Another yes on the 520xl... the radio DOES matter btw, don't let someone tell you otherwise
All CB radios have the same transmission power, so choosing a radio really comes down to deciding what features are important. The cheapest CB radio transmits the exact same amount of power (4 watts) as the most expensive radio. They are limited by FCC regulation to 4 watts and unless one adds a linear amplifier the signal strength will always be 4 watts. If one pays more for a CB one gets more bells and whistles but will never get a radio that functionally transmits any better than the cheapest radio.
Accordingly, all radios will have the same output power regardless of their price. As all radios are limited by this bottleneck, the largest determinant of performance is antenna quality and installation.
The most important component to any CB setup is the antenna. If you're going to save money on anything, this is NOT the part to do so on. You want the best and tallest antenna you can put on your vehicle practically.
The first thing to consider when picking out an antenna is where to install it on the vehicle. For performance, what matters is the ground plane. The ground plane is the flat, metal surface needed to reflect your antenna's signal out. Essentially, the antenna transmits the signal downward, it strikes the ground plane, and is reflected out. The bigger your ground plane is, the better. Consequentially, the best place for your antenna is the center of the roof of your vehicle, IF it is metal and there is no sun roof. Some newer vehicles have fiberglass bodies that will not reflect the signal as metal would. The front or back fenders will give you good results as well. You must remember, though, that the signal will be weaker in the direction with no ground plane. For instance, if you mount your antenna on the front drivers side fender, you will have a weaker signal to the front-left of the vehicle.
You may never have heard of the tuning process or may have even installed antennas without tuning them. While antenna tuning isn’t required to operate your CB system, there are a number of important reasons you should always tune an antenna:
a) Improved Performance - A properly tuned antenna will ALWAYS work more efficiently than an untuned antenna. In order to get the best range and performance out of your CB, it’s important to tune your antenna.
b) Protects your Radio - An untuned antenna has the potential to permanently damage the components of your CB radio. An untuned antenna can reflect your transmission signal back to your radio as heat, which can damage your radio’s electronic components.
SWR stands for Standing Wave Ratio. SWR is a measure of how efficiently your antenna transmits a radio’s signal and is expressed as a ratio. For example, a SWR ratio of 1:1 would mean that your antenna is perfectly transmitting 100% of your radio’s signal while a ratio of 3:1 means that only 1/3 of the radio’s signal is being transmitted by the antenna.
When radio signals aren’t transmitted by the antenna, they can be transferred back to the radio as heat, which can damage the radio’s electronic components. A rule of thumb is that SWR levels below 2.0 are acceptable for operation while levels above 3.0 indicate problems that needs addressing.