Anyone had any experience with handheld cb's?

hey guys,

ive been looking in to some radios and i came across a handheld unit that i though would be great then i dont have to have a permanent install. my question is has anyone ever had any experience with these? good or bad? and what kind of range would i be looking at with the stock antenna?

here is the unit i was looking at, any help would be great
http://www.rightchannelradios.com/c...-w-weather-and-soundtracker-cb-radio-200.html

 

I never liked handhelds...

 

well thats good to know, so does that mean anything or another post just to get the post count up? haha come on give the guy some legitimate info!

 

I would like to revive this thread. I do not want to mount a full cb system in/on my truck but do enjoy wheeling from time to time however I'm always missing out on the gossip and chatter on the trails. Does anyone have any experience using HH CB's? How about any recommendations?

 

Not sure if what I'm saying is correct but to enjoy a CB you gotta get range on your xmtr and receiving. The only way to do that is tune your CB or put an amplifier on it or both. I've always had mine tuned so I would not drive up who I was talking to or be behind myself (if that makes sense) when I get an alert for the radar units on the highway. I do not believe you can tune a handheld. Thus I stick with a permanent mount and antennae. Your choice.

 

I was thinking the same thing about the hand held, but am probably going to get a perm unit.

The only exception I might have made was this:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Midland-Miniature-Handheld-CB-Weather-Radio/10603644

And that's only because it can connect to an externally mounted ant.

But I am not sure if it's worth it.

 

From what I understand, handheld units do not have the range that rig mounts have. I know for fact that SCTA ( So Cal Timing Assoc.) does not allow the use of HH for race activities. They areas the run such as Bonneville salt flats and El Mirage are some of the flattest most barren places on the planet where line of sight is limited by the curvature of the earth.

I would personally would shy away from a HH. you can get units that are very discrete. All CBs are limited to I believe 4w so power should not be a deciding factor in rigs.

There are some good write ups in here about different mounting options too

 

Dave, I haven't figured out where to mount a unit yet, but there are definately a lot of posts about possible locations. I will probably see if it fits in the coin tray spot.

Here is the antenna tailgate mount I like:

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/ba...2-bamf-2nd-gen-tailgate-cb-antenna-mount.html

I would just remove the antenna when not in use.

 

I will talk to you more about this tonight if you are still planning on meeting up at Hooters Chantilly.


Thanks guys for the input. I really am only trying to get 5 mile range so I can listen/participate in trail chatter when wheeling. If the HH units suck so bad that I can't even get that out of it then I guess I will have to look into a cab mount unit. What about a HH unit with an external antenna to boost the signal?

 

I found myself in a bind several years ago and bought a hanheld to see me through. I had to fly cross-country to pick up a leased semi then drive it to another state. I wasn't thinking when I left home and forgot to pack my CB. When I got to the other end and picked up the truck was when I realized I had no radio--duh. I stopped at the first truck stop and picked up a handheld Cobra similar to the OP's reference.

To make a long story even longer, the handheld got me through that trip just fine. I've also given it to other non-radio equipped vehicles I've travelled with so we could converse. In all of these situations we're talking about relatively short distances (within a couple miles) and generally clear line of sight.

Bottom line is that a handheld is sufficient in some situations, but don't expect it to be as worthwhile if you're talking about off-road, non-line of sight type situations. If you do decide to get one, I highly recommend either connecting it to an external antenna or at least a telescoping antenna (obvious pain in the ass inside a truck) to give it a boost. Also, make sure it can use a 12V adapter and use it plugged in to the truck as it will eat the internal batteries quickly when broadcasting making it weaker fast.

 

good info. Thank you! It appears I will need to look into this a little more in depth than originally thought.
I appreciate all the feedback!

 

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/audio-video/280574-cb-radio-information-installation.html

There Dave, I finally got around to writing about my install.

 

Hand helds work just fine for close range activity and if you are stationary at a high elevation. When on the trails, or just going down the road, we use either those for some on the group or most often FRS radios. For those that are more serious about both range, and when out and about with a distance, they skip the cb and go to a ham radio that gets both better range, and you cut out all the stupid chatter from kids.

The most current set I picked up were at both Costco, and Walmart for about $75 as pair. They come with a recharge base, and rechargeable battery packs. They can also use AA size batteries. They claim 35 miles, but more realistically 2 - 5 miles depending on terrain.