Trying to decide on which one.

Cobra Electronics 19 DX IV Compact CB Radio

Uniden Compact Professional Mobile CB Radio PRO-520XL - RadioShack.com

I had the previous model of that cobra.. it was ok, and did the job.

yeah Im not looking for anything fancy...Like you said, something that will do the job.

Im also wondering if I mount the antenna with the tailight mount, How big should I get the antenna. I measured and the 48" firestik sits about a foot above the soft top. They also have a 36" too.

either one of those should be fine, do you have a hard or soft top?

soft top.
Im asking because I remember reading something about the antenna should stick above the top a certain amount because radio waves travel horizontally and the signal could become interupted with an antenna thats to short.

I have the Cobra. It works great. I have a 4' Firestick that rises close to 2' above the cab. This puts the top load windings above the cab.

I've had the 510 and 520XL. I'm sure you could charge hell with a squirt gun and a 520xl and come out clean on the other side.

I've had the 510xl for 3 years now,and overall it's a good trail cb,dinky and reliable.I can listen to the fellows loading out from ethanol plant 18 miles away with a k-30 mag antenna.Buddy has similar cobra,6 of one-half dozen another.Good cb's for the price.

Of the two I would go with the Uniden. Amy has the cobra and I'm not at all happy with the way the squelch works. if you squelch out the back ground noise you get no signal meter. I like to run with my squelch cranked up and if I see the meter jumping around I'll turn the squelch down to see if it's something of interest.

lol i was actually just thinking about starting a thread similar to this im thinking about buying the uniden 510xl or 520xl

I haven't owned the cobra.

I have the 520xl with a 4' firestick.

I highly recommend that combo. Select the firestik carefully as they have 2 types.

They have (the cheaper) version that has wire coiled on top to snip off to shorten the antenna to set the vswr.

And the (better IMO) set screw kind. Better as if you shorten the first type too much, you're screwed and if you change out the radio or coax and it's too short, again, you're screwed.

How much was your firestik...so i can figure out what the better one is. I saw one on quadratec for $25...Im assuming thats the cheaper one.

I think the cost diff is minimal.

It's the 'firestik II". Here: CATALOG Main Page (Frame Setup)

cool, thanks for the link

i would go with the uniden pro520xl. i have the pro510xl with a 4' firestick and it works great. it has a great range and is uber-clear.

uber..lol I love that word.Its uber cool. Anyway I think Im gonna go with Uniden.

well to get the max reception you want 2/3 of your antenna length above the height of your car...you wont get that unless you get those 102" whip antennas. For your Firestik, youll be fine for trail use and a couple of miles, 3-4 I believe.

I have Cobra DX IV, its been good to me, I dont know any other CBs though. I sometimes wish id have bought a more expensive CB as the CB can also be tuned, but I bought a cheap one so it would be easy to replace if it were ever stolen.

there was a nice web site selling radios and antenas, they would also "tune" your radio for an extra fee. i may have the link at home. i'll check 2tonite and post it if i found it.

longggg time ago, i had a Uniden radio and works well (back in 1990....)
most recently (about 10 years ago...) i had a cobra radio and worked well too. dont go cheap on antena and get a sw so you can tune it properly. check where you live to see if there is a cb shop nearby, they will be very helpfull.

I think you've made a good decision. I've had that same model Uniden (Pro520XL) in my TJ for 11-12 years now and though it has been coated in dirt for half its life, it has been 100% problem free. I like mine a lot and if it ever got stolen or crapped out, I'd replace it with the same exact model.

i found the link CB Radios & CB Antennas - Cobra, Uniden, Wilson, K40 & Firestik