This is a FYI type post. I recently installed a Cobra 75 in our Class C. I used a battery cable to ground the rear ladder to the frame extensions. I used a 3-way mount to mount the 4 foot Firestik antenna to the ladder with approximately 3 feet above the roof. I ran a 50 foot cable from the antenna up the the dash in front of the driver's seat. I mounted the Cobra 75 interface box under the dash and the all-in-one unit on the dash just to the left of the dog house. I fired it up and got a SWR of 1.7 or less across the CB band. We took a little camping trip into the mountains this past weekend and I got a chance to check it out. The weather bands were present wherever we went. The CB bands seem to have a range 4 to 6 miles with crystal clear communications on both ends. I am happy with the overall performance of the installation. This post may help someone considering doing something similar.
Gary & Mary Hamblen
2006 Gulfstream Ultra LE 6316
2006 Saturn VUE
Roadmaster Sterling tow bar with US Gear Unified tow brake
I use the CB to get road conditions, find out about hangups, weather reports if the weather looks bad in front of us, etc. The rest of the time it is turned off. If you ask a trucker for help, most of time the response is quick and polite. If they are talking among themselves probably 25 percent of it is the colorful language. If necessary I put up with it until I get the info I need and then it gets turned off.
I have done some listening on channel 19 recently because I bought an Amateur Radio transceiver that would receive on, but not transmit on, the CB band. Seems to me it is still the same madhouse it has been since the big CB craze of many years ago now. However, as Gary says there are a lot of good people on it who can give you information when you need it. There are also enough idiots to make it useless as an entertainment medium -- unless you are in the mood for that sort of thing. The language remains pretty "earthy" most of the time.
I use mine for the same reasons. Traffic pile-ups, weather, etc. Hard to imagine not having the capabiility to do that. I've had mine for....longer than I can remember. Probably couldn't add up the hours it has saved me from sitting due to some type of jam.
'01 Dutchman Express 28A, Master Tow, '06 Tuscon, '05 Honda VTX 1300
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