Potential Setup

[155mph]

Hey, guys
I was wondering if my planned CB setup was decent/ worth the money. I'm planning on getting a Cobra 75 WXST (peaked and tuned, of course) with a trunk-lip mounted 4' FireFly antenna attached to a six-pointed mobile ground plane kit (Ground Plane Radial Kit - CB Radios Plus) through 18' of Firestik coax.
Sound reasonable? Any better suggestions?
Thanks!

[compu44]

I'm not sure that the 75wxst can be peaked. Something to check into beforehand if you're planning on doing that. Your only option for extra power on that model might be an external amp.

[Motor On]

I'm not sure that the 75wxst can be peaked. Something to check into beforehand if you're planning on doing that. Your only option for extra power on that model might be an external amp.

It can, in the sense that an unsavory radio shop will take it in back for 10 min come back and take your $15, having not done a thing.

My experience with fiberglass whips is that they make a sh!t ton of noise so I wouldn't recommend them unless you've got an aftermarket exhaust.

[155mph]

I'm not sure that the 75wxst can be peaked. Something to check into beforehand if you're planning on doing that. Your only option for extra power on that model might be an external amp.

It can, in the sense that an unsavory radio shop will take it in back for 10 min come back and take your $15, having not done a thing.

My experience with fiberglass whips is that they make a sh!t ton of noise so I wouldn't recommend them unless you've got an aftermarket exhaust.

Unsavory on-line CB shop and $25. Not worth peaking then? And what kind of antenna would you recommend for a trunk lip mount? And not that I'd ever consider running a linear amp (because that would be illegal), hypothetically, would that help with reception or just help transmit further?
Thanks.

[Motor On]

Unsavory on-line CB shop and $25. Not worth peaking then? And what kind of antenna would you recommend for a trunk lip mount? And not that I'd ever consider running a linear amp (because that would be illegal), hypothetically, would that help with reception or just help transmit further?
Thanks.

The "handheld" (cobra 75, midland handheld, radioshack) units are so compact that they're bult with components that don't alter well or for any real gain. Even with full on tuning there"s only a handful that really get the most out of the radio, I'd suggest looking up Sparky's Cb shop in IL and checkout fitting a uniden 510 or cobra 19, a litte bigger than a 75 but smaller than a stereo head unit, and you can add a power mic for better signal.

I'm not familiar w/ CB amps (I can use them legally on HAM bands though) so I can't really give much comment there, other than for CM purposes it's not needed, plain ole 4 watts will get you far enough to get a come back on a bear report. The added power would be for skip and such, in which case a full size radio is probably going to help picl those weak signals out of the mud anyways.

If you checkout the 510 setup thread the antenex CB27 NMO is what I run and you could run a comparable wilson 1k but that base isn't as subtle. Little wil is also a good (but not superburb) antenna they've got 3-5ft long whips but the thin wire is harder to see at distance and is so thin there is extremely little wind noise and its easier to tune.

[155mph]

If you checkout the 510 setup thread the antenex CB27 NMO is what I run and you could run a comparable wilson 1k but that base isn't as subtle. Little wil is also a good (but not superburb) antenna they've got 3-5ft long whips but the thin wire is harder to see at distance and is so thin there is extremely little wind noise and its easier to tune.

Would any of those antennas work with a trunk-lip mount though?

[ATF]

If you checkout the 510 setup thread the antenex CB27 NMO is what I run and you could run a comparable wilson 1k but that base isn't as subtle. Little wil is also a good (but not superburb) antenna they've got 3-5ft long whips but the thin wire is harder to see at distance and is so thin there is extremely little wind noise and its easier to tune.

Would any of those antennas work with a trunk-lip mount though?

The CB27 and the Wilson 1000 are trunk lip mountable.

[Motor On]

If you checkout the 510 setup thread the antenex CB27 NMO is what I run and you could run a comparable wilson 1k but that base isn't as subtle. Little wil is also a good (but not superburb) antenna they've got 3-5ft long whips but the thin wire is harder to see at distance and is so thin there is extremely little wind noise and its easier to tune.

Would any of those antennas work with a trunk-lip mount though?

here is what an NMO mount looks like


And the bottom is similar but has a wire come out the middle, usually in a 90 degree bend, so there's roof rack and trunk lips and hatch mounts, as well as plain old drilling, which makes NMO mounts desirable for many different types of antennas. Which makes the NMO mount a very well tested design as this is the mount of choice for over 95+% of the public safety applications out there.

So yes any NMO based antenna, will work with a lip mount. The Wilson's are NMO sized hole for their mount, but they are not NMO mounts, so I'm not 100% sure on compatibility as their depth dimensions may differ.

You can also easily cap a bare NMO mount so you don't need to use a set screw to remove the lip and mount.


And here is a photo of an NMO mount without being attached or obscured by anything.


And here's a post of mine from earlier today with more photos and applications of NMO mounts.
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/725541-post9.html

[155mph]

If you checkout the 510 setup thread the antenex CB27 NMO is what I run and you could run a comparable wilson 1k but that base isn't as subtle. Little wil is also a good (but not superburb) antenna they've got 3-5ft long whips but the thin wire is harder to see at distance and is so thin there is extremely little wind noise and its easier to tune.

Would any of those antennas work with a trunk-lip mount though?

here is what an NMO mount looks like


And the bottom is similar but has a wire come out the middle, usually in a 90 degree bend, so there's roof rack and trunk lips and hatch mounts, as well as plain old drilling, which makes NMO mounts desirable for many different types of antennas. Which makes the NMO mount a very well tested design as this is the mount of choice for over 95+% of the public safety applications out there.

So yes any NMO based antenna, will work with a lip mount. The Wilson's are NMO sized hole for their mount, but they are not NMO mounts, so I'm not 100% sure on compatibility as their depth dimensions may differ.

You can also easily cap a bare NMO mount so you don't need to use a set screw to remove the lip and mount.


And here is a photo of an NMO mount without being attached or obscured by anything.


And here's a post of mine from earlier today with more photos and applications of NMO mounts.
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/725541-post9.html

I have a convertible and don't want to drill...

[ATF]

If you checkout the 510 setup thread the antenex CB27 NMO is what I run and you could run a comparable wilson 1k but that base isn't as subtle. Little wil is also a good (but not superburb) antenna they've got 3-5ft long whips but the thin wire is harder to see at distance and is so thin there is extremely little wind noise and its easier to tune.

Would any of those antennas work with a trunk-lip mount though?

here is what an NMO mount looks like


And the bottom is similar but has a wire come out the middle, usually in a 90 degree bend, so there's roof rack and trunk lips and hatch mounts, as well as plain old drilling, which makes NMO mounts desirable for many different types of antennas. Which makes the NMO mount a very well tested design as this is the mount of choice for over 95+% of the public safety applications out there.

So yes any NMO based antenna, will work with a lip mount. The Wilson's are NMO sized hole for their mount, but they are not NMO mounts, so I'm not 100% sure on compatibility as their depth dimensions may differ.

You can also easily cap a bare NMO mount so you don't need to use a set screw to remove the lip and mount.


And here is a photo of an NMO mount without being attached or obscured by anything.


And here's a post of mine from earlier today with more photos and applications of NMO mounts.
http://www.radardetector.net/forums/725541-post9.html

I have a convertible and don't want to drill...

Get a NMO lip mount instead.
Antenex TMB8 [TMB8] - $24.95 : The Antenna Farm :: , Your Two Way Radio Source!