Thinking about a cb upgrade...

True,But the loss factor on a short run of RG8-X is not going to make a huge difference.
A good 98% shielded,solid copper core RG8-X 50 ohm will handle things just fine.
The 213 is great cable but a pain to run in a truck.

It is this Chinese made coax that most all truck stops sell that is junk. Like Road Pro and Truck Spec brands....pure junk in my opinion.

 

Will builders let you have an amp on your cb

 

Agreed. The Strykers are real screamers on AM, however they do have a tendency to drift a bit. Still, they are plenty loud.

Honestly, what you already have sounds like a smokin' setup. If you had to change anything maybe upgrade the antenna or coax, but the equipment itself- nothing wrong there!

 

Builders, you mean CB shop? If so, yes. you can have smaller amp installed in the radio or have an external pill/linear/kicker.

This is an older post, may want to start a new thread if you have more questions... As for Cobra vs Big radio's, nothing wrong w/ properly tuned Cobra, in fact I wish more drivers would get them tuned! Myself I only use top shelf exports and only touched by CB tech's NOT hacks.

 

How can you tell if they drift?

AND why would you want junk that drifts?

 

How can you tell? Only way to tell is w/ frequency counter on the radio, or more advanced equipment at CB shop.

AND why? The most noticeable drift is freezing cold truck; to heat on in winter. "junk" no, its more noticeable on radios w/ freq. counter, the small drift is not enough that you'd ever hear it. In fact the Stryker brand is holding strong with its claim that it is the most stable SSB mobile ever made. <--- I'll be checking that claim next month.

 

i want to be able to talk 5 miles away. i want one of the big radios. i have a 29 im about to get tuned up but i want to get an amp with it so i can talk even further

 

Take it to a shop that is recommended by other drivers, some shops will simply cut the limiter... makes for a loud crappy sounding splatter box. I hear claims that the 29 will put out 25-35 watts, but have only seen 15 watts myself and still sound good. To get out further check your antenna SWR first. Rule of thumb, stock radios put out 4watts, and average 3-4miles... in order to make a noticeable gain you must double your wattage 4 to 8 to 16 to 32 etc. @ 15 watts you should be able to talk 5 miles easy. <---just a rule of thumb, not hard science

 

Thanks for the reply,

I understand what you are saying but here is what I can't understand, why have a radio with a freq counter when the accuracy of the counter isn't all that great to begin with. Drift to me is when you actually hear it on the receiving end, not see it on the radio counter.

After dealing with CBs and ham radios for more than 35 years, I don't want to insult or offend anyone so I will keep the rest to myself.

Oh by the way, I am not making these comments blindly, I have a 655 sitting here next to me I traded for a cobra 29 - yes that is what the guy wanted so I wasn't going to argue with him. I had to work on it a bit to get it straightened up and it didn't live up to my expectations. It is maybe the tenth or eleventh export radio I have ever had.

 

I'm certainly no ham, just sharing what I've learned... your not insulting anyone, I like to hear what people with more experience can teach.

On AM, I've not had a problem with drift, least that I'm aware of? By drift, you mean it falls off channel right? I always thought 5 digit frequency counter was accurate enough for the band once the radio has been aligned and tuned. The 655 you have drifts how far?

Thought it would be nice to have built in 6 digit like yours, for SSB use. I've been very impressed with quality of Magnum S-6, but since the brand has moved on to Stryker, I've been eyeballing the 955, and finally have a few dollars saved up.