just getting started

[pierced turtle]

i am just getting started and i have a cobra 29ltd classic w/ front mic...i have it straight wired to the battery and my marine radio spliced into the same power wires...(is that a bad idea???) i have a generic fiberglass whip (i say generic b/c i dont know the actual brand name) mounted on the rear bumper (is there a better place?) of my 1986 ford ranger...(also have a rebel flag flying from the whip...is that gonna affect performance enough to notice) it has no upgrades or mods of any kind...what is the best setup to get started with..i will eventually get a linear to go with it

[dud muck]

i am just getting started and i have a cobra 29ltd classic w/ front mic...i have it straight wired to the battery and my marine radio spliced into the same power wires...(is that a bad idea???)

Should be OK if the wire is sized large enough to handle the amperage when transmitting. Trouble if you transmit on both at the same time.
Interesting... marine radio in the car. hope your far enough inland so the coast guard doesn't hear that.

i have a generic fiberglass whip (i say generic b/c i dont know the actual brand name) mounted on the rear bumper (is there a better place?) of my 1986 ford ranger...(also have a rebel flag flying from the whip...is that gonna affect performance enough to notice) it has no upgrades or mods of any kind...what is the best setup to get started with..i will eventually get a linear to go with it

The best place to mount an antenna (for signal performance) is always the center of the roof. A fiberglass whip is a so-so antenna. A bumper probably isn't RF-grounded very well anyways, what is your VSWR like?
I have no idea about the flag. Maybe you could get a 3,000 watt amplifier and it would catch on fire. nice fire show!
actually firestik is a bit lossy and will handle a few hundred watts depend on its length.

[rev ike]

hi steel whip has always worked for me got one on my 4x4 now good luck

[BtyMONSTER]

i am just getting started and i have a cobra 29ltd classic w/ front mic...i have it straight wired to the battery and my marine radio spliced into the same power wires...(is that a bad idea???) i have a generic fiberglass whip (i say generic b/c i dont know the actual brand name) mounted on the rear bumper (is there a better place?) of my 1986 ford ranger...(also have a rebel flag flying from the whip...is that gonna affect performance enough to notice) it has no upgrades or mods of any kind...what is the best setup to get started with..i will eventually get a linear to go with it

the cobra 29 is a fine AM CB radio . if youre not interested in sideband or 10 meter use its about as good as it gets .however that radio can very significantly improve its transmission capabilities with a tune up by a quality tech . id stay away from a tech that mostly seems mostly intersted in or mainly braggs about how many watts they can get out of it cause that probally all they know .

id run 4 guage power wire (you say you want an amp in the future) with a fuse (make the fuse at least 3 or 4 times bigger than what the amp requires) as close to the battery as possible (to protect the car from burning up if a short happens) AND the correct fuse at your amp for your amp if it doesnt come with an exterior fuse .

id get the messenger 450 for an amp . $260 delivered to your front door . [Please login or register to view this link]

and a wilson 5000 , roof mount prefered but magmount should be ok . [Please login or register to view this link]
[Please login or register to view this link]

a 56k mic should help the modulation tone and clarity a bit of if you want adjustable echo/talkback and dont want it mounted in the radio get a EC-2018 mic .

so theres another opinion for ya . theres lots of options and almost as many opinions .good luck .

[pierced turtle]

i put the marine radio in the truck for a few reasons....1) so many mexs on reg cb to talk to sumone close by w/o being walked on and its just a bunch of noise anyway...2) i hunt quite a bit and not everone has a marine out here so in those sticky situations it comes in handy


also any suggestions on where to take the cobra for GOOD mods....anyone know of any mods for a marine radio?????

[pierced turtle]

also moved the fiberglass whip mount up to the top of the bed rails...about 6' or so poking above top of cab...will it work better there???

[poboy309]

i put the marine radio in the truck for a few reasons....1) so many mexs on reg cb to talk to sumone close by w/o being walked on and its just a bunch of noise anyway...2) i hunt quite a bit and not everone has a marine out here so in those sticky situations it comes in handy


also any suggestions on where to take the cobra for GOOD mods....anyone know of any mods for a marine radio?????

[Please login or register to view this link] is very good from what I read. That's where I'm sending my 29. I'm not trying to single out just one sponsor but he knows his stuff and he works on a lot of cobras.

[Visegrip]

Every sponsor this site has is supposed to be good.
Although I have dealt with Al at sparkys quite a few times, great guy knows his stuff