CB Radio

Yeah, I know I'm posting a lot. Finally got some free time and an internet connection...

Here's a question I've been meaning to ask GuyJax for a while. (Or any other radio guys/gals for that matter.) I still don't have a CB for my truck but there have been a few times I wished I had one. Just haven't had the money. I need suggestions on what to look for. I'm not a radio enthusiast so I'm not looking for anything high end. But I also don't want to waste money on getting something that's total crap. Any suggestions on what radios to look at? It would also be nice if they were available at truck stops so I could use my rewards points. Thanks.

The Cobra 29 has been a solid performing economical radio for years and can be found at virtually any truck stop.

My dad gave me his cobra 29 that he bought right before he retired about 6 months ago. I have no complaints with it at all.

Rookie I was looking at some of them on craigslist just the other day. Granted they are all used but seen several Cobra 29's available for around the $40 mark.

I have a bearcat 880. It's about 30-40 bucks cheaper than a cobra and doesn't have all the flashy chrome and metal on it. But it works just fine for me and it has a weather band on it.

Yes Cobra 29 is a good solid radio. Your going to want it peaked and tuned by a radio shop and have your SWRs checked and set also.

Yes Cobra 29 is a good solid radio. Your going to Wang it peaked and tuned by a radio shop and have your SWRs checked and set also.

*blinks* SWR? Could you please translate that into plain english for a noob like me? If I took a radio into a shop should I just print that and tell it to the shop keeper? Lol. Not trying to offend anyone but I haven't been around a CB since I was about twelve. I won't say how long ago that was, but it was long enough that I don't remember even how to use one.

Yes Cobra 29 is a good solid radio. Your going to Wang it peaked and tuned by a radio shop and have your SWRs checked and set also.

*blinks* Wang? SWR? Could you please translate that into plain english for a noob like me? If I took a radio into a shop should I just print that and tell it to the shop keeper? Lol. Not trying to offend anyone but I haven't been around a CB since I was about twelve. I won't say how long ago that was, but it was long enough that I don't remember even how to use one.

Haha. This is why I was hoping Guyjax would chime in. I remember from seeing one of his YouTube videos that he's quite knowledgeable about radios. Ask him about the shortwave he has in his truck, too. LOL.

How much would all of that work cost and what's involved in it? Like time wise? Any recommendations on places to get this done in the Midwest/Great Lakes region?

When you put your radio in....do NOT key the mike for any reason until atleast after you connect your antennae...AND make sure that your antennae is well grounded. If you aren't careful, you will blow the finals in your brand new radio. With the new trucks, its hard to get your antennae grounded, and unless you are good at it, i'd suggest taking your truck to the company shop, or a cb shop. But whoever does it, you will need to have the radio adjusted with a SWR meter, to get the very best imput and output you can...

SWR is Standing Wave Ratio. To understand it you would need to understand what relation grounding and reflection of transmission plays into Radio Theory.

So yes if you were to go into any CB shop and ask to have your radio peaked and tuned and have your SWRs checked they would know exactly what you are talking about.

Stay away from trucking company shops cause they will look at you like you are nuts. You would get these things taken care of at a CB shop. They are all over the country.

The shortwave that RookieTucker is speaking of is the Ham Radios I use in my truck. Though they are true ham radio they are converted from 10 meter over to 11 meter but still retain the output power of ham radio and the carrier signal.

Basically the radios I use are about 3 times more powerful than a Cobra 29 and have well over 900 channels to choose from and close well over $200 dollars. The Ham Radio I had at the time of the video I posted on YouTube was closer to $800.

But to answer your question about the cost...Peaked and tuning of a radio will be around $20 to $25 dollars most places and having the SWRs checked and set is about $15 most places. Ideal SWR setting is around 1.2 to 1.5 on an SWR meter.