Explorer I
i wolud like to know if i should get a cb radio fo my truck or if there a differnt one that every body uses now the a cb and if so what brand should i go with im on a really tight budget
what radio
- Thread starter LJ0073
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Pathfinder III
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The easy answer is who do you go out with, but if it were me I would get a handheld GMRS radio that you can keep in your rig or transfer between rigs/cars.
Explorer I
im mostly out by my self but there are a couple guided events i would like to go do and maybe meet some new people in my area
Like above, get what the people you go with use.
Truth be told CB is mostly dead. The only reasons that I have one in my truck is for NOAA weather alerts and the PA function. In my area I rarely hear anyone on any channel, and truckers have almost completely transitioned to uhf/vhf radios now.
I guess the real question is how much do you know about radios?
Are you asking what radio you should get or are you specifically asking what CB radio you should get. As in are you using the term CB radio like most non radio people use it, to describe any radio some puts in their truck. Or do you know the difference between a CB, vhf, uhf and GMRS/FRS radios?
Shawn
Truth be told CB is mostly dead. The only reasons that I have one in my truck is for NOAA weather alerts and the PA function. In my area I rarely hear anyone on any channel, and truckers have almost completely transitioned to uhf/vhf radios now.
I guess the real question is how much do you know about radios?
Are you asking what radio you should get or are you specifically asking what CB radio you should get. As in are you using the term CB radio like most non radio people use it, to describe any radio some puts in their truck. Or do you know the difference between a CB, vhf, uhf and GMRS/FRS radios?
Shawn
Explorer I
Pioneer II
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Most organized/guided tours now use GMRS as a standard. I would recommend Midland GXT67 handheld to start with, it is practically indestructible and will run a long time on a charge.
Explorer I
Influencer III
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CB is dead. 5 years ago I took a 4,000 mile trip to Wyoming and back. I heard one conversation in 3 weeks. Gmrs and ham are your better bets.
Member III
Don't know if this will help you at all..
www.overlandbound.com
OB Approved - US Comms - An Introduction to your communication options
What comms are right for you? This depends on who you want to talk to and what they are using. Trail/Convoy comms: CB use has declined among off road groups though still may be useful around logging areas. MURS (no license) is another option, though it is not widely used. GMRS (license...
Even up here in New England I hear conversation over CB regularly. Daily. But that is usually when I am nearing some sort of intermodal center, trucking hub, or whatnot, but I do hear conversation around the I-90 and route 2 E-W corridors daily. I do NOT hear much at all in the greater Boston area, say, inside of the route 128 arc. Maybe there's too much "far and in between" in a place like Montana or Wyoming, I dont know, as the CB is only supposed to be a 4 or 5 watt device.
My CB also has NOAA weather monitoring on 7 channels and alerts, so I use it for that as well.
Having said all of that, I do have a couple of GMRS/FRS Cobra Micro-Talk handhelds with 22 channels, 121 privacy codes and NOAA. I would like to get a Midland MXT115 or something but have not squeezed the trigger on that yet.
Long winded just to say, get a CB if you really want one for the hell of it, but get yourself a GMRS/FRS first for sure. That's the way its going.
Midland is a good bet for plug and play. If you are willing to learn a bit and use your computer to program a radio you can get a decent radio for like $40, and be able to listen on far more frequencies
Midland GMRS
Tidradio H3, computer program one
I suggest getting one of the above and using it for a while to see what works for you and what you like / dont like, before you go spending a bunch on a radio.
Shawn
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Creator III
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Short answer is as mentioned above, run what the group or event is using.
Long answer is I run 3 types of radios on trips. CB, HAM and GMRS.
I run solo often and found that a CB still comes in handy when passing through more highly trafficked areas to get reports on the road ahead and listening to the jawing the drivers do.
The past trip I ran a pair of Retivis 20w GMRS units for jeep to jeep communicating and found most others are running GMRS also.
I always have a HT HAM radio in the jeep as well to talk with other HAMs I see on the road and I will be upgrading to a more powerful unit that has the ability to reach out further.
The biggest thing to remember is that the antenna configuration can make or break how well your setup will work.
Long answer is I run 3 types of radios on trips. CB, HAM and GMRS.
I run solo often and found that a CB still comes in handy when passing through more highly trafficked areas to get reports on the road ahead and listening to the jawing the drivers do.
The past trip I ran a pair of Retivis 20w GMRS units for jeep to jeep communicating and found most others are running GMRS also.
I always have a HT HAM radio in the jeep as well to talk with other HAMs I see on the road and I will be upgrading to a more powerful unit that has the ability to reach out further.
The biggest thing to remember is that the antenna configuration can make or break how well your setup will work.
Advocate II
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CB for me as well along with GMRS, I’m old school and still do some pilot car work from time to time and the CB helps when getting good real time road info in the area from Truck drivers, The life blood of America IMHO…..
Trail Blazer III
Midland makes a CB radio that plugs into the 12v. You can connect it's battery pack if you want it to be handheld. Sometimes I will run CB and GMRS if I go out with a large group or a long trip just to have a few more communication options. For the most part, CB isn't really used by offroaders and it has switched to GMRS radios. Another option is to use a Baofeng radio and program the GMRS frequencies into it. I'm sure you will get some HAM radio dudes that will complain but it's whatever and I could care less. Baofengs are a pretty good option that allows for flexibility.
I dont know about your guys but I like podcasts, or voice books or audio books what you call them. I avoid motivational ones while driving as they seem boring soon, i like to listen to some crime stories or mystery busts. recently I found darknet diaries on apple podcasts very interesting.
Lol... ok. I'm thinking he was more interested in GMRS vs. HAM vs CB, but your entertainment choices while driving were still fun! That's how parched I am for overland posts lol! ;)
This thread and another, made me watch about 20 Youtube reviews yesterday for what radio to get for overlanding, and use the SEARCH for past threads. Here is what I came up with, may help:
1. GMRS seems to be most popular, and is what my local groups all use, so that is what I personally need.
2. For my few times a year convoy, plus some hikes, the Handheld radios are the correct use-choice for me. 5W is their max.
3. If I wanted to mount one in car, then 15W is pretty normal, better range. In this case, the Midland MTX series, either 115 or 275, were the winners.
4. For handhelds, seems the Midland Gtx 67 Pro is the one everyone loved... but $199 each. I wanted it, but passed.
5. After watching reviews comparing 6 to 9 different handhelds, I went super cheap and got a pair of Baofeng UV-5G, their GMRS preprogrammed one, $49. These things won or were well rated on a LOT of reviews, at $25 each I can toss it if it sux, and tons of folks say they work just fine for Overland groups or hiking around camp with wife.
Not often I don't just buy once, cry once, and get the $199 darling... we'll see.
hrichard
Rank V
Off-Road Ranger III
I put together a cheap setup for my rig, I have a HAM license so ymmv. I threw a cheap Radioddity CB-27 am/fm CB and a QYT KD8700 in mine. simple dash mount, with antennas and home brew brackets I'm in the whole works for less than 200 bucks. When I'm outside my rig I use a Baofeng UV-17 PRO GPS and I have another CB27 and mag mount antenna I can rotate around between vehicles. I find some traffic on CB in my area, some on GMRS, and most on 2 meter HAM. When off road most people around here do run GMRS, some of the bigger groups (non overland fyi) use Rugged Radio frequencies
Wayne AKA Jugbutt
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Hello all, new to the group,but we need to inform some people that getting a VHF/uhf radio requires a Technician Ticket.
Ki5qcx
Advocate III
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I just got a Retevis RA86 GMRS radio for my truck. I haven't got my Ham license yet. Right now I will get the GMRS installed and then I have a HAM HT which I will put a holster for it on my dash and then I might even put in my CB radio. I love having gadgets and if one fails then I have some form of backup. However, that being said, there is not a lot of users in my area that use a CB....
What radios do you have? Anyone?
What radios do you have? Anyone?
