CB Radio - recommendations?

I've got a 4th gen 4Runner and looking for a small CB radio for off-roading and highway travel. Not looking to break the bank.

Recommendations?

 

Get the Cobra 75. It's nice and compact and takes up zero space when you unplug and remove it.

 

Cobra 75 or 19 and the Uniden 520 are your only real options for small radios. Any of those would work fine. I would suggest a Wilson mag mount for an antenna. Don't get a Firestik!

 

Agree with the Cobra 75 but on antennas ....

What is your mounting situation, temp ( only when you need it ) or full time,do not want to fuss with it ??

Lil Will's are the "Boss" of magnet mounts ( we have one for the Lexus road trips and as my back up) BUT they are prone to wandering eyes ...

If you do purchase a Lil Will invest in a thin piece of felt and glue it to the magnet; the wax paper that the factory installed will not last and everytime you move ( or it gets whacked ) will create ....

For ideas on rear bumper mounts try looking at some of our bumper creators here at TW and their customer pix...and at FJ Cruiser sites...they get very creative with the spare tire rack/bumper mounts that take an antenna beating....

 

My question is why not get a firestik? Any cb antenna system requires a good ground to operate properly, and that just can't be had by mounting an antenna to the composite bed insides. Sure you can install a ground plate and run bonding strap to ensure a good ground, but I would take a firestik any day over a Lil Wil. Cobra 75 is a decent trail rig. Best bang for the buck, Uniden 510 or 505 with an Astatic D104-M6B microphone, a good quality coax cable, decent mount, and an antenna that has the loading coil above your roofline and is preferably 4' in length or longer. Years of experience and operating a CB shop locally offer my advice. Best of luck

 

They are fragile and will snap like a twig off road. Lil Wil on the roof will far out perform a Firestik. I had two different Firestiks and neither one worked well. Crappy performance and could not get SWR low enough for my liking. I went to Wilson years ago and never looked back. BTW welcome to TW.

 

I think this is where most people screw up....proper length. I made the same mistake for years by only running a 4' Firestick. Now that I have a stainless steel 102" whip Ill never go back to any other style or length. 102" whips are 10X better than a 4' firestick on my truck.

 

We need to get you back into some of my local trails.....

when the branches are lower than your hood - those roof mount antennas all fail


for reference I ripped off the magnetic satellite radio mount last weekend thats about 3/16" tall and roof mounted or was roof mounted.

 

Roof mounted 102" FTMFW

 

Seriously... If I cud I wood, but woof no gud.