Newbie Help??

[boaterer]

Hi All,

First post - I'm new at all of this. I'm a new driver and need a CB for the truck. Trouble is, I don't know much about it all. I had a CB in the 70's for playing around and vacation trips, but that's about all I know.

I really might just need someone to point to a good CB dictionary or glossary!?!?
I'm very confused with terms like Export, 10 meter, 11 meter, but I understand general electical and electronics better than a typical 'Harvey Homeowner'.

I'd like to get ONE radio that will serve LOUDLY and CLEARLY for years to come. I think I should probably get SSB since I keep reading about it's usefulness, but I believe I'll be using chnl 19 mostly. Money isn't an issue, so getting a big radio, once and for all, is probably the number one concern.

So, if you guys can advise a good Big sounding radio for a trucker that just pushes the mic button, I'd appreciate the help. If this turns into a major hobby, I'll bet I can find a way to solder in a truck <grin>.

TIA

 

[gohusan]

Fellow trucker

Welcome fellow trucker to the fun yet insane world of CBing 8).(hope u pulled out life insurance) :gdlf Although I can't really point u too a specific radio(THERE ALL OVER THE PLACE-RRUUNNN) :twisted: :twisted: ; they all have there ups & downs :twsted :twsted . RF gain, 12w SSB; Power mic, Crome look, NW, Weather band, So forth & so on. What I'd suggest is to see what Is reliable & conveniant for U. But u most not forget the Antenna too. A good quality radio is worthless if u don't have the right antenna to go with it. Truth in example, I had a radioshack TRC-447 CB hooked up to a run of the mill ANT. that came with the truck. Did really poorly with my SWR readings 2.5-3.0 Could only get as far out as maybe 2.5 miles On the other end I had a cheap $30 Midland 1001z radio hooked up to a Lil' Will magnet mount on my 4wheeler(personal car for those none trucker types) Was cut down till I got a good SWR of 1.2 Believe it or not that cheap liitle radio sounded louder and better then that $120 TRC-447; & even got a distance of 6 miles out off it. The point I'm trying to make is what U feel comfortable buying, both radio & Ant. I'm sure there are other's out their who will suggest some radios & Ant for U.

Me personnally I have A Cobra 148 GTL set up to a Wilson 5000 on my truck.

Get great swr readings 1.2-1.7
Distance 6 maybe 7 miles on AM; Don't know in SSB, no 1 around to test it out with.
But I've had work done on it to improve clarity and Power.
U did not here this from me but I'm in the process of Amping up my distance if u know what I mean.

Warm wishes & happy CBing

 

[boaterer]

Thanks gohusan,

Good Info! I'm kinda surprised there aren't more replies or help. Must be something I said. I'll keep reading <grin>.

 

[fatdude1]

Howdy and welcome to the forum .
And to the world of cb (constant bickering) or (constantly buying ) which ever you like there lol

A fellow pothole maker here lol

we need to know some things first
what kinda of truck make and model it makes a difference as to what kiind of antenna's to use and where to put them.
As far as radio's go its what you happen to like. Yes Radio's with ssb is a plus
I my self happen to like the Galaxy line of rigs They make model's that will do from 5 watts to 150 watts and sound very nice when set up by the right tech. I dont use the echo's and talkback (dont need to here my self) or rogerbeeps but some do for some reason.

I also happen to like all of the Wilson line of antenna's

your most improtant thing is the antenna system.
you can have a 1000 dollar radio and a 5 dollar antenna and it will sound just that. a 5 dollar garbage can special


Hope this help's ya some

 

[DTB Radio]

While SSB can be very useful, it isn't used much at all on the road. Its hard to maintain tuning while in motion due to the dopplar effect caused when either the closing or opening rate between two mobile stations changes (frequency looks higher or lower due to changes in velocity).

As for a radio that can be boosted quite nicely and will last a long time with care, 1 Cobra 29 is hard to beat. There are 29 models out there that are 30 years old and still going strong, and the current 29 LTD classic is all but identical in design to those hard core oldies.

If you want to get a radio that has it all plus power, I'd look at either the Cobra 200GTL, or the Galaxy 95T. The 200GTL runs in the general ballpark of $250-$300, and the 95T runs around $500 give or take.

When we say export, we mean a radio that has extra power and more than 40 channels built into it from the factory, or a non-legal radio. 10 meter and 11 meter refer to frequency ranges. CB channels are often referred to as 11-meter.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

Doppler effect at 27 MHz? How fast do you drive anyway? :shock: Max doppler shift at 10m travelling at 60 MPh (100 KMh) is only 2.44 Hertz or twice that for both vehicles traveling towards each other. 5 hertz will not be a factor.

Doppler shift versus freq at 100 KMh

Doppler shift on a LEO sat is only +/- 3 KHz at 144 MHz and a few thousand miles per hour.

I use SSB all the time even on 50 MHz with out a problem. I have used it a few times on 144 MHz as well and the only problem there has been the picketing effect of being in motion but not doppler shift.

 

[boaterer]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for all your help and kind words and welcomes!

I keep hearing antenna, coax, antenna, coax. I had hoped the tech I buy from/use would be able to direct that whole purchase. I don't really know much about antenna or coax, other than they need to be good, installed properly, & tuned. With that said, I was hoping to zero in on a good radio and go from there.

I guess after Monday I'm not going to have much research time or computer time, cause I'll be on the road. I realize I really SHOULD educate myself by reading all of this stuff, but where's the time?!?!? This sounds silly, cause I usually don't buy blind, but I wish someone would just hand me the whole enchilada and charge me a small fortune. It would then be over and done with... and I could get some help when I need it out on the road. ...Ya know?

All ideas and help are being heard and researched!! I appreciate all of it!! DTB... your site is really nice and helps quite a bit!

Oh yea... I'm working for USA Truck, and they have a couple different models of International, no more than a few years old. The thing here is that I could have the same truck for years or they could change it on me at any time... so I need to be pretty mobile with this system.

Thanks!
Mark

 

[DTB Radio]

Internationals eh? Which models? Eagles? 9200's? There are a number of good antennas that will work well on that vehicle. For straight 40-ch operation, I'd probably pick either the WIlson 4' Silver Load, or if I could find one, a Powerstick. The Wilson is much easier to find, though, and likely cheaper.

 

[boaterer]

Internationals.. yep yep and yep.. we've even got some older Freight Liners... and the truck issued to me could change any day. All the ones I've seen so far have had about the same mount though. For a lack on knowing what to call it, it's just a stainless angle nailed to the mirror post on one angle and the antenna stuck through the other angle. I've not measured the height available yet to get up to the 13' 5" roof of the trailer.

So far, the 95T or T2 you mentioned above look like a prime candidate. I've been reading... and reading.. Many people seem to like this one. It has the SSB, and lots of watts, and a two year warranty.
The 200GTL scares me, as I think I'm reading mixed reviews. Is it true that some people have trouble with this model after a tech has touched it, or am I off base here?

My main concerns are:
Having a LOUD radio, that sounds GOOD!
I want SSB, mainly to play, learn and have fun.
I'd like reliability for sure!
Toys are a plus, since I've never had them.

I keep saying LOUD Radio. This is not to go around the neighborhood blowing people away on three channels. I'm a relatively old guy, a very considerate person, and I believe in being a good neighbor. I just want to be able to get out if I need to, in an emergency or for local info. I don't want to wait 5 hours, until some other a$$ finally gets tired of blasting the world away, just to find the next closest truck stop.

Simply put, I don't care much about the money, I just want a great, LOUD, radio system, that's clean sounding and reliable.

I'm still reading.. probably on the road again tomorrow, and I really appreciate ALL the help you guys are giving up!

Mark

 

[BIONIC_TEXAN88]

u might also want to give the magnum s9 a look, has plenty of features and looks great. I had one for a year and it was an excellent radio, loud, clear audio and excellent ears. she wont put out as much as the 95t2, however I knew a guy that had one, sounded great, but those built in transistors got the radio pretty warm causing him to drift off freq. on ssb. On am she was LOUD!!! good luck on a selection.

 

[Cold Beer]

How about looking at a Connex

I would stay away from the Cobra 200, I dont own one but have heard horror stories. Its too bad because it potentially could be a great radio.

Keep on reading and learning about the different features etc.

If I were you I would buy a straight 40 channel like a Cobra 29 or Uniden 78 and use it while still reading up.

Then when ready to purchase what you really need or want you can keep this radio for a spare.

 

[vnsdeacon]

Cold Beer is right just a 40ch cb. The cobra 29's uniden 78's are almost bullet prof. What ever You do don't buy it or send it to any ol ( BillyBob cb hack shack.) Good luck