Is a CB still useful for emergencies?

I have always driven trails solo. Do many people still use CB's and if so what are the odds of a CB getting you help if you break down some miles into the state forest?

Dumb question but last I ever had anything to do with a CB was when I was a kid in the 80's and my dad had one in his surplus postal jeep... Do people really still use them commonly?

Do guys just have them to talk to people they already know on trail days or could you possibly get a stranger on the line near you to help you sometime?

 

CBs are worthless past line of sight, if that. Don't rely on it at all for emergencies.

Most people are using ham radios now or get a SPOT/InReach.

 

The Bandit has a cb; I have a cb

 

Around here, a very viable way to communicate due to log trucks Mon-Fri. Week ends not so much.

 

I greatly prefer ham these days, been trying to get our group to switch over (ended up compromising with gmrs). Not sure if it's the same across the US, but here in Michigan there are uhf/vhf repeaters all over. Gives you fairly decent odds of reaching someone in an emergency.

 

Walkie talkies come with FRS and GMRS. Old ones would only have FRS, I think most everything sold has GMRS now. FRS has less range and is good for basically talking to the guy helping you back up your RV.

CBs are useful if your group of offroad buddies wants to communicate. Most offroad people will have one of these because it's common still and works to communicate with your caravan down the trails. There is no learning curve, no licensing, and the cost is fairly cheap, which is why people go this route. Hardest part is the install. It provides a solution that doesn't require carrying a stash of AAA or AA batteries. I'm not sure how it stacks against GMRS, but you are technically supposed to pay to use GMRS if I recall, just no one reads that part of the manual. You can get some range, but not much past line of sight a lot of the time based on trees, etc. Lots of people will claim 5 miles, but I like going off worst possible odds, and that sometimes means turning a corner puts you out of range of your group.

HAM is by far the best option, with call clarity equal to cell phones, exceptional distance, and good odds there's people listening for distress calls if you tune to the right signal. The big reason it's not common is because there's a mandatory exam you have to pay to take ($15 avg), there's a learning curve, and the units can cost more. It's something I need to do, I just keep running into big projects at work the moment I start looking at exam openings

However, I'd say the ultimate answer for emergency communication is a satellite messenger or a PLB. Completely portable, and designed to be easy to get help. REI did a good write-up here. The units are primarily for sending SOS messages straight to emergency rescue teams, so attempting to get help should be easier and more reliable than any of the above options. Some of the units allow for 2-way texting and GPS use. HOWEVER, you have to pay attention to costs: PLBs are spendy to buy, you must replace the battery every 5 years OR serviced after each SOS call at an authorized location for a cost of $150. Satellite messengers can either cost an equal amount or a good deal less, but have an annual subscription cost. I would go with the Satellite messenger because you can use it over and over without needing re-serviced, some of the units allow for customized non-distress status updates ("I'm running late", "I'm safe, send food", "on course still", etc.), and you can show yourself on a live map. The long-term cost vs. benefit of the satellite messenger seems much better than the PLB, just don't expect to have conversations like you would with a HAM.

 

If someone is in your range and listening on your channel, then yes. Just like they always were.