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Cb users?

Camoprough

Camoprough

Active Member (5.56mm)
My neighbor moved sometime in the past year, he gave me 2 five foot whips and 2 cobra cb radios, I want to put one in my 99 chevy, and one in the garage, just curious with all the ham heads these days, do any of you still use cb?
 
Camoprough said:
My neighbor moved sometime in the past year, he gave me 2 five foot whips and 2 cobra cb radios, I want to put one in my 99 chevy, and one in the garage, just curious with all the ham heads these days, do any of you still use cb?
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what is cb?
 
It would be a rare location, probably highly mineralized canyon, where a 4 watt, 11 meter AM CB would out perform a Ham radio. Even with the 12 watts of a SSB CB, the range is still extremely limited due to the low power and the 11 meter wave length.
That said, I still keep a CB among my collection of radio's, belt and suspenders approach to communications, and some FRS and GMRS radios as well as all my Ham rigs.
 
The only thing interesting on common channel (19?) was the lot lizards trying to lure in drivers.
 
Camoprough said:
just curious with all the ham heads these days, do any of you still use cb?
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Yup. I use it primarily to ask if there are any logging trucks coming down the mountains I have to drive up. I’m primarily on 2m and 70cm ham, FRS/GMRS, and private land mobile.
 
Offroad 4x4 events still require CB communication between vehicles. Easter Jeep Safari, or Hump N Bump in Hurricane are active users.
 
I drove from Florida to Reno with a good quality CB in my truck. Never heard a word. In the old days it was non-stop on 19.
Now I have two 2m rigs in the truck. Like NYECOGunsmith said, Ham is the way to go, especially wandering around off-road where cell service is non-existent.
 
I don’t go 4x4 with the local Reno groups as often as I used to, but it was predominantly CB’s by all because they were cheap and didn’t require a test. And there was a wide difference at the quality of people’s installs that would lead to issues lol.

I punched my ham ticket before I slowed down, and the distance And clarity I can get out of a little Buttfong handheld is mind blowing. And my ticket came as about half the guys on any given run were becoming ham users too (usually overland types in my crowd).

I don’t think your CB will get much play if your ‘99 is just a commuter, most truckers have gone cellular and don’t yammer like they used to. But any radio is better than no radio if you go out in the desert a bit.
 
jfrey123 said:
Buttfong
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That’s the first I heard those radio being called that. They are pretty bad. It kills me when “reviewers” on Amazon, YouTube, etc yammer on about how great those radios are when they are horrible on a spectrum analyzer. Users are transmitting out of band every time they key up.

It’s even worse when the clubs are recommending them to new hams when they should know better.

Higher quality Yaesu FT-70DR radios aren’t that expensive.
 
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I ordered a pair. I couldn't figure out how to use them, and returned them. But I do that with half the electronics I buy. Manuals can't be written in English anymore, and I can't read Engrish or pictograms well enough to bother. They just lose money on me not writing the instructions in real English.
 
I have a CB in my truck along with my 2m radio for local comms. A couple of the local off road clubs use channel 4 when they go out and about.
 
Not sure if they still make them but if they do you could get an all in one unit. Back in the day I had a Galaxy DX88-HL. It had the CB frequencies built into it. I guess that particular radio became illegal due to it being marketed as a CB radio but was actually 10 meter. Don't remember all the specific details surrounding it but an option worth looking into anyway depending on your budget.

http://www.galaxyradios.com/88.html
 
I'm going to use mine mainly for desert coms, and like it was said just good to have in case of an emergency and no cell service
 
Camoprough said:
I'm going to use mine mainly for desert coms, and like it was said just good to have in case of an emergency and no cell service
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Comms are a must for groups in the desert. Will FRS work better then CB? FRS is much more compact. Tried it when it first came out for white tail hunting. With the transmit button beep, and the DNR's restrictions on radio comms while hunting the radio stayed in the truck. The crappie cops in MN were always quick to cite you for something.
 
LASCHRIS said:
Comms are a must for groups in the desert. Will FRS work better then CB?
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IMO FRS audio is better than CB but it’s limited to 2W vs 4W for CB and the antenna isn’t removable so you can’t use a vehicle mounted antenna for better propagation.

On a good day you might even be able to skip your CB signal but they’re both considered line of sight radios.

I use my ham radio if I need a repeater in an emergency but I also got my GMRS license so I can do simplex communications at 50W with family members. The $70 10 year GMRS license covers the entire family and no test is necessary. GMRS repeaters exist but are usually not open to the public and there are far fewer of them than ham radio repeaters.

I know Puerto Rico has started building out a GMRS repeater network for public use since GMRS licenses are so easy to get.

Sorry... I went on a tangent. ?

Short version: CB is better than FRS while operating from a vehicle because of the external antenna.
 
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Harley said:
Not sure if they still make them but if they do you could get an all in one unit. Back in the day I had a Galaxy DX88-HL. It had the CB frequencies built into it.
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I still have my Galaxy DX45MP 10 Meter. It's a great radio. Didn't "come" with CB channels it needed converting, was basically opening it up and moving a jumper from one setting to another. Don't think the new ones allow that.
 
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Get your ham license and a sat communicator. They have served me well offroading around Vegas. 2m/70cm is great and its rare that I cannot call up a repeater out in the sticks (Kenwood DM710GA, 38" mag mount antenna), but the SPOT devices are cheap enough and much more reliable if its an actual emergency.

The offroad community is straight up abusing ham radio at this point, but its on simplex out in the middle of no where so I dont think anyone cares too much. Getting licensed and learning will help you a lot, though. I'd hate to learn how to dial up a FM tone and offset on a repeater in an actual emergency.
 
SundevilSG said:
Get your ham license and a sat communicator. They have served me well offroading around Vegas. 2m/70cm is great and its rare that I cannot call up a repeater out in the sticks (Kenwood DM710GA, 38" mag mount antenna), but the SPOT devices are cheap enough and much more reliable if its an actual emergency.

The offroad community is straight up abusing ham radio at this point, but its on simplex out in the middle of no where so I dont think anyone cares too much. Getting licensed and learning will help you a lot, though. I'd hate to learn how to dial up a FM tone and offset on a repeater in an actual emergency.
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My Anthem community has a HAM radio group that I will look into once the Covid thing is done and they start meeting again.

I have a Sat Phone (Motorola Iridium) but need to find a local Sat Phone dealer or service guy. My airtime chip needs to be renewed and the phone checked.
 
SundevilSG said:
The offroad community is straight up abusing ham radio at this point, but its on simplex out in the middle of no where so I dont think anyone cares too much.
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So they’re using the ham 2m and 70cm simplex frequencies without a license?
 
Harley said:
Not sure if they still make them but if they do you could get an all in one unit. Back in the day I had a Galaxy DX88-HL. It had the CB frequencies built into it. I guess that particular radio became illegal due to it being marketed as a CB radio but was actually 10 meter. Don't remember all the specific details surrounding it but an option worth looking into anyway depending on your budget.

http://www.galaxyradios.com/88.html
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I've thought seriously about getting a 11/10 meter transceiver like the Galaxy DX88-HL or DX99-V. I like the idea of having that in addition to my Yaesu FT-1D Fusion VHF/UHF. (Also need a truck mounted Fusion transceiver; perhaps the FTM-100.)

Question: Would a Wilson 1000 antenna (tuned to the middle of the 10 and 11 meter freqs) work ok on all 10/11 meter freqs??

Other suitable antenna(s)?
 
varminter22 said:
I've thought seriously about getting a 11/10 meter transceiver like the Galaxy DX88-HL or DX99-V. I like the idea of having that in addition to my Yaesu FT-1D Fusion VHF/UHF. (Also need a truck mounted Fusion transceiver; perhaps the FTM-100.)

Question: Would a Wilson 1000 antenna (tuned to the middle of the 10 and 11 meter freqs) work ok on all 10/11 meter freqs??

Other suitable antenna(s)?
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Properly tuned and aligned, you won't be disappointed with them. Add an Astatic 575 like I did and you can really reach out and touch someone.

Added bonus with a kicker mounted under the seat. Names like Palomar and Texas Star come to mind. I can neither confirm nor deny I know anything about that though.:LOL:


Not sure about the 1000, back then I ran the 5000 with my Galaxy. Iirc the range was something like 26-30MHz on the 5000
 
I just don't understand the CB with a linear amp idea, spend a helluva lot more money on a radio and a linear Amp for CB than you would on a decent Ham rig and the license to go with it, and end up with a rig that still doesn't have the range and voice/signal clarity of a good Ham Radio.

The10 and 11 meter bands in AM or SSB mode are not a long range proposition, even with a huge amp, unless you are running a large directional beam type antenna, and you just can't mount a Yagi with an approximately 32 foot wide set of elements on your Jeep or 4x4 pickup.

Most CB antennas for a vehicle are only rated for 100 to 150 watts, especially the mag mount type, the 102" whips will handle a little more, but the tiny RG58 coax that feeds them is being taxed with anything more than 100 or so watts input, and so you really are not punching out as much signal as you think, most of it is being converted to heat energy in the coax and the antenna itself even if you manage to get it tuned for a low SWR.

And then there is the legality of it, get caught, and the FCC can issue you a huge fine, they will confiscate the equipment, and can confiscate the vehicle it is mounted in too.

Cheaper to get the Ham license ($15 and the test) and acquire a good all mode radio like a good used Yaesu FT100 (VHF/UHF/HF, works in AM, SSB, FM and CW) and puts out 100 watts as is. If you are going to four wheel it so far back in the wilds you need long distance comms, 11 meters isn't going to get it, hardly anyone listening to it , and if they could hear your booming signal because you are running that 500 or 1,000 or 1,500 watt linear amp (and the dual batteries and 200+ Amp alternator it would require , along with the 2 gauge wire to power it), you wouldn't be able to hear their reply unless they were also running that much power, for while they might hear you from a 100 or 1,000 miles away on their 4 Watt AM 12 Watt SSB CB radio, their signal is never going to reach you.

Put that 100 watt all band rig in the truck, add a good screwdriver HF antenna and a good high gain VHF/
UHF antenna for that side of the radio, and be out the door for hundreds of dollars less than your CB rig with the linear and antenna that are far less efficient. And you have a lot more bands to holler for help on, instead of just 40 channels of AM , 40 channels of USB and 40 of USB , you have literally thousands of frequencies to choose from, and generally speaking, if someone can hear you on one, you can hear them as well.

Yup, just don't understand it, but then I am a dinosaur, and technology corn fuse tuh kates me.
 
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