CB radios

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M Rose

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Michael
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Rose
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US ARMY Retired
I'm just getting started in overlanding. Does almost everyone have a CB radio in their rig?
I have one of those antique things mounted in my Broncos… it’s there for nostalgia… it works but most everyone around me is using amateur radio, so I’ve moved on to amateur radio…
 
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Longshot270

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Depends on where you are at and what kind of info you want. My gmrs will scan for hours with little to no traffic but the cb will be busy on one or two channels with hobby and commercial traffic.
 
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OkieDavid

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Depends on where you are at and what kind of info you want. My gmrs will scan for hours with little to no traffic but the cb will be busy on one or two channels with hobby and commercial traffic.
I carry a hand held CB for group events just in case, but it seems most of the groups I'm around now use GMRS which it the one I mounted in my vehicle. I also have a hand held ham radio and my tech license. I get your point, it all depends but if I had to pick one for group rides, it would be the GMRS.
 

Longshot270

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I carry a hand held CB for group events just in case, but it seems most of the groups I'm around now use GMRS which it the one I mounted in my vehicle. I also have a hand held ham radio and my tech license. I get your point, it all depends but if I had to pick one for group rides, it would be the GMRS.
That’s what my plan was but never got into any wheeling groups or anything that used gmrs. My cb is a handheld with an external 4 ft firestick.
 
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YoKramer

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My buddy and I are going GMRS but I'll always have a CB in the truck just cause you never know when it may come in handy or its the only thing someone in the group has.
 
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El-Dracho

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Lampertheim, Germany
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Bjoern
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It is interesting to see how different the usage of the different radio applications are. Here in Europe, many overlanders still use CB radio (11m band), some also use PMR446 (which is basically the European equivalent of FRS in the US), which is between 446 and 446.200 MHz. Only a few are on the road with HAM radio.

We have only two classes of amateur radio certificate in Germany for example (similar in other european countries) and no real pure user class for beginners. So the learning effort is reallynot insignificant. Therefore, many people over here have no interest in amateur radio. What I cannot understand, because just by the increased learning effort and the extensive exam to get the license, opens up interesting possibilities, which are quite interesting for overlanders.

Well, in the end it is important to have a radioe for the application, which most of those you want to communicate with, will use.
 

KonzaLander

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I’ve driven from Texas to Wyoming twice with a CB. I’ve heard exactly one conversation in 7,000 miles. It’s gone now.
The only time I have heard a conversation on CB (not counting a rambling hillbilly in AR with an amped up CB skipping signal to KS) was in Denver in 2004 during a traffic jam. Most of the 'discussion' was one truckers point-of-view of a lady putting on lotion in the traffic jam.

My CB has been gone since 2015.
 
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