The Cobra 75 CB Radio was Installed because not all 4wheeling Groups use FRS to communicate on the trail, Red Rock 4wheelers requires CB Radios on all vehicles that participate in their trail runs during Easter Jeep Safari. Plus in the unfortunate event of getting stuck or suffering any other trail emergency the CB can be used to call for help. CB ranges vary due to terrain, there are stories of the range being as much as 100 miles but 2-5 miles is probably the norm. However, when you're stuck in the woods every little bit helps.
I always carry an FRS Radio in the glove box, it can be used to contact help in emergencies but more importantly it's the UXOC's main means of communication on trail runs, and most other 4wheel groups that I travel with use it also.
I thought long and hard about what GPS system I wanted, it needed a large storage memory for topo maps and the ability to create new routes and waypoints. It came down to a decision between the Garmin GPS 5 and the Garmin eTrex Vista. The final decision was for the eTrex because I do a lot of backpacking and Geocaching so I needed a mobile GPS and the Cell Phone sized eTrex was perfect. Then I just needed a mount for it.
Another problem with the GPS quickly became apparent with the eTrex, it doesn't get good reception in the Xterra because the roof blocks half the sky. And the eTrex doesn't come with an external antenna plug. Luckily others have already countered and fixed this problem with a Re-Radiating Antenna.
What the Re-Radiating Antenna does is take the signal with a receiver antenna on the roof, route it into the cabin and use a second transmitting antenna to broadcast the signal to the GPS. Plus the transmitting antenna is connected to power so the signal can be boosted before being transmitted. The end result is a better reception inside the car than outside.
I upgraded from my old Whistler Radar Detector to a Valentine One once I got the money and I must say it's a great detector. Between the front and rear detectors and the three band indicators I can tell approximately where radar is coming from. And the detector has a built in logic system that keeps it from going off when it detects false signals from automatic doors.
I don't advocate driving above the speed limit, however there are a few times that I'm going over and the radar detector tells me to slow down. It's nice especially in heavy traffic, you can start slowing down before all the other people notice the cop under the overpass and hit their brakes.
