Cab/radios?

[Maddog74]

Ok I know a lot of folks are getting ham radios... but what cbs are the rest of you liking that are on the market?

 

[M Rose]

Ok I know a lot of folks are getting ham radios... but what cbs are the rest of you liking that are on the market?

I like cheap radios... my friends all know I used to be a huge CB jockey when I was a teen and early 20’s, so they give me old radio junk. I find that the Uniden XL 510 is just as good if not better than my Galaxy 959. The Galaxy has all kinds of bells and whistles, but when it comes down to actual trail talk.... Channel, volume, and squelch are all you really need.

 

[J.W.]

I think FRS/GMRS will replace CB in a couple of years. Even some OTR drivers are starting to use them. HAM radio is still my preferred.

That being said, I have a Cobra WX 75 ST and like it fine. It has a very small footprint since all the controls are on the mic. It stays in the center console when not in use. I also have a couple of FRS handhelds so I can talk to the GMRS people on the trails. I am thinking about a GMRS mobile but I want to see it catch on a bit more first.

 

[Downs]

If you don't want the bells and whistles the 40 dollar radios will get the job done just fine. I got a Radioddity unit a little one that works just fine. I do like the auto squelch feature it has.

 

[ryanorr280]

i have the cobra 75 as well. I’ve used cb’s from the cheap $40 radios, to a tuned up uniden. For me, they mostly do the same things. I went with the small footprint of the cobra 75 to save space. It works well.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

An older one, but a good one...

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Cobra 25 LTD Classic with weather. Mag mount at center of roof.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I've got a Cobra 29 with expanded frequency i bought used, but no weather. Maybe I'll take extra frequencies out and replace with weather, put it in the GMC Sierra and put the 25 into the Jeep.

Up until hurricane Irma, I was receiving folks from the deep south and Puerto Rico all the way here in Boston as they skipped. And some of them may have had juiced up amps and such - channel 6 was notorious for senseless bragging and put-downs to no end. After the hurricane, barely a peep of channel 6 and Puerto Rico. Just local trucker traffic out of the produce center now

 

[TexasGMG]

Had General Lee until a dickhead used it after he broke the antenna. Now I've got a cheap Uniden. Looking into the GMRS though. i'm thinking one of those Midland mxt115 would be handy.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

There's not a lot of CB traffic here in the Northeast. Mostly it was replaced with cell phones and FRS and GMRS about 15-20 years ago, at least for 4 wheelers. But I will say the CB came in handy for trips to Florida. A lot more people with a lot more to say in the air from Pennsylvania on southward. I used to hear Canadians when thier signal would skip, too. So I imagine there's more chatter up there?

I'll pick up some FRS soon just to keep multiple methods available

 

[M Rose]

There's not a lot of CB traffic here in the Northeast. Mostly it was replaced with cell phones and FRS and GMRS about 15-20 years ago, at least for 4 wheelers. But I will say the CB came in handy for trips to Florida. A lot more people with a lot more to say in the air from Pennsylvania on southward. I used to hear Canadians when thier signal would skip, too. So I imagine there's more chatter up there?

I'll pick up some FRS soon just to keep multiple methods available

I only have my Cobra 21 in the Bronco for nostalgia... I’m thinking of using it’s case to house a Ham one of these days.

 

[OTH Overland]

Spent many years driving semi truck, and was always used full size Cobra 25 & 29, usually with various mods. Now with CB going by the wayside and limited dash space in the newer vehicles, I have gone to the all in one units, I have a Cobra 75 in the motorhome, and a Uniden CMX760 in the Ram, much prefer the Uniden all in one, seems to have a bit better reach, and the display and controls on the mike light up well (in several colors even). The only time they get used is on the interstate on long road trips to communicate with truckers and some use on trail rides where not all have Ham or GMRS. Currently do not have a CB in the Jeep, but think I may add a Uniden in there since several folks in the OB community around here still use them. Prefer Ham for general comms, but like to have all three available as its nice to be able to go with the flow.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

I was headed northbound in Georgia just this past January when my cell phone GPS suddenly sent me in what seemed to be a completely random direction. We've all fallen victim to something like Wayze, who sometimes sends you on a convoluted route to save 30 seconds of drive time.

So I checked the CB and some truckers advised me there was an accident up ahead and traffic was backed up 11 miles! They advised me to take the same exit my phone advised.

I'm glad I checked with the truckers on CB. The route GPS gave me was SO out of the way, at some point, Iwound up on a dirt road in some swampy wetlands preserve before finally making it back to civilization and getting on the highway past the crash.

Had I not gotten the info from the truckers, I would have gone as far as the entrance to the swamp, figured there was a glitch, and turned back around into the mess. It probably saved me an hour and a half to 2 hours

 

[Downs]

Had General Lee until a dickhead used it after he broke the antenna. Now I've got a cheap Uniden. Looking into the GMRS though. i'm thinking one of those Midland mxt115 would be handy.

The midlands are good little turn key units. For the same cost or less you could be setup with a commerical spec Motorola or Midland. Think radios like fire/police/ems use. These are surplus units you can find on Ebay for well under 100 dollars all day long. The Kenwood TK-880 is a very popular surplus radio with the more radio savy GMRS crowd. I've got a Motorola PM400 and a Motorola Radium M1225 that is setup for GMRS use. The PM400 is also programed with local UHF HAM frequencies as well. Both of these radios and their accessories will probably outlast me and my kids.

 

[Boostpowered]

Cb is a waste unless you know for a fact others in your area are using it. Truckers on the highway dont even use it anymore so its lost its edge as a way to get traffic info. I have a uniden pro505xl in my truck and have heard exactly zero other people on it. Only thing its used for is the pa function to yell at bad drivers.

 

[Boostpowered]

Channel 9 here is probably the only useful channel since texas state troopers monitor it. Better than dialing 911 when you witness a wreck.

 

[Downs]

Channel 9 here is probably the only useful channel since texas state troopers monitor it. Better than dialing 911 when you witness a wreck.

I've never seen a state trooper's vehicle with a CB in it. Maybe the commercial vehicle enforcement guys? I traverse I-30 for work multiple times a week. Still plenty of traffic down there.

 

[Boostpowered]

I've never seen a state trooper's vehicle with a CB in it. Maybe the commercial vehicle enforcement guys? I traverse I-30 for work multiple times a week. Still plenty of traffic down there.

Maybe they dont anymore idk, they used to when cb was still popular. Its the designated emergency channel for cb

 

[Prerunner1982]

I got a Radioddity unit a little one that works just fine. I do like the auto squelch feature it has.

Just got mine in the mail yesterday. Man that thing is small.

 

[ThundahBeagle]

Must've been a ghost that advised me just this past January in Georgia, I guess.

I dont deny there have been "better" modes of communication these last 20 years, but it seems to still have a place