CB's anyone?

Hello all,

I was wondering if any of you were big in Citizen Band radios?

I know a while back everybody had one, now hardly anyone but truckers have them. Me and my friends all have them, It is a cheaper and easier way to keep in touch.

But I am here to get some opinions if there are any that use them. So far I have used cheaper models CB's but am looking at getting a higher powerd one. Somthing like a 10 meter CB. I was looking at the Galaxy Dx98VHP. Is this a good choice? I know a lot about CB's but never had a 10 meter, can you please provide more info on these.

Thanks

benchmade_boy said:

But I am here to get some opinions if there are any that use them. So far I have used cheaper models CB's but am looking at getting a higher powerd one. Somthing like a 10 meter CB. I was looking at the Galaxy Dx98VHP. Is this a good choice? I know a lot about CB's but never had a 10 meter, can you please provide more info on these.

Thanks

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A license to operate certain two way radios may be required by your federal/local government. Operating certain radio equipment without such license may be illegal in your area. The end user consumer is solely responsible for acquiring such license and for the proper use of all radio equipment. This radio is an Amateur radio and not a CB transceiver. Therefore, this radio is not governed by Part 95 of 47 C.F.R, but by Part 97 of 47 C.F.R. Part 97 does not require type acceptance of Amateur radios

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From here
Norm

benchmade_boy said:

Hello all,

I was wondering if any of you were big in Citizen Band radios?

I know a while back everybody had one, now hardly anyone but truckers have them. Me and my friends all have them, It is a cheaper and easier way to keep in touch.

But I am here to get some opinions if there are any that use them. So far I have used cheaper models CB's but am looking at getting a higher powerd one. Somthing like a 10 meter CB. I was looking at the Galaxy Dx98VHP. Is this a good choice? I know a lot about CB's but never had a 10 meter, can you please provide more info on these.

Thanks

Click to expand...

I have not been into CB since long before I acquired my Amateur Radio License. At the time that I had one, the Cobra's and Uniden's were considered the best. At least after having them "peaked" or tuned by a good radio shop or knowledgeable person.




As far as a "10 meter CB", there is no such thing in the USA although some use this band illegally. The 10 meter band is an amateur radio band and if caught using it for CB in the US, heavy fines may be "awarded" to the user.

As Norm quoted above. It's at your own risk.

CB was a stepping stone to ham radio for me. I highly recommend going for a license. Now that the FCC has abolished the morse code requirement, it's not that difficult to obtain an amateur license at the technician level, and it opens up a world of opportunities for long range communications, even with video.

I wrote some recommendations for a good 10m HAM radio that can go to CB frequencies.
Then it just struck me, you didn't say a word of your antenna!
Deleted all.

Radio basics, start from A like Antenna.
The difference between a bad CB antenna and an awesome CB antenna is like the difference if you compare 5mm led 1xAA alkaline flashlight and 18650 Li-Ion driven P7.

Good antenna would be something like this:
40 feet tall radio mast and single band vertical antenna on top of that.
Pros: You would be heard, and the best part is that you could hear those other stations that use only 5W.

Cons: kinda pricy.

What if you would use 100W-200W power and that crappy antenna that you have now?
Pros: Cheaper than good antenna.

Cons: Your neighbour hears your voice from his TV, radio and toaster FFS!
AND, you still cant hear those far away stations unless they use 100W too.

FRS/GMRS has mostly killed off the CB 27MHz stuff. The FM mode of FRS/GMRS gives great voice quality at reasonable range that 27Mhz was often used for.

That said, in the US a Ham license (Technician class) is so easy to get these days (my kids got theirs at 7 and 9 respectively). My wife did the exam at the same time as our youngest, so we're a complete set of Hams . The equipment is relatively inexpensive if you're after straight 2M gear. Around $120 gets you a good 5W capable 2M handheld (also most a waterproof) and about the same for a 50W capable rig for the vehicle (add another $50 - $80 for a good mount and antenna). The equipment can generally be connected with a PC for downloading/uploading/cloning of frequencies, power outputs, alpha tags etc etc. I'm often boggled how cheap the Ham gear is versus the junky consumer walkie talkies.

There's heaps of repeaters in most areas of the US so the range of the 2M equipment is very impressive. Last year I was chatting to folk in the SF bay area from a peak near Tahoe which is around 150 miles line of sight. I was directly accessing a repeater in the Palo Alto hills of the bay area.

The nice thing is that there aren't any of the 'characters' that frequent the CB bands on the Ham bands, a HUGE positive for me.

If you are interested there's also local city emergency response and volunteer based organizations that usually offer training in Ham operation which is a critical infrastructure in terms of emergencies. Sad to say, but often the Ham equipment/repeaters are better at dealing with power outages during a natural or man made disaster than cell phones etc etc.

Anyhow, I haven't owned a 27MHz CB since back in the 80's and even the FRS/GMRS radios our family has, have been relegated to use only when out camping etc with families that aren't Hams.

cheers,
george.

How do you go about getting your ammature radio license? I dont think I know anyone around where I live that has one, Im sure there is but I dont know of them. Where do you go to to get one.

Also another note is that this will be on a mobi unit not a ground base. Right now for for anntenas I have two black whips, kind of like fire sticks. I am looking at a Monkey made Aluminum coil anntenna, 5 foot long, 20,000 watt handling power. No need for two so will be running a single.

So I have looked at the all the brands of CB's and have decided I like the galaxy brand the best, and I have heard the best out of them. A truck stop I go to a lot has the Galaxy 959, but it is not a 10 meter, Will this still reach out a ways?

I really dont know what to get, My uncle has a 10 meter galaxy in his semi and I love how loud and how far it can reach, but I am not sure if That would be the best for me. And I am not sure about Kansas law but I dont want to get in trouble for not having a license.

Thanks for your help guys and am glad to see there are some of you out there that still use radios

benchmade_boy said:

And I am not sure about Kansas law but I dont want to get in trouble for not having a license.

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If you use 10m etc. HAM radio at CB band you are breaking the law.

So all your friends would have to get HAM licence too, and HAM rigs of course.
That will never happen.

Egsise said:

If you use 10m etc. HAM radio at CB band you are breaking the law.

So all your friends would have to get HAM licence too, and HAM rigs of course.
That will never happen.

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Are you tring to say to just get a decent quility CB and a good qiulity anntenna?

Keep your current CB setup and friends, get HAM licence and a used HF rig to get new friends.

benchmade_boy said:

Are you trying to say to just get a decent quality CB and a good quality antenna?

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Here is it put in easy to read form:

CB Radio Band - 26.965-27.405 MHz - No License Needed - 40 Channels Available - Max output 4W/Am & 12W/SSB - Note it is illegal to talk to another user further than 155.3 miles (250 Km) away.

Amateur Radio AKA Ham Radio - Multi Band - License Needed - Max output 1.5 kW

Bands:

160 meters (1.8 - 2.0 MHz)
80 meters (3.5 - 4.0 MHz)
60 meters (five USB voice channels: 5.332, 5.348, 5.368, 5.373, 5.405 MHz)
40 meters (7.0 - 7.3 MHz)
30 meters (10.100 - 10.150 MHz)
20 meters (14.000 - 14.350 MHz)
17 meters (18.068 - 18.168 MHz)
15 meters (21.000 - 21.450 MHz)
12 meters (24.890 - 24.990 MHz)
10 meters (28.0 - 29.7 MHz) - Also the site of frequent illegal unlicensed operation ("bootlegging") and freeband activity by operators using modified Citizen's Band or amateur radio equipment.
6 meters (50 - 54 MHz)
2 meters (144 - 148 MHz)
1.25 meters (219 - 220, 222 - 225 MHz
70 centimetres (420 - 450 MHz)
33 centimetres (902 - 928 MHz)
23 centimetres (1.24 - 1.3 GHz)
13 centimetres (2.30 - 2.31 GHz and 2.39 - 2.45 GHz)
9 centimetres (3.3 - 3.5 GHz)
5 centimetres (5.65 - 5.925 GHz)
3 centimetres (10.0 - 10.5 GHz)
1.2 centimetres (24.00 - 24.25 GHz)
6 millimetres (47.0 - 47.2 GHz)
4 millimetres (75.5 - 81.0 GHz)
2.5 millimetres (119.98 - 120.02 GHz)
2 millimetres (142 - 149 GHz)
1 millimetre (241 - 250 GHz)

Please note the 10 Metre band in the Amateur Radio band. This means that any use of a "10 Metre CB" as an illegal modification of the equipment & it's use may interfere with communications on other frequencies as well

(Think how you would feel if the emergency call you were making was suddenly drowned out by an illegal radio user)

As several other posters have mentioned getting your Amateur Radio License is not too hard to do & opens up an array of different choices for communications & this can be done over a greater distance than CB.

benchmade_boy said:

How do you go about getting your ammature radio license? I dont think I know anyone around where I live that has one, Im sure there is but I dont know of them. Where do you go to to get one...

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Here is a popular HAM site to get you started. There are many others that have all the information you will need to get your license. Just Google it.

Actually most of the illegal freeband communications is 27.400-27.700 Mhz SSB, theres no point going to amateur bands when theres "no mans land".

And back to A, antenna, get a 102" whip to your mobile station.
http://www.signalengineering.com/ultimate/antenna_basics.html

155.3ml max range is funny, 90% of my CB communications are to stations 300+ ml.
And yes, 4W FM or SSB.

First - Galaxy radios are CRAP. They always have been and always will be CRAP. Truckers LOVE them because they come with channels and echo. Real CBers consider them crap because they have poor receivers that lack in every important receiver category - sensitivity, selectivity, dynamic range, etc.

Really, anything made by Ranger is crap compared to anything made by Uniden. That includes almost all "export" or "10 meter" radios you can buy from Copper electronics or any other place that sells that junk.

If you're going to buy a "10 meter" radio, I'd suggest a used one made by Uniden - one of the HR radios - 2510 or Lincoln. If you insist on buying a new radio, then get a Magnum 257 - the best radio for the buck out there, and because Ranger has them made for them by another company, they're made better than their own radios - especially the 2950 and other Magnum radios that Copper pushes on the unsuspecting CB public.

If you want a legal CB, I understand the new Cobra 148 is a good radio especially for the money. It can be channel expanded easily too. If you don't mind a used radio, then look on the big auction site for a Uniden Grant, Grant XL, or Grant LT. They're all GREAT radios. None of the exports can match their receiver's ability to pull signals out of the mud.

Now, about "Peaking" or "Tweaking" - don't! Usually this means either adjusting the ALC and AMC or disabling them to allow more than 100% modulation which apparently sounds like a good thing to the CB public. It is not. It makes your radio sound worse, and actually causes bleedover by causing additional sidebands to be generated by the radio. Instead look for a shop that does ALIGNMENTS. Get your radio aligned and it will perform well for decades. No more than 4 watts AM, and no "swing" modifications! Both will make your radio sound like garbage.

If you're running mobile then get the biggest antenna you can put on your vehicle. I ran a 102" whip for years and there just is no comparison to any other antenna. Avoid the "Big coil" antennas - they're not as good as a 102" whip and cost many times more. They may look good to you or your trucker friend, but they're garbage - and expensive garbage at that.

Again, I will not say anything about those 10m rigs..

Here's a tip:
Using AM instead of SSB is an epic failure.

Egsise said:

Again, I will not say anything about those 10m rigs...

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I stopped fighting that battle years ago. People are going to use them as long as the FCC allows them into the country and they are openly sold by retailers and truck stops.

Egsise said:

Here's a tip:
Using AM instead of SSB is an epic failure

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I couldn't agree more! That's why I hate 99% of all "export" and "10 meter" radios. They drift and make SSB frustrating and/or downright impossible. Then the users blames the mode and not the crappy radio. That's why I recommend and use Uniden SSB radios. They are stable after warm up and they have great receivers to pull in those faint signals. BTW- the best Cobra SSB radios were made by Uniden for Cobra. I believe the newer ones are made at the same factory as Ranger's radios. But I understand they are still a step above the Ranger brand radios.

Dr Jekell said:

CB Radio Band - 26.965-27.405 MHz - No License Needed - 40 Channels Available - Max output 4W/Am & 12W/SSB - Note it is illegal to talk to another user further than 155.3 miles (250 Km) away.

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I never did understand that about NZ 11 meter regulations, local enthusiasts used to chase 'skip' (tropospheric ducting/signal propogation) during the peak of the sun spot cycle and would often encounter NZ stations who were reluctant to acknowledge us once they'd established who & where we were calling from

Additionally... I knew NZ started out initially with a different set of frequencies, when did you adopt the US band plan (spacings) etc? :thinking:

Unfortunately UHF/27Mhz CBRS activity has peaked and is since in decline here in Australia in most parts with the exception of some activity in the Metropolitan areas, the loss of 2 UHF repeater stations locally as just one example of the follow on effect, I packed up all of my CB gear and it's still in storage waiting for my interest to rekindle, worst thing that happened to 'CB' radio was deregulation IMHO as the influx of unlicensed 'feral operators' ruined what had been up until then a reasonable hobby/pastime


One of my radio stashes (yeah I'm a hoarder!)


Personally I'd avoid using out-of-band equipment on the specified 27Mhz band, though whilst unregulated (no licenses) illegal use of radio equipment deemed for licensed amateur operators WILL land you in hot water & result in seizure of out-of-band equipment

Want performance? upgrade/tune your feedlines & antenna system, expanding that to mobile applications the somewhat unwieldy 1/4 wave (9') antennas have always proven to be the best performer IMHO :thumbsup:

M@elstrom said:

I never did understand that about NZ 11 meter regulations, local enthusiasts used to chase 'skip' (tropospheric ducting/signal propogation) during the peak of the sun spot cycle and would often encounter NZ stations who were reluctant to acknowledge us once they'd established who & where we were calling from

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???? You lost me at "NZ 11 Meter"

M@elstrom said:

Additionally... I knew NZ started out initially with a different set of frequencies, when did you adopt the US band plan (spacings) etc? :thinking:

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NZ has the following public use freq (aside from amateur radio):

CBRS (Citizens Band) - 26.330-26.770 Mhz - Max Power 12W SSB/4W DSB

PRS (Personal Radio Service) 476.425-477.400 Mhz - Max Power 5W

In my other post I was referencing the USA freq as (I assume) the OP is American.

M@elstrom said:

One of my radio stashes (yeah I'm a hoarder!)

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I've got mine still in use.
Ranger(not a drifting one) hiding behind that sinol bottle.



Old Zodiac 5126 4W am/fm in my car...


51" mag whip, mobile to mobile range is only 10ml.


There just is something beautiful in licence free 4W CB and 0.5W PMR446(european FRS).
We had 2,5 years a simplex repeater on PMR446 and the range was 20+ miles even with cheap "baby monitors".

Put this:


On top of this:
(531m/1740ft above sea level)


And you have...

Egsise said:

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Is that a stretched door 123 chassis?