Handheld CB radios... worth the money or just a waste of time?

Napalm

Napalm

Caught the Bug
Hey guys!

So my first trip is rapidly approaching with my new JL. I am obviously going to run a full CB setup, but I might not be in a position to get my setup ready before this trip with some other purchases i need to make.

My question to the masses is, what are yall's opinions on handheld CB radios? I've read some Amazon reviews but I wanted to hear from the guys I trust the most. Are these portable CB radios a comparable option to a full CB setup? Or are they complete crap and should I not even waste my time? What's the range like on them? And just overall quality. I would love to hear your input if you've ran one of these portable CBs.

Let me know what you think! All input is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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That handheld is $100. How is that a cheap temporary solution to $135 cobra?

The anytone radio Eddie did a write up on is $60. That would be a better temp solution than a handheld in my opinion. I have one and it works pretty well.


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We have 2 of those handheld Midland ones. They work great if you wire them with coax and a CB antenna. Without the coax, they are hit or miss in my experience and the range really sucks.
 
If your group is small just get a blister pack of FRS radios from a sporting good store. They are cheap and the range is generally as good of better than CB for basic line of sight use on the trail.


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I have the Midland 75 in my tow rig. It’s okay. I haven’t used it a whole lot, as most of the people I wheel with have switched to UHF radios. I will say that the 75 sucks with the handheld antenna. I run it with a magnetic mount k40 antenna.
 
Handheld

We have the 75. The only time I ever use it is when we're with a group like at EJS or one of their Saturday runs. I've noticed that there's times I only get one side of the conversation. If I'm close to the front I'll only hear the leader, but not who they're talking to. Our small group always have our two ways on a sub channel, so I can talk to them if I'm missing something. I'd eventually like to get a built in unit, but just haven't gotten around to it.
 
Buy spare antennas if you get one. They work decent at best. For a few bucks more though and a couple hours you can have a real nice cobra wired up. Much louder, clearer and all around more user friendly.
 
Napalm said:
Hey guys!

So my first trip is rapidly approaching with my new JL. I am obviously going to run a full CB setup, but I might not be in a position to get my setup ready before this trip with some other purchases i need to make.

My question to the masses is, what are yall's opinions on handheld CB radios? I've read some Amazon reviews but I wanted to hear from the guys I trust the most. Are these portable CB radios a comparable option to a full CB setup? Or are they complete crap and should I not even waste my time? What's the range like on them? And just overall quality. I would love to hear your input if you've ran one of these portable CBs.

Let me know what you think! All input is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

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OverlanderJK said:
That handheld is $100. How is that a cheap temporary solution to $135 cobra?

The anytone radio Eddie did a write up on is $60. That would be a better temp solution than a handheld in my opinion. I have one and it works pretty well.


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Click to expand...

WJCO said:
We have 2 of those handheld Midland ones. They work great if you wire them with coax and a CB antenna. Without the coax, they are hit or miss in my experience and the range really sucks.
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fiend said:
If your group is small just get a blister pack of FRS radios from a sporting good store. They are cheap and the range is generally as good of better than CB for basic line of sight use on the trail.


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Click to expand...

BananaJeep said:
I have the Midland 75 in my tow rig. It’s okay. I haven’t used it a whole lot, as most of the people I wheel with have switched to UHF radios. I will say that the 75 sucks with the handheld antenna. I run it with a magnetic mount k40 antenna.
Click to expand...

krdadlamb said:
We have the 75. The only time I ever use it is when we're with a group like at EJS or one of their Saturday runs. I've noticed that there's times I only get one side of the conversation. If I'm close to the front I'll only hear the leader, but not who they're talking to. Our small group always have our two ways on a sub channel, so I can talk to them if I'm missing something. I'd eventually like to get a built in unit, but just haven't gotten around to it.
Click to expand...

HighwayTrout said:
Buy spare antennas if you get one. They work decent at best. For a few bucks more though and a couple hours you can have a real nice cobra wired up. Much louder, clearer and all around more user friendly.
Click to expand...

Thanks everyone for all your input. After hearing some of your input and experiences, I’m just going to go ahead and go with a full cb setup. It’ll cost a little more and require a little more for install, but I was gonna do one eventually in the long run, so I’ll go ahead and do that.

Thanks again everyone for the input! Now to find the best CB radio for the money! Any recommendations on that? I’ve usually just bought the cheapest one I could find. Kind of wanting to go a more quality route with my JL. Any input is appreciated!


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Napalm said:
Thanks everyone for all your input. After hearing some of your input and experiences, I’m just going to go ahead and go with a full cb setup. It’ll cost a little more and require a little more for install, but I was gonna do one eventually in the long run, so I’ll go ahead and do that.

Thanks again everyone for the input! Now to find the best CB radio for the money! Any recommendations on that? I’ve usually just bought the cheapest one I could find. Kind of wanting to go a more quality route with my JL. Any input is appreciated!


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Click to expand...

Try here:

https://wayalife.com/showthread.php/51078-CB-Radios

Highly recommend the Cobra
 
WJCO said:
We have 2 of those handheld Midland ones. They work great if you wire them with coax and a CB antenna. Without the coax, they are hit or miss in my experience and the range really sucks.
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This is what I did and like the flexibility. I have the antenna on back of jeep with coax running into the center console bin. I plug into external antenna and power point in the bin. If i am not in my jeep i snap the battery pack on and the small rubber antenna.

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Finding a mounting location for a full sized radio can be tricky unless you've planned it out. I run the cobra 75, because it takes up minimal space. When I park in the city, I disconnect the mic and lock it away so nothing is visible to potential thieves or vandals.

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Noble Woodsman said:
Finding a mounting location for a full sized radio can be tricky unless you've planned it out. I run the cobra 75, because it takes up minimal space. When I park in the city, I disconnect the mic and lock it away so nothing is visible to potential thieves or vandals.

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I plan to run the WAYALIFE CB bar for the full size CB. Hopefully I don’t have any issues with it working with my Trektop door surrounds!


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In a JL just use Eddies CB Bar. It's great. No drilling, just uses existing bolts and brackets that comes with. I not only put my Cobra on it, but I also have LED lights across it and have other things attached to it like Small binoculars in case and range finder.
 
Just seems like one more thing to forget at home or loose. If you don't need all the bells and whistles like bluetooth on a CB, you can get one for under $100 as someone posted. I have the small cobras that cost under $100 installed down low and it's there for communications. I put the mike somewhere in the Jeep hidden but always there. I also have a handheld HAM radio as a temporary solution until I get one hardwired. It's nice to run both setups because not everyone has a HAM license OR some runs everyone is all HAM no CB.
 
I guess I should update this thread! I ended up just spending the money and going for a full CB setup. I used Eddie’s CBBAR(fantastic by the way) and went with the Cobra 29LTD Classic!
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