I am preparing to buy a cb radio for my jk but i am have a difficult time selecting the right cb and antenna. I am looking for something with good range. Any Suggestions.

 

Don't get your hopes too high. Jeeps are notoriously poor platforms for CB radio transmissions. Jeeps offer a poor to non existent ground plane because they lack a solid steel roof and they are slab sided which tends to reflect RF transmission signals from the antenna. Many years ago, I started out with the Cobra SSB trucker's radio which cost about $150 at the time. While it could receive transmissions from as far away as 10 miles, my transmissions seldom exceeded 4 miles. I was disappointed to say the least. I decided to go to the other extreme and purchased and installed a Radio Shack basic CB which cost me about $40. While my transmission range was still in the 3 to 4 mile range, my reception range dropped to about 5 miles. Next I went to the Cobra 75 WX-ST. The performance was about the same as the Radio Shack CB. On the trail, both the transmission and reception ranges will drop to the 1 to 2 mile range, and even less if you are running in hills, canyons or dense forest. In extreme conditions, both ranges can drop to 100 yards on the trail. I guess the bottom line here is don't spend too much on a CB radio, there is really no correlation between cost and performance if you are going to install it in a Jeep
Wrangler. Most of the folks I run with use Firestik 4' non-ground plane antennas and more than half use the Cobra 75 WX ST transceiver. Everybody has their favorites. Lastly, no doubt someone will come up and say that the range of a CB can be 100s of miles if/when skip conditions exist, which is seldom. This is only meaningful if you want to talk to the person you contact via the "skip" who will probably picking his nose in the cab of a pickup truck outside of a cheap bar. To get maximum performance from your new CB, read all the installation strings on this board, then have someone assist you if you run into trouble.

 

all cb's no matter what the cost are 4watt maximum output, the FCC has rules... it's even hard to find linear amplifiers because of the rules... but amps are fun... i remember once seeing maybe a 200-300 watt amp'd cb keyed up and another guy moved a screw driver about 6 inches away from the antena and it arched like a stun gun... one of the coolest things i've seen to this day...

 

Could i increase my range if i mounted it on the hood so that the ground plane is higher.
does anyone have any pics of that beacause it could look wierd

 

The best legal 4 watt CB with a great antenna isn't going to get you far. If you want to come to other side you'll need more power. Its not hard to have a CB tuned up internally to 30-80 watts if you are willing to spend the extra coin. Basically for anywhere between $125-$400 you can have a new modded radio. It all depends on the radio and how far you want to go with the mods.

I have close to $300 shipped into my radio including a new radio, mods and Astatic noise canceling mic but it was built by a radio shop with an exceptional reputation for making exceptional power with exceptionally clean audio. Its nothing for my radio to hear and talk to other big radios 20, 30 even 40 miles away under the right conditions.

As a matter of fact I had a nice ~50W Texas Ranger that had been collecting dust for years since my Powestroke days after having this radio built and evaluating I simply gave it to buddy who is a driver for Crete.

FWIW- My same radio putting out ~35W w/o dual finals, w/o the super RX mod, w/o superwackpack and oem mic could have been had on sale from the same shop for $99 which would be perfect for most Jeepers. I travel 140 mi each way to work twice a week through downtown ATL way up into the GA Mtns and I wanted a big radio with big results and I'm overwhelmingly pleased.

Remember though, many CB shops are hacks so do your homework.

 

Ok thanks, so what would be a good option for a cb and antena to get tuned up in wattage, and what is the best place mount the antenna.

 

I'm thrilled with radioactiveradios.com They don't have much pricing on their website so call for advice on what mods to get then they will give you a quote. if you have a budget ask what their best mods are for said budget. They also have a daily special(s) as well and those would be a great a start. You still have to call to order because they want to build you the best radio based on your needs. For most people 35W with a single final is plenty. This is my second modded radio and I wanted to go all out within reason.

Their FAQ's is helpful as well.

At the moment I bolted a slim mirror mount into the backside of my 3rd brake light holder similar to another thread here and mounted a 4' Firestick to it. 4' might be a bit too much if you tear up the woods but I mostly burn up the highways and 4 lanes so I'm not as concerned about antenna height bouncing of limbs.

 

great thanks for the advice

 

tvan,

Please understand that upping the power output on a CB radio is against FCC regulations and can result in a hefty fine. 4 watts is the limit.

 

Ok so about what is my range with a legal limit cb