(Part 2) Top products from r/cbradio

The Uniden PRO505XL is a great radio for beginners and enthusiasts alike. It's also very inexpensive.

Uniden PRO505XL 40-Channel CB Radio.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005ZLB0E4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_YDoXCb15KHKJM

Paired with a decent antenna such as the K40, you'll be able to make contacts locally, and possibly skip regionally when the atmospheric conditions allow.

K40 K-30 35" 300 Watts Stainless Steel Magnet Mount CB Antenna
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H2W270/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_aGoXCbW5XAAR7

Since these radios are 12V, you will either need a power supply or 12V car battery to operate. I'd recommend a 5A power supply, that way you can use it with wall power.

Universal Compact Bench Power Supply - 5 Amp
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002BA570/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_QHoXCb8KWJ1Q8

Remember too that when you go to set up the antenna, it requires a "ground plane". Being as how it won't be mounted to the steel body of a vehicle, something as simple as a steel garbage can lid or metal roof will suffice for a proper ground plane. Get it as high up as possible and make those contacts!

Hope this information helps! Let me know if you have any questions! Good to see the radio hobby alive and well with the younger generation!

Here are helpful links direct to the products I own.

About antennas: The antenna is important... as important (or more so) than the radio. My antenna choice (dipole) may not be the best choice for your needs. So, the ANTENNA link below goes to an AMAZON search for CB antennas for apartments, balcony, patio, etc. which may be a better fit to your needs.

Hope these are helpful! Big Bux, Bucks County PA 19047

UNIDEN 980SSB Radio & Mic https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BEARCAT-Sideband-WeatherBand-980SSB/dp/B007B5ZAES/ref=sr_1_3

MegaWatt S-400-12 36 Amp Power Supply https://www.amazon.com/MegaWatt%C2%AE-S-400-12x-Adjustable-Supply-MegaWatt/dp/B00LIBRKQM

Driver's Product DPSWR2 External SWR Meter; https://www.amazon.com/Drivers-Product-Antennas-SO-239-Output/dp/B06VW7N5Q5/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1

Midland 21-406 External Speaker https://www.amazon.com/Midland-21-406-Amateur-Extension-Speaker/dp/B000246VPM/ref=sr_1_2

CB Antenna for Apartment, Patio, Balcony, or Indoors https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=cb+antenna+apartment&rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3Acb+antenna+apartment

The first one is a nice unit--probably overkill if you want something cheap. As for the second one, I'd spend a few more bucks and look at this one instead: https://www.amazon.ca/Uniden-PRO520XL-40-Channel-CB-Radio/dp/B00004VXNI/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1551057210&sr=8-9&keywords=cb+radio especially if you are going mobile with it. That ANL filter makes a huge difference on the road.

I don't know about nowadays, but uniden used to make really good radios. I have one that's over 30 years old and still works great!

Amplifier

PA horn

CB to Amp cable (standard 3.5mm aux cable)

You’ll need speaker wire to run from the Amp to the PA and you’ll need to power the amp somehow. They sell an AC to DC power supply but if installing in a 12VDC vehicle you can run 12v to it directly but you’ll just need the barrel connector / plug end. You can buy those on amazon as well or if you have access to electronic scraps or spare laptop power supplies you can hack one off there and wire it to your system.

To use the speaker without the amplifier, not sure how loud it would be, probably not very because the CB can only put out like 12-15 Watts on PA, you can use this cable to hook the speaker to the CB

Hope that helps.

A hood channel mount like this firestik or this procomm with an antenna like this Tram or this firestik should work well and not look terribly out of place on a small car. A small mag mount like a K30 or lil will would be another good, non-permanent option.

Thanks for the info(im kind of new to CB so I wanted to ask and see if this kinda of set up would work).Now that you mention dipoles,I was think about getting either the indoor firestik or this[ https://www.gigaparts.com/radiowavz-20dbz.html?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIkMGgybus2QIVk7rACh38LQHWEAQYASABEgIgNfD_BwE ],lets say I get the dipole from the link,would I have to set it up with a mast(s) or could I kinda just run it around the perimiter of my house's roof(kinda hugging it)for ease of setup(it also looks pretty low profile so I kinda thought it was a good idea)






(also can i use this for plugging one of these handhelds to the wall? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00452YFZU/ref=asc_df_B00452YFZU5373047/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B00452YFZU&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198056450525&hvpos=1o11&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7112004044057022446&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9028207&hvtargid=pla-384041315683)

If you are mostly listening, you should be fine. Most cigarette outlets are rated for 8 amps at 13.8v. My Cobra 19 DX III only uses 1.2 amp on transmit so it is safe for me do what you are suggesting. Some vans and trucks have "power outlets" that are rated for 18-20 amps that would be perfect even for a long talker.

The power post you are suggesting scares me since leaves things so exposed. I ended up using the following that you can buy in almost any store with basic automotive electrical parts.
Terminals and Spades and a Replacement Cigarette Adapter. The Cigarette adapter in stores is usually rated for 3 amps. For CB's that should be plenty, but if the fuse pops after some long TX you may need to figure out running a Positive wire to the battery and the black to bolt to the car frame.

I'd get a cobra 29 Ltd and a 4' firestik 2 with a good bracket and coax. That's what I run in my pickup. I get 4 to 5 miles with it. I have it on a 96 f150 with a hood mount.

Depending on where you mount it, you may want a longer antenna, maybe a mid load. But firestik has always served me well, and the 2 has an easy to tune tip, for a moderate price. And the 29 Ltd has a built in meter that works well enough to tune without having to go buy an external one.

Cobra 29LTD Professional CB Radio - Instant Channel 9, 4 Watt Output, Full 40 Channels, SWR Calibration https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006JPF3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_UbiPCbZA96AM6

Firestik 4ft Firestik ® II FS Series Tunable Tip CB Antenna 900 Watts Red - Firestik FS-4RD https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SB6SDE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_OciPCbM9XH2JY

FireStik Antenna Company K8R9 9ft. W/pl259 & Firering Conn https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000X39TFG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_sdiPCb7S2T3HN

Glad I asked before even making the purchase then...

With a fiberglass antenna, can I easily remove the antenna and store it in the car without having to retune it every time I put it back into the mount?

Also..

what things will I need to buy to make it all work? There seems to be a lot of small things..

• Cobra CB Radio
  
  
• Firestik Antenna
  
• Coaxial cable
  
• Firestik stud
  
• Antenna Spring
  
  -Mount to car. Does the hole size matter? I keep finding hole sizes of 5/8", and the studs being 1/2"...
  
  Is that all I will need?
  

yea, that PA horn should work fine, no specs tho.

amazon sells a nice Pyle PA horn that tops out at 25 watts audio output

https://www.amazon.com/PSP8-Weather-5-Inch-Trumpet-Speaker/dp/B001D0LMG2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491712270&sr=8-1&keywords=cb+PA+horn

15 watts I believe is pretty common: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=15+watts+horn


65 watts (overkill unless you're running a siren driver): http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PHSP5-8-Inch-Outdoor-Speaker/dp/B002UL0WH8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459158631&sr=8-1&keywords=65+watts+horn



Both of these do no require external power besides the power from what its already connected to.


As far as I know those are pretty standard.

Yeah I think you'll be fine with a smaller antenna, this one is 2 feet long so it's pretty small.

No, You need an amplified PA Speaker. Make sure it's 8ohm

https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PHSP4-6-Inch-Outdoor-Speaker/dp/B002UL0WEQ/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1491591872&sr=8-4&keywords=PA+speaker

You could try a power inverter.

Sadly the terminals don't allow for accessory wires to the battery. You could buy them and easily connect the wires to the battery. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PHKA6C/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_nmuuxbSKFJNSH

Sorry, but WTF is that right angle abomination? Those split washers aren't doing you any favors sticking into the gap of that slot. You need a mount with an actual SO239 stud on it, mounted through an appropriate sized hole. Don't use a separate ground wire. You're creating a ground loop. Ground coming from the coax needs to come in contact with the mount, which happens by default with a SO239 stud.

[Edit] Just discovered the "FireRing". I guess the fire part is what comes out the back of your radio. I see lots of people online having SWR issues with these things. Several commenters stated that it uses cheap coax to boot.

RF isn't DC. Making an electrical connection isn't good enough. There's a fair amount of engineering that goes into designing a coaxial connector to keep it from effecting the signal, and I suspect this firering never had that advantage. If you need a right angle, you can get a pair of SO239 elbows on Amazon for $9 and stick it on the SO239 stud.