New getting into cb always had a handheld but it is mostly useless but got basic uniden980ssb can hear plenty of stuff coming in just can't get over the noise to reach anyone any recommendations good antenna mobile Wise and linear amp
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CB radio recommendations!!!
- Thread starter station32
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AB5ID
Member
@slowmover do your thing. 
don't have to be a dink looking for some good info been a member a long while
AB5ID
Member
Nothing directed your way, just tagging our resident high-performance CB expert.
ok don't mind the pm š
slowmover
Active Member
@slowmover do your thing.
As an OTR truck driver my CB radio rig has a direct effect on my income & safety. I started āgetting seriousā circa 2014 after several decades of owning & using. Other men know more than me about the principles, etc; my strength has been the willingness to experiment and to improve performance in a difficult vehicle coupled to VERY high annual use.
What I know about is mobile install, professional use, and trained ears to keep trouble away without undue stress (as can be done).
Three (3) points to make:
(1). The most general is the quality of the physical installation in an automobile. No shortcuts.
Amateur Radio Mobile Installation
(2). The most important decision is antenna design & total length plus location for a permanent mount antenna. A poor antenna in best location will most probably outperform great antenna in bad one.
(3). Since 2022 more modern circuit devices have given us a new piece of CB radio circuitry that previously was a feature of Amateur radio gear or available as outboard: NRC (Noise Reduction Circuitry) thatās different from the long standard ANL/NB.
What one winds up with given some pains taken is Citizen Band performance on-road that wasnāt possible just a few years ago. Itās so much better that men with 30-40/years experience can no longer answer, āWhat is CB Radio?ā, as the margins have been pushed so much farther out.
This isnāt always obvious to Joe Commuter running his metro bubble errands. But it sure is far rural. Ive had a NRC-type device more than ten years and have become accustomed to other men asking me who the hell Im talking with . . . as they canāt hear him at all.
My ability to avoid high-risk and dangerous situations went way up.
So, itās not the radio by itself, itās the combination of factors above to get it right which produces the desired result.
Two threads for you:
A. This evolved a bit over time as new info came along. We covered recommendations to keep overall costs low. This is the three points above.
Best Mobile 2025
A general: what should I recommend to friends who want high performance in Citizen Band? Letās ballpark it at $500 entry. Will last longer than the time they own the automobile. Seatbelts, Concealed Carry, and CITIZEN BAND. This thread aimed at YOU, not the guy who knows even less. However...
B. Hereās a man who recently went to the trouble to do it right. He took the thread above and made it real.
Dang Ford..Could use some help on my antenna....
I have a 2024 F350 SD Platinum. I would like to put a CB radio in it for traveling with my 36ft 5th wheel. I installed a President Bill 3 radio with a 3 foot hood mounted Firefly antenna. I bought a Ford hood mount antenna kit from Right Channel Radio that was suppose to work good, I thought. I...
Some of the funniest things heard in this lifetime have come across that radio.
Believe that you arenāt here by accident, and that you wish to join the other men with families who want them to return hale & hearty. That day may come that an unexpected long-distance trip is necessary.
Your phone isnāt a friend.
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slowmover
Active Member
Members @DeeEx and @niceguy71 are both New Englanders, among others. Their posts on CB & handheld versions may help with context.
When Iāve run that area itās a realization that itās a world of its own.
Inka-Dinka-Do
āalla time puttinā in extra notesā
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niceguy71
Active Member
the antenna is the most important part... but there is a LOT more to it..
what are you using for an antenna now?
what kind of vehicle is it in? and where is the antenna located?
a cheap Amazon antenna a vehicle with a mounting point about 6-8 ft above grnd I wanna know what is working for everyone is what I wanna know there are a lot of options wanna see whats working for u trying for best gain out of mobile setup
Would actually help to know some specifics here. What kind of vehicle? What are the mounting options?
Are you looking for a Legal CB radio or a 10 meter radio illegally modified to transmit on the CB band that has more power and usually more features? ( I don't care either way but asking again for some specifics).
The title of your thread says "CB" recommendations and honestly we need to know exactly what you're looking for here.
The 980SSB is a good radio, so no need to upgrade that right now. As others have mentioned, the antenna is the most important component of the station. I'd rather have a cheap radio with the best antenna instead of the other way around.
I recommend reading through this thread, the "Great Antenna Test of 2025". Lots of good ideas on installations and the results of @niceguy71 's testing of various popular mobile antennas.
If you do want more power, one of the 10 meter export radios which cover the CB band are a better option than a linear amp, IMHO. I never needed an amp to make scores of contacts, both local and DX, over the years.
"The Great Antenna Test of 2025"
I don't know how Jcrmadden can drive in the woods with his skip shooter When I come through I yell GANG WAY and the trees just part... Damnedest thing really.
This is exactly correct.
This won't yield results that are very good usually.
niceguy71
Active Member
Still waiting to see what kind of vehicle your using... many vehicles today have aluminum roofs so you can't use a mag mount
Other vehicles like the dodge pick up trucks have close spaced ribs on the roof and again a magnetic will not work..... or you can't put a mag mount in the center of the roof.
Jeeps have no metal roof
Is your antenna attached to back rack of a pick up???
Is your antemna mount a roof gutter mount or a fender mount?
Maybe the cheap Amazon antenna is ok... but again you haven't told us anything
Plugging your Bearcats 980 into the cigarette lighter plug on many vehicles will not give you enough power ... and the power you get at the cigarette lighter plug can be filled with rf interference making the whole system not work worth a damn
Yep this is exactly right.
ya it's a steal roof have two mag mounts up there right now
Still haven't told us anything. "Steel" roof on what?
niceguy71
Active Member
station32
they say the best CB antenna is a permanent mount Larsen NMO27 like all the Firetrucks and Police cars have... they last forever and are very heavy duty and never have any problems... it is truly the way to go.. it's a really nice looking antenna too and not having the coax flopping around in the weather is a huge plus.if you don't want to drill the hole... the Stryker SR-A10 is about the best magnetic antenna.... most times you don't even have to set the SWR.
but don't close the door on the coax or shut the window on it.... if it's a pick-up truck drop the coax into the bed.... drill a hole through the plastic drain in the corner of the bed and drill a hole in the back of the cab ... use grommets then run the coax under the rug/ under the seat.
I have a Tram 3500 antenna that I've used for a couple years... I like the looks of it 1000 times better than the
Stryker SR-A10.. and in my testing I think it beats the Stryker on transmit but not on receive..... they are so close it makes no difference really... the Tram 3500 has been discontinued and are hard to find... you can order one at tractor supply .... but get the Stryker SR-A10... you can't go wrong with it.
don't have the two antenna's close to each other... the CB antenna should be as close to the center of the roof as possible and the other antenna ( Scanner?) where ever you want it....
later you can buy a MUCH better CB and actually program in 10 frequencies to listen to.. like police and fire... so you would have one radio and one antenna.
go to minute mark 19:40 on the below video for best way to install a mag mount ( only my opinion) and at 24:50 to get the coax into the cab.... again you won't tell us what kind of vehicle????
good luck
That and he mentioned having two magnet mounts on the roof. I wonder what that's about. It's pretty hard to help people that can't provide enough information to even start with.
We have a guy in town here that won't run anything but an actual "CB" and in his case the antenna made all the difference. (No modified 10 meter stuff) so he was a little harder to get going as well as I would have liked. He was willing however to drill a hole so I guess there's that. š. This is why I asked early on what kind of radio he was after.
He was not a commercial driver or anything so use case is also important I'd think to the OP.
niceguy71
Active Member
he's obviously a Firefighter.... they always keep a scanner in their vehicles... hence the two antennas
kb2rgz
Member
Radio and amp should be powered directly to the battery and fused at the Battery if you are buying the red and black wire that is connected together, get 10 gauge and connect to both the amp and Radio. A good small amp for both the AM and ssb is the RM Italy KL-203. Put a small computer fan on the amp if you are a Ratchet Jaw. Wilson 1000 antenna magnet mount works well with that setup. dont forget to tune the antenna. Sometimes you may need to trim the antenna length. Put the antenna in the center of the roof. Get help if you can. Just my thoughts.
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