Cobra 18WXST II CB Radio
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Excellent - Outstanding
While Citizen-Band technology may have fallen
out of favor as Cell Phone technology took over, it still fills a very
important need. Cell phones work on the same principal. The
nearest Cell Tower is actually where the dialtone is located as well
all calls routed. A cell phone itself simply sends a unique radio
signal to the nearest responding tower, which in turn returns a radio
signal, in the form of dialtone or audible call information.
What most people don't know, is Cell Phone
towers are on the same power grid as their houses. In many cases,
if a Cell tower goes out, your cell phone is useless as well.
Well with many methods of connecting this type
of CB to your vehicle or home, a CB Radio is a very inexpensive and
simple way to stay connected to key personnel in a disaster or
emergency situation.
Cost:
Outstanding
Cobra Electronics have always been
value-oriented. This does NOT
mean they make low-quality items. While generally priced at
$60-80, I happened upon this buy at a local general goods store on
clearance for $20, marked down numerous times with several clearance
stickers. Upon asking, one of the clerks informed me that store
would no longer be carrying any CB Radios, and that they were trying to
get rid of the stock to make room for new product space on the
shelf. I jumped on the deal.
While the MSRP of these units may be around
$80, I would gladly pay $80 for this model if I didn't already have
it. With all of the features, the durable construction and the
reliability, it is well worth more.
Construction:
Outstanding
Simple and straightforward. Thick,
durable plastic outer shell, and all-weather sealed inside. Over
the past year and a half I've had this CB installed in my truck, it has
been sprayed with rainwater, splashed with snow slush, accidentally
kicked
with the heel of my boot, and it has endured many other small shocks
and bumps.
The functioning aspect of this CB has never
failed, and
it has held up under frequent use.
Features:
Excellent
The
features of this CB is really where its value becomes apparent.
It has 40 channels, Signal Boosting function, 8 Weather Channels (NOAA
and Local if applicable), built in speaker, heavy-duty mic, squelch
knob, auto-emergency channel finder (9 or 19 jump), and Channel Signal
Scan. The NOAA channels have saved my bacon more then a few
times. I was once caught in a storm that I thought was bad; when
I tuned in to the NOAA channel on my CB, I heard the Tornado Warning
right away. The NOAA notified me of the last known location of
the tornado (based on cardinal location within the county), and the
projected path. This allowed me to custom
tailor my route back home to avoid danger.
While this CB does not come with an Antenna,
most CB's on the market do not as well. There are so many types
of Antennas available, the manufacturers of these radios don't want to
restrict any potential buyer. Most Antennas are around
$15-$40. I picked up mine at Radio Shack. It was a simple
whip antenna (one that must be trimmed to reach peak balance between
Channel 1-40) that has worked perfectly fine since I've had it.
Function:
Outstanding
I have
personally seen ranges of around 6 miles with this CB. Anyone who
knows CBs knows that the range will vary greatly depending upon terrain
and atmospheric conditions. This, however, has worked above
expectaions every time. Simply put: I am more than satisfied.
Overall:
Outstanding
I have a few products from Cobra Electronics. Every single
product that I own by them has at least done as advertised. This
CB is no exception. If you want a remedial backup means of
communications, I highly recommend you check out the line of CB's from
Cobra.
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