So I went with a Cobra 29 LX with a RFX final amplifier on it, Red Devil powered mic, and a Wilson 5000 Base loaded antenna mounted on a welded plate on the top of my gobi rack. I went and welded the bolted corners of my gobi rack together then added a large multi-strand ground strap from the rack directly to the frame. I am using a stainless whip antenna that is just over eight foot. That puts the top of the antenna just under the highway overpasses. On the trails the very thin antenna seems to bend just fine, although now I get quite a few dirty looks if I go though a drive-thru of any kind. The unit inside is mounted to a tuffy overhead box which I dont really care for and will replace with something I make out of welded 1 inch tubing. You just cant really see the front panel of the CB sitting in the drivers seat very well without sliding your head up to see it. This wouldnt be an issue if you were on a trail with friends because you would be on the same channel all the time but if you want to use the scan function at all you cant see the front screen very well. Overall the performance is very good. The unit swings to about 90 or so and the antenna is at 1.15-1.2 SWR depending on the channel selected. I set the curve slightly bias the lower channels as that is what most of the local clubs use. It is quite easy to get 5+ mile range out of this setup without trying very hard. I was able to easily speak to a friend on a base station quite clear 28 miles away while moving without issue when we tried it as well. This is much more then I would need for basic trail rides but will add some peace of mind for when I get out pretty far alone without others.

 

Lmk what channel your going to be on. My setup comes in a couple days and I'm local to you. I went with a uniden pro520xl with a firestik firefly 4'.

 

Usually the offroad 4x4 channels around there are either 12 or 14.