Best Cb Radio For The Buck?

[JerseyBoy77]

For all you Veterans out there, which brand and model do you think is the best bang for the buck?

I will eventually mount this in a R model dump used for local leaf/dirt route and until then may throw it in my Jeep for the heck of it....your prefrences?

Edited November 25, 2009 by JerseyBoy77

[RowdyRebel]

I'm partial to the General Lee. I've got a couple of 'em and use Astatic noise canceling mics. I run 'em through 102" steel whips, too. In the F250, the whip is mounted on the tool box at the front of the bed. On the Mack, it is mounted on the lower mirror bracket. I used plastic zip ties to hold a pair of plastic insulators in the stock CB mounting hole and have the antenna passing through it to help hold it upright (instead of being free to blow in the wind). When I first put it on, I measured it at 15' 6"...but it's probably a little lower now. Being that high, it gets into EVERYTHING! Bridges, tree limbs, telephone wires, stop lights, etc...if it goes over the road, I've probably tagged it with my antenna at some point....so the tip is a little bent

In my Ranger, I've just got a Cobra 29...never really liked this particular radio because it's got that "nightwatch" lighted display. At night, it's great...easy to see what everything does...but during the day you have to turn the backlight way down or you can't see what anything does...and when you do that, you can't see what channel you are on. I also tried one of the Cobra 29's with the bluetooth, but it's sitting here at the house until someone (hopefully Astatic) comes out with a noise-canceling mic for it. The thing is like a dadgum speaker phone....picks up ALL background noise (including the person you are talking to...) so you have to turn the mic gain way down to talk on the phone with it...but then when you hang up and go back to using it as a CB, you have to turn the mic gain back up or people can't hear you too well. When I was talking to people who use a headset, they seemed to have more troubles hearing me than the people who held their phones to their ear...not sure if there's anything to that or not, just an observation. The OTHER problem I had with it is the stupid button on the mic to answer/hang up the phone...VERY easy to "accidentally" bump and hang up mid sentence. Would have been MUCH better if the button was on the CB itself (instead of on the mic) and if the phone was muted until you keyed up so that the background noise wouldn't be a problem for people on the other end. A true noise canceling mic wouldn't hurt, either.

I've also got a Galaxy 959 out in the garage somewhere...worked good for me for several years. Still works, I just prefer the General Lee.

[Gambi80]

I bought a Magnum radio the other day, with which I'm thrilled, and use an Astatic mic...with a wilson 2000 whip antenna. It's got all the side bands and whatnot that a General Lee has but I'll most likely not use them. It's got quite a bit of power and the echo (though not the annoying kind). There's always that asshole who's got just way too much.

With CB radios there are SO many variables and options that it all comes down to price and preference. The sky is the limit!

If you buy a reasonably priced radio, find a reputable CB shop and have them tune/peak it for about $20 and use a decent antenna and noise cancelling mic and it'll do what you need it to.

[Freightrain]

I've got Unidens 66's and 68's in my vehicles. The 68 is the newer model, basic radios(no SSB), but had local shop peak them. A decent mic and good antenna is 75% of the problem with CBs. I run a Lil Wil mag mount on my pickup roof, the B model has a pair of 3ft Francis' mounted on the mirrors.

Good solid radios, that can be repaired or updated when you want. Some of the cheapies are throw away and can't be worked on.

Local guy has his store at the truck stop and occasionally has a blow out sale on peaked/tuned stuff. Ready to bolt in and talk.

[other dog]

I've got a Connex 3300HP now with an Astatic mike and Wilson 2000 antannae, but I always had good luck with the Cobras. Never had the backlit model or bluetooth enabled, but had a 25 and a 29 classic. I saw the 29 classics on sale at a truckstop somewhere a couple of weeks ago for $69.95. Spend that $20 to have it peaked and you've got a pretty good talking radio with not a lot of money invested. The 25 I had was actually the best talking radio I ever had, but I had a 150 watt linear on it.

Never had a stock Cobra mike last very long though.

ordred the Connex from here- they seem to have pretty good prices.

http://cbradiosplus.com/

[Rob]

I realize this question sounds a little off kilter but with the advent of cell phones, nationwide calling plans, internet availability most places, is the CB radio still the necessity it was during the 70's, and 80's? Or is it a left over novelty from those days?

Rob

[other dog]

I realize this question sounds a little off kilter but with the advent of cell phones, nationwide calling plans, internet availability most places, is the CB radio still the necessity it was during the 70's, and 80's? Or is it a left over novelty from those days?

Rob

Absolutely! How else are you gonna hear who's fussing, fighting, arguing, and cussing. Sometimes people ask questions too, like "where'd you learn to drive, you #@%*ing idiot!!". I keep mine on all the time and once in a while actually hear some useful information.

[Ironman]

I realize this question sounds a little off kilter but with the advent of cell phones, nationwide calling plans, internet availability most places, is the CB radio still the necessity it was during the 70's, and 80's? Or is it a left over novelty from those days?

Rob

Oh, I think the CB radio will always be around for the real truck drivers

With all that other high tech stuff at your side, you still can't contact that truck up ahead of you unless you have his number.

If he has his CB on, your chances of contacting him have increased as apposed to internet, cell phones, 10-4 phones, and simply yelling out your window.

I think the CB radio will always be here. They just won't be in every truck like back in the 70's and 80's

[Rob]

Absolutely! How else are you gonna hear who's fussing, fighting, arguing, and cussing. Sometimes people ask questions too, like "where'd you learn to drive, you #@%*ing idiot!!". I keep mine on all the time and once in a while actually hear some useful information.

I miss that type of "chatter". Back when I was a kid always had a small portable in the car and listed to truckers on Rt. 66. Got to hear some interested conversations such as you mention.

Rob

[Gambi80]

I realize this question sounds a little off kilter but with the advent of cell phones, nationwide calling plans, internet availability most places, is the CB radio still the necessity it was during the 70's, and 80's? Or is it a left over novelty from those days?

Rob

I have to have one with what I do...hauling out of quarries, asphalt plants and whatever else. Communication is key. My brother and I also have 2-way FM radios in the trucks addition to the CB's...mainly to b.s. without being heard by everyone else and they've got pretty good range, about 25+ miles with good conditions...plus we've got them in all of our farm equipment.

[JerseyBoy77]

I realize this question sounds a little off kilter but with the advent of cell phones, nationwide calling plans, internet availability most places, is the CB radio still the necessity it was during the 70's, and 80's? Or is it a left over novelty from those days?

Rob

Being born in the late 70's...CBs were kinda on their way out as far as being a novelty and things like that..I think anyway. My dad kept one in his 74 Monte Carlo and I always thought it was cool...

Then as time went on, I worked for the Dept. Of Public Works and all the trucks are equipped with CBs, it made life so much easier to just pick up the mic and figure out where you were needed or hear what was going on.

Now being involved with dump trucking and stuff...a cell phone blows compared to a CB...if you're on a leaf route in a big town like Newark NJ, and basically its like 5 tandems and a bucket loader..it makes life waaaaaay easier to just pick up the mic, say it once and have everyone hear it.

Not to mention its still cool as hell and lines from Smokey & The Bandit always sound better over CB radio

[Double L]

I prefer a Cobra 29 Classic. I never liked the Nightwatch or that Weather crap, besides that the Nightwatch and weather really cuts the radio performance in half literally. Besides for $100 the 29 Classic with a peak and tune will do a better job than say a Connex or a General Lee. I had a Galaxy 949 in the past but I didn't care for it honestly. If the 29's came from the factory with talk back and an echo board with reverb it would be a seller I can bet ya that! I know I would buy one. That is the only thing I miss about the Galaxy is the talk back. I'm running the radio through a Wilson 2000.

[Gambi80]

Now being involved with dump trucking and stuff...a cell phone blows compared to a CB...if you're on a leaf route in a big town like Newark NJ, and basically its like 5 tandems and a bucket loader..it makes life waaaaaay easier to just pick up the mic, say it once and have everyone hear it.

Not to mention its still cool as hell and lines from Smokey & The Bandit always sound better over CB radio

Being fairly close to the Chicago metro area I get to work in the outskirts once in a while...Joliet area mainly. Most everyone up there has a Nextel...except me. The company I work for usually has them and I hear the company drivers always yackin about everyone beeping eachother...

The only thing I wish my CB had is the roger beep, just to be a richard head sometimes.

[JerseyBoy77]

Being fairly close to the Chicago metro area I get to work in the outskirts once in a while...Joliet area mainly. Most everyone up there has a Nextel...except me. The company I work for usually has them and I hear the company drivers always yackin about everyone beeping eachother...

The only thing I wish my CB had is the roger beep, just to be a richard head sometimes.

I do have a Nextel 2 way as well..but some of the guys that show up on a seasonal route...may not be showing up the next day, plus my Nextel is via Blackberry..which is almost ridiculous with the buttons and fussing. Its nice...but during leaves, Im in and out of the truck, getting dirty..I almost dont want to mess up the blackberry.

The CB is good because its in the truck, not the workers hands...which means its stayin in the truck!! (you get some interesting people on leaf route here in NJ)

I also used to go off road in my Jeep and before that had a K5 Blazer for mud. I had a G.E. in there that was pretty good, but lost the antenna constantly, even when it was screwed to my mirror it got snapped off. CB Radio was really good in that situation as well.

[Bollweevil]

For all you Veterans out there, which brand and model do you think is the best bang for the buck?

I will eventually mount this in a R model dump used for local leaf/dirt route and until then may throw it in my Jeep for the heck of it....your prefrences?

A CB radio is an essential tool in a dump truck, especially on single lane haul roads, or while loading in a quarry. or asphalt plant. Until you have done it, you won't believe the beating that the entire radio rig has to endure. Believe me, there is nothing more irritating than trying to talk to someone 50 ft. in front of you and having someone else a mile away cover up your conservation. Buy good stuff to begin with. If you have to have some help matching your components, do so. I have ran several different converted 10 meter radios, and I like a Connex 3300 HP the best. First of all because, unlike some others, it does not mind riding in a truck. And if guys you normally run with have the same set up, you can flip one switch and be in another world. I like a coil loaded antenna, and use the Wilson 2000 on a mirror mount, mounted close to the cab without a stem. The stingers still get bent up, but they don't break like a fiberglass antenna.

[JerseyBoy77]

Just watched the review of the General LEE CB Radio...the packaging, General LEE sticker you get with it...all seems very "patriotic"...he spins it around and it says "made in malaysia"....sigh...thats a post for another thread!

If the Cobra 29 LTD with Bluetooth is durable enough..it might be my pick.

[RowdyRebel]

I do have a Nextel 2 way as well..but some of the guys that show up on a seasonal route...may not be showing up the next day, plus my Nextel is via Blackberry..which is almost ridiculous with the buttons and fussing. Its nice...but during leaves, Im in and out of the truck, getting dirty..I almost dont want to mess up the blackberry.

The CB is good because its in the truck, not the workers hands...which means its stayin in the truck!! (you get some interesting people on leaf route here in NJ)

I also used to go off road in my Jeep and before that had a K5 Blazer for mud. I had a G.E. in there that was pretty good, but lost the antenna constantly, even when it was screwed to my mirror it got snapped off. CB Radio was really good in that situation as well.

Get a steel whip antenna, not those junk fiberglass ones. I've used the Wilson 2000 in the past and got great use out of it...I just can't see paying $60-$70 for an antenna when I can buy a 102" whip for $15-$20 that works just as well. The nice thing about steel whips is that they can take serious abuse. My 102" whip mounted on my lower mirror bracket reached 15'6" when I first put it on. I've been under 13'7" bridges at 60 mph...and even a 12'6" bridge at 45 mph. Yeah, smacks the snot out of the bridge and keeps on working. After a while, the end starts to curl around and you can either straighten it back out or just leave it. Still works either way.

...and I just looked at the box for my Cobra 29 BT and it says "Made in China".

You ain't likely gonna find a CB radio made in the USA. If you do, let me know.

[JerseyBoy77]

Get a steel whip antenna, not those junk fiberglass ones. I've used the Wilson 2000 in the past and got great use out of it...I just can't see paying $60-$70 for an antenna when I can buy a 102" whip for $15-$20 that works just as well. The nice thing about steel whips is that they can take serious abuse. My 102" whip mounted on my lower mirror bracket reached 15'6" when I first put it on. I've been under 13'7" bridges at 60 mph...and even a 12'6" bridge at 45 mph. Yeah, smacks the snot out of the bridge and keeps on working. After a while, the end starts to curl around and you can either straighten it back out or just leave it. Still works either way.

...and I just looked at the box for my Cobra 29 BT and it says "Made in China".

You ain't likely gonna find a CB radio made in the USA. If you do, let me know.

Stupid question Rowdy...does that General Lee have a weatherband on it??...The only reason I ask is because when I shop online, the other radios all make a point of saying the weatherband is a feature, the General Lee says "6 band positions". So I'm unsure if that is a feature that comes with it. Thanks in advance..

[RowdyRebel]

Stupid question Rowdy...does that General Lee have a weatherband on it??...The only reason I ask is because when I shop online, the other radios all make a point of saying the weatherband is a feature, the General Lee says "6 band positions". So I'm unsure if that is a feature that comes with it. Thanks in advance..

Nope. Don't need no stinkin' weather band sitting in a truck. Want to know if it's raining/snowing/sunny/windy/etc...? Look out the windshield. Want to know what the temperature is like? Roll down the window.

You get A,B,C,D,E, and F. D is the CB channels. You also have AM and FM. You have enough channels to find one nobody else is on if you are running with someone who has a similar radio. I'm pretty sure the General Lee is similar to the Connex...not sure which model...I'm thinking the 3300.

Only thing I wish it had was a freq. meter like my Galaxy 959. You can buy 'em to plug in separate, though.

[JerseyBoy77]

Nope. Don't need no stinkin' weather band sitting in a truck. Want to know if it's raining/snowing/sunny/windy/etc...? Look out the windshield. Want to know what the temperature is like? Roll down the window.

You get A,B,C,D,E, and F. D is the CB channels. You also have AM and FM. You have enough channels to find one nobody else is on if you are running with someone who has a similar radio. I'm pretty sure the General Lee is similar to the Connex...not sure which model...I'm thinking the 3300.

Only thing I wish it had was a freq. meter like my Galaxy 959. You can buy 'em to plug in separate, though.

Thanks for the info...yeah man, the websites selling em are all comparing it to the Connex 3300 but saying the G.L. is actually a few bucks cheaper.

[Gambi80]

Nope. Don't need no stinkin' weather band sitting in a truck. Want to know if it's raining/snowing/sunny/windy/etc...? Look out the windshield. Want to know what the temperature is like? Roll down the window.

You get A,B,C,D,E, and F. D is the CB channels. You also have AM and FM. You have enough channels to find one nobody else is on if you are running with someone who has a similar radio. I'm pretty sure the General Lee is similar to the Connex...not sure which model...I'm thinking the 3300.

Only thing I wish it had was a freq. meter like my Galaxy 959. You can buy 'em to plug in separate, though.

I could've opted for the radio with the freq counter but it was $100 more...

I don't know if I could handle the ginormous antenna though, the Wilson whip I have now is 4' and it takes a pretty good beating..makes me wonder if something actually hit the mirror bracket.

[Double L]

Jersey don't buy that Cobra with the Bluetooth, I've heard them things were pure JUNK and I can believe it too. If it's like the 29's with the nightwatch, weather and soundtracker then it'll be junk. I don't see why anyone would need weather and a soundtracker when the NB/ANL works just fine. The Bluetooth will cut your radio's performance in half in most cases just like the weather and soundtracker does. I rather have me a 29 Classic, besides like Rowdy says that nightwatch produces way too much glare for my taste and Cobra uses tactical controls for that reason. Besides most Cobra's even if they are the Classic or the Classic with the nightwatch and soundtracker are set up just the same. The only additions I would want in a radio is a echoboard and talk back which I'm surprises doesn't replace the Delta Tune and I would by one in a heart beat, I don't need that Bluetooth, nighwatch, or soundtracker. Besides the only knobs I reach for most of the time is the squelch and volume.

[JerseyBoy77]

Jersey don't buy that Cobra with the Bluetooth, I've heard them things were pure JUNK and I can believe it too. If it's like the 29's with the nightwatch, weather and soundtracker then it'll be junk. I don't see why anyone would need weather and a soundtracker when the NB/ANL works just fine. The Bluetooth will cut your radio's performance in half in most cases just like the weather and soundtracker does. I rather have me a 29 Classic, besides like Rowdy says that nightwatch produces way too much glare for my taste and Cobra uses tactical controls for that reason. Besides most Cobra's even if they are the Classic or the Classic with the nightwatch and soundtracker are set up just the same. The only additions I would want in a radio is a echoboard and talk back which I'm surprises doesn't replace the Delta Tune and I would by one in a heart beat, I don't need that Bluetooth, nighwatch, or soundtracker. Besides the only knobs I reach for most of the time is the squelch and volume.

Thanks man, I appreciate the input....It was a toss up between that and the General Lee...http://www.cbradiomagazine.com/ gave them both pretty good reviews but they dont really get into them in the truck world. I'm sure theyre both fine on a desk somewhere...how theyre gonna hold up in the truck is another story.

Thanks for everyones info..

[Double L]

Honestly as far as holding up in the truck a 29 holds up great as it was built to withstand the abuse in my opinion. I've heard with the Galaxy 949 they have a cold solder joint that tends to break which doesn't hold up in the truck very well. I think a Connex and General Lee would hold up great in a truck but I never used either one of them but I'm just going off from other's opinions. I never was big into export radios and thought they were a waste of money. Honestly if your gonna spend hard earned cash between the two you can't go wrong with a General Lee, now if it was a Cobra 29 Classic I would have recommended the Classic based on personal experience.

[RowdyRebel]

Thanks man, I appreciate the input....It was a toss up between that and the General Lee...http://www.cbradiomagazine.com/ gave them both pretty good reviews but they dont really get into them in the truck world. I'm sure theyre both fine on a desk somewhere...how theyre gonna hold up in the truck is another story.

Thanks for everyones info..

In case you missed my review of the 29 w/ bluetooth....

"I also tried one of the Cobra 29's with the bluetooth, but it's sitting here at the house until someone (hopefully Astatic) comes out with a noise-canceling mic for it. The thing is like a dadgum speaker phone....picks up ALL background noise (including the person you are talking to...) so you have to turn the mic gain way down to talk on the phone with it...but then when you hang up and go back to using it as a CB, you have to turn the mic gain back up or people can't hear you too well. When I was talking to people who use a headset, they seemed to have more troubles hearing me than the people who held their phones to their ear...not sure if there's anything to that or not, just an observation. The OTHER problem I had with it is the stupid button on the mic to answer/hang up the phone...VERY easy to "accidentally" bump and hang up mid sentence. Would have been MUCH better if the button was on the CB itself (instead of on the mic) and if the phone was muted until you keyed up so that the background noise wouldn't be a problem for people on the other end. A true noise canceling mic wouldn't hurt, either."

I had both the 29 BT and the General Lee in the truck for a while...left the General Lee on 19, and used the 29 to go to whatever off-channel they were using where I would load or unload (I usually forget to go back to 19 when I get back on the road...and wonder why nobody will talk to me until I realize I'm not on 19 )...as well as being the "hands free device" to avoid looking like I was on the phone even when I was. It was a good concept, with poor execution in my opinion. Again, a TRUE noise canceling mic (like an Astatic) with the button to answer/hang up on the radio (instead of on the mic where it is easy to accidentally hit) and it would be a darned good radio and would likely still be in the truck...but when you have to turn the mic gain all of the way down whenever the phone rings and the person on the other end of the phone STILL can't hear what you are saying due to the background noise in the truck...and when you have to turn the mic gain back up so that you can be heard when using it as a CB, it just becomes more hassle than it's worth. It is out of the truck until I can find a good quality noise canceling mic...then I may try it again. Until the aftermarket catches up and puts out a GOOD mic, I wouldn't waste your money on the blue tooth.