CB Radio Suggestion

Charles · July 21, 2001

I'm looking into getting a CB for my 2000 GMC Highrider (ZR2). It will be used mainly for trail rides etc. I was thinking of just getting one of the small no thrills type from Radio Shack. Are they any good? Any other suggestions?

Thanks

burgundyz71 · July 21, 2001

Hi,

I went with a Uniden due to compact size and quality plus it was only ?. If you are refering to a hand held CB I never had much luck with them. Also if using for trail rides when others are following a glass mount antanae works fine for that they just dont have a whole lot of range.

NeXuS1 · July 21, 2001

we pulled a radio shack cb from my dad's 97, you can change channels on the mic its amazing. if you want one for a good price i'm sure he'd be welling to sell it. (since we hate CBs)

Chev4Ever · July 21, 2001

Hey,

I like the radio shack cb.. i only use it for radar reports and when theres nothing on the radio..

The one i have was a great price for the use i ll get out of it..

Steve

Snowman88 4x4 · July 28, 2001

If you plan on keeping the truck and using the cb alot, go on and get a decent one. The uniden 76, cobra 25 or cobra 29. If you want something top of the line go with a galaxy 44 or 66. If you have any questions let me know, been playing around with these things for about 8 yrs now.

Brad

Stepside Z · July 29, 2001

Snowman,

Welcome to the forum. I think you will enjoy it.

Snowman88 4x4 · July 29, 2001

Thanks stepside. I wish I d found this site a long time ago.

Brad

RCRadios40 · March 5, 2009

I'm looking into getting a CB for my 2000 GMC Highrider (ZR2). It will be used mainly for trail rides etc. I was thinking of just getting one of the small no thrills type from Radio Shack. Are they any good? Any other suggestions? Thanks

The nice thing about CBs is you can get a real basic one fairly cheaply. They're all 4 watts, so a cheap one will have the same output power as an expensive one - you just get more bells and whistles with the more expensive models.

The Uniden 510 and Midland 1001z are both good affordable CBs. While the Midland 1001z has a few more features, the Uniden 510 is built a little better in my opinion and is really popular in 4x4 vehicles due to it's durability.

Hope this helps!

BuckFeverZ · March 5, 2009

I'm looking into getting a CB for my 2000 GMC Highrider (ZR2). It will be used mainly for trail rides etc. I was thinking of just getting one of the small no thrills type from Radio Shack. Are they any good? Any other suggestions? Thanks

The nice thing about CBs is you can get a real basic one fairly cheaply. They're all 4 watts, so a cheap one will have the same output power as an expensive one - you just get more bells and whistles with the more expensive models.

The Uniden 510 and Midland 1001z are both good affordable CBs. While the Midland 1001z has a few more features, the Uniden 510 is built a little better in my opinion and is really popular in 4x4 vehicles due to it's durability.

Hope this helps!

Whew, I'm glad someone finally helped this poor man after 8 years!!

green 788 · March 5, 2009

While it's basically true that all CB sold in this country have a 4 watt dead key limit (imposed by the FCC), by what is commonly called "peaking and tuning" you can cause the power output to increase considerably, especially on the higher end models.

Aircraft radio was my specialty in the Air Force. When I got out of the military I began driving a truck (18 wheeler) for a living. So I sort of naturally progressed to CB repair and modification...

I agree with Snowman, go with the Cobra or Uniden, rather than the Radio Shack models. Maxon is making the Radio Shacks, and they're okay... but WAY below the quality you'll get in a tried and true Uniden radio.

The Uniden 510XL is a tried and true little unit. If you decide to have it peaked, DO NOT let the CB tech clip the modulation limiter... or it will over-modulate and sound muddy. The dead key can be increased on the 510 to good effect... about a 20% increase in output.

Yes, it's technically illegal to peak a CB radio. Sort of like tearing the tag off a mattress.

Avoid any CB with channel changing buttons or volume controls on the microphone... because if the mic cord goes bad, you will have to have an expensive re-wiring job done on that mic. If you stick with the Cobra or Uniden radios, you'll be able to find a replacement mic at any truck stop.

The antenna is a lot more important that the CB radio itself. K40 used to make a really great edge of the hood (or trunk) mounted antenna, but I'm told they've stopped producing these. Antenna Specialists have some that are comparable.

Many folks install antennas at the back of the cab (in the bed corner), which is fine, so long as you get a top loaded antenna (not one with a coil at the bottom)... the Firestick, or Wilson 1000 fiberglass models, or even the Francis antennas work well here, so long as they rise above the cab by at least 18 inches.

Best of luck.

Dan

07cliffordreddog · March 9, 2009

Whew, I'm glad someone finally helped this poor man after 8 years!!

quite funny after 8 years. haha. but irregardless, +1 on the uniden 510 with a peak and tune!! thats what I have, with an astatic mic and a k40 antenna. EXCELLANT reception and output.

If you want a bigger radio, go galaxy.... IF i had the room in my truck i would def. have a galaxy dx939 peaked and tuned in there!

RCRadios40 · March 23, 2009

Didn't notice it was so old! Hopefully this well help someone else perhaps.... ;-)

The antenna is a lot more important that the CB radio itself. K40 used to make a really great edge of the hood (or trunk) mounted antenna, but I'm told they've stopped producing these. Antenna Specialists have some that are comparable.

You're absolutely right about the antenna being much more important. However, K40 still makes a really great trunk-lip / magnet mounted CB antenna (called simply the "K40 Antenna") that is well respected. I'm not sure if it's the same one you're referring to, but it sure sounds like it and they're still producing them.....

renolaw · March 25, 2009

Yes, it's technically illegal to peak a CB radio. Sort of like tearing the tag off a mattress.
Dan

well, not that simple. a mattress tag relates to a consumer notice that only the consumer may remove. Exceeding 27MHz power limits is in fact illegal, no way around it, sorry. The FCC may impose fines and confiscate equipment, altho that rarely happens. Still, the law is the law. Rather than suffer 11 meter's lack of reliable performance and noise crashes, study for and get your amateur radio license. In my rig i run a Galaxy 949 to talk with the other 11 meter users, but more and more i go to my Yaesu FT8800 which covers 2 meters and the 440 band. Thru linked VHF repeaters i can talk for 100s of miles with perfect audio and full quieting to the machine. Aah, FM, no static at all... And the ham radio is 1/4 the size of the CB. Our jeep club is almost 100% ham licensees and after one plays with tone squelch VHF, its hard to go back to the CB. I also occasionally run my HF rig on 20 meters while mobile, but that is a different topic.

For those that do not want to get licensed and are tired of the 11 meter noise, renegade over-legal-limit stations, look into the MUSR radios. They're on approximate 151MHz and require no license. You can find affordable motorola maxtrax radios on ebay, etc. This is a shared band, but for most line of sight applications, its a better alternative that CB.

just my $.02

mb