Buying a CB radio/recovery gear

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ksheffield

ksheffield

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Mar 30, 2007
Threads
31
Messages
287
Location
Incline Village, NV
Hey gang,

Thinking ways to spend my refund, or at least my stimulus check …

I'm making that trip to Ouray in July for the FJ Summit and thought it would be best if I finally got some of the small things that if I had them, wouldn't out me as a newbie.

Any advice on a decent CB to get and where to find it? That's my most pressing question in this post.

Other things I'm looking at picking up in the meantime: snatch strap, tow rope, tree protector strap, shackles, tire deflators, tire repair kit, jerry cans …

Anything else I should add to this list? I do have a rechargeable extinguisher.

Thanks for the help,

Keith S.
 
ksheffield said:
Hey gang,

Thinking ways to spend my refund, or at least my stimulus check …

I'm making that trip to Ouray in July for the FJ Summit and thought it would be best if I finally got some of the small things that if I had them, wouldn't out me as a newbie.

Any advice on a decent CB to get and where to find it? That's my most pressing question in this post.

Other things I'm looking at picking up in the meantime: snatch strap, tow rope, tree protector strap, shackles, tire deflators, tire repair kit, jerry cans …

Anything else I should add to this list? I do have a rechargeable extinguisher.

Thanks for the help,

Keith S.
Click to expand...


Keith: Size is what matters unless you think you need all the extra features of a large format CB: Get a Uniden 510 Uniden | A World Without Wires - PRO510XL

Or the Radio Shack version which has the crappy mike connector but even a little smaller (this is the CB I have mounted in my 100)...RadioShack.com - Phones & Radio Communications: CB & Ham radios: 40-Channel Mini Mobile CB

Get a roof top antenna, dial in the SWR and you're good to go...


Or go take your HAM and get a 2M and be done with it! ;)


Do you have a compressor or CO2 tank?
 
Thanks for the tips. I'll be checking those out for sure.

Do have one of those $50 compressors from Costco. It got its first workout at the Oregon dunes pictured in my new avatar. That's me bottomed out trying to get out before the tide rolled in. Took five tries, but I got out (obviously).
 
Get a $30 Radio Shack Radio and a $40 antenna. I use Firestick, if you use the cable it comes with it your SWR will be pretty closely matched. For any radio the antenna will make all the difference. As far as CB goes all you need is something that will keep you in touch on trails where everybody stays fairly close together. If the group spreads out CB is worthless. 2M is the wave of the future. I'm sure somebody has the Tech Exam Prep book they can loan you they have exams once a month at IGT.

You should get a good strap and make sure you have shackles and such. Do not get a tow strap with the metal hook sewn in.

A high lift won't do you much good until you get sliders and some bumpers.

You might look into a hand recovery winch I can think of at least one occasion last summer where one of those would have been better than a bumper mounted winch.

A tire plug kit is a good thing to have.

Of course a first aid kit if you don't already carry one.

Fire extinguisher, required at many events.

Hand axe and folding shovel at a min. a folding saw can come in handy as well.

I keep a couple of MRE's in my rig at all times, you can get them at Twin City Surplus. Between them and a space blanket you can stay fairly comfortable if you get held up on the trail overnight.


I'll post more if I think of it.
As Jack says, "We're here to help you spend your money." :grinpimp:
 
rusty_tlc said:
Get a $30 Radio Shack Radio and a $40 antenna. I use Firestick, if you use the cable it comes with it your SWR will be pretty closely matched. For any radio the antenna will make all the difference. As far as CB goes all you need is something that will keep you in touch on trails where everybody stays fairly close together. If the group spreads out CB is worthless. 2M is the wave of the future. I'm sure somebody has the Tech Exam Prep book they can loan you they have exams once a month at IGT.

You should get a good strap and make sure you have shackles and such. Do not get a tow strap with the metal hook sewn in.

A high lift won't do you much good until you get sliders and some bumpers.

You might look into a hand recovery winch I can think of at least one occasion last summer where one of those would have been better than a bumper mounted winch.

A tire plug kit is a good thing to have.

Of course a first aid kit if you don't already carry one.

Fire extinguisher, required at many events.

Hand axe and folding shovel at a min. a folding saw can come in handy as well.

I keep a couple of MRE's in my rig at all times, you can get them at Twin City Surplus. Between them and a space blanket you can stay fairly comfortable if you get held up on the trail overnight.


I'll post more if I think of it.
As Jack says, "We're here to help you spend your money." :grinpimp:
Click to expand...

Thanks guys. I don't mind being the newb at events, just don't want to be newb who has to borrow everything when he gets stu… um, delayed.

Things I do have: Gloves, fire extinguisher, folding shovel, bunch of cargo ratchet straps (not for towing), a crappy short-handled axe (taking it back someday) and a minimal first aid kit that came with the FJ.

Any local places, Reno/Sparks/Carson, that carry the reputable brands of straps, shackles, etc.?

I've passed by Central 4WD off I-80 near Roseville a number of times, but always on late night return trips. Just don't have the Northern Nevada shops dialed in yet.
 
Also, the FJC dudes have a really cool CB antenna mount on the rear door. I don't know the name of the vendor but it's done real well and worth looking into.
 
ksheffield said:
Thanks guys. I don't mind being the newb at events, just don't want to be newb who has to borrow everything when he gets stu… um, delayed.

Things I do have: Gloves, fire extinguisher, folding shovel, bunch of cargo ratchet straps (not for towing), a crappy short-handled axe (taking it back someday) and a minimal first aid kit that came with the FJ.

Any local places, Reno/Sparks/Carson, that carry the reputable brands of straps, shackles, etc.?

I've passed by Central 4WD off I-80 near Roseville a number of times, but always on late night return trips. Just don't have the Northern Nevada shops dialed in yet.
Click to expand...


Totally Off Road just north of Glendale on Rock Blvd is probably your best local bet for the recovery gear. You want shackles that are embossed with the WLL (Working Load Limit)...generally 3/4" D shackles/D rings with a pin diameter of 7/8" diameter carry a WLL of 6.5 Tons and 7/8" D shackles/D rings with a pin diameter of 1" carry a WLL of 8.5 Tons depending upon brand. Generally speaking the 3/4" are sufficient for the weight of your rig. I carry at least 4 of these along with rated 20' piece of "choker chain" (can be purchased at Pewag in Sparks (Freeport), 20' tree saver, snatch strap (don't remember the length. Also I encourage you to get Bill Burke's "Getting Unstuck" DVD ASAP! It will help you with proper safety recovery points and he also goes over the proper use of the common recovery equipment including D shackles, winch lines, HiLift, snatch blocks, etc.
 
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alia176 said:
Also, the FJC dudes have a really cool CB antenna mount on the rear door. I don't know the name of the vendor but it's done real well and worth looking into.
Click to expand...

It's called a Bandi mount, and All Pro sells them online for about $50. I'm looking into that option when I decide on a CB, antenna, cable, etc. Looks like most FJC folks are choosing to run the cable under their rigs. Much quicker install I believe.
 
spressomon said:
Totally Off Road just north of Glendale on Rock Blvd is probably your best local bet for the recovery gear. You want shackles that are embossed with the WLL (Working Load Limit)...generally 3/4" D shackles/D rings with a pin diameter of 7/8" diameter carry a WLL of 6.5 Tons and 7/8" D shackles/D rings with a pin diameter of 1" carry a WLL of 8.5 Tons depending upon brand. Generally speaking the 3/4" are sufficient for the weight of your rig. I carry at least 4 of these along with rated 20' piece of "choker chain" (can be purchased at Pewag in Sparks (Freeport), 20' tree saver, snatch strap (don't remember the length. Also I encourage you to get Bill Burke's "Getting Unstuck" DVD ASAP! It will help you with proper safety recovery points and he also goes over the proper use of the common recovery equipment including D shackles, winch lines, HiLift, snatch blocks, etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks Dan. Very good detailed info. I'll take that with me next chance I get to go out to Sparks. And good reminder on the Burke DVD. Been thinking about picking that up too.

Thanks guys. When I get a moment this weekend, I'll post my "must have" list. See if I'm on the right track.
 
ksheffield said:
It's called a Bandi mount, and All Pro sells them online for about $50. I'm looking into that option when I decide on a CB, antenna, cable, etc. Looks like most FJC folks are choosing to run the cable under their rigs. Much quicker install I believe.
Click to expand...

Sounds good. Regardless of the CB radio or the antenna you pick out, it's the antenna mounting that tends to get most folks into trouble! It might be worth it to have a CB shop spec out the antenna for your particular application and then install and tune the system for optimum.

Good luck.
 
This's the fun part, "What do I need?". CB's are easy, buy a cheap simple unit. You'll want something that you set and that's it. Here's the hard part, buy the best antenna, mount, and coax you can. Think of a CB like a streo system. A junk player can sound good with good speakers but a great player will always sound like junk with junk speakers.

Everyone's given you great ideas on recovery gear. There's a couple of companies that make cool kits like www.outbackoffroadgear.com and ARB. The only thing I'd add would be a Hi-Lift jack. There's too many uses to list and when you need to jack it, it's tough to make do with out.

P.S. Once you play with 2 meter radios you won't even look at another CB.
 
Bbumbl40 said:
This's the fun part, "What do I need?". CB's are easy, buy a cheap simple unit. You'll want something that you set and that's it. Here's the hard part, buy the best antenna, mount, and coax you can. Think of a CB like a streo system. A junk player can sound good with good speakers but a great player will always sound like junk with junk speakers.

Everyone's given you great ideas on recovery gear. There's a couple of companies that make cool kits like www.outbackoffroadgear.com and ARB. The only thing I'd add would be a Hi-Lift jack. There's too many uses to list and when you need to jack it, it's tough to make do with out.

P.S. Once you play with 2 meter radios you won't even look at another CB.
Click to expand...

Thanks Shawn. I am really trying to save money now to pull some of this stuff together. Think I'll build up the recovery gear bag first, then piece the CB set up together.

There are going to be a lot of vendors at this FJ Summit, and I'm sure some raffles will be happening too. Be fun to see if I can come away with something for super cheap.

The trail runs at this thing are mostly like what we can find at Jumbo Grade. There's only one moderate trail from what I hear and it's more like the goat trail at Steam Shovel is what I've determined. But like I said, I want the recovery gear and CB in my rig before I make the drive.

Thanks for all the help guys. I'll keep you posted on what I end up with.

Keith S.
 
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