Enthusiast III
I'm considering trying to hook up my HF radio to the firestik CB antenna and seeing if it'll work on 10m in a pinch... Just out of curiosity.
Ditch the CB entirely or stow it?
- Thread starter JeepGuy91
- Start date
Enthusiast I
- 1,103
- First Name
- Roy
- Last Name
- White
- Member #
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29439
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- KG5STQ
That will work if you tune it correctly but if you tune it for 10 it will put your SWRs out of whack on 11. It will still transmit and receive without tuning but it will fry the radio if used for an extended time
Enthusiast III
Enthusiast I
- 1,103
- First Name
- Roy
- Last Name
- White
- Member #
-
29439
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- KG5STQ
Now that changes everything. That should work! I have never tried it bc my tuner is to big to carry with me in a 2 door keep
Enthusiast III
Awesome! Yeah I have a Yaesu FT-891 and an MFJ tuner that has about the same footprint. It's pretty portable, which was what I was after. I wanted to have a "go-kit"/"field kit" that I could bring on trips. Intent was just one more added layer of emergency comms should an emergency arise.
Influencer II
Recently I went down the rabbit hole when I was looking for a radio for the new build. Eventually I decided on GMRS, a Midland MXT115. I am happy with that decision but recently in preparing for an Arctic trip I was reading the Milepost (the bible of road travel in the north) and for the Dalton Highway they say as follows:
”CB radios are strongly recommended to monitor road conditions and truck traffic. Use channel 19”
This got me thinking an inexpensive CB radio might be a good thing to have.
Am I wasting my money on old tech? ... or would it be good insurance?
”CB radios are strongly recommended to monitor road conditions and truck traffic. Use channel 19”
This got me thinking an inexpensive CB radio might be a good thing to have.
Am I wasting my money on old tech? ... or would it be good insurance?
Enthusiast I
- 1,103
- First Name
- Roy
- Last Name
- White
- Member #
-
29439
- Ham/GMRS Callsign
- KG5STQ
In my opinion it is never a waist of money spent on communication and safety
Member III
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I can swap a CB into my 2nd radio spot in my center console in a few minutes and many times I'll run it for weeks at a time and never hear anything on it. And I'm on I-30 and I-635 for 40+ miles of my commute.
Better to have it and know what is going on the highway than not. CB radios are so cheap they are almost free. Be sure to get the antenna properly tuned for it to work properly.
Most people complain about CB radios not working don't have a tuned antenna.
I drove to Alaska and to Deadhorse and having a CB was useful in hearing the truckers and know where they were .
Influencer II
Thanks for the feedback on your experience to Deadhorse! You're right, a reasonable radio and antenna is very cheap now, even in Canadian dollars :-) I have been doing a bit of reading and will definitely buy/borrow a SWR meter to properly tune my antenna.
Check out the thread on Mid Maine. They say that all the logging trucks uo there use CB. So if you are ever heading up there, I guess dont ditch the CB
Advocate III
- 5,584
- First Name
- Michael
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- Rose
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20990
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- W7FSB
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- US ARMY Retired
Depending on what tuner is used it is possible to tune a CB fire stick for both 10m and 12m and might even tune in 6m as well (never tried 6).
Enthusiast III
A CB is worth it for the Dalton. I used to live up there. The milepost is also vital for the drive to Alaska.
Let me know if you have any other questions related to Alaska!
Enthusiast III
I might have to give that a try one of these weekends when nothing else is going on! Sounds like a fun experiment.
I put Anderson Powerpole connectors on everything and have one of the Cobra CBs where all the controls are on the mic. It lives under the seat and if I ever want to use it, I just plug it into the power distribution block under the seat and put a firestick antenna (stowed with the spare tire) on my mag mount. I haven't added GMRS yet but this was my plan to be able to switch back and forth easily.
Influencer II
Thanks Alex! As our planning progresses I'm sure some local knowledge will be very helpful. If you don't mind, I'll PM you when the time comes for input. The next big milestone is July 21st when hopefully our two countries can get their act together on a re-opening plan.
Advocate III
CBs aren't anywhere near as chatty as they used to be, even on the big roads, and you'll go for days sometimes not hearing another soul.
Though they are still very handy, as has been noted in this thread, for backcountry places like the NMW and other deep forests where there are logging trucks. They have the right of way, and will come barreling around gravel corners and catch you off-guard. Some drivers will announce their location, and it's wise to announce yours if you're in a four-wheeler.
Also has been noted and not to be underestimated, is how very handy they are for when the big road turns into a parking lot because of an accident or construction up ahead. Then the truckers will get on the CB and start chatting to drivers going the other way about what happened up ahead, how many miles long the back up is, and which lanes are moving or not.
I led a whole convoy of four-wheelers once, in Kentucky with my van, on a long detour around a eight mile backup on I-75, because someone noticed I was on my radio, was punching stuff into the GPS on my dash, and had my signal on to get off at the exit. His passenger yelled up at me "You know a way around?"
I yelled back "Yep, follow me!" All of a sudden he and a whole bunch of others were sticking their arms out the window in a "C'mon!" wave, getting off the interstate behind me, and making every turn I was. I led 'em over to and up the Dixie Highway through a mess of small towns and up past Walton into Richwood, where I could see 75 N was running smooth. I turned towards the TA then onto the ramp for the Interstate and pulled over. One by one they passed by, honking their horns, yelling out their windows "Hey man, thank you!" and "You rock!" etc. I felt like a rock star.
Besides the weather channels, which I depend on regularly, traffic jam/parking lot workarounds is one of the main reasons I keep a CB around.
I need to create a better cushion mount for it, though, because I bounce it so much on washboard and backcountry roads it keeps breaking soldered connections. Then all that works is the 7 NOAA channels.
.
Though they are still very handy, as has been noted in this thread, for backcountry places like the NMW and other deep forests where there are logging trucks. They have the right of way, and will come barreling around gravel corners and catch you off-guard. Some drivers will announce their location, and it's wise to announce yours if you're in a four-wheeler.
Also has been noted and not to be underestimated, is how very handy they are for when the big road turns into a parking lot because of an accident or construction up ahead. Then the truckers will get on the CB and start chatting to drivers going the other way about what happened up ahead, how many miles long the back up is, and which lanes are moving or not.
I led a whole convoy of four-wheelers once, in Kentucky with my van, on a long detour around a eight mile backup on I-75, because someone noticed I was on my radio, was punching stuff into the GPS on my dash, and had my signal on to get off at the exit. His passenger yelled up at me "You know a way around?"
I yelled back "Yep, follow me!" All of a sudden he and a whole bunch of others were sticking their arms out the window in a "C'mon!" wave, getting off the interstate behind me, and making every turn I was. I led 'em over to and up the Dixie Highway through a mess of small towns and up past Walton into Richwood, where I could see 75 N was running smooth. I turned towards the TA then onto the ramp for the Interstate and pulled over. One by one they passed by, honking their horns, yelling out their windows "Hey man, thank you!" and "You rock!" etc. I felt like a rock star.
Besides the weather channels, which I depend on regularly, traffic jam/parking lot workarounds is one of the main reasons I keep a CB around.
I need to create a better cushion mount for it, though, because I bounce it so much on washboard and backcountry roads it keeps breaking soldered connections. Then all that works is the 7 NOAA channels.
.
Member III
Enthusiast III
