grasshopper104
Adventurer
I've been looking at the Midland 75-822 or the Cobra 75 WX. Does anyone have any insight for me on either of these models?
CB Radio Choice
- Thread starter grasshopper104
- Start date
barlowrs
Explorer
I have the cobra, works well for me. The antenna and location of the antenna are the keys to getting something to reach far, but I really like the cobra. I can remove it when I need to and hide it so I dont have a bunch of electronics hanging around the cab.
No complaints here on it.
No complaints here on it.
grasshopper104
Adventurer
Yeah I like the looks of both, my cab area is getting crowded.
grasshopper104
Adventurer
FWIW - good deal on the Midland on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/MIDLAND-75-822-Channel-Way-Radio/dp/B00000K2YR/ref=pd_cp_e_1
Couldn't pass it up, so that's the one I went with.
http://www.amazon.com/MIDLAND-75-822-Channel-Way-Radio/dp/B00000K2YR/ref=pd_cp_e_1
Couldn't pass it up, so that's the one I went with.
stolenheron
Explorer
let me know how the midland works out. i'm looking to get a CB like that or the Cobra you already mentioned down the road.
MisterTinkle
Adventurer
I have no experience with the Cobra, but I have the Midland. The Midland fits my needs; no permanent mount, used only to communicate with other vehicles while off-road. You will definitely want to get an externally mounted antenna. When using the radio inside the truck with the rubber duck antenna that comes with the radio, I could only reach ~100 to 200 yards.
Sam
Sam
ExpoMike
Well-known member
I have the Cobra one and it works great, especially like the Weather stations.
The biggest thing about any CB is the antenna and getting it tuned. I have seen the Cobra and even very high end CB radios that work like crap because the antenna was not correctly setup, yet seen the cheapest radio work great because of a good antenna setup.
I personally use a Wilson 1000 mag mount (will eventually be thru the roof mount) and tuned it with an SWR meter. I have easily reached 5 miles behind me in rolling hills where the vehicle behind me can hear every word clearly. At the same time that vehicle, which did not have a correctly setup antenna, could not talk back to me because it was not setup and hence wasted it's power. ALL CB's are limited to 5 watts output (legally) and you have to make those watts work for you.
Spend the time and money to get a high end antenna, an SWR meter and research the correct way to mount and tune your antenna. You will surprise others around you when you can talk over other poorly setup rigs.
My .02 worth
The biggest thing about any CB is the antenna and getting it tuned. I have seen the Cobra and even very high end CB radios that work like crap because the antenna was not correctly setup, yet seen the cheapest radio work great because of a good antenna setup.
I personally use a Wilson 1000 mag mount (will eventually be thru the roof mount) and tuned it with an SWR meter. I have easily reached 5 miles behind me in rolling hills where the vehicle behind me can hear every word clearly. At the same time that vehicle, which did not have a correctly setup antenna, could not talk back to me because it was not setup and hence wasted it's power. ALL CB's are limited to 5 watts output (legally) and you have to make those watts work for you.
Spend the time and money to get a high end antenna, an SWR meter and research the correct way to mount and tune your antenna. You will surprise others around you when you can talk over other poorly setup rigs.
My .02 worth
grasshopper104
Adventurer
Thanks for the feedback. Antenna choice was going to be my next question. I've been looking at Firestick and now that you've mentioned Wilson - what actually is the best choice out there?
ExpoMike
Well-known member
You may get a lot of different recommenations on antenna's but in my research I have never heard anyone complain about a Wilson 1000. I have had Firestick's in the past with decent sucsess but nothing as good as my Wilson.
Proper placement and tuning are more a factor than the actual antenna type. There are a lot more don't than do's when it comes to placement and mounting. Do a bunch of research on this before you buy or mount anything.
Proper placement and tuning are more a factor than the actual antenna type. There are a lot more don't than do's when it comes to placement and mounting. Do a bunch of research on this before you buy or mount anything.
Global Nomad
New member
I recently purchased the cobra 75wx for my jeep. I bought it from rightchannelradios.com. Highly recommend them. They have kits you can purchase that include everything including coax, antenna, swr, xtra speaker, etc. Everything you need to get your voice out there. Here is a link to the package I purchased: http://www.rightchannelradios.com/j.../jeep-off-road-cb-kit-cobra-75-wx-st-419.html
soonenough
Explorer
I have the Midland in my truck, and it works well for the limited amount of time I use it. Before I had a ham radio, I used it frequently for the NOAA weather broadcasts (particularly hurricane updates), which is a really nice feature. I flush mounted a SO-239 connector (for the external antenna connection) and a 12V outlet next to each other in a little cubbyhole on my dash, as it's very easy for me to connect and disconnect the radio when I'm not using it. I have a 4' Firestik Firefly antenna and 6" spring mounted to the lid of the toolbox in my bed, which, according to Firestik, is NOT an ideal mounting location, as aluminum provides a poor ground plane. I was able to tune mine down to ~1.4:1 SWR, which is plenty good for me.
As far as actual performance, the furthest I've talked is ~2 miles, but I can't say that I've ever tried to talk farther than that. For me, it's basically just for trail use, and occasionally listening to truckers on the highway if there's a traffic jam, and for those needs it works great.
One thing that I find annoying is that when you turn the radio on, it doesn't remember the last channel you were on; it starts you back on channel 9. Although it seems to only do it sometimes. I think if you turn it off for a short period of time, it will remember the channel, but if it's been off for a while, it will revert back to 9. The other thing that I find annoying is that there's no way to keep the backlight on all the time. When the backlight is enabled, it still turns off a few seconds after you press a key.
As far as actual performance, the furthest I've talked is ~2 miles, but I can't say that I've ever tried to talk farther than that. For me, it's basically just for trail use, and occasionally listening to truckers on the highway if there's a traffic jam, and for those needs it works great.
One thing that I find annoying is that when you turn the radio on, it doesn't remember the last channel you were on; it starts you back on channel 9. Although it seems to only do it sometimes. I think if you turn it off for a short period of time, it will remember the channel, but if it's been off for a while, it will revert back to 9. The other thing that I find annoying is that there's no way to keep the backlight on all the time. When the backlight is enabled, it still turns off a few seconds after you press a key.
offroadsubie
Observer
I won't buy anything else than a predator 10k or 102" whip, but you probably want a more "civilized" antenna so yeah go with wilson.
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