When I had a Baofeng handheld and a mag mount antenna, I was able to hit the local repeater more than 20 miles away down in a valley. Night and day difference with an external antenna vs the rubber duck.
Steward I
I plan to use both.
ham: Depending on equipment/license, great for a few miles to reaching across the world. I'm a ham operator and enjoy what ham is all about. For me, it's about learning and its about community. How do radio waves work? How far can I reach? What frequency is used for what? The ham community is vast and many folks (Elmers) enjoy helping/teaching others all sorts of things like how to be a ham operator, how to build antennas and radios, and even get into talking to folks in other countries. If you want to learn a lot about radios and communications, get a ham technician license. You also have many more channels/bands/frequencies to talk on and you'll be using call signs like Whiskey 2 Yankee Bravo X-ray (W2YBX). Ham is generally a bit more expensive to get into than Cb.
Cb: Easy and inexpensive to get into. Great for a few miles depending on terrain and such. Limited to 4 watts but they can be tweaked a bit and theres SSB that gives you 12 watts of power. No test to take. Just learn which channels to use. No dedicated community to learn from per se, but you'll pick up how folks talk on it. there are no fcc call signs anymore for Cb so use your first name or give yourself a nickname.
ham: Depending on equipment/license, great for a few miles to reaching across the world. I'm a ham operator and enjoy what ham is all about. For me, it's about learning and its about community. How do radio waves work? How far can I reach? What frequency is used for what? The ham community is vast and many folks (Elmers) enjoy helping/teaching others all sorts of things like how to be a ham operator, how to build antennas and radios, and even get into talking to folks in other countries. If you want to learn a lot about radios and communications, get a ham technician license. You also have many more channels/bands/frequencies to talk on and you'll be using call signs like Whiskey 2 Yankee Bravo X-ray (W2YBX). Ham is generally a bit more expensive to get into than Cb.
Cb: Easy and inexpensive to get into. Great for a few miles depending on terrain and such. Limited to 4 watts but they can be tweaked a bit and theres SSB that gives you 12 watts of power. No test to take. Just learn which channels to use. No dedicated community to learn from per se, but you'll pick up how folks talk on it. there are no fcc call signs anymore for Cb so use your first name or give yourself a nickname.
Off-Road Ranger I
Range is the primary reason for a ham. That said, if you have both ham and cb radios, along with a cell phone, you have 3 forms of communication. This gives a cushion to the two is one, and one is none mantra.
The HAM license is not difficult to get. Study the questions in the book that is available at HAM stores. The current book is only good till July 30 then a new one will be out and a new set of study questions will be effective.
It is illegal by FCC rules to broadcast on a HAM w/o a license.
A reasonable hand held HAM can be obtained for less than $50, so if you just want to listen and not transmit a license is not required. Operating a hand held inside your vehicle severely limits the range with the supplied 'rubber duck' antenna.
I have a HH and use it for com in a small group traveling back roads but the farther we are away from each other (riding back to avoid dust) the less I hear from the front of the group driver.
Unless you get a hand held that can be recharged with a USB cord your internal battery may only be good for a few days and I have lost power on my HH at a very inconvenient time, also no cell service out there.
I have just passed my test and have outfitted my LR with a Yaesu 7900 radio. I expect that our next adventure will allow me to communicate much more effectively.
Take the test and be legit, not difficult, really.
It is illegal by FCC rules to broadcast on a HAM w/o a license.
A reasonable hand held HAM can be obtained for less than $50, so if you just want to listen and not transmit a license is not required. Operating a hand held inside your vehicle severely limits the range with the supplied 'rubber duck' antenna.
I have a HH and use it for com in a small group traveling back roads but the farther we are away from each other (riding back to avoid dust) the less I hear from the front of the group driver.
Unless you get a hand held that can be recharged with a USB cord your internal battery may only be good for a few days and I have lost power on my HH at a very inconvenient time, also no cell service out there.
I have just passed my test and have outfitted my LR with a Yaesu 7900 radio. I expect that our next adventure will allow me to communicate much more effectively.
Take the test and be legit, not difficult, really.
Enthusiast III
Ham and FRS/GMRS capable. Will probably get a SSB capable CB at some point. For FRS/GMRS i use a Baofeng 82C - The Commercial Version - It has great audio compared to the every store Motorola radios (have used both). Problem i have with FRS/GMRS is Everyone has one and very limited distance of reliable comms, then again everyone has one.
With Ham you have virtually unlimited Frequency availability and a much greater range with the proper antenna - Have heard Mobil Hams talking to Europe on the HF bands. On the trail HAM VHF or UHF bands would be no problem - and if you need more distance you can get 2 meter radios that have up to 75 watts output, though that would be rarely needed.
With CB and the right antenna and good band conditions 5 to a few hundred miles is possible - but not with a Firestick mounted right next to the body of your truck.
Pics are just for example - YMMV.
Popular - but DE-tunes the antenna and limits range:
102" whip - Much Better full size antenna for CB and can still be used folded over, but will catch trees:
Best way - With a Firestick type:
And Not obstructed for HF or a 102" whip - and can be folded back while in the woods:
The last one is a high buck Codan Antenna system - But you can do the same with a standard 102" CB whip and remove for city driving.
With Ham you have virtually unlimited Frequency availability and a much greater range with the proper antenna - Have heard Mobil Hams talking to Europe on the HF bands. On the trail HAM VHF or UHF bands would be no problem - and if you need more distance you can get 2 meter radios that have up to 75 watts output, though that would be rarely needed.
With CB and the right antenna and good band conditions 5 to a few hundred miles is possible - but not with a Firestick mounted right next to the body of your truck.
Pics are just for example - YMMV.
Popular - but DE-tunes the antenna and limits range:
102" whip - Much Better full size antenna for CB and can still be used folded over, but will catch trees:
Best way - With a Firestick type:
And Not obstructed for HF or a 102" whip - and can be folded back while in the woods:
The last one is a high buck Codan Antenna system - But you can do the same with a standard 102" CB whip and remove for city driving.
Like many are saying it would be wise to utilize both a CB and VHF radio. That way you have all of your bases covered. CB will help when you are on the trail with others who may not have a VHF setup and it works great for close coms. A VHF radio requires a HAM license which not everyone wants to deal with getting and it is quite a bit more pricey generally unless you go with the cheap Chinese HT's such as Baofeng or Wouxun. Just remember though...you get what you pay for in radio gear.
As far as CB goes...Yes typically the carrier is 4-5W however if you go the route of a converted radio you will have CB at between 30-50W. Again, it is still CB which is generally useful for up to just a couple miles without massively increasing power with a Linear Amplifier and hitting the skip.
Just my $.02
As far as CB goes...Yes typically the carrier is 4-5W however if you go the route of a converted radio you will have CB at between 30-50W. Again, it is still CB which is generally useful for up to just a couple miles without massively increasing power with a Linear Amplifier and hitting the skip.
Just my $.02
Traveler III
The US ham test must be really different from the Canadian one, because the one in Canada is stupidly hard. I did a bunch of test questions and probably 90% of them might as well have been written in Cantonese, they were complete gibberish to me, and I'm by no means a stupid person.
It seems like in the US, there are different levels of ham licenses, whereas in the People's Republik of Canuckistan, it seems like there's only one level and it's the "licensed to build your own ten billion watt base station to communicate to space probes using only recycled pop cans and used paperclips" level of difficulty.
It seems like in the US, there are different levels of ham licenses, whereas in the People's Republik of Canuckistan, it seems like there's only one level and it's the "licensed to build your own ten billion watt base station to communicate to space probes using only recycled pop cans and used paperclips" level of difficulty.
Enthusiast III
If you have any basic knowledge or background with electronics/electricity the Tech and General test in People's Republik of AmeriKaistan are a piece of cake and very similar - personally i would say take them the same day even if you have not studied the General book, you may just walk out a General class.
The Extra Class test is another story or was for me. Its not unobtainium, but well worth your time to study for that one. Studied the book for 3 weeks, took the online tests - and when I read the actual test questions after taking the General - it was a WTF moment. Pure Gibberish. I passed by the hair on a witches chin.
The Extra Class test is another story or was for me. Its not unobtainium, but well worth your time to study for that one. Studied the book for 3 weeks, took the online tests - and when I read the actual test questions after taking the General - it was a WTF moment. Pure Gibberish. I passed by the hair on a witches chin.
Traveler III
Member III
Demonstrating how well it works compared to CB can help influence them to move up in the radio world.
Off-Road Ranger I
The reason CB radios are relatively low power is because that is the legal limit. Transmitting on CB frequencies at high power is illegal.
Traveler III
The fact that they transmit an AM rather than FM signal is also a factor - they're more susceptible to interference and obstructions.
I applied for and passed the tech part of the exam because that level allowed me to communicate on trail rides with my friends. I had no desire to build a HAM set up with a giant antenna in my yard and talk to people in faroffistan.
Probably could have passed the next level that same day but after several hours of on site study going over every possible permutation of question and taking the test I was done for the day, besides the coffee and donuts were gone by then.
I was able to take the test offered to veterans at no cost that was staffed by veterans as well. Good folks.
edit: I also run a CB for closer in communications. They both have their place and use.
Probably could have passed the next level that same day but after several hours of on site study going over every possible permutation of question and taking the test I was done for the day, besides the coffee and donuts were gone by then.
I was able to take the test offered to veterans at no cost that was staffed by veterans as well. Good folks.
edit: I also run a CB for closer in communications. They both have their place and use.
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Contributor III
I could not agree more about ham radio, I have been a ham since the early 90's and it is not just for overlanding but if there is a disaster and the cell service goes out (and they will) you have a way to call for help or let your family know you are ok
Kurt W9ERT
Off-Road Ranger I
I use APRS to keep my family up to date in where I am and they have a list of where I'm supposed to be in case I don't move on the map.
Contributor III
I am getting back into APRS, have to get my truck setup again if I keep it. The F150 is way too bad on gas, I am looking at a outback or something similar. But using APRS is a great idea for family. I have been through too many events where other forms of communication have failed. People never realize how quickly the cell phones will go dead when the power goes away.
Not entirely true as anyone can legally transmit on ham bands in the event of an emergency. If you do not have a license you cannot legally transmit if it is not an emergency, even simplex to other vehicles in your group.
CB and ham both have their place. I run both. I bought a CB for trail/vehicle-to-vehicle comms but I see an increasing number of ham radios on the trails. If I had to choose one or the other it would be ham because of the greatly increased communication capability over CB, being able to hit a repeater 30+ miles away makes me feel a bit safer. It takes a little research prior to heading out because you need to know which repeaters are in the area, are they public, what's the offset...etc., so it's a bit different and more involved than just flipping through 40 CB channels and hoping someone nearby will hear you, but it's not hard. With programs like CHIRP it is easy to program in frequencies and repeaters for an area. I have most repeaters for southern cali programmed into my mobile and HT, only took a few minutes to setup. For trips outside of socal I just look up repeaters in the areas I will be in and program them in with the same software prior to departing.
To give my answer to the OPs original question, one of the main advantages of ham over CB is range. I think it's cheap enough to run both. Even if you don't plan on getting your ham license you can use it during an emergency. However, you will need to know how to find and tx/rx on a repeater, how to program frequencies and offsets into your radio, etc. If you don't your mobile of HT will be useless. If you're going to learn all that you might as well study for the ham test, it really is pretty easy to pass.
Off-Road Ranger I
Here's a pedantic legal "by the book" clarification i'd like to make, because because it's an important distinction: You absolutely cannot transmit while unlicensed in an emergency unless it is necessary for the immediate safety of human life
Subpart E—Providing Emergency Communications
...
§97.403 Safety of life and protection of property. No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station of any means of radiocommunication at its disposal to provide essential communication needs in connection with the immediate safety of human life and immediate protection of property when normal communication systems are not available.
...
§97.403 Safety of life and protection of property. No provision of these rules prevents the use by an amateur station of any means of radiocommunication at its disposal to provide essential communication needs in connection with the immediate safety of human life and immediate protection of property when normal communication systems are not available.
So, for example:
Vehicle broke down in the middle of the desert? NOPE. Can't transmit.
Vehicle broke down in the middle of the desert but you have movie plans with the wife tonight? NOPE. Can't transmit.
Vehicle broke down in the middle of the desert and you ran out of water trying to hike back, you are still a significant distance away from civilization and you still have no cell signal? YEP. You can probably transmit.
Okay, enough of the pedantic legal stuff. I know almost every unlicensed person who reads that is probably saying to themselves "Well, who's gonna know/care?" or "I'd rather beg for forgiveness than ask for permission."
I'll point back to the great practical reason for getting licensed that @Flyte74 mentioned: Do you really want to be in a life or death situation, crushed by the stress of the situation and then trying to figure out how to properly use your radio to make a contact? At the very beginning of the FCC part 97 regulations is the section that describes the purpose of the amateur radio service. Five points are listed, and of those, the first four basically boil down to making sure U.S. citizens have a way to teach, learn and practice using radios, notably for the purpose of communication during an emergency.
NOTE: This comment is only about legality here in the U.S.A.
Edit: whoops, I just realized that section of the regs still pertains to amateur operators (licensed folks), but the gist is the same for unlicensed. I'm looking but I believe somewhere in the regs it also states the same about unlicensed operators.
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Oh Please....
Who cares about an antiquated FCC law collecting dust on an archive bookshelf that's never enforced. It's the same as a mattress tag at this point.
The "illegal" CB boost is needed for safety reasons and because there are not enough CB radio users. I paid a CB expert to boost my CB. I get super long range. Now I am safer when I off-road alone.
I don't care if it's "illegal". No FCC officer would do anything. It would be a joke on them if they arrested someone for this. Some laws should not be on the books.
I have a CB and a HAM. I prefer the CB any day. I am not licensed to operate HAM and I do not care. If I'm sand duning in Death Valley and my rig breaks down ... dammit I am calling for help.
