mikegp

i got the cobra handheld and just used it this week end on a trip. its ok on the trail. the range was decent enough for the first jeep (which was bout 7 TJ lengths away) to hear me so so. the two jeeps in front and behind herd me just find.

overall it was a sufficient cb, cheaper than an onboard one, much easier to set up.

but if your looking for a cb thats long range with optimal clarity, go with an onboard.

JustTryingToLive

thanks man. this is my first jeep and i dont do that much off roading with it yet, so this is a kind of a just incase thing when i do go with a larger group.

mikegp

i think you'll be fine then. to be honest, the reasons i got the handheld were because, again it was cheaper, i don't see myself having the time to install an onboard cb in the next couple of months, and the one i bought (cobra hh roadtrip) comes with a magnet antenna that sticks to your hood and gives better reception. I didn't use it on the trip because the regular antenna was sufficient enough. but comes in handy when the smaller antenna isn't picking up everyone in the group.

good luck

COZDONO

Anymore positive info on hand helds?

Rapidfire

No quick power install with the car adapter?

natburris

i have a cobra handheld and i think it is at least adequate for trail use. i did have a guy on the last run that couldn't here me, but he said an adjustment to his squelch would solve that problem. so you might want to let your group know you have it and test it out before you hit the trail. i would recommend it.

AK4Dave

Like I said before......I think a handheld is fine for trail use, but if you're still worried about not being heard, you can put an adapter in place of the rubber duckie and hook it up to a small magnet mount antenna which you could just set on your hood, and run the coax through the window. It would be just as portable as your handheld and you would get a bit more "talk power" with it. Other than that there's not much more you can do....a rubber duckie is a rubber duckie, and low power is low power. But if you add a better antenna to ANY cb, you'll get better performance in both tx and rx. Oh...they do make better after market rubber duckie antennas that are supposed to provide more gain. You can look into those as well.

Smopho

The Cobra75 is not really a "handheld" by the original definition of that type radio, but gives you the best of both worlds IMHO. It uses an external antenna of your choosing and has the full FCC allowed power output. I have one and like it for the ability to remove and pack away any visible sign that the vehicle has a CB. That combined with a coolteck license mount with quick release let's you easily eliminate things that might tempt someone to break into the vehicle. I use mine frequently on the hiway and the range is good at 6-7 miles before you have to start straining to be heard. I've gotten compliments on the received audio quality of the unit. I'd buy another

JINGLES

I have the Cobra 75; and love it for all the features mentioned previously. I was considering a hand-held; but decided against it after borrowing one on a trail run. Often, when keying the unit; many of the jeep dash indicator lights would start flashing and the "key in ignition" chime would start dinging! Crazy sh*t. I found it wouldn't happen if I keyed the unit outside of the window opening. My C75 doesn't effect anything on the Jeep. Just something else to consider. If your thinking hand-held; then try to get a unit and try it out inside your cab before laying out the coin.