CB Radios

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anyone use these anymore? I see them for sale wicked cheap on CraigsList all the time and was wondering if they still had a use these days. Also, are they easy to install?
 
When I still had my truck i had one in it and used it when i traded in the truck for the family sedan i pulled it out and kept it figureing if I ever got another truck or a weekend 4x4 i'd stick it in that. plus there always good for those shtf situations.
 
Yes they are useful on the highway, monitor channel 19. I had one in my diesel pickup and used it all the time camping to check on highway conditions and to pickup reroutes around accidents or bad traffic.

I pulled it out and have it wating to go into the new pickup when it gets warmer.

Installing:

USE A POWER FILTER - otherwise igniton noise will make it almost unusable.
You must tune the antenna once installed - get a SWR meter or go to a CB shop (one on rte 20 iirc) they can set you up.
If you mount it on the dash area, keep it away from heat vents and out of the sun (use a sun shade) - I burned one out leaving it in the sun.
 
i've got one and use it. it's funny to listen to the BIG talkers out there and it's saved me from traffic jams on more than one occasion. -also good for asking directions if you need them.

depending on the application , you may or may not need a power filter but, an SWR meter is imperative to a safe setup. you can get them at some radio shacks or from somewhere like this:

walcottcb.com

Check out Skipshooter antennas. -much more broadbanded than Wilson/Firestick (and Made in USA). By "Broad Banded", I mean you get a lower SWR across more channels.

If possible at all, the 102" whip antenna from Radio Shack is supposed to be the best thing out there for mobile....but it's 8.5 feet tall...may work in a bumper mount scenario.
 
I picked up a handheld unit which I bought an external antenna for that's mounted on the rear of my CRV. I haven't used it for a little bit but it has saved me some hassle while on the road in heavy traffic conditions. Also if I ever wanted to the one I bought can be used like a walkie talkie.
 
I have one in the garage. Carl, wanna try talking on that this weekend? We can try the FRS and CB. I wonder if everyone on NES were to tune in to the same station at the same time, how many connections we might make.
 
post when and where you guys would be chatting. i'd like to try to catch up with you.
I'm in the worcester area and I think I can hear and shout about 10mi.

I've got a CB/SSB mobile rig.
 
if you and carl (i have no idea who carl is) are going to hook up I'll try to join in....I don't want to just inject myself into your invite...

I can swing it. The GF has her sister over so it'll give me an excuse to get the hell out of house.
:)
 
Channel 2 on the FRS for me this time around. If we can do more advanced notice, we can plan to do it on FRS, CB, and HAM, for those who have them.
 
hey guys, an update of sorts. found that aside from eBay, nobody really sells CBs except for on CraigsList...ended up with a couple of cheap units (got 2 for 20 bucks) and in my quest to find a magnet mount antenna, got a 3rd radio, complete with weather updates and more knobs and dials than my grandmother had on her old Zenith hi-fi stereo sysem. I set it all up (cig plug for now).

So I get this thing up and running and do a few checks - I ended up being able to talk to someone out in Brookline (from Ayer?) and another one got me in Dracut - both however said that I was barely registering. The antenna is a 3 foot whip - should I get something taller? When I tune to the weather channel, its as clear as a bell, the other channels are static unless I really fiddle with the squelch...in all, it sounds and looks better than radios Ive had in the past, but I'd like to make this thing sound better. Any thoughts?
 
You Do It Electonics in Needham usually has a few decent models in stock ... It's like the old Radio Shack... full of radios, components and nerds.
 
Here is the antenna you want:

RadioShack® 102" Stainless Steel Whip Element for CB Antenna
Model: 21-903 | Catalog #: 21-903

Nice pic of one mounted and tied down!

jeep-18-whip-antenna-600x450.jpg
 
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Anyone in Central MA want to try a CB tomorrow? Try channel 2 or 19. I will put mine on if I go out during the day.
 
Check out Skipshooter antennas. -much more broadbanded than Wilson/Firestick (and Made in USA). By "Broad Banded", I mean you get a lower SWR across more channels.
.

A dummy load has very low SWR across LOTS of channels, but it doesn't get very far. [grin] SWR is meaningless in terms of antenna performance, up until a certain point. Hell, even a Wilson 5000 will get you enough usable bandwidth to get you the 40 CB channels and then a little... extra.

Whatever you guys do, RUN, don't walk away from the K40 antennas, if they still make them. Those things are junk and will smoke at even the tiniest amount of applied forward power. Not only that but thieves love collecting "K40 heads" because the the antenna pops right off its mount with a flick of the wrist. There used to be these welfare type sh**heads on the local CB channel around here that made a "sport" out of that, and it was the dumbest thing I had ever heard of.

-Mike
 
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A dummy load has very low SWR across LOTS of channels, but it doesn't get very far. [grin] SWR is meaningless in terms of antenna performance, up until a certain point. Hell, even a Wilson 5000 will get you enough usable bandwidth to get you the 40 CB channels and then a little... extra.

Whatever you guys do, RUN, don't walk away from the K40 antennas, if they still make them. Those things are junk and will smoke at even the tiniest amount of applied forward power. Not only that but thieves love collecting "K40 heads" because the the antenna pops right off its mount with a flick of the wrist. There used to be these welfare type sh**heads on the local CB channel around here that made a "sport" out of that, and it was the dumbest thing I had ever heard of.

-Mike

Yup, SWR really has little meaning other than to show when you have a major problem.
 
Wilson makes a great antenna - I'm running a Lil Wil and its about 3 feet tall, magnet mount.


I run a CB whenever Im on the road - I live up in Shirley, handle is the same.
 
There may be many more NES'ers with CBs or FRS radios than Ham radios. Maybe we should have a dedicated calling frequency on each service to facilitate communication at get togethers and shoots especially during commuting. CB has 40 but FRS only has 14 so maybe channel 14 on both to alleviate confusion?
 
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