Range on CB

NCFJ · 03-05-2007, 05:58 AM

I was reading about the "BigBill Combo" for the FJ, which is the direction I was heading anyway, and noticed that someone wrote that even after tuning he only gets 1 mile of range out of his CB. THis cant be normal. It has been several years since I have had a CB and I know I got far better range than that. Can anyone shed some liight on the situation? Thanks guys.

**Mtbcoach** · 03-05-2007, 06:06 AM

Not sure how accurate the one post is but this particular CB isn't the most powerful on the market. Getting a "tuned" CB will certainly give a greater range but can be technically illegally boosted beyond FCC limits for CB transmission.

It all depends on what your goals are. For me, the "BigBill" setup fits into what I'm looking for in a CB. I like that I can tuck the mic/speaker/handset away when not in use, take off the antenna if I have to drive through a parking garage and still have an effective CB for trail get togethers and emergency situations that a mobile phone can't help in.

If you want the extended range to talk with, I would advise getting a "conventional" CB instead.

Son of a Son · 03-05-2007, 08:11 AM

I have the cobra 75 also and on the last trail run BDFJ was picking me up from 5 miles with no issues. I couldnt hear him because he had a bad coax cable so he couldnt get out, but thats fixed now.

BDFJ · 03-05-2007, 08:54 AM

1 mile is pretty weak. 5 miles mobile to mobile is about max unless you start amplifying your signal. "Tuning" can also refer to aligning the radio for max performance without going over 5 watts.

Now that I have my coax replaced I'm excited to see what range my radio has. SOS came in very clear. That Cobra has a nice sound to it.

NCFJ · 03-05-2007, 01:56 PM

Thanks for the feedback guys. I like the set up, I was just not real happy with just 1 mile in range. Looks like I will be installing the "BigBill" Combo. Thanks for the great write up Bill.

wadecool · 06-28-2007, 08:55 AM

I have Cobra 29 with a K40 Trucker whip antenna. After I pick up my FJ next week, I'll geta clamp antenna mount at the Flying J & clamp it to the right rear side (helps to avoid hitting stuff at drive thrus) of my roof rack. If I go into a garage, the antenna easily unscrews from the mount. You can take any cb to a cb shop & they can tune it for $10. I've never heard of someone getting busted for having more than 4 watts in a cb. On the interstate I can reach out 6+ miles with this setup.