Is this a good CB Radio?
 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cobra-19-Ultra-I...3A1%7C294%3A50

Its a Cobra 19 Ultra III Citizen Band 40 channel CB Radio, I am planning on joining a rover club next year and they said its helpful to have a CB radio, plus I've always wanted one. Is this a good one or should I pass up? Also, do they generally need a antenna to work well?

Thanks!

Not the greatest, but Cobra is a good brand. If your just going to use it from time to time at get togethers then it'll be fine, and yes. You'll need an antenna.

You are going to want a "whip" antenna for off roading, no fiberglass ones like Firestik.

There is always those little spring mounts though. Just gotta be wary of it whiplashing around and hitting a window or something

The Firestick I had would bend nearly into a full circle.

Great, thanks for the info. It be used for recreational use only so i dont need the top of the line. I'll be on the lookout for an intenna, I saw a write up on mounting them behind the spare tire so that will be another project I can work on this summer.

That's what I did with mine, Cam. Piece of cake, mine even came with a little bracket, just had to drill 2 holes in the tire carrier and it bolted right on. Ran the wire inside through a slit in the weather stripping, then tucked under the headliner to the front where I mounted my radio.

So... is that a good thing or a bad thing? I'm new at this so it might be a dumb question. Also what brand of antenna's do you guys consider the best?

Well, Spike was just mentioning the fact that fiberglass antennas like a Firestick can break off if cuaght on something while off roading. I was just stating the fact that the Firestick I had was able to bend almost in to a full circle and not break, when I was trying to break it after uninstalling it. :D

However if your mounting yours on the spare tire holder, it will not stick up high enough to catch on anything anyways.


Firestick is a good brand, and will work very well with what your using your CB radio for, and can be picked up at any truck stop, along with that head-unit your looking to buy as well.

However if you really want to reach out and touch someone... I'm partial to the 1/4 wave whip antenna with a bluetooth Cobra CB setup. :D

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I would recommend if you want to go with a Cobra 19 go with the newest generation which is the DX IV. I personally would go with a Uniden Pro520 over the Cobra 19. The 520 is about the same size and Uniden makes a better radio.

For antenna the best option for performance is a Wilson 1000 mounted in the center of the roof. Off the tire carrier is another option with a 4 or 5 foot whip like a Firestik. Just make sure to have a spring on it. I use the same setup with the 102" whip and spring off the rear bumper (but I didn't take the time to paint mine). I can talk about 30 miles with good atmospheric conditions with my radio and antenna setup. I run a tuned Uniden PC78Elite radio.