CB Antenna Question
 

Hey,

I saw this ad on craigslist for a whip for $28.

Here is the ad...link

Do you think it's worth it? It looks like it is in pretty decent condition. What would one of these new go for?

Looks like cheap truck stop crap. I wouldn't give 28 for both.


If you plan on running duals to work right they must be 6 feet or more apart from each other. Otherwise they fight each other and limit reception and transmit.

I'd pass on those antennas. A 102"/108" whip will perform better. If you want a coil antenna a Wilson 1000 or 5000 is the best bang for the buck.

Running duals is not worth the hassle. You have to have a minimum of 1/4 wave at 27MHz (9 feet) between the antennas or (as previously mentioned) your rx/tx pattern will be skewed. Even if you had the room to set them up the (theoretical) 3dB gain would be directional. Keep in mind that what you gain in one direction will be lost in other directions. It's best to keep your radiation pattern as omnidirectional as possible.

i bought mine for 35 at radioshack and its the biggest one u can buy

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Speaking of radioshack, I was going to ask if anyone bought 102' whip from there. It got great reviews!

Here is a link to it: Whip It

Also, what kind of cb radio would you recommend that is fairly cheap but decent quality. I don't really want something high end, but more of a bang for your buck cb radio.

If you're interested in an AM only radio, the Cobra 29LTD is the best bang for the buck:

https://www.cobra.com/detail/29-ltd-classic.cfm

There are other radios on the market that are less expensive (like the Cobra 19) but they have a high failure rate due to poor craftmanship.

If you need something physically smaller than the 29LTD go with the 25LTD:

https://www.cobra.com/detail/25-ltd-classic.cfm

If you want an AM/SSB radio look into the Galaxy DX959:

Galaxy DX 959 CB Radio

Links provided are for reference only. You can find better pricing by searching the 'net. :icon_wink:

Rat shack still carries the 102. Most of the time they have to order them as the stores don't keep them in stock.


I would stay away from anything cobra. Once they quit using boards made by undien they are more worried about putting useless gimmicks in them that don't work. Should spend more time on making them sound good compared to putting fancy paint jobs and blue tooth on them. Now if you can find a cobra build in thew philippines they were good radios.


I would look at uniden radios. They make some of the best cheaper am only radios.

Galaxy does make some good radios. I would skip over the 959 and get the 949. The fequency counter isn't good on it and for what they charge to include it you can buy a good plug in model.

The 29LTD (even the new ones) has a long track record of being a dependable radio. I'd stay away from the 29 WX NW ST. The weather channel option is nice for some, but the Night Watch backlighting of the faceplate is known to fail. I don't care for the Sound Tracker feature either...another drawback imo. If you stick with the basic 29LTD - and don't let some golden screwdriver 'tech' peak n tweak it - it will provide a very long and trouble free service life.

I prefer the Galaxy DX959 over the DX949, and it has nothing to do with the frequency display. The 959 is built off the same board that the old Phillippine/Malaysia Cobra 148GTL was built, and has a very low failure rate. The DX949 has been plagued with problems and has a high failure rate. That is why you see so many shops selling refurbished units cheap.

No matter what radio you decide to purchase, the antenna system is the most important part of your setup. The quality of the radio doesn't matter if your antenna system can't radiate or receive the radio waves efficiently. :icon_wink:

I have had nothing but cobras in every truck I own. Never had a problem with them. Stay away from
Cheap radio. You pay for what you get.

Cobra makes a hand held unit that looks like a microphone, with all the controls in the hand held part and the main guts to the system stores under the seat, i think for the amount of space available in the Blazer/jimmy, make good scense.