Opinions: What is the best LEGAL CB currently available new?

[WN9HJW]

Post Deleted

[KC2UGV]

Can't go wrong with a Cobra. I, personally, like the 29NWST (Nightwatch aka Night lighting for the face), "Sound Tracker" (Not sure what exactly this is, a souped-up noise blanker it seems), and weather freqs.

---EDIT---

I think it does SSB too :)

[WØTKX]

And what for, mobile? Or goofing on it at home? ;)

Cobra's are plentiful, and cheap. For regular AM use, they work well.
Do you care about SSB? They can be better rigs, on the RX side.

Some Pierce Simpson and Midland SSB rigs are decent too.

If you can find one of the Uniden designs, like the Grant and Madison models... they are pretty nice.

[WN9HJW]

Post Deleted

[N8YX]

Cobra 148GTL.

Midland 79-290 (I think that's the model number).

For the bikes, we have JMCB2003 bar-mount units and integrated Hondaline setups which were OEMmed by Clarion.

Personally, I would look around for an older unit such as a Royce 1-639, President Adams (the original one), Browning Baron, Tram D-42 or a similar AM/SSB rig. Some were designed and built a lot better than their modern-day counterparts, especially where filtering (adjacent channel rejection) is concerned.

[NQ6U]

Can't go wrong with a Cobra. I, personally, like the 29NWST (Nightwatch aka Night lighting for the face), "Sound Tracker" (Not sure what exactly this is, a souped-up noise blanker it seems), and weather freqs.

---EDIT---

I think it does SSB too :)

I second that. When I drove an 18-wheeler, that 's what I used and I always got complements on my signal quality. It does not do SSB, however.

Later: Oh, yeah--SoundTracker is a very basic DSP circuit. Seems to work okay, though.

[KG4CGC]

If you want SSB just grits and giggles, the Uniden PC-** models are pretty solid. The 148GTL's from Cobra are good too but run for about $150 to $180. Srys bznz.
AM only, just about anything out of the Cobra/Uniden family will do.
Look around and figure your price range. Used market? Well, let's just say that most used units are probably crap even though the seller thinks they're made out of gold, what with all the golden screwdriver plating left behind on the insides. So many CraigsList ads have used CB's listed and priced as if they were scarce.

[WN9HJW]

Post Deleted

[NQ6U]

Anyone have any opinions about these: http://www.cobra.com/products//75-wx-st-compact-remote-mount-cb-radio-with-soundtracker-and-noaa-weather

It would largely eliminate the problem of where to mount another radio in my Sante Fe.

No personal experience with one but I've heard they work well. You do give up some options and ease of use (much like with an IC-706) but if you're short on space, it's probably a reasonable choice. I was thinking about getting one for my Ford Ranger pickup at one time.

[KA5PIU]

Anyone have any opinions about these: http://www.cobra.com/products//75-wx-st-compact-remote-mount-cb-radio-with-soundtracker-and-noaa-weather

It would largely eliminate the problem of where to mount another radio in my Sante Fe.

Hello.

If that was my cup of tea I would go for this.
http://www.midlandradio.com/CB-Radio.WYQ/75-822
This has all of the features of the Cobra unit, plus as an added bonus it can be used as a talkie.
There is a somewhat minor mod that will give you audio RX/TX and PTT to the mobile adapter or you can add an external speaker mic to the top connector.
There is a very simple mod to give it up to 400 some odd extra channels and if you go the echo speaker mic route and add a Texas Star to the V/A you can than run with the big dogs! ;)
I have seen this for as little as $70 at WalMart.
If you Are going to run it portable get the NiMH 2200 mAh cells as the current drain is stupid on transmit, remember, it does 4 watts of RF, and at least 2 watts of audio, AM remember.
But, all in all, a nice addition to the talkie lineup.