I picked up a peaked and tuned cobra 29gtl (old style, with side mic), a universal mount, a 100 watt amp, pa speaker, external speaker, an amp for that for like $80 off ebay. Then I found a K40 antenna and an swr meter/matcher. Debating weather or not to pick up the police siren from work too. (Got 8 white strobes coming too. Got a 1 red and 1 blue from work too)

 

First off congrats but I'd be extremely careful buying cbs off ebay. Its a known spot to get rid of faulty stuff cause people can't check it and stuff like tuned CBs and amps are illegal so who you gonna turn it into.

Check your local laws, some places its illegal to have a PA system and depending on big of an a-hole the cop is can write you an impersonation of an officer ticket that aint real cheap. Having a siren and strobes can also get you that if not allowed. Slap on the fed charges of running an amped CB radio those tickets can add up real quick and actually lead to jail time fast.

I know where I'm at as a vol fire fighter I'm allowed to have a siren and red, clear lights. I'm also a hazmat responder so I can have green lights also if I choose. I can not run any type of blue lights or its an easy ticket for the cops. Some areas of the US don't even allow their vol fire fighters to run any lights on their personal rides. Some limit the colors and warning equipment.


As for the CB stuff I'd still find a local guy you can trust that doesn't hack and clip to tune it and have it matched to the amp. If they are not paired you can destroy them right off the bat. Most of the time unless you are annoying the neighbors with bleed over the FCC isn't really tracing amped systems anymore. Its still a big fine and/or jail and they take your stuff if you do get nailed. You also have to be careful of SWR meters if you are using it to tune the antenna. Most cheaper ones are for looks and not real accurate.

 

yea PA speakers are fun just be careful how you use it you can get into some trouble with those. I never saw the point to amplify a cb does that increase the range or what exactly does that do and how would anyone know that you were amplifying it? I just have mine to talk to my buddies on the trails and yell at the occasional truck driver...

 

Increases the range greatly. I have a 200watt in mine and when its off due to trees I'm lucky to get out 3 miles. I can crank it and get out almost 10, lol. Its pretty easy to tell when somebody is running hot, they will be far off and sound like they are next door. It will also cause hell and bleed over on an am radio, computer speakers, PA systems in buildings and stuff like that. Pretty easy to triangulate somebody down and back in the 70s the FCC used to do it all the time and write fines. Since the hobby has died down they don't bird dog as bad but if you are causing problems and they get complaints they will come out and look for you.

 

Where I am now some of it is illegal. Lights can be used off public roads. The pa is a no no here. When I move in 2 months PA is legal. Future plans are also not legal here... like a total lift cannot exceed 4" and can't be used to fit bigger tires... can't wait to get back to the backwoods in 'bama

 

interesting vol firefighters over here use blue lights.

but anyways i plan on getting a CB as well. as long as you dont go crazy with it, i'm sure you'll be fine.

 

Why not do it legally and get your HAM license? A lot more people are on ham now than cbs anyways.

 

Perhaps in the future I will go HAM or both.. I have considered both options.

 

It just seems around here no one runs CBs anymore. I wouldn't waste my money on one as now its mostly highschool kids with em wanting to look "cool" with that extra antenna. Now where I'm from we used to take our Jeeps (yes I owned a jeep) into the mountains and we actually had a use for a cb. But as an average daily driver I don't feel Id benifit at all from spending my money and time setting one up because it'd never get used. Just my opinon

 

The guys I mud ride with have them for when we in the woods on trails. A few of us even have base stations and talk to each other at night when we bored and not working on our rigs. I have ran a CB in just about everything ever since I drove a big truck, makes long drives way less boring.