Properly peaked and tuned the Cobra 18 WX STII will talk well. It maintains sales, because it is the only current production CB that is single DIN size and can mount in the car radio slot. Sparky's CB Shack has been recently selling a lot of Cobra 18s. Just as everyone else said concentrate on getting the best antenna you can afford. Make sure your antenna's SWR is properly set. The Lil Wil, or K30 and Hustler mag mount antenna's tune easily and are popular sellers.
Have someone you trust do some audio checks with you to judge how your transmitted audio sounds. You radio will more than likely benefit from a mic upgrade. An Astatic 636L is a popular choice, and greatly improves audio over stock microphones, especially if the modulation limiter has been clipped in your radio, during the tune up. Some CB shops will clip the limiter as part of a peak and tune, especially in lower end CB radios. The pros and cons of a clipped modulation limiter have been a long CB debate that rivals regular beer vs. light beer. If the radio sounds well I would not worry about it. Google "CB radio and SWR" Google "CB radio modulation limiter" when you have the time. Currently, My main mobile radio is a peaked and tuned CB from 1984, an upgraded microphone, 18 feet of RG58u coax, ball mount at rear drivers side pick-up bed rail. 4 foot generic copy of a Francis antenna. My pick-up set up is not to talk skip, but if I can hear a local chances are I can talk to them. I tried to stick to basics with the setup just to see how well it will work. Keep reading and asking questions.
Have someone you trust do some audio checks with you to judge how your transmitted audio sounds. You radio will more than likely benefit from a mic upgrade. An Astatic 636L is a popular choice, and greatly improves audio over stock microphones, especially if the modulation limiter has been clipped in your radio, during the tune up. Some CB shops will clip the limiter as part of a peak and tune, especially in lower end CB radios. The pros and cons of a clipped modulation limiter have been a long CB debate that rivals regular beer vs. light beer. If the radio sounds well I would not worry about it. Google "CB radio and SWR" Google "CB radio modulation limiter" when you have the time. Currently, My main mobile radio is a peaked and tuned CB from 1984, an upgraded microphone, 18 feet of RG58u coax, ball mount at rear drivers side pick-up bed rail. 4 foot generic copy of a Francis antenna. My pick-up set up is not to talk skip, but if I can hear a local chances are I can talk to them. I tried to stick to basics with the setup just to see how well it will work. Keep reading and asking questions.
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