CB Radios

Hey Guys and Gals. I am interested in getting a CB Radio for my truck but I don't know much about them. A few buddies and I always travel around town and to the beach and whatnot and we don't like using our phones.

What are some good quality radios that yall suggest for me and them to get? Anyone selling?

Thanks to everyone!
Happy Holidays to all of you.

 

You can't really go wrong with a Cobra 75 WX. Compact, easy to install, takes up almost no space. Pair it with a decent 'no ground plane' antenna and you are good to go.

 

X2.

 

SSB, Side Band has a little more range.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/cb-specifics.434871/
Here^

 

Go HAM!

Less issues, better range and reception.

 

A couple questions:

do you need an FCC license for Ham?
do they make a small portable Ham unit?

 

Yes
Yes

 

You need to take the test, super easy. I have a few types of handhelds, they have better range than the average CB install. My mobile HAM install was cheaper than my CB and the range is bananas. You are up in Eugene, I was recently talking to someone coming out of Yosemite while I was driving on highway 5, that is like you talking to someone in hood river from Portland.

 

I have been on 395 and talking to someone in my group 45 minutes ahead of me, both mobile installs.

 

I remember when you needed a license just for CB radios and then they changed it but I remember the Ham radio as these big ol honkin desktop units didnt know they made the smaller mobile units. I'm looking on ebay now and it says it pushes like 60 watts of power... wow!

 

Yeah I have a nice 3 watt front speaker Yaesu mobile that does 65 watts transmit, did I mention front speaker?

 

do you have to go down somewhere to take the test or is an online thing?

 

You have to go down and take it at your local club (no need to join the club)

http://www.arrl.org/find-an-amateur-radio-license-exam-session

There are smartphone apps and web tutorials, but I just found the question pool pdf and printed it out to study. Basically they have a question pool all tests use where the answers are in different order than the pdf you print out. So I spent the night before highlighting the answers then quickly skimmed the hard parts in the parking lot again before taking the test. You can miss enough to get by with minimal studying.

If you plan to get nuts and put a antenna on your house or something, you may want to take a study course instead.

 

I'm running a PC 78Elite. Similar to this:
https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-PC78LTW-40-Channel-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B00004VXO2

I love it and would highly recommend it. Even the newer digital model

$125 Uniden BEARCAT 880 CB Radio with 40 Channels and Large Easy-to-Read 7-Color LCD Display with Backlighting, Backlit Control Knobs/Buttons, NOAA Weather Alert, PA/CB Switch, and Wireless Mic Compatible

https://www.amazon.com/Uniden-BEARCAT-Bearcat-Display-Backlighting/dp/B006TA2F1M/

I'm not a professional user of CBs. But being able to tune the SWR from the radio is very nice. The the power to use my PA to holler at those fly ass honeys is also nice.

I keep mine in the center console

 

The Ham sure make a lot of sense. Do they interact with the standard 40 CB channels?

 

Nope.

 

IMO the best way to prepare for the ham exam is to download and read this study guide:
The No-Nonsense Technician-Class License Study Guide

then setup an account on hamstudy.org and do flash cards. My wife followed this process and with just a weeks preparation and got a perfect score.

After installing and messing with CBs in three separate vehicles I'm so glad I am now a ham radio operator.

 

Yes and Yes.

Super easy if: A) You've read the basic rules. B) Already have an understanding of electrical diagrams and what electrical components are (diodes, transistors, etc). C) Can convert Mhz, Khz, etc.

There are study guides available and you can cram in a day if needed. Then find a local HAM club and find out when they next administer tests (sometimes there's a small fee for the time it takes to test you). Once you get your Technician's license you're good for 10 years. After that you log on to their website, hit renew, and you're good for another 10 years.

To put it in perspective. I took a trip from Bozeman, MT to Coeur D'Alene last weekend. I was picking up traffic from a Bozeman HAM repeator for over 100 miles (driving over passes, hills, valleys, etc). HAM is much more effective than CB. Far greater output power, etc.

Plus when I went to Moab only like 20% of the people there had CBs. Everyone else was using HAM. I'm running both so I can talk to anyone in a pinch.

 

Just wondering about local weather and road reports, accident reports, smokey reports and maybe converse with the truckers and so on, is all that possible on Ham Radio?