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cb radio and antenna question

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jknappen

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I am fairly new to cb radio use. looking to possible get a cobra 19 ultra III. I am not going to be using it as a big major hobby just to have while I drive back and forth to see my daughter 500 miles away. I like this cb bc of its size and cost. Just need to know what antenna would be a good one just to listen to truckers with and occassionally talk here and there.
 

teufler

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Antennas, well where you plan to mount it, determines what you can pick from. Most antennas will all hear about the same. 1/4 wave , base loaded antenna mounted on the truck lid works good. Alittle better, go with a roof mount, . The local trunk stop should have plenty. One of the best I have used was a Larsen base load NMO 27. Used for a couple of years. Went to a longer antenna, bigger is better in CB antennas, it was a Gray Francis antenna. It was about 10-13" shorter than a full quarter wave 108" whip. If I was driving in western Kansas , that was the antenna of choice. It was mounted on a ball mount up by the rear car window high on the fender. So shorter, more convenient, shorter range. Longer antennas, greater range, harder to park in garages.
 

sloop

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I have both the Cobra 19 and the Midland 1001LWX. Both are about the same price but I found that the Midland out preformed the Cobra and the main selling feature was that it had weather scan (Cobra doesn't) which was very useful for trips. If you don't plan on a permanent mount, any magnetic mount in the center of the car roof will work equally well. I use a Wilson center load (permanent mount) on the rail of my truck.
 

jknappen

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I was wanting to have something removable so that i can take the antenna off when not in use. Not looking for a 108 inch just something that i can get a little range out of nothing crazy. I have a 2013 ram 1500 dont know if that will help or not
 

jknappen

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I was looking also how are the k30? They say that they are for 27mhz. Are the 2 cb radios discussed above compatable with that k30 antenna and or the larsen antennas mentioned above?
 

ChetsJug

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Magnet Mount

I used to run a Little Will mag mount. After a year or two I started hearing an up and down level in the S meter. It turns out that the wiggling in the center post eventually breaks the coils solder connection. I repaired it a dozen times. I couldnt take it anymore and complained to a friend that owns a CB shop. He told me about the Hustler mag mount having a stress relief spring. This is the antenna I have on my Park Avenue and my Chevy pickup. It's been a couple years and no problems yet. Mine is silver spring and whip, but upon finding this just now, I kinda like the powder coated whip & spring :)

Hustler RQM Magnet Mount CB Antenna | CB World

Don't forget that an antenna is tuned to the ground plane under it, making the vehicle part of your antenna; sort of. Make sure you return it to the same place each time. It usually leaves faint scratches you can't see unless you are leaning over your roof anyway, so spotting that little circle won't be a problem. lol
 

cmdrwill

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Don't forget that an antenna is tuned to the ground plane under it, making the vehicle part of your antenna; sort of. Make sure you return it to the same place each time. It usually leaves faint scratches you can't see unless you are leaning over your roof anyway, so spotting that little circle won't be a problem. lol

Excellent point Sir. The "antenna" is only half of of a antenna, the groundplane, AKC counterpoise, is the other half.....
 

jknappen

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What about the truckspec 24 magnetic mount 24 inch? I dont need anything crazy just something to listen to truckers when driving the 500 miles to see my daughter a few times a year
 

jknappen

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Also is it just hook it all up and it works? What about tuning the antenna i keep reading about how do you do that.
 

KG4NEL

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Also is it just hook it all up and it works? What about tuning the antenna i keep reading about how do you do that.

Shorter antennas will be trickier with bandwidth. That's just the laws of physics at work.

I use a 102" whip on a quick disconnect, but something like a Wilson isn't that bad of a tradeoff in performance. The only problem with a mag-mount is how to route the coax so it doesn't get pinched in the door, and any possible paint damage from the mount itself.

A two-foot antenna will mean you can only reach people in visual range :D
 

jknappen

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Ok so 24 inch is out. Is there anything other than a 102 inch that would work pretty decent? Would like recommendations on antennas that wont break the bank
 

KG4NEL

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I don't have any experience with tuning a Larsen on CB frequencies, but if it's not too much of a hassle (you should probably own an VSWR meter anyway, if you do anything with radio) I'd recommend that.

I've used Larsen antennas, both a 2m/70cm dual band and 19" whip, and they're some of the best-built antennas I've ever used. Cannot destroy them, and I've tried...
 

jknappen

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Someone mentioned hustler earlier.... I found one on ebay 41 inch what kind of range could i get on that
 

KG4NEL

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For what you want to do with it, it'll work fine.

I've heard less-than-impressive things about Hustler lately as far as their ham antennas go, apparently they've made some changes in manufacturing that have led to a less-reliable product - but I don't know if that's the case with their CB products as well. Their older fiberglass resonators used to be bulletproof.
 

jknappen

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So that 41 inch hustler would work for what i would be using it for. Just random listening to truckers tell ya where the speed traps are etc. how is k30 or k40.?
 

jonwienke

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Wilson 1000 is better than K40. I bought both, and the K40 is chintzy in comparison, especially the mounting hardware.
 
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