CB RADIO

hey all,

i have had trucks / jeeps for the better part of 20 years always have i had a cell phone without issue.... I am planing on taking a vacation in early July into Tennessee.. I am not sure about the reliability of a cell phone in the mountains

Never really thought about it but would having a small cb be beneficial? just looking for input

 

Doesn't hurt to have one. I got a small one mounted inside my center console.

 

I run a CB and HAM radio... just for fun on the road. CB saved me from a possible speeding ticket yesterday!!!

 

CB has many limitations; especially in the mountains. Works good vehicle to vehicle when in line of sight but drops significantly with range and obstacles.

I run a CB for coms in a caravan of rigs but better is a HAM mobile unit or handheld. I use a handheld with a mounted antenna on the truck (boosts signal pretty good). I can still jump out and hike a hill to get better coverage if needed.

HAM does require a license. You can take a weekend training and pass a test to get licensed. That will allow you to freely use the radio. BUT. . . You can use your handheld in an emergency and not break any laws.

 

I was looking into a Midland 75-855 figured it was very small portable but i can add an antenna... will there really be any benefits though in todays envirnment with apps / cell phones

 

The CB lets you get live info from other local users regarding traffic and police locations. Cell phone will not give you that kind of instant local info.

 

I never really looked into the HAM radios because i know that you need a license.. never really thought about it is it basically a higher power cb?

 

Can you fellas recommend a quality handheld HAM radio? I don't want to break the bank, but I don't want junk either...

 

For occasional use, the Chinese vhf/uhf walkie talkies are a good cheap option. I've never been much for handheld ham radios, but I have an Icom 7000 in the truck. Having 1.8 to 440 mhz capability is convenient, but I'm still trying to eliminate ignition noise on HF.

 

please excuse my ignorance what would that give me above and beyond a typical cb?

 

Hard to beat price wise until you make the jump to yaesu, alinco, tyt and all the other mfgs.

The jump from this is to those brands at around $100-130.

This with an after market anrena or a magnet roof antena for the car makes for a price point

BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two Way Radio Ham handheld Walkie Talkie UHF/VHF 136-174/400-480Mhz 128 Channels https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C8HYM5L/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wtW-AbCBWRP9G

 

Farther simplex communication ( line of sight direct talk ), and when you get your amature technician license ( I beileve it's around $15 and 32 questions out of a pool of them which they give you the answer to ), you can use repeaters.

Repeaters can get you pretty far. My local repeater covers about an 80mile diameter.

 

For HAM radio, you are using FM which gives very clear transmission/recieving. CB uses AM which is very noisy and not clear. HAM radios normally use communication through a repeater antenna/high power transmitter. I have a Yeasu handheld HAM transceiver that will connect to repeaters up to 15 miles or more away. You can get a cheap Chinese handheld Baofeng transceiver for only $30. You do need a FCC License to transmit on HAM frequencies.

 

Nice. How was the install?

Going for my ticket on the next scheduled test. Been looking at getting the Ft-7900D, but not sure if I'll go with Ft-857D to add the 6m

Hoping to get all squared away before a fishing trip to some really remote parts of Maine.

 

how are you liking the icom 7000? I typically like yaesu and the old 703mkII

 

The big thing is the repeater. If you are in the mountains there is a possibility at some point you can get in sight of a repeater (possibly from in a valley but likely from a ridge). I’m sure you’ve seen them around. With that you can bounce out of the mountains and back to civilization (or beyond).

I’m in SoCal and I’ve heard a guy talking in London. It’s all part of an ametur network.

I found HAM was a must after the CB’s limitations. Both work great as long as you know CB may not get you out of that emergency situation.

 

I used to have a 706, the 7000 RX seems much better to me. I do mostly HF CW, got my license 23 years ago. I put the body of the rig under driver seat with velcro and screwed the control head to a piece of 2x4 and wedged it in the console space. I use the AUX input of the stereo for audio.

 

go with the 8900, the 857 is great however its not practical for hf unless you plan on packing a wire type bipole.

 

so under the seat gets plenty of cooling then......thats a relief. Probably going with the 8900, but still debating.

 

And that's the area that has me on the fence. With our remote traveling and camping, QRP at night when we are kicking around the camp spikes my interest a bit.