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

Now thats badass. I just watched all their videos and that might need to be in my Christmas stocking this year.

 

This

 

On an unrelated side note: If I won the lottery tomorrow, I'd see what I could make of that car with modern gear today.

You know....a decent rear end. Some actual good suspension. A tranny that wasn't on lunch break from the local strip club.

With today's tech you could make quite a beast for your CB to ride along with!


(I know, adds nothing. I just love that car.)

 

I just watched the Cospas Sarsat overview on the tube and I'm hooked. If its going to be mandatory in planes and is in boats across the globe it's good enough for me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVpWywc7FnI

 

If I won the lottery. I'd look for that car.

 

That would be a 2-meter smoker of course.

Hmm. now I'm thinking.

Would a HAM radio driving a very low impedance load that would cause the output transistors to smoke qualify as a 2-meter smoker???



Ouch, I'll bet that megahertz when that happens.

 

/\ fair enough and no shield required.
I was just offering another option. CB is useful because it's universal and almost everyone can use it . Of course it sometimes sucks because it's universal and almost everyone can use it !
Despite the Amateur label part of Amateur radio, HAM is really a lot more professional & involved than most people want to get. It requires some study and a license. The equipment isn't super expensive but it's not as cheap as a CB. However, if you're serious, the 2 meter FM band (144-148MHz) offers some very reliable communications.

FRS is sort of the compromise between licensed amateur radio [HAM] and unlicensed ( CB - which is technically HAM also) but FRS is really only good for short distance work unless you have some unique conditions.

 

yea u need a cb to get u out of an pinch in case u get in a tite spot we always had them growing up and me and my dad used 2 talk on them all the time haha and listen to truckers to avoid denver traffic jams

 

Don't be afraid, pull that trigger.

I've had a CB in my cars since, well since it was a fad back with Smokey and the Bandit. For me they fall in the nice to have category. IMHO they are pretty useless in the city but out on the interstates talking to the truckers can sometimes keep you out of trouble. Or, at least give you a clue why everything is stopped.

 

I say go for it!
Ive had them in my trucks for a couple years now and they always have been useful for stopped traffic on the highway. The truckers have saved my ass (like 3+ hrs of waiting) multiple times plus they're funny as hell to listen to..also get one with the NOAA weather freqs. Saved my truck from baseball sized hail a time or two drving I-80

 

They have some funny accents! And they sure love to BS..lol

 

No insult to you, but you did not understand what I wrote. Said in plain English, CB radio should never have been allocated to high frequency (27 Mhz). That was a mistake made by our government over 70 years ago. They should fix it. And I was suggesting changes to GMRS (to make it free) as a replacement for CB radio. GMRS radios being UHF and FM modulated don't suffer severe performance problems like CB radio transmissions do. Antennas are shorter, and easier to install, and maintain, etc. Therefore it's a superior way to communicate.

And I speak from experience, I've used 5 watts in my truck to talk over 100 miles from San Diego to Los Angeles using a UHF radio. Last week I used 5 watts, VHF to talk to a person 40 miles away, all static free, crystal clear FM radio.

I've been packing a PLB since 2010. When I bought mine, they could not be had for less than $400.

 

Just getting back to this thread...

In regard to my comment about distance, I'll rephrase:
With a standard, legal CB setup, under normal conditions, an expected maximum range is 5 miles. I hope that satisfies all the lawyers on the forum
You can get further under optimal locations, the desert, optimal weather conditions, and so on, but it shouldn't be something you count on. If you are in areas like me, you have to compete with mountains, trees, other radio wave interference, and so on. You could use SSB, but the other party has to use SSB as well for communication.
I was out in the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest with two convoys for offroading. One evening we were able to have base camp communicate with guys out on the trails, which was well over 5 miles. The next day, we all went out on the same trail and would lose signal around the corners, limiting communication to 500 feet or less.
My main point is that I don't want the OP buying a CB expecting that he will get a reliable 20 mile signal every time he heads out, and that he can rely on it for emergencies.

Take some of these results with a grain of salt, but these charts are pretty reasonable - again, measuring at everyday expectations.

Someone mentioned using FRS. FRS will only really reliably work in a convoy with line of sight.
GMRS is better, but it's still less than a CB.
An even better option is MURS, which operates on a limited range of VHF. This is a great option for a convoy, because it provides a nice, clear signal, but I think CB will get better range.

The OP wants to chat with people he doesn't know. FRS/GMRS won't satisfy, and MURS isn't going to be common.

DoorDing brought up rescue beacons. There's two different types from what I remember, and each has their merits. IIRC, a Spot can be used to transmit messages, but you won't get anything back. Other than that, they just track position or send emergency calls. I believe both systems have an annual cost.

I haven't bothered with HAM yet, but the only reason that I and others bring it up is because of the OP's listed needs:
-He's not in a group
-He needs great distance
-He wants it for communication and emergency use

That says HAM all over it. CB is the wild west.

 

The charts you linked say 10 miles for a normal CB not 5 miles.

The beacons do NOT have a annual charge and use multiple systems to find you.

Are you pulling your numbers, opinions, and stats out of your arse? Just wondering because it sure seems like it.

What good is commenting if it's total unreliable BS?

 

Dude if you are wondering... then you dont need it. The only time you might use it is if your buddies have one too... and you talk to them with it. Otherwise what will you do with it? Bug truckers?

 

Just to clarify the 406 Mhz PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) is not the same as the SPOT LLC / or Deloreme satellite communications product(s). They ARE different. I have one of those too (Spot Trace), awesome btw,

There is no reoccurring cost to own a PLB, only requirement is that after purchase that you register it with the government which is electronic and free. Then renew registration every (2) years.

Perhaps!

 

That's from a base station to a base station. Do you plan on carrying a mobile command center with you on the trail?

Sorry, I didn't know that "rescue beacon" can't be used as a generic term for PLBs and Satellite Messengers. A thousand pardons for being so confusing to you.

Spot/DeLormes fall in the category of Satellite Messengers, and they do incur a subscription fee.

Sorry, I didn't know I was the only one who needed to provide cross references to every last thing I said. For your benefit:

Approximate Ranges for CB Antennas, Right Channel Radios
Choosing the Best CB Antenna, Right Channel Radios
Survivalist Radio Communications: Ham vs CB vs FRS vs GMRS vs MURS, Vehicle-to-Vehicle Average Normal Direct Radio Range Voice Communications with Vehicle Antennas, RadioMaster Reports, 07/07/2013
PLBs and Satellite Messengers: How to Choose, REI, 02/18/2014


Next thing is that you are going to jump on me for not providing the information in APA format

It seems all you've given is a single situation of how you and your buddies jimmy rigged some stuff and had a good result that all of a sudden is the scientific standard of how things in the universe work.

My simple message was that CBs more often DON'T reach peak distances. I've experienced this in offroad outings and during life-saving missions. I've also linked articles from unrelated sources that also back up what I'm talking about.
Therefore, given the usage the OP is hoping to achieve, a CB may not be the right choice unless he experiences ideal situations.

 

If you do any traveling its nice to listen to the truckers and find out where the cops are sitting. I commuted 120 miles a day and a cb was priceless.

 

It's fun to play around with. What more excuse do you need then that?

 

I just spent 8 hours driving South on I5 and I could not get 1 person to reply to a radio check on my CB. Re-checked antenna SWR mid way at a stop and everything was good.

Either no one wants to respond or no one even uses CB. Good luck with emergencies.