Recomendations for a good SSB CB & Antenna

bobmich52 · Mar 18, 2018

Good morning all

I am considering purchasing a CB With SSB & a Good Antenna for my 2012 Hyundai Tucson

I currently have a Dashcam, Radar detector,GPS & my HP 2 plugged into the power supply /Cigarette plug with 1 usb port still open

Obviously space is a concern since my HP 2 & GPS are located in the side console & the only real space left is on my drivers side right near the gas pedal

For the antenna

Unfortunately it has to be a glass mount since I park in a garage @ work & it has to clear the entrance & I rather not drill anymore holes in my ride, But I had my Larsen all band antenna for my HP2 professionally installed in my front Qpanel & it works great

Is there a SSB CB with a USB power line ??

Looking 4 a SSB CB that would have the SWR meter integrated in it (Galaxy)??

Looking to get back into SSB CB after many years, I used to shoot skip on my base station with only 12 watts off a Star duster antenna & QSL cards from 42 states & Many overseas Qsl cards, Best confirmation was Yugoslavia

Also, where to purchase the CB & Antenna for the best price & customer service would be greatly appreciated

TIA for all replys

jonwienke · Mar 18, 2018

No CB is USB powered. The power required to run the radio is significantly more than what a USB port can deliver. Especially if you intend to run more than 4W AM / 12W SSB PEP. How much power do you intend to run?

Most SSB radios have SWR meters built in. They aren't always super accurate, but they will give you an indication if something goes wrong with your antenna.

Glass mount antennas for CB are a bad idea. Glass mount antennas use the window glass as the dielectric in a capacitor that feeds the power to the antenna. That design works much better at high frequencies (VHF and up) than at CB frequencies. You'd be better off doing a glass mount antenna for the scanner, and replacing the Larsen scanner antenna with a CB antenna. Hopefully the professional install used a NMO mount. If so,you can just unscrew the Larsen scanner antenna and replace it with a Larsen NMO27 CB antenna, and connect the coax to the CB instead of the scanner.

599 · Mar 18, 2018

A simple magnetic mout antenna would be ideal for your situation. The Wilson 5000 is among the best. And you just un-screw it from the base when you enter the garage or just pull it off completely if you prefer.

Priority should always be towards the best antenna possible (for your situation) if you wan't a good range out of your transceiver whatever the make or the model you choose.

I cannot suggest any CB in particular but search for something that is not know to "drift" off frequency, and avoid any used rig that has been "tuned" or "peaked"....

Cheers.

bobmich52 · Mar 18, 2018

JW

not surprised about a CB not being USB capable

But on the + side my Larsen is nmo, So that would be a possibility

Previously I've used Glass mounts 4 my scanners & it worked well, I just dueled them up 4 noticeably better reception

A Good start & Thank u all 4 the replies so far, Hoping to hear recommendations on a rig, I've heard good things about Galaxy, But would like to hear from Actual users , Word of mouth is the best business card

jonwienke · Mar 18, 2018

I've not used the Galaxy, but I have a Stryker 955HP SSB radio and it works excellent. Frequency stable, good quality audio, but it isn't compact.

prcguy · Mar 18, 2018

If your looking for a legal CB I think the Uniden 980 SSB would be hard to beat at around $120 new. If your looking for something with more power and features I would recommend a used ham rig like a Yaesu FT-857 or Icom 706MKIIG or Kenwood TS-50, etc. These will run circles around any export CB and they don't cost that much used.
prcguy

RFI-EMI-GUY · Mar 18, 2018

"Is there a SSB CB with a USB power line ??"

Just to be clear there are (probably) no CB radios that can be powered by USB (Universal Serial Bus), but there are plenty of CB's that will power up in USB (Upper Side Band)

prc117f · Mar 19, 2018

Get the Sirio 5000 performer it is better than the wilson 5000. I use it in my mobile and one on my base attached to an aluminium patio roof.i have no issues getting out and very nice quality antenna.

I have a Galaxy 979 which does SSB it works great, sensitive reciever and good reports on transmit.

asuddendeath · Mar 19, 2018

I would stay away from Wilson. They have moved to China. If you can find a good USA made Wilson have at it!

I just picked up a Stryker SR-A10. Have not used it yet, it threads like a Wilson.
The Coax is nice and thick and the base coil seems to be well made.

prcguy is right on with the Uniden 980 SSB. Little kicker like the KL 200 or KL 203P and she will scream.

However if you want to play your cards I just got a galaxy 959 off of ebay for $128.00 shipped. Not a small radio however it came decked out. Extra freaks, roger beep (that I can not figure out how to shut off other then using some snips) and a echo board installed.

I too have a Stryker 955HP and it is a fun radio. Clean and powerful out of the box.

TenSleep440 · Mar 19, 2018

Uniden 980 or Galaxy DX979F with a RM Italy K203P and the Sirio P5000 would be an ideal match up.

I had a Galaxy DX98VHP I ran on SSB for quite a while. INSANE radio and though it did drift slightly, solid performer that easily made contacts all over.

But given your available space, or lack there of, I would go with the 980 or DX979F and the small RM Italy behind it with a good antenna setup. Unless you plan on replacing finals in your radio every other week, stay away from thru the glass antennas.

FiveFilter · Mar 20, 2018

I don't do SSB because the farthest I want to talk on the radio is to avoid the next wreck or other traffic jams / hazards on my way down the road. I give and receive such advice on my travels. It's my reason for having a CB.

My rig: a Uniden 520 compact radio plugged into the 12v power port, which puts a watt or two into an RM 203P amp, which puts 60 to 80 watts or so through a 55" Wilson 500 mag mount antenna on the roof of my vehicle. This little combo reaches way out there; actually farther out than I need, but it communicates with a solid punch when conditions get tough. For about 150 bucks I got a setup that walks and talks with the Big Dogs out there on the road with me.

I don't have much space for such stuff in the cab, so it's good that the radio is the size of a couple of big sandwiches and the amp is the size of a pack of cigarettes.

Although the antenna is pretty tall on the top of my vehicle so it won't fit without scraping the ceiling in my garage, the magnet mount / stinger is easily pulled off the roof and fits in the cabin. In some situations when I don't want to take the trouble to pull the antenna off the roof and store it to get into a garage parking space, I use a little rope device I contrived that allows me to pull the whip to the rear far enough to clear the ceiling. I hook the rope to the rear license plate, and the antenna is thus held in place indefinitely until I'm ready to depart. Takes 10 seconds to secure.

In fact, my entire rig comes completely out of the vehicle and into another one in a minute or so.

That's my scheme.

aeneimia · Mar 20, 2018

Anytone AT6666 This is a 10 meter with full capability of 11 meter 26-30 Mhz. You can simply select modes when powering it on. AM is around 15 watts and SSB is a solid 60 watts.. Has all the bells and whistles you will need, Power variable, open clarifier, gains, beeps, echo and more.. This is an import but is fully loaded out of the box.. I use it with a K40 mag mount and works perfect.. Somewhat compact too..(not as large as the typical SSB radios such as Galaxy's DX99). You can set the SWR meter to display automatically/simultaneously displaying signal strength and SWR.. I use it over my Galaxy DX99v..

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Brand-New-...078208?hash=item2853c47e80:g:hPYAAOSwNnRYlq3r

Cheers

bobmich52 · Mar 31, 2018

Well we took the plunge

Uniden 980 ssb 40cb 4 $117.00

& due to lack of willing shops not returning my Emails & phone calls, we r going with the Wilson “little will” mag mount 4 about $41.00

It’s gonna be a learning exsperince with the lack of space etc, but with a little luck & patience, it looks doable, since the last car I wired was about 30 yrs ago

Would like some feedback as to the choice of radio/antenna & any thoughts as to installation/ wiring the power cord & tuning both radio/ antenna

Should have it in about a week

TIA

asuddendeath · Mar 31, 2018

Little will is ok, I think down the road you will want to move to something bigger/better.
Don't forget the KL 203P to go with it. Small amp that you can Velcro with ease.

zzdiesel · Apr 1, 2018

My best trunk mount antenna by far was the K40. A 102" steel whip beats about everything on a pickup truck or a larger SUV.

asuddendeath · Apr 1, 2018

zzdiesel said:
My best trunk mount antenna by far was the K40. A 102" steel whip beats about everything on a pickup truck or a larger SUV.

I had a k40 for years then moved to a Wilson 1000. Wilson 1000 was better.

I played with my 102 inch whip yesterday and did 12 miles AM,FM,SSB with plenty of extra left.
Stock Stryker 955

captainmax1 · Apr 1, 2018

I have the Uniden 980 in my Radio/Music Lab room. I like this radio. A couple of my antenna's got destroyed during Irma and my 10-12 Meter vertical was one destroyed. My discone survived even while the top part of mast is slightly bent. Got to get a new HF Dipole also. I also have a Cobra HT for backup when traveling. I use a Tram mag mount when I want to use in vehicle.

FiveFilter · Apr 3, 2018

The three-foot Wilson mag mount will do as good or better than any three-footer out there. Place it on the roof for best results. The trunk is OK if you can get into the garage and don't have to remove it.

The limitation you'll have, of course, is the range of a three foot antenna. It's not what the tall boys will do, of course, but if that's what fits, then so be it. It sure beats by a mile (and more) any through-the-glass mounted antenna at CB frequencies.

Make sure you get an SWR meter. The short antennas tend to be pretty narrow-banded, so you'll want to make sure it's adjusted as well as it can be to wherever you place it on the vehicle.

TheSpaceMann · Apr 3, 2018

If you can manage it, a 9 foot steel whip will outperform the rest.

prcguy · Apr 3, 2018

And a 9 foot fiberglass whip with copper wire inside will outperform a steel whip.
prcguy

TheSpaceMann said:
If you can manage it, a 9 foot steel whip will outperform the rest.

Recomendations for a good SSB CB & Antenna

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