I'm looking into putting a CB radio into my Taurus. I've got a few friends who use them, and I just think they're cool in general. What kind of setup should I be looking at? I don't need anything ridiculous, but I'd like some good distance. I'm also wondering how much it'll affect the receiving/transmitting ability if I mount the antenna to the rear left, near the radio antenna, or the rear right (I want to do that purely for aesthetic reasons, I really dislike the look of them being in the middle of the roof or trunk).

I recently order a Uniden Pro520XL for the Jeep. As for an Antenna im going to be running a 4FT Firestik 2 (Tunable tip) Antenna mounted just above the left rear tail light using a bracket i bought for Jeeps.

I can't give a review of the whole system yet because none of its hooked up(hopefully this weekend). I bought the Pro520XL because it was a compact size and it had great reviews. I'm sure it will work great in the Taurus because ts small but gets the job done and is a good price.

http://www.uniden.com/products/productdetail.cfm?product=PRO520XL
http://www.firestik.com/CatalogFrame.htm

That's awesome, thanks!

Your mic is very important too. This is what I've got in my truck-- it's the cream of the crop as far as I'm concerned:
http://www.telex.com/cbmicrophone/product.aspx?MarketID=3&CategoryID=17&ProductID=102

Chris the RK56 is recommended by every CB tech I'd ever met other than the Astatic D104. The 520 is a good little radio and for what you wanna do with it, you'll be good. I wouldn't go with a firestick though, and as aesthetically unappealing as a magnet mounted antenna on the roof may be, it's the best place to put it for performance reasons. if you're hellbent on the side mounted thing though, a wilson 1000 or wilson 5000 will give you good range and clarity. For another good radio that's cheap to mod (if you so choose) I'd go with either a a Cobra 25LTD or a Cobra 29LTD Classic, easy to mod and very reliable.

Here's a good antenna test. http://radioproshop.com/antennatest.htm

Yeah I've heard good things about those antenna's. I bought the Firestick because it is sturdy and wont go every which way and because it is a bit shorter then the Wilson. I needed something like that because when im in the deep woods i didn't want an antenna getting hit by a branch and hitting my spotter guiding me through a trail, plus i have the antenna mounted so only about a foot is sticking up past the top so it wont be hitting as many things. They work great up here in New england especially in the woods.

Granted I don't think the Taurus is going to see any trails(that would be hilarious though ) I think the Wilson is a better choice because it will be on the road and won't be susceptible to hitting much of anything(trees, other vehicles, people and such) plus the range is real good.

If buying a new radio, I'd get a Uniden 68 and use a Wilson mag mount antenna. I would run the antenna in the middle of the roof or trunk, but if you want it to the side, put it opposite the AM/FM antenna.

89frankenford said:

I recently order a Uniden Pro520XL for the Jeep. As for an Antenna im going to be running a 4FT Firestik 2 (Tunable tip) Antenna mounted just above the left rear tail light using a bracket i bought for Jeeps.

I can't give a review of the whole system yet because none of its hooked up(hopefully this weekend). I bought the Pro520XL because it was a compact size and it had great reviews. I'm sure it will work great in the Taurus because ts small but gets the job done and is a good price.

http://www.uniden.com/products/productdetail.cfm?product=PRO520XL

Click to expand...

That's the same radio I have, except an older version.

I'm just running a $10 walmart antenna, it isn't great... but it's serving it's purpose until I get around to buying a decent one. and the SWR's aren't to bad..

5.0 said:

If buying a new radio, I'd get a Uniden 68 and use a Wilson mag mount antenna. I would run the antenna in the middle of the roof or trunk, but if you want it to the side, put it opposite the AM/FM antenna.

Click to expand...

That's the setup I've got in my '97 Ranger.

I'm happy with the Uniden PC68LTW (which will also pick up WX band frequencies...at least in the US. I think I tried it once in Canada and picked them up, too, but I can't remember anymore). It could probably use a higher-quality mic than what it comes with, but that's true of virtually all radios.

And I've got a Wilson 1000 mag-mount on the roof, with a short-load whip (~39"). Seems to talk and receive pretty well, but I never really tried to figure out it's range. The first W1000 they shipped me was defective, but they were pretty good about sending me a new one.

One thing I really like about the W1000 is that even though it's a mag-mount, you can still unscrew the coil and whip, but leave the base and coax where they are. (Even comes with a little protective cap to screw on when you take the antenna off.) Even with the short-load on my little Ranger, the tip of the antenna is over 10', so there's been plenty of times I've removed the antenna for convenience- only takes about 10 seconds, and I just lay the whip on top of the dash until I can put it back on.

That's cool how easy the W1000 comes apart. I have a Lil Wil that I use sometimes when I want to use the cb in my Suburban... but it's a PITA to remove it when on the road since it doesn't come apart.

I haven't had the covers off of the new radios, but a cb shop told me that the newer Uniden 68 radios are far better in quality than the Cobra 25's. The older Cobra 25's were made by Uniden. He talked like the newer Cobra 29's were still ok if it is a Classic or Chrome model. I have a 29 Chrome that I use in the semi quite often, and it works real well, although it's been professionally aligned and has an echo board in it. I also have a NorthStar 4000 and an RCI-2950 that I use sometimes.


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Lovin the inventory of radios you've got 5.0.......I've got a Northstar 3000 in my truck and love it...it's quite a talker. The RCI-2950 is not a bad radio from what I understand either. I don't know much about radios in general but I do know the techs love the older Cobra 29's (IE philipines or Malaysia manufacturing label) because they take the mods better.