The Citizen Band Radio, or CB Radio, is one of the most important parts to equip a 4×4 vehicle with. A CB Radio is a requirement for most organized Off-Road events. Despite its old design, a CB Radio is a very effective tool for keeping everyone safe on the trail. In an age of cell phones, Facebook Messenger, and a hundred other things you’d think that the CB Radio would be a thing of the past, but honestly, it’s just as relevant as ever. What makes the CB radio a valuable tool for communication on the 4×4 trails is the simplicity of the design, the ease of use, and the all-around general acceptance in the community.
Why is a CB Radio so necessary for Off-Road?
Besides a HAM radio, which is overkill and requires a license to operate, CB Radio is the only truly effective way to communicate on the trail with all members of the group. Updating the entire group on Hazards, Trail Conditions, and Delays all at once can easily be done in a couple of seconds by just keying the mic. I personally remember this one time when came over this huge hill and got stuck at the bottom, had I not been able to communicate on the CB to the rest of the group to wait until I got out of the way, I would have had a Jeep come right through the rear door. Other fond memories of BSing with the convoy, a group of fellow off-road enthusiasts traveling together for mutual support and protection, and how having the CB Radio really made the time fly when driving to and from the off-road destinations. It’s also one of the most effective tools for getting the convoy to stop for bathroom breaks, gas, food, and the occasional vehicle maintenance. As a final word of suggestion, that other off-road enthusiast that’s on the trail, more likely than not, is going have a CB radio for communication.
What’s an inexpensive but good quality CB radio setup?
- Cobra 75WXST 40-Channel CB Radio
- Firestik MU-8R18 “EZ-Install” 18′ CB Radio Antenna Coax
- FireStik K-1A Push-n-Twist quick disconnect
- Firestik K4R Heavy-Duty Stud Mount
- Firestik FS-4BK 4′ Ii Fs Series Tunable Tip Cb Antenna
Those four parts are all that you need to make good quality CB radio that’s inexpensive. All of those CB Radio parts can be purchased on Amazon.com Prime for under $150.00. One part is intentionally left out, is a mount for the antenna. I was able to find a small piece of metal with a 90° bend in my garage that I was able to drill out the appropriate size hole that I ended up using. I had some rattle can primer and semi-gloss black spray paint cans in my garage and ended up putting the bracket right behind the spare tire. I had a bit of difficulty running the wires from the passenger front seat all the way back to the rear door, but the time was well spent. To keep things simple, I tapped into the cigarette lighter on the dash to power my Cobra 75WXST radio.
Why choose the Cobra 75WXST and FireStik 4ft Black Firefly?
I recommend the Cobra 75WXST and FireStik 4ft Black Firefly because they are simply the best. The Cobra 75WXST is extremely small with all the necessary options and more. I was even able to get mine tuned to improve the performance at a local CB Radio shop. I honestly wouldn’t recommend any other CB radio other than the Cobra 75WXST, nearly all my off-road buddies have that radio, and not one has failed once. The Firestik FS-4BK 4′ Ii Fs Series Tunable Tip Cb Antenna is probably the best looking antenna on the market, and at $25.98 Amazon Prime it’s a no-brainer to go with the best. I highly recommend the FireStik K-1A Push-n-Twist quick disconnect because being able to quickly disconnect the antenna makes a huge difference in life when needing to park in an extremely tight parking garage.
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