Talk me in to...Or out of a CB??

I use mine on road in every traffic jam to find out what lanes are best, to hear what exits to get off on, & for smokey spotting.

Offroad everyone here has them and there are many home base ground stations. By listening offroad I can tell what trails to avoid and they are also good for emergency situations... reach much farther than yelling for help

 

Also, I like one with a scan feature for road trips. It picks up a lot more than just sticking to one channel.

 

If you have 2 antennas, the way you have them arranged will directly affect how the signal is transmitted. Truckers often have "twin" antennas mounted on the side mirrors. This gives them more gain front to back so they can transmit further down the road. If you had one on the roof and one on a camper shell, then you would have more gain side to side.

SWR and spacing play into this as well. Using one antenna is easier.

 

I would have to say that the usefulness of a CB falls directly in the category of: "It Depends". In some circles it is an excellent, inexpensive, nearly universal communication tool and in others places it is just a platform for annoying morons.
FRS is a better option when you are dealing with known travel partners and you have a pre-arranged communication plan.
A CB radio shines when you are attempting to put together a ad hoc communications plan or attempting to communicate with unknown people. I would consider it to be additional communications tool and not necessarily a primary tool.

If you're really serious and have friends/family that are equally serious; 2-meter ham is a good option. If local repeater sites are available, 2-meter ham becomes an excellent option.

 

Also, size *matters*. I had a lil K40 for a long time, then ran a 102 off the back corner of the bed in my old Ferd.

With some help from the weather for skip I'd get ghost farts from Canada pretty regularly with that thing.

 

^^ That's just OZ.

 

2-meter ham...is that the same as 6.5 feet of pork? That a big hog.

-just joking

 

Didn't think we would get this much info and interesting opinions on CB's. Great thread, thanks every body!

 

Aaaaand now I'm thinking to myself, "Think of the smoker you'd need to fab up to deal with a 6.5 feet of hog!"

Did I mention I am also salivating? Thanks.

 

Listen to this guy! I just got one and I haven't been able to reach anyone. It's all tuned correctly with an SWR of 1.5-1.1 across all channels.

Go HAM, I'm going to get my license, it seems more practical and they have NOAA as well. Unless you wheel with a club that requires it.

 

I knew the Ham guys would be here soon. OP's on the fence about a simple CB and they try and talk you into something that requires a license, costs more, and has less features/benefits. Hmm sounds like a deal to me

 

He is correct until he states the range of 1-5 miles. I have transmited, and had conversations with people in Georgia (I am in CA).

 

You can, if you like. However, if you're only getting a mile of coverage, you dun fucked something up along the way.

Even with off the shelf, plug and play, no tools or brains required gear from a truck stop, you should talk to someone 25-35 miles away like they're right next to you.

 

5 miles my ass.

Ham guys hamming it up

Single Fiberglass Antennas

• 2' Length: 2 to 3 miles
• 3' Length: 3 to 4 miles
• 4' Length: 4 to 6 miles
• 5' Length: 5 to 7 miles

Dual Fiberglass Antennas

Fiberglass dual antennas provide some benefits over single antenna installations. First, a dual installation will increase the effective range approximately 25% over a single antenna installation, especially parallel to the direction of travel. Second, having antennas on both sides of the vehicle improves overall coverage and prevents "dead spots" caused by an antenna being shielded by one side of the vehicle.

• 2' Length: 2 to 4 miles
• 3' Length: 4 to 6 miles
• 4' Length: 5 to 7 miles
• 5' Length: 6 to 9 miles

Magnetic Antennas

Listed ranges assume the magnetic antenna is mounted directly on the center of the roof, the best location for mounting any CB antenna.

• 3' Length: 2 to 4 miles
• 4' Length: 3 to 5 miles
• 5' Length: 5 to 7 miles

Single Center-Load Antennas

• 7 to 10 miles

Dual Center-Load Antennas

Similar to fiberglass dual installations, center-load dual antennas provide a few benefits over single antennas. First, a dual installation will increase the effective range approximately 25% over a single antenna installation, especially parallel to the direction of travel. Second, having antennas on both sides of the vehicle improves overall coverage and prevents "dead spots" caused by an antenna being shielded by one side of the vehicle.

• 10 to 12 miles

Base Station Antennas

Base station antenna ranges are VERY difficult to estimate because they typically range from 15 to 50 miles. Terrain plays a large role, as there is much more variation in a 25- to 50-mile transmission radius than a smaller 5-mile radius for a mobile antenna. However, a properly installed base antenna can usually provided at least 15 miles of range and often significantly more.

• Approximately 15 to 50 miles

Stainless Steel 102" Whip

• Approximately 7 to 10 miles

NGP Antennas

Due to their unique construction, no-ground plane antennas have about 70% the range of standard ground-based antennas of the same length.

• 2' Length: 1 to 2 miles
• 3' Length: 2 to 3 miles
• 4' Length: 3 to 5 miles

 

How are you guys doing that? My only limit is my current antenna of 2', but the SWR numbers are great (1.5 on 1, 1.5 on 40 and 1.1 on 19)! I have a 4' Firefly, but I can't get it below 2 because it's too long.

I'm going to try to get a 3' to see if that fixes anything, but damn, I can't talk to anyone local.

 

I routinely chatted with people 5 to 10 *times* the listed distance here with my 102 on a stock Cobra 19 and no sideband amp. Often a lot further with skip, but even just flat out clear sky and no bounce.

Not sure what conditions these numbers come from, but in central Wisconsin they ain't anywhere near accurate on 25 year old gear.

 

Thanks guys. Excellent info!

 

Thats just averages a respected retailer (Right Channel Radio) has listed on their site.

My 102 on a peaked tuned 6 year old little Cobra 18 was picking up multiple crystal clear foreign skips last summer. Before I had the 102 and was tuned properly I was easily getting 5 "strait" miles through dense woods with a 3' POS Firestick. We drove 8 miles away but when we GPS'd the locations and got the strait distance it was 5. On other occasions when I'm at camp early I have heard my friends talking 30 minutes before they arrive.

For less than $200 and a afternoons work you can get yourself a great set up.

 

Yep.

I'm moving to Oklahoma soon, and I was thinking of getting another CB for shits and grins. This thread may well tip my hand back in that direction. The wide-open landscape there must make for excellent transmission.

 

6.561' but's who's counting