the cobra ultra 40 cb radio??

[Pikemaster101]

does anybody know how far these michenes reach distance wise, i was looking at them at a store the other day and they were 40$ what a great deal, are they any good?

[cableguy031]

Were you looking at the desktop model or the mobile version? Do you plan to be mobil with it or do plan to stay at home and broadcast?

As for a CB radio goes, it all depends on how strong your antenae is and how much open space you've got. Since Cb radios go from one to another unlike stronger radios that bounces off a relay/amp, your signal can be affected by terrain, too.

CB radios are fun, I've had them back in HS school. I had mine mounted with a mag mount and it was fun to run up and down the interestate chatting with truckers, wwwaaaaaayyyyy back when gas prices were cheap. I'm not that old but I still remember them days where gas were $0.85/gallon, no, that's not a typo.

[Surface Tension]

They were the thing to have at one time. Don't know how much they get used now a days. Are you looking to put one in your ice shack? On ice, I think you'd get pretty good range.

About the gas. As a teenager I'd pull up to the pump with a dollar and get a little over two gallons of gas. As a kid I'd walk to the gas station to get gas for the minibike. I paid 25 cents a gallon.

[Pikemaster101]

So would you say they reach atleast 5-10 miles I would l;ike to put one in my truck and one in the cabin?

[Whoaru99]

Been a while since I used my CB, I'd say 5 miles, maybe, if the terrain is open. If you are in and around trees and other buildings I think it'll be cut down from that 5 miles.

If one end is a base station with a high antenna, you MIGHT get close to that 10 miles in open country.

[DinkADunk]

5-10 miles if you have a good antenna, very good ground, use decent coax, and have tuned the antenna (use a SWR meter). The radio is secondary, spend your money on the antenna, mount, grounding, cable, and tuning.

[Bobby Bass]

Now you are bring back memories. Sitting here on top of the hill shooting out over the big lake 25 to 30 miles was common. With the right conditions could shoot the skip into Detroit. In the summer we could ride the skip and talk to the good ole boys down south. Little more power in side band and if you had the money you added a 100 watt kicker. Friday and Saturdays nights were spent playing CB tag and for the gas I can remember pumping it at 17.9 a gal.. .Still have a Teaberry with a big old lollipop power mike. No license required and I think the FCC has long ago forgot about them.

[cableguy031]

I guess I'm not that old after all....LOL!!!

[sparcebag]

Quote:

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5-10 miles if you have a good antenna, very good ground, use decent coax, and have tuned the antenna (use a SWR meter). The radio is secondary, spend your money on the antenna, mount, grounding, cable, and tuning.

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Yep its the antenna & GROUND that make the CB

Bobby Bass I remember the 17.9 and in St.Paul a Marathon station and a clark & Holiday were on the same block,they had gas wars and the price would drop to 11.9- 12.9.I'd drive 18 miles for a fill for less than $3.00

[Bobby Bass]

Clark gas stations. Been a long time since I have heard that name. You would get a punch card when you bought gas and could redeem it for stuff kept in display cases right out on the fuel island. Holiday had the pages of stamps and four of them and 19 cents would buy you a can of stew! Worked for Holiday as a store manager back then and remember it well. We sold just about everything including CB's

[Phred52]

HEY... I use to work in the local Clark station. Just a "few" years ago, I believe it was in '68 or '69. That was the only "Premium" gas that would ping,IN a Corvair! AAAAHHH, To have THOSE gas prices back though, eh??? Phred52

[Pikemaster101]

So if i were to put the cobra ultra 40 cb radio in my truck also, what kind of antenna would i need? could i just use one of thoes cheap magnetic ones that i could stick ontop of my vehicle or would i have to get whips? also what is the difference between the to types of antennas? so does anybody have any opinions on the cheap 40$ cobra cb's.

[wx_nut]

In regards to range, the better the antenna, the better range you'll get. If you get one of the 'mount to the car' antennas you're going to get more range than you would with a mag mount.

This past spring for a project I was working on, we all hooked up CB's very similar to the Cobra's with the cheap mag mount antennas. We were able to get around 3-4 miles in uneven terrain. Some of the cars would get range in the 5-6 mile area, while others were only getting 3-4 miles. Never could figure out why - we were all equipped with the same antennas and radios.

When we could, we used our ham radios (I'm a licensed Ham, and not everyone in our group was licensed) and we were getting quite a bit of additional range. You might want to consider getting your licenses. It's super easy, and doesn't cost much (around $15 last time I checked) and the radios go much, much further.

Hopes this helps!

-wx_nut

[Pikemaster101]

Does anybody know if marine radios and cb radios can interact with eachother or are they unable to.? Also; what is the difference between the cheap CB's and the more expensive ones? In order to get the most range, do i have to buy an expensive CB or is it just based on the quality of the antenna?

[cableguy031]

I don't think CB radios can interact with marine radio since they both operate on different frequencies.

The expensive Cb usually have a feature to amplify your voice so it can travel a bit farther and be heard. If you have a regular mic, you can still talk but to a certain distance depending on the terrain and environment.

Buying an expensive CB doesn't really mean you can get better range. Your CB range varies on they type of antenna and its placement. CB radios operate from antenna to antenna, not off of a relay or a repeater. The higher your antenna, the farther and clearer your reception can go but make sure to check with your local regulations on how high you can go.

If you prefer to be mobile, you can purchase a magnet mount and place it on top of your car/truck/SUV. The Wilson 1000 seems to be the best and most efficient IMPO. When I was young, I had a small base station at my parent's place. I had antenna that went up 10 feet on top of the roof, I got about 5 miles on a good day.

[DinkADunk]

Marine and CB operate on different frequencies. You need different readio's and different antenna's. CB's are limited to 4 watts, the more expensive units may present a cleaner signal but they don't put out more power. They won't reach any further unless you illegally add a linear amplifier to them. Spend money on an decent antenna.

[MNmikew]

A sideband CB will do 12 watts. A CB radio is AM, a marine radio is FM so no they will not talk to each other.

[DinkADunk]

Yes, SSB will do 12 watts but their aren't many new SSB radio's being produced. If you want to go that route then you might as well go 10 meter and get an FCC license. Most of the CB radio's you'll find new are 40 channel non SSB models and they are limited to 4 watts.