Uniden Pro 510 CB Radio Any Good?

[YJake]

Here it is, the whole setup on Quadratec for $163.98.

http://www.quadratec.com/products/96080_00.htm

Basically I need a CB to join the local Heep club and figured this set up would be ideal just for talking while on the trail.

But, is it worth the money?

[CMARJEEP]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Thats the biggest ripoff of the century. You can put all that together for $100 and probably less than that. It doesn't even come with a tunable antenna.

I have the 520 (same radio just with PA function) and it has been great. It is compact, rugged, and easy to use.

Check out Walcottcb.com for better deals. But seriously, shop around a little and you can put all that together for WAY less than that ripoff.

Here is a list:

CB
Mount (Tail light mount is what most use on a Wrangler)
Coax
Antenna (make sure it is TUNABLE. It will make life a lot easier and will probably give you better performance)

Optional:
Antenna spring
SWR meter (this is to tune the antenna for best performance. You don't need the expensive ones out there, a $10 one from ebay will do)
Quick disconnect for antenna

[YJake]

Thanks for catching me before I fell into that money pit. I'll look elsewere

Much appreciated.

[daveshan]

Good radio, I've bought 2 of them from this guy on ebay one for the Jeep and one for the tow rig. I've had mine for over a year with no issues at all. You want the 520 for the RF Gain knob if nothing else, the 510 doesn't have one and you end up "yelling" at folks if they're close on the trail.

Some observations, IMO a spring is necessary, I ruined 2 base mounts due to the solid mounted antenna getting caught on branches. The first antenna (4' Firestick) came with a quick disconnect, I liked the idea of being able to take the antenna off when not using it but on the trail it got to flopping back and forth causing a slight cutout effect, kind of like a cell phone in a poor service area.

We have no CB shop in town so everything was sourced from ebay all for under $100 including shipping.

[wdw]

I ran a Pro 510 in a 18 wheeler for 6 years. It still played good when I sold it. That guy is still using it in a dump truck 5 years later.

Very good radio.

[Jerry Bransford]

Yep you definitely can't go wrong with that radio or antenna but Quadratec's price on that setup is nothing short of outrageous. Try a great website called www.froogle.com/ which is a Google tool. Key the manufacturer's name and model number into it and it'll pop up pricing you can sort from low to high. Froogle works for finding anything that is sold on the internet.

[YJake]

Thanks for all of the info guys!

I'm excited about buying my first CB next paycheck

[YJake]

Couple questions regarding longer antennas. More specifically, the FireStik.

-Do they slap the hard top when on the highway?
-Would knicking the top of the garage when parking it every day hurt it any?
-How big of a difference in function is there between a 3ft and 5ft antenna?

Any answers would be appreciated

[Jerry Bransford]

There's little difference in performance to be noted on the trail between a 3' and 5' antenna. I was forced to go from a 3' to a 2' (both were Firesticks) to clear my garage door after my final lift and I honestly didn't notice any loss of performance or distance on the trail. They shoudnn't slap the hard top at all, they're fairly stiff. You don't want the tip of it it whacking the garage door every day, I'd size it to fit underneath it without it hitting as I did. If you need to, I wouldn't hesitate to use a 2' Firestick (their FS-2) which works fine on the trail. I have no trouble hearing and talking to everyone in large groups I wheel with where some might be a mile or more away in very hilly terrain.

[Erek.Smith]

What about the fold over antenna adapter? Or the QD? Those would allow you to not worry about hitting your garage door.

Cheap, too! On another note, do the above adapters effect your antenna's performance? I'd playing around with CB ideas and think the QD would be good for college life.

[YJake]

I ordered my set-up last night.

For $170 shiped I got...

-Uni-pro 510
-Uni-pro external speaker
-Uni-pro cigarette lighter adapter pre-sodered
-FireFlex 18' coax
-FireStik 4' Antenna
-Stainless steel antenna spring
-Driver side tail light mount
-CB "How to" book

I hope I didn't pay too much. I would use Ebay, but I'm not a fan of them.

[Jacon]

Mine has been VERY good! I bought it new a few years ago and it is in it's third rig. I keep changing rigs but I keep the CB. If I had it to do over, I would have got the 520 though.

[rustywrangler]

Originally Posted by MosinMe

I ordered my set-up last night.

For $170 shiped I got...

-Uni-pro 510
-Uni-pro external speaker
-Uni-pro cigarette lighter adapter pre-sodered
-FireFlex 18' coax
-FireStik 4' Antenna
-Stainless steel antenna spring
-Driver side tail light mount
-CB "How to" book

I hope I didn't pay too much. I would use Ebay, but I'm not a fan of them.

Personally, I think you paid too much but got good stuff. The only thing I advise you not to do is plug it into your cig outlet. You really should run the wires directly to the batt.

[Jerry Bransford]

Originally Posted by MosinMe

I ordered my set-up last night.

For $170 shiped I got...

-Uni-pro 510
-Uni-pro external speaker
-Uni-pro cigarette lighter adapter pre-sodered
-FireFlex 18' coax
-FireStik 4' Antenna
-Stainless steel antenna spring
-Driver side tail light mount
-CB "How to" book

I hope I didn't pay too much. I would use Ebay, but I'm not a fan of them.

Using www.froogle.com/ or just searching the internet, you could have gotten the 510, Firestik, coax cable, and mount for under $100.

[rallykid]

Here is what you do. Buy a 510XL online or locally for about $30. Replace the microphone for a few bucks (this will come into play later), buy a taillight mount and a tunable firestick antenna either 36 inch or 48 inch depending on your preference. (editted out) When you install it buy a standing wave meter for about 10 bucks so you can make sure your standing wave is set properly (this is where the tunable antenna comes into play). Your standing wave ideally should be about 1.1 on your meter.

I have used this setup for 13 or 14 years and never had a problem with it. When I was driving one of my Preludes or my Civic on road trips I had several truckers (of which dad was one for 32 years, that's how I learned all this) comment "That's a big radio for such a little car." Everyone assumed I was running a much higher priced radio and a linear amp. I had several people not believe me that I was running a small radio barefoot (no amp) until I actually showed them what I had installed. That I was running my full setup for under $100 was even more impressive.