Two small cb’s. Which to choose?

[tacoclifford]

Hey overlanders.

I’m in the market for a small little cb to replace my giant cobra 29LXBT unit that’s been taking up a large portion of my passengers foot well

I’m looking for a unit that has a remote mic with a main brain that can be mounted somewhere else

There are the two options I have found. The classic cobra 75wx st
And this Uniden radio that Iv never seen before. It’s the Uniden cmx760.

Most of the specs looks close to the same, price is close, output is the same. I am leaning a little towards the Uniden. To me it looks a little more refined. It has some features that the cobra does not like an external speaker jack, which might be very useful.

Iv seen tons of information on the cobra 75. Does anyone have anything on the Uniden?
Or do you have specific info on the cobra 75 that maybe not many others have expierenced?



Just for reference. The prices on the websites are high. Amazons prices are much closer to each other.


https://www.cobra.com/products/c75wxst

https://www.uniden.com/shop/automotive/off-road-compact-cb-radio-w-mic-display/#specs

 

[m_lars]

I’ve got the cobra. I’ve used it very little, so little I’ve only pushed the PTT to test SWR! I’ve used it to listen in while traveling on the freeway. I find the sound to be harsh from that tiny speaker. It certainly works ok, but if the volume is up and you get a bit of static, ouch! It does have an external speaker output but then you’ve got to mount that somewhere. I know nothing of the other radio, so I may not be much help.

 

[tacoclifford]

I’ve got the cobra. I’ve used it very little, so little I’ve only pushed the PTT to test SWR! I’ve used it to listen in while traveling on the freeway. I find the sound to be harsh from that tiny speaker. It certainly works ok, but if the volume is up and you get a bit of static, ouch! It does have an external speaker output but then you’ve got to mount that somewhere. I know nothing of the other radio, so I may not be much help.

That does help actually. I wasn’t aware the cobra had an external speaker jack. No one has mentioned that. That’s good news. +1 for the cobra. Thanks

 

[Captain Chaos]

The Uniden has an external speaker jack also.
I had a Cobra 75 for a little while. I sold it to put in a Uniden 880. The 75 gets hot and can die quickly because of it.
I’ve read somewhere Uniden and Cobra are owned by the same company. I don’t know if that’s true, but it explains why they’re priced about the same, and have the same features.

 

[tacoclifford]

The Uniden has an external speaker jack also.
I had a Cobra 75 for a little while. I sold it to put in a Uniden 880. The 75 gets hot and can die quickly because of it.
I’ve read somewhere Uniden and Cobra are owned by the same company. I don’t know if that’s true, but it explains why they’re priced about the same, and have the same features.

That could be true. It certainly would make sense

 

[dstock]

I had the Cobra 75 and I ditched it for a full size CB. It was hard to hear, hard to read, and not great to operate one handed.

 

[britz]

I have the Cobra 75 in one rig, and a 50 dollar Uniden 510 in another rig. Zero problems with either, but I run both with an external speaker. I went with the little Uniden because that's what most of the logging trucks in my area run, and they rely on their CBs way more than I do. 90% of my CB use is just listening to find out where they're rolling out.

 

[Ditcherman]

I've had the Cobra 75 for just over a year now, get along great with it, works at least as good as the full size radios in our big trucks, maybe because I spent more time tuning it. I think the external speaker is a must have on these little guys.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I had the Cobra 75 and I ditched it for a full size CB. It was hard to hear, hard to read, and not great to operate one handed.

I agree. I tuned mine, in fact the swr read 1.5 when I was done. I also hooked a external speaker to it. Junk. I’ve had some damn good Cobra 29s. One pushed 30 Watts. I prefer Uniden now. I have a 980ssb bearcat in my kenworth now, it’s stock. It gets out farther than I want.

 

[Captain Chaos]

I have the Cobra 75 in one rig, and a 50 dollar Uniden 510 in another rig. Zero problems with either, but I run both with an external speaker. I went with the little Uniden because that's what most of the logging trucks in my area run, and they rely on their CBs way more than I do. 90% of my CB use is just listening to find out where they're rolling out.

Those little Unidens are good radios. Cheap and get the job done. I always recommend them to anyone who is buying their first cb.

 

[Prerunner1982]

The Midland 75-822 is another small CB, but it can be converted to a handheld.
I don't have any of the 3, but I do like the look of the Unidens, the CMX760 looks nice, and the CMX660 isn't an all controls in the mic type (which I would almost prefer) but it is super small as well.

 

[tacoclifford]

The Midland 75-822 is another small CB, but it can be converted to a handheld.
I don't have any of the 3, but I do like the look of the Unidens, the CMX760 looks nice, and the CMX660 isn't an all controls in the mic type but it is super small as well.

I was looking st the cmx660 too. I like the screen in the 760. Thanks!

 

[dstock]

I agree. I tuned mine, in fact the swr read 1.5 when I was done. I also hooked a external speaker to it. Junk. I’ve had some damn good Cobra 29s. One pushed 30 Watts. I prefer Uniden now. I have a 980ssb bearcat in my kenworth now, it’s stock. It gets out farther than I want.

Yup, same here on the tuning with the 75!

I've got a full size older Uniden CB in place of the Cobra along with a Midland MXT115 GMRS radio. I've got my eye on the Bearcat 880 (same as your 980 minus SSB) but we've mostly been using the GMRS radio with my travel mates.

 

[tacoclifford]

The Midland 75-822 is another small CB, but it can be converted to a handheld.
I don't have any of the 3, but I do like the look of the Unidens, the CMX760 looks nice, and the CMX660 isn't an all controls in the mic type but it is super small as well.

I was looking at the cmx660 too. I like the screen in the 760. . Thanks for the input!

 

[MLGrace]

Hey overlanders.

I’m in the market for a small little cb to replace my giant cobra 29LXBT unit that’s been taking up a large portion of my passengers foot well

I’m looking for a unit that has a remote mic with a main brain that can be mounted somewhere else

There are the two options I have found. The classic cobra 75wx st
And this Uniden radio that Iv never seen before. It’s the Uniden cmx760.

Most of the specs looks close to the same, price is close, output is the same. I am leaning a little towards the Uniden. To me it looks a little more refined. It has some features that the cobra does not like an external speaker jack, which might be very useful.

Iv seen tons of information on the cobra 75. Does anyone have anything on the Uniden?
Or do you have specific info on the cobra 75 that maybe not many others have expierenced?



Just for reference. The prices on the websites are high. Amazons prices are much closer to each other.


https://www.cobra.com/products/c75wxst

https://www.uniden.com/shop/automotive/off-road-compact-cb-radio-w-mic-display/#specs

I have a Cobra 75 as does my son. They are in our jeeps. Neither of likes them. Very difficult to get quality sound.

We both have Uniden520XL radios in our rams and they are great. Good sound. Easy to work. Not as nice a mic as on the Cobra. Both of us use the cobras a lot on long camping trips and both of us intend to get rid of them.

 

[tacoclifford]

I have a Cobra 75 as does my son. They are in our jeeps. Neither of likes them. Very difficult to get quality sound.

We both have Uniden520XL radios in our rams and they are great. Good sound. Easy to work. Not as nice a mic as on the Cobra. Both of us use the cobras a lot on long camping trips and both of us intend to get rid of them.

Have you ever used an external speaker on your cobra 75?

Iv had a cobra 19dx for years in multiple vehicles. Your mention of the Uniden 520xl made me think about throwing my small cobra back in. It seems about the size of your Uniden. Uniden seems to be a little higher quality than cobras. Atleast the ones I’ve handled.

 

[MLGrace]

Have you ever used an external speaker on your cobra 75?

Iv had a cobra 19dx for years in multiple vehicles. Your mention of the Uniden 520xl made me think about throwing my small cobra back in. It seems about the size of your Uniden. Uniden seems to be a little higher quality than cobras. Atleast the ones I’ve handled.

I did have an external speaker originally but I had it mounted under the dash. Could not hear it. Maybe it was just the placement. Maybe I will try it again in a more open location.

 

[sabjku]

I have the Uniden CMX760 that the OP mentions. I thought long and hard between that and the Cobra as well. The Uniden is VERY comfortable to operate, where many complain about the Cobra.

Spec wise, they are similar as far as performance, especially when tuned properly.

This might seem trivial, but one thing that I really liked about the Uniden is tgat you can adjust the backlighting to match your dash lights. In my opinion, makes the whole install that much cleaner!

I have the external speaker but haven’t needed it yet, especially with the hardtop on.

Highly recommend the Uniden!

 

[Captain Chaos]

Yup, same here on the tuning with the 75!

I've got a full size older Uniden CB in place of the Cobra along with a Midland MXT115 GMRS radio. I've got my eye on the Bearcat 880 (same as your 980 minus SSB) but we've mostly been using the GMRS radio with my travel mates.

I actually have the 880 in my Jeep. Loves had them on sale for $79 so I snatched one up and installed it. Then I put the Cobra 75 on marketplace for $75 and dumped it. I’m looking into a Midland MXT275 GMRS now. I also have a Icom ID-5100. Looking in my Jeep, you would think I like talking on the radio!

 

[tacoclifford]

I have the Uniden CMX760 that the OP mentions. I thought long and hard between that and the Cobra as well. The Uniden is VERY comfortable to operate, where many complain about the Cobra.

Spec wise, they are similar as far as performance, especially when tuned properly.

This might seem trivial, but one thing that I really liked about the Uniden is tgat you can adjust the backlighting to match your dash lights. In my opinion, makes the whole install that much cleaner!

I have the external speaker but haven’t needed it yet, especially with the hardtop on.

Highly recommend the Uniden!

I got my full sized cobra partly because I could adjust the lighting to match! I agree. It makes for a much nicer instal especially when you have multiple screens. I knew there had to be atleast one with the Uniden radio I mentioned! How’s the quality feel of the mic? Did it come with a cord extension?