- NOAA All Weather Emergency Radio
- Mobile Mag Mount Antenna Included
- SoundTracker System
- 10 Channel Weather Reception
- 4 Watts Power Output
I purchased two of these units for our emergency "go" kits and regularly carry one in the truck.
I like the size and features where you have both CB and weather channels, the hot swap between services is handy as is the CB channel 9/19 hot key. The noise filter does work and gives better reception under some conditions.
Some limits I've found: The antenna designed for use with the unit in CB hand held mode limits communications to under a quarter mile line of sight in my case and the magnetic vehicle antenna will go about half a mile. I'm looking for a better mast antenna for the vehicle.
The weather channel reception is comparable with my scanner.
One thing that I didn't realize when I purchased the radios, and this would have made a difference to me, the A/C charging adapter is NOT part of the package and must be bought separately so if you want to stay off of the battery charger merry-go-round I recommend buying the charger when you buy the radio. Be aware also that the power cord provided for use in a vehicle does NOT charge the radios batterys.
What I really don't like and almost caused me to return the radios: These units use 9 "AA" batteries, I purchased 18 rechargable batteries about 5 bucks each, I hadn't purchased the chargers with the radios and ended up buying the biggest stand-alone battery charger I could find locally, all of the chargers I found work in paired sets and mine handles 8 at a time, so 9 is a real pain.
Tom
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The radio is great for what it is. I bought it because I wanted a cb that I can use in more than one truck. The only draw-back I found is when the power cable and the cable for the magnet-mount antenna are both attached it can be hard to handle. I like the fact that the radio has all the additional stuff like the 10 NOAA channels and the high/low power switch and that the display is digital. This is a good buy but if you are going to use this in only one car or truck I would go with a hard mount cb because you don't have to hold the whole thing. But over all a good buy for the money.
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I "sort of love" this Cobra Roadtrip CB gadget, but only when I'm home and when I can use my both hands on it. It's a bit cumbersome to use while driving and it's too heavy to handle, especially if you have batteries installed in it, so for that purpose I recommend buying the external microphone. I bought a BNC to standard VHF antenna adapter so I can attach my "real" home and car CB antennas to it.
Most important thing to remember is to use the external antenna it's practically useless without it when you're in a car, unless you have a buddy in a car next to yours. Antenna, preferably external, is the key part of every CB station. I have a 102" whip antenna and I sometimes take it up to the roof of our 15 floor building and talk to people who can't believe how far I am. Moreover, they can't believe that I'm talking from a hand-held, battery operated CB radio. In order to persuade them, I just unscrew that antenna and use the smaller telescopic one and if they can hear me they will confirm I sound like it should. One guy about 5 miles away was saying that his signal meter was close to the max while I was using the big antenna and he could barely hear me with the telescopic one.
The major flaw of this radio when I compare it to my low end Midland CB is the way its squelch feature works (or does not). I don't know whether it's just my particular radio or whether this is a flaw of the entire series, but you have to set your squelch level unreasonably high, which makes you miss a lot of conversations further away from you. When you set your squelch level a bit lower, or whenever someone is right on the edge of squelch threshold, you will hear a lot of unusual noise coming from the radio, almost as if it is undecided and it keeps oscillating back and forth from passing and blocking the signal. This sounds like a driver next to you is pressing and releasing the PTT button 4-5 times a second and it is much louder than the rest of the sounds you can hear on this radio, so it can be very disturbing, especially when you are driving and your loved one is asleep next to you.
NiMh batteries last forever and I don't ever connect it to my car's 12 V lighter output any more. However, another downside is that it requires two different external sources, one for charging the batteries and the other for just using the car power. The provided cable is good only for using the car power and it doesn't charge the batteries. Why not use the same connection for both?
The manufacturer claims that Soundtracker "...dramatically improves the sound quality of the transmission and reception of CB radio signals." I can't see a big difference.
All in all, it's pretty cool to have a hand held CB, but that's all what it is. I don't recommend it for drivers.
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Before I got this radio, I had a similar model from Radio Shack. That was an expensive piece of junk --it wouldn't receive even when I was right next to a transmission. I wrote to Radio Shack with a complaint, and they never replied. This Cobra is one fine unit. Even with the inside antenna it performed very well and even better with the magnetic mount external. I was recently on a long road trip and I was able to avoid a lengthy traffic jam due to hearing about it in plenty of time. The only negative is the nine-battery configuration --that's an odd number to buy. A good investment for any road traveler.
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In no way am I down playing the heroism of James Kim in trying to save his family but! It's ironic, a guy that into cutting edge technology, that poor family stuck in the wilderness resulting in a death; would not have happened with something as simple as the "ANCIENT" technology this radio provides. How? Getting directions from truckers, calling for help. Maybe 4watts in not that much but at night atmospherics do strange things. On a clear night and from a lofty postion its possible to increase your radio range. The 2 sources of power the radio provides will save your bacon champ.
Where there is no cellphone reception or (god forbid) natural disaster this unit and a separate scanner will save your sweet bee-hind!
The supplied magnetic antenna will do for initial use, this radio is rated a FULL 4w, same as a hardwired unit. I purchased a longer magnetic roof mount at Kragen auto parts for $12, the exact same one at Rat Shack sells for $30. Reception improved dramatically. Fer such a small unit it delivers the same features as a full size one.
1) Signal strength bar indicator(a biggie).
2) Illuminated channel display
3) Battery life indicator(they last forever)
4) Channel Scanner feature
5) Weather bands
6) Sound Tracker Technology
7) Power Saver mode
This is a simple to use Radio, the wiring with all the jacks, antenna, 12v power gets clumsey. Channel changing is clumsey too. The key is located directly on top of the channel selectors, accidental keying will occur. This unit works. Living in SF no one uses a CB. That will change come the next "big one". To talk to people I drive to the nearest freeway and talk to truckers.
For the price are you kidding me. Buy it.
I purchased the solar panel to charge the batteries on my travel trailer. The plastic connector box on the back of the unit was debonded when I received the unit. The vender gave me a choice of returning it or gluing it back on myself for a partial refund (twice the shipping cost). I purchased some silicone adhesive and successfully glued it back on. The HQRP 10 amp controller was also purchased. Special MC4 connectors are required to connect to the panel. I purchased a 30 ft MC4 extension cable from another vender which I cut in half. This provided enough wire to connect from the trailer roof to the controller and then to the battery. The controller would not accept the Number 10 wire, so I had to break off three strands to make it fit into the connector. I also purchased 4 brackets to mount the panel to the trailer roof. The unit was sufficient to make my trailer batteries last for a week while camping at Lake Tahoe. The controller showed charging current as soon as it was light in the morning until dark.
