exception are antennas with a loading coil. These antennas work very well but they are more expensive.

General guideline number 2: your overhead clearances are the practical limit to antenna length.

General guideline number 3: Always, repeat ALWAYS check your installation with an external SWR meter before you go running your mouth on your CB radio. And no -- the SWR meter in the radio is often not accurate enough to be valid.

 

A stock Cobra 29...which is what I have will get out a couple of miles easy with a good antenna. A Wilson 2000 antenna with a good Road King mic will make it sound even better. I had to get the 29 because my hot rodded Cobra 25 got torched in a truck fire.

 

All this info given so far is right on the money.

As far as tuning up your own radios. To do it properly you would need to spend enough money on equipment that you would be able to buy yourself a dozen or more quality 10 meter export radios. O-scope, signal generator, frequency counter, signal tracer, spectrum analyzer, tuning tools, parts, etc...

Best thing for you to do is to take your radios to a qualified CB shop for a proper tune up. Or buy a bigger radio. A lot of people will cut the limiter and tune a pot or two and call it a tune up. This can be done by a guy in a van in the back of a truck shop for 25 - 35 bucks.

NOT a proper tune-up!

I recommend Sparky's CB Shack. Or buy another radio from Sparky's All the radios he sells will be tuned and peeked to do the best it can be done at no extra cost to you. That's just the way he is. Most shops sell radios at the factory settings then if you want it peeked then they charge you more. Not Al!

 

Here is a start. Turn mic gain/Dynamic to about 3:00 or more depending if you are soft spoken on the radio. RF Gain to full right. Turn squelch full left then turn to the right till you hear no noise. ANL/NL, well that depends on how much noise you want to hear. The CAL knob is for checking the SWR or the antennas. It should show you how to do this in the manual.

 

I read the manual for my Cobra 29 and the knobie-thingies aren't a mystery anymore!