What CB radio would you recommend

[Big G]

Any CB with a remote mounted control head or built into the mic. That way when you do upgrade to Ham or GMRS or both you will have some dashboard real-estate to work with.

Thanks Kent.

 

[Big G]

Not sure I understand your comment “not ready to get into that yet.” About GMRS. Get a Midland Micro Mobile and its plug and play. Sure you have to get a license that’s $7.00 per year but other than that it plug in the coax cable on the magnetic antenna that it comes with, plug in 12v cigarette lighter plug and talk. Simple.

If the people you go out with all have CB’s than get a CB. But if not why get a CB? Between CB and no coms, I’ll take no coms. I use GMRS and an InReach.

Todd

Hi Todd thank you for your comments. What l mean by not ready..., is simply I know nothing about Ham radio or GMRS although I am researching the differences. I am about to start classes to get my Ham license which may change my mind about getting a CB but I'm not sure yet. I will look into your recommendations and see where it takes me.

 

[M Rose]

Hey @Big G, think of it like your knife set. You have your Utility Knife, Your Fillet Knife, and your skinning knife. Now you can use your filet knife on that can of pork and beans, or skin your buck with it, but why ruin a great knife in the can, while skinning your buck is going to take some time compared to using your skinning knife. Now try and filet a fish with your utility knife and you are just butchering it. You might do all right skinning the buck however with the utility knife, but still the skinning knife does a better job in less time with much more finesse. And who is going to ruin their good bales on a can of pork and beans when they have a cheap utility knife.

each radio system has its purpose. CBs are common with the log truck drivers in your area, while GRMS isn’t widely adapted yet, it is becoming cheaper and one license is good for the whole family. Ham is the long range guy. Those pesky hills won’t separate you from your convoy as easily.

I highly recommend getting in touch with @Prerunner1982. He is a wealth of information. Also find your local Ham Club and talk with their members. I found my club to be more than eager to talk about the hobby that for us is a tool.

 

[Big G]

Hey @Big G, think of it like your knife set. You have your Utility Knife, Your Fillet Knife, and your skinning knife. Now you can use your filet knife on that can of pork and beans, or skin your buck with it, but why ruin a great knife in the can, while skinning your buck is going to take some time compared to using your skinning knife. Now try and filet a fish with your utility knife and you are just butchering it. You might do all right skinning the buck however with the utility knife, but still the skinning knife does a better job in less time with much more finesse. And who is going to ruin their good bales on a can of pork and beans when they have a cheap utility knife.

Now that was quite the recitation Michael. LOL. I get what you're saying. Well put. But all I have is a Mora--just kidding.

 

[Autism Family Travels]

I am using this one in the wrangler above the mirror.

Pardon Our Interruption...

and this one in the patriot.

UNIDEN 12V 24V CB RADIO MINI COMPACT REMOVE MIC UHF SCANNER UH9080 for sale | eBay

Find great deals on eBay for UNIDEN 12V 24V CB RADIO MINI COMPACT REMOVE MIC UHF SCANNER UH9080. Shop with confidence.

www.ebay.ca

 

[Downs]

A CB Radio has a max output of 5 watts, which equals about 15 miles on a good day in a mobile rig. GRMS operates up to 100 watts of power (if you can find a radio to handle that much, most are between 25 and 50 watts) with a range of up to 40 miles without a repeater. CB is AM frequencies while GRMS is FM and UHF. So basically GRMS has more power, and has repeater capabilities, while CB is lower power and can’t use repeaters.

4 Watts on CB not 5, GMRS is legally limited to 50 watts not 100, you'll get 40 miles in near perfect conditions maybe mountain top to mountain top. UHF signal propagation means that real world range isn't going to be anywhere near that. Antenna height is king on UHF/VHF they are mostly line of sight. And boosting power doesn't necessarily equal significantly better range on something like a UHF radio especially in rough terrain, you're still limited to line of sight of the radio wave which on a standard roof mounted antenna at 6 or 7 feet will probably get you 12 to 15 miles, again in perfect flat terrain. Start adding hills and whatnot and you're talking a few miles at best. Which is still pretty good.

And you'll get the advantage of the clarity of the FM radio signal vs the AM radio signal of CB.

Now throw a repeater into the mix with GMRS and a good repeater and good mobile unit together will get you close to a 50 mile radius, but you'll need a well positioned and setup repeater. I have a local GMRS repeater to me and the owner is cool with any licensed person using it. I can talk to folks from the East edge of Dallas to the other side of Sulphur Springs which is around 80 miles. That would not be possible without the repeater or a really tall hill/mountain for me to transmit from.


@Big G There's nothing saying you can't install more than on radio ;) I'm setup for 2 one position is permanent above my mirror and is a dual band ham radio and another is in my center console setup to be easily switchable to other radio setups like CB or HAM or GMRS or APRS.

Don't get to warped around the axle on what to get. CBs are simple, you get 4 watts and you get 40 channels, anything else past that is just accessories added on to bump the price up. There are plenty of decent compact CBs out there that will get the job done for 40 dollars. Figure out what options you want, what space you have to work with and go from there. I've ran large and small CBs and usually wind up going back to small units just for space savings. A big Cobra 20LTD does the same job as a Uniden PRO505 for instance

The units posted very early in this thread (president mckinnley) also have an option on them called "Single Side Band". This is a different mode of operation, it's not AM or FM. It's allowed to run 12 watts and can talk for much longer distances though it won't be as clear as an FM signal and requires a little more fanangling of the radio to talk to other radios which also need to be in SSB mode.

Antennas. This is one of the greatest advantages for us as off roaders or whatever you want to call us. A CB antenna is going to be quite long. A 1/4wave antenna on CB is about 8 feet long. In most instances this isn't a practical antenna height so you have to go to something like a fire stick. If you look at a firestick antenna you will see a wire inside the plastic sheathing of the antenna, which is wrapped around the fiberglass rod in the middle. What they do is take that resonant antenna length and coil it up to compact it into a more usable antenna length. This works but is also a big compromise in radio performance.

In comparison a resonant 1/4 wave antenna for GMRS is 6 inches long. Below is a picture of a Base loaded whip CB antenna in the back ground and a 1/4 wave GMRS antenna in the foreground. Even with that little 6 inch antenna I was able to hit my local GMRS repeater from 40 miles away. A ham radio antenna that is dual banded and 1/4 wave on the VHF side and halfwave on the UHF side would be about 19 inches long. A far cry from the 4foot or longer CB antennas which means a lot less stuff to get tangled up in trees.


If it sounds like I'm trying to upsell you to something else.............I kind of am. Now if all the people you run with are running CBs by all means go that route. And as I said earlier there's no reason you can run 2 (or more) radios in your vehicle. But if really have no one else you run with and and just wanting some kind of communications in your vehicle then I would go GMRS (turn key solution) or even better HAM (takes a bit more learning) starting off. HAM repeaters are EVERYWHERE. GMRS repeaters not so much but they are still around though their owners can be a little more protective of who uses it.

View attachment 134850

 

[Downs]

Forgot antenna picture.

 

[M Rose]

@Downs thank you for the clarification I updated my post to fix it.

 

[Trail_pilot]

I think I'm going to have to look into GMRS radios. Would be handy to run when I drag my dad's YJ through the trails back home. He hasn't had any luck with a CB in his Jeep ( installation errors or bad radios). How are these GMRS radios with interference from power lines? I know my CB picks up a lot of interference. Again sorry for the questions.

 

[Downs]

I think I'm going to have to look into GMRS radios. Would be handy to run when I drag my dad's YJ through the trails back home. He hasn't had any luck with a CB in his Jeep ( installation errors or bad radios). How are these GMRS radios with interference from power lines? I know my CB picks up a lot of interference. Again sorry for the questions.

It's not nearly as susceptible to interference in that regard but if you put enough electrical noise in the air around a radio it'll cause interference with even the best radios.

The most common cause of poor CB performance is antenna tuning and position. On Jeeps especially CJs, and Wranglers there's the problem of a lack of ground plane to attach them to. The antenna needs a ground plane to operate properly with exception of half wave antennas that do quite well without a ground plane but can do even better with one. Basically a good ground plane would be a metal surface approximately the same radius as the antenna is tall, on most vehicles this is going to be right in the middle of the roof, an obvious problem for Jeeps without metal roofs. Obviously on a CB with a resonant antenna length of 8 feet this isn't realistic so you have to compromise on your ground plane.

This is another advantage VHF/UHF radios have is when talking about something like GMRS (UHF) you only need 6 inches to a foot of ground plane to be effective and you can get away with even less. This makes it possible to run something like a cowl mounted antenna on a Wrangler or a fender mounted antenna on an L-bracket and still get good performance.

 

[Trail_pilot]

It's not nearly as susceptible to interference in that regard but if you put enough electrical noise in the air around a radio it'll cause interference with even the best radios.

The most common cause of poor CB performance is antenna tuning and position. On Jeeps especially CJs, and Wranglers there's the problem of a lack of ground plane to attach them to. The antenna needs a ground plane to operate properly with exception of half wave antennas that do quite well without a ground plane but can do even better with one. Basically a good ground plane would be a metal surface approximately the same radius as the antenna is tall, on most vehicles this is going to be right in the middle of the roof, an obvious problem for Jeeps without metal roofs. Obviously on a CB with a resonant antenna length of 8 feet this isn't realistic so you have to compromise on your ground plane.

This is another advantage VHF/UHF radios have is when talking about something like GMRS (UHF) you only need 6 inches to a foot of ground plane to be effective and you can get away with even less. This makes it possible to run something like a cowl mounted antenna on a Wrangler or a fender mounted antenna on an L-bracket and still get good performance.

Sounds like a good option for me then!

 

[Munga Brown]

I, too, am in the same boat as Big G (no comms). But I'm not a member of any groups I run with, so basically no one I have to communicate with. However, I'm hoping to change that, and have no idea what primary form of communication they'll (whoever "they" turn out to be) be using.

I'm inclined to go HAM, and am looking into investing (time, mostly... 8+hour round trip commute) in a HAM cram course, but I haven't committed to anything yet.

Wifelette has a good point, though, am I going to be "wasting" money & time in something I'm never (or rarely) going to use? Maybe GMRS will be "enough".

I know that CB is out.

Anyway, thanks for all the contributions in this thread (and other threads here). Sometimes it feels like information overload, though. Hopefully, I'll figure it out.

 

[M Rose]

@Munga Brown DMing you

 

[Big G]

4 Watts on CB not 5, GMRS is legally limited to 50 watts not 100, you'll get 40 miles in near perfect conditions maybe mountain top to mountain top. UHF signal propagation means that real world range isn't going to be anywhere near that. Antenna height is king on UHF/VHF they are mostly line of sight. And boosting power doesn't necessarily equal significantly better range on something like a UHF radio especially in rough terrain, you're still limited to line of sight of the radio wave which on a standard roof mounted antenna at 6 or 7 feet will probably get you 12 to 15 miles, again in perfect flat terrain. Start adding hills and whatnot and you're talking a few miles at best. Which is still pretty good.

And you'll get the advantage of the clarity of the FM radio signal vs the AM radio signal of CB.

Now throw a repeater into the mix with GMRS and a good repeater and good mobile unit together will get you close to a 50 mile radius, but you'll need a well positioned and setup repeater. I have a local GMRS repeater to me and the owner is cool with any licensed person using it. I can talk to folks from the East edge of Dallas to the other side of Sulphur Springs which is around 80 miles. That would not be possible without the repeater or a really tall hill/mountain for me to transmit from.


@Big G There's nothing saying you can't install more than on radio ;) I'm setup for 2 one position is permanent above my mirror and is a dual band ham radio and another is in my center console setup to be easily switchable to other radio setups like CB or HAM or GMRS or APRS.

Don't get to warped around the axle on what to get. CBs are simple, you get 4 watts and you get 40 channels, anything else past that is just accessories added on to bump the price up. There are plenty of decent compact CBs out there that will get the job done for 40 dollars. Figure out what options you want, what space you have to work with and go from there. I've ran large and small CBs and usually wind up going back to small units just for space savings. A big Cobra 20LTD does the same job as a Uniden PRO505 for instance

The units posted very early in this thread (president mckinnley) also have an option on them called "Single Side Band". This is a different mode of operation, it's not AM or FM. It's allowed to run 12 watts and can talk for much longer distances though it won't be as clear as an FM signal and requires a little more fanangling of the radio to talk to other radios which also need to be in SSB mode.

Antennas. This is one of the greatest advantages for us as off roaders or whatever you want to call us. A CB antenna is going to be quite long. A 1/4wave antenna on CB is about 8 feet long. In most instances this isn't a practical antenna height so you have to go to something like a fire stick. If you look at a firestick antenna you will see a wire inside the plastic sheathing of the antenna, which is wrapped around the fiberglass rod in the middle. What they do is take that resonant antenna length and coil it up to compact it into a more usable antenna length. This works but is also a big compromise in radio performance.

In comparison a resonant 1/4 wave antenna for GMRS is 6 inches long. Below is a picture of a Base loaded whip CB antenna in the back ground and a 1/4 wave GMRS antenna in the foreground. Even with that little 6 inch antenna I was able to hit my local GMRS repeater from 40 miles away. A ham radio antenna that is dual banded and 1/4 wave on the VHF side and halfwave on the UHF side would be about 19 inches long. A far cry from the 4foot or longer CB antennas which means a lot less stuff to get tangled up in trees.


If it sounds like I'm trying to upsell you to something else.............I kind of am. Now if all the people you run with are running CBs by all means go that route. And as I said earlier there's no reason you can run 2 (or more) radios in your vehicle. But if really have no one else you run with and and just wanting some kind of communications in your vehicle then I would go GMRS (turn key solution) or even better HAM (takes a bit more learning) starting off. HAM repeaters are EVERYWHERE. GMRS repeaters not so much but they are still around though their owners can be a little more protective of who uses it.

View attachment 134850

Wow Joshua that's a lot of information but I'm glad you put it out there. I, like Munga I believe, don't presently run with anyone regularly so CB is more of, well I had one years ago so maybe I'll do it again. You and others have mentioned running more than one radio and that may very well be what I do. But be assured, I appreciate all that you have posted and will be digesting it thoroughly. Thanks so much for taking the time. You and others who have posted are doing exactly what I was hoping for and that's input and clarity.

 

[Prerunner1982]

and I am looking for a 102 whip.

I would prefer a 108" whip as it doesn't need a spring and won't lay back quite so much when going down the road but still flexible enough to bend over and secure.

This is a 102" whip and spring.

 

[M Rose]

I would prefer a 108" whip as it doesn't need a spring and won't lay back quite so much when going down the road but still flexible enough to bend over and secure.

This is a 102" whip and spring.
View attachment 134912

I’ve ran 102,s in the past without problems... just take a piece of paracord and make a loop to tie the antenna down with while on the road... Back in the 90’s we used 102’s almost exclusively out here off road, and used firesticks around town, which is exactly what I plan on doing if I have my antenna on at all.

 

[Munga Brown]

Wow Joshua that's a lot of information but I'm glad you put it out there. I, like Munga I believe, don't presently run with anyone regularly so CB is more of, well I had one years ago so maybe I'll do it again. You and others have mentioned running more than one radio and that may very well be what I do. But be assured, I appreciate all that you have posted and will be digesting it thoroughly. Thanks so much for taking the time. You and others who have posted are doing exactly what I was hoping for and that's input and clarity.

So hey, Gary. Thanks to Slimpartywagon, I went online today to take this free ham study practice test. I've never studied for this at all, and the test questions just keep randomly popping up (with some repetition), and I'm not quite sure how to read my results, but I seem to be doing ok.

I think I might pursue my ham tech license. I can pick up an inexpensive, hand held unit, and if I end up running with folks that aren't using ham, I can pick up a cheap hand held FMS (walkie talkie type) unit.

Still, this is a lot of information to digest & try to figure out. But I also think that due to where I live, ham could come in handy in case of a SHTF situation (tsunami/quake/landslide isolation scenario). There's a reason these seasoned, experienced folks recommend ham. I think I'll listen to them (for a change. Ha!).

 

[Big G]

So hey, Gary. Thanks to Slimpartywagon, I went online today to take this free ham study practice test. I've never studied for this at all, and the test questions just keep randomly popping up (with some repetition), and I'm not quite sure how to read my results, but I seem to be doing ok.

I think I might pursue my ham tech license. I can pick up an inexpensive, hand held unit, and if I end up running with folks that aren't using ham, I can pick up a cheap hand held FMS (walkie talkie type) unit.

Still, this is a lot of information to digest & try to figure out. But I also think that due to where I live, ham could come in handy in case of a SHTF situation (tsunami/quake/landslide isolation scenario). There's a reason these seasoned, experienced folks recommend ham. I think I'll listen to them (for a change. Ha!).

Can you share the link where the practice test you're taking is located. Keep at it man.

 

[Munga Brown]

Sure, Gary... check this site out. I'm not sure how to correctly use it (yet), but just spent an hour or so going through practice questions, guessing at most (95%) of 'em. haha! Oh, and thanks!

 

[RoyB]

I bought this one on Amazon for a whole $33!

Uniden PRO505XL 40-Channel CB Radio. Pro-Series, Compact Design. Public Address (PA) Function. Instant Emergency Channel 9, External Speaker Jack, Large Easy to Read Display. - Black


I simply slide it between my seat and the console, plug into cigarette lighter, and use a simple magnetic mount antenna. Easy Peasy! And I only use it when taking long trips. It is only usefull in a traffic jam or when off roading with a group that is using CB

But in most cases, group rides recently have been using GMRS/FRS. For that I use a Beofeng handheld tuned to whatever frequency is being used.