"Robert Brace" <rlbrace@shaw.ca> wrote in message
news:nDdec.78722$Ig.56192@pd7tw2no...
> TW;
> Sorry about that, the URL just gets you to the opening page. Go to
> Catalog, then scroll down to Miscellaneous Accessories. There you will
find
> the CB antenna mounts.
> Bob
>
> "Robert Brace" <rlbrace@shaw.ca> wrote in message
> news:hydec.79928$oR5.6828@pd7tw3no...
> > TW;
> > I have the one shown in the URL http://www.teraflx.com/index2.htm
It
> > works fine with a Cobra 75WXST CB radio (out-of-sight-out-of-mind for
> > thieves) and a Cobra A300 3ft fiberglass whip. I also have a full
length
> > stainless steel whip I install when going into a remote area. I'm told
> the
> > rear mounting location uses the top lip of the steel tub for the ground
> > plane for broadcast efficiency. I get a SWR of from 1.0 to 1.2 with
the
> SS
> > whip and around 1.4 with the 3ft one.
> >
> > Bob
> >
> >

Thanks Bob. We don't get Cobra units in New Zealand. The two most common
units here are GME from Australia (www.gme.net.au) and the good old Uniden
(www.uniden.co.nz).

All the discussion here have convinced me go with a CB radio. Uniden is
heavily discounting their Pro 150XL as it is being discontinued as a
product. I will go out later in the day and see what is in the market.

Thanks all for your great input and suggestions.
TW

 

What about a cell phone for all the people who don't have two-way radios!!
Just kidding, in the long run I do plan on getting into hamming, but one
hobby at a time at this stage.

Cheers
TW

"Ender" <enderwiggin3rd@SBhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:lpoi7050e26o82io6j3b5aod1t15b7vmub@4ax.com...
> Get the CB and a decent permanent mount antenna for the gift. It iwll
> make you much more compatible on trail runs. Then, go out and pick up
> a pair of FRS handheld radios too! No big deal, decent ones go on
> sale all the time! I picked up a pair of audiovox handhelds with a
> drop in charger for $49 two years ago and they work great. Car to car
> over rough terrain on the trails they are reliable out to about 1/2
> mile. On the highway, 1 mile is not unusual. In my vehicle I have a
> 25 watt 220 mhz ham rig permanently mounted which easily gets me into
> repeaters 40 + miles away, and I carry one of those 4 watt CB
> handhelds that can be plugged into the 12 volt accessory socket for
> close in chat with non hams, and a pair of FRS radios for convenience
> when hiking or whatever. Remember, it is only money, and toys are
> more important than money!
>
> Rob
> wb1aex
>
> "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing." Edmund Burke

 

What about a cell phone for all the people who don't have two-way radios!!
Just kidding, in the long run I do plan on getting into hamming, but one
hobby at a time at this stage.

Cheers
TW

"Ender" <enderwiggin3rd@SBhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:lpoi7050e26o82io6j3b5aod1t15b7vmub@4ax.com...
> Get the CB and a decent permanent mount antenna for the gift. It iwll
> make you much more compatible on trail runs. Then, go out and pick up
> a pair of FRS handheld radios too! No big deal, decent ones go on
> sale all the time! I picked up a pair of audiovox handhelds with a
> drop in charger for $49 two years ago and they work great. Car to car
> over rough terrain on the trails they are reliable out to about 1/2
> mile. On the highway, 1 mile is not unusual. In my vehicle I have a
> 25 watt 220 mhz ham rig permanently mounted which easily gets me into
> repeaters 40 + miles away, and I carry one of those 4 watt CB
> handhelds that can be plugged into the 12 volt accessory socket for
> close in chat with non hams, and a pair of FRS radios for convenience
> when hiking or whatever. Remember, it is only money, and toys are
> more important than money!
>
> Rob
> wb1aex
>
> "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing." Edmund Burke

 

What about a cell phone for all the people who don't have two-way radios!!
Just kidding, in the long run I do plan on getting into hamming, but one
hobby at a time at this stage.

Cheers
TW

"Ender" <enderwiggin3rd@SBhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:lpoi7050e26o82io6j3b5aod1t15b7vmub@4ax.com...
> Get the CB and a decent permanent mount antenna for the gift. It iwll
> make you much more compatible on trail runs. Then, go out and pick up
> a pair of FRS handheld radios too! No big deal, decent ones go on
> sale all the time! I picked up a pair of audiovox handhelds with a
> drop in charger for $49 two years ago and they work great. Car to car
> over rough terrain on the trails they are reliable out to about 1/2
> mile. On the highway, 1 mile is not unusual. In my vehicle I have a
> 25 watt 220 mhz ham rig permanently mounted which easily gets me into
> repeaters 40 + miles away, and I carry one of those 4 watt CB
> handhelds that can be plugged into the 12 volt accessory socket for
> close in chat with non hams, and a pair of FRS radios for convenience
> when hiking or whatever. Remember, it is only money, and toys are
> more important than money!
>
> Rob
> wb1aex
>
> "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing." Edmund Burke

 

What about a cell phone for all the people who don't have two-way radios!!
Just kidding, in the long run I do plan on getting into hamming, but one
hobby at a time at this stage.

Cheers
TW

"Ender" <enderwiggin3rd@SBhotmail.com> wrote in message
news:lpoi7050e26o82io6j3b5aod1t15b7vmub@4ax.com...
> Get the CB and a decent permanent mount antenna for the gift. It iwll
> make you much more compatible on trail runs. Then, go out and pick up
> a pair of FRS handheld radios too! No big deal, decent ones go on
> sale all the time! I picked up a pair of audiovox handhelds with a
> drop in charger for $49 two years ago and they work great. Car to car
> over rough terrain on the trails they are reliable out to about 1/2
> mile. On the highway, 1 mile is not unusual. In my vehicle I have a
> 25 watt 220 mhz ham rig permanently mounted which easily gets me into
> repeaters 40 + miles away, and I carry one of those 4 watt CB
> handhelds that can be plugged into the 12 volt accessory socket for
> close in chat with non hams, and a pair of FRS radios for convenience
> when hiking or whatever. Remember, it is only money, and toys are
> more important than money!
>
> Rob
> wb1aex
>
> "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing." Edmund Burke

 

Thanks, I am now going down CB path. Need to go out later in the day to
narrow down my model options.

Interestingly, in New Zealand we can get PRS/FRS unit which are much like
CB radios and permanently fitted to rigs with external permanent antenna.
But I will stick to a CB radio permanently mounted (no need to worry about
forgetting to charge or leaving at home).

Thanks
TW


"CRWLR" <CRWLRJEFF@YAHOO.COM> wrote in message
news:107j6jc1eltid90@corp.supernews.com...
> I suggest the CB. In my humble opinion, the FRS is a great temporary
> solution, but a very poor permanant solution. The FRS is useful if you
are
> driving your Jeep, and you wife is driving the motorhome or camper, and
you
> want to have communications between you on the trip down the highway. FRS
is
> a workable solution if you want to go wheeling with a buddy that is radio
> challenged, and you don't wheel with him on any sort of regular basis.
But,
> as a primary means of communication while wheeling, the FRS just is not
very
> serviceable. The problem is, 1, it must remain on all of the time, and by
> the end of the day the batteries are pretty much toast and need to be
> replaced or recharged, 2. the range is severely limited by terrain that
you
> will encounter on the trail but not on the road (trails are frequently
> closed-in spaces while the highway is mostly open space for the operable
> range of the FRS radio)
>
>

 

Thanks, I am now going down CB path. Need to go out later in the day to
narrow down my model options.

Interestingly, in New Zealand we can get PRS/FRS unit which are much like
CB radios and permanently fitted to rigs with external permanent antenna.
But I will stick to a CB radio permanently mounted (no need to worry about
forgetting to charge or leaving at home).

Thanks
TW


"CRWLR" <CRWLRJEFF@YAHOO.COM> wrote in message
news:107j6jc1eltid90@corp.supernews.com...
> I suggest the CB. In my humble opinion, the FRS is a great temporary
> solution, but a very poor permanant solution. The FRS is useful if you
are
> driving your Jeep, and you wife is driving the motorhome or camper, and
you
> want to have communications between you on the trip down the highway. FRS
is
> a workable solution if you want to go wheeling with a buddy that is radio
> challenged, and you don't wheel with him on any sort of regular basis.
But,
> as a primary means of communication while wheeling, the FRS just is not
very
> serviceable. The problem is, 1, it must remain on all of the time, and by
> the end of the day the batteries are pretty much toast and need to be
> replaced or recharged, 2. the range is severely limited by terrain that
you
> will encounter on the trail but not on the road (trails are frequently
> closed-in spaces while the highway is mostly open space for the operable
> range of the FRS radio)
>
>

 

Thanks, I am now going down CB path. Need to go out later in the day to
narrow down my model options.

Interestingly, in New Zealand we can get PRS/FRS unit which are much like
CB radios and permanently fitted to rigs with external permanent antenna.
But I will stick to a CB radio permanently mounted (no need to worry about
forgetting to charge or leaving at home).

Thanks
TW


"CRWLR" <CRWLRJEFF@YAHOO.COM> wrote in message
news:107j6jc1eltid90@corp.supernews.com...
> I suggest the CB. In my humble opinion, the FRS is a great temporary
> solution, but a very poor permanant solution. The FRS is useful if you
are
> driving your Jeep, and you wife is driving the motorhome or camper, and
you
> want to have communications between you on the trip down the highway. FRS
is
> a workable solution if you want to go wheeling with a buddy that is radio
> challenged, and you don't wheel with him on any sort of regular basis.
But,
> as a primary means of communication while wheeling, the FRS just is not
very
> serviceable. The problem is, 1, it must remain on all of the time, and by
> the end of the day the batteries are pretty much toast and need to be
> replaced or recharged, 2. the range is severely limited by terrain that
you
> will encounter on the trail but not on the road (trails are frequently
> closed-in spaces while the highway is mostly open space for the operable
> range of the FRS radio)
>
>

 

Thanks, I am now going down CB path. Need to go out later in the day to
narrow down my model options.

Interestingly, in New Zealand we can get PRS/FRS unit which are much like
CB radios and permanently fitted to rigs with external permanent antenna.
But I will stick to a CB radio permanently mounted (no need to worry about
forgetting to charge or leaving at home).

Thanks
TW


"CRWLR" <CRWLRJEFF@YAHOO.COM> wrote in message
news:107j6jc1eltid90@corp.supernews.com...
> I suggest the CB. In my humble opinion, the FRS is a great temporary
> solution, but a very poor permanant solution. The FRS is useful if you
are
> driving your Jeep, and you wife is driving the motorhome or camper, and
you
> want to have communications between you on the trip down the highway. FRS
is
> a workable solution if you want to go wheeling with a buddy that is radio
> challenged, and you don't wheel with him on any sort of regular basis.
But,
> as a primary means of communication while wheeling, the FRS just is not
very
> serviceable. The problem is, 1, it must remain on all of the time, and by
> the end of the day the batteries are pretty much toast and need to be
> replaced or recharged, 2. the range is severely limited by terrain that
you
> will encounter on the trail but not on the road (trails are frequently
> closed-in spaces while the highway is mostly open space for the operable
> range of the FRS radio)
>
>

 

"Charlie" <nospam@all.com> wrote in message
news:kVhec.8486$Pw1.477@fed1read05...
>
> The better your counterpoise(ground plane), the better your antenna will
> work. Usually. Having the antenna on the very front OR back tends to make
> it more directional. Best place is dead center of a metal roof. If you
have
> a rag-top or fiberglass think about mounting it in the center of the
hood.
> Looks a little funny but usually work great. You can go with a magnetic
> mount if you don't want it there all the time.
>
> I don't like a handheld for general use. But, you can take those out of
the
> jeep and climb to the top of a nearby hill if you need to.
>

I haven't really seen anyone here run their rig with an antenna mounted in
the centre of the hood. But it is an option with a magnetic mount. Would
moving the permanent antenna in the middle of the front bumper improve
directional tendencies. I have mostly seen people with antenna in a corner
around here.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I never realised how much of a learning
experience it would be when I started off-roading (I have had to refresh my
physics so much, though physics wasn't so much fun in high school).

TW