CB Radio Install for under $150

Honestly my choices are the Uniden Pro520 or the 880. I wouldn't mind the 980 but I swear I couldnt find any info as to whether or not the AM only CBs can receive an SSB transmission. Logic says yes because of the frequencies, but still. I'm sure the 520 is a great radio, but I'd like weather, and the addition of an SWR meter to aid in tuning. The other features are a bonus as well. I have zero interest in moding the radio.

What advantage besides range will the 980 give me? It's only 30 more bucks or so, not a big deal but I couldn't justify it if there's little benefit. I'm not a huge radio guy and reaching out won't do me any good if the people I want to reach are on the trail 100 yards in front of me. If we are far apart its a one sided conversation because they can't reach me. Maybe in an emergency the extra range could help.

 

The SSBs are beneficial when skip is coming in good on 11m. I've had conversations with others all over. Reached the UK several times and once made a contact with New Zealand. But you have to catch it just right. But if you're going for trail usage, then it's not needed.

 

Is there a radio that will do both HAM and CB?

 

Yes. But FCC says illegal. One reason I never installed mine. It'll cover 10m and the 11m CB bands. It's boxed up and is my SHTF radio. But to buy one that'll do both, no. It'll need to be 'opened' up to cover more bands.

 

subed

 

There's HAM guys and there's CB guys. Once most get the bug enough to go over to HAM they don't come back. CB guys are a different breed compared to HAM guys. The ones you can hear on the lower CB channels that are loud are pushing 1000s of watts to get there. Have a base station, massive towers, and a directional antenna to focus that power. When Mother Nature is right they can talk across the entire northern continent with CB AM. There's a local CBer that will talk to a guy in Idaho. They both know each other's general direction and when they hook up, no one else can use that channel anywhere between them. Good clean power is different than just raw power. When someone is bleeding across multiple channels it's aggravating. This in turn will also cause them to bounce across more freqs and if the right HAM has had enough he'll call in the FCC to put an end to it. Very big fines ensue and all radio gear is seized. So most big talkers have clean base gear because they're set up at their homes. The ones that bleed everywhere are usually mobile stations and idiots that don't care about quality.

I learned a tremendous amount of info here: http://www.worldwidedx.com when it was Tapatalk compatible. But they changed their format or something and it no longer is available. So I haven't been in almost a year. But most online HAMs are prudes when it comes to CB gear. But you have to start somewhere. Some do remember that and are helpful to keep you interested and legal.

SSB is still AM radio. But it doesn't use the normal AM carrier. It'll use the high side or low side (USB/LSB) and will sort of focus the signal. It also has a higher wattage allotment than normal AM. 11-12w, IIRC. You generally won't hear SSB transmissions on normal AM.

Check out some radios at http://bellscb.com Many make fun of him saying he's just got trucker's radios and he does. But it's a worth a look. He does a lot of YouTube reviews on gear and tuned gear. Take most of it with a grain of salt, but he does have semi decent prices. On the same note, probably 7-8 out of 10 CB techs are just hacks turning pots so the radio is loud.