Handheld CB radio

[gaylejoe]

Is the handheld CB radion useful? We do not have a CB in the truck or the trailer and wondering if one would be useful at Bozman.

[airedale]

From what I hear, it is something that helps coming in. We are taking ours with us.

[gaylejoe]

Airedale, are you using a handheld and does it give you enough range?

[airedale]

Yes, we are planning on taking our Handheld, and around that area of Bozeman, it should be just fine!

[ArtStream]

Originally Posted by gaylejoe

Is the handheld CB radion useful? We do not have a CB in the truck or the trailer and wondering if one would be useful at Bozman.

CB RADION?

Sounds dangerous

Michael

[davidz71]

One of my sons has a hand held CB in his truck. He has a connection where he can connect an external antenna for additional range and clarity. It works for him.

[gaylejoe]

Thanks for all the imput. Now, I start looking for a good handheld CB.

[Whizzo]

We've used a Cobra brand portable for four years. Our family has used this brand since the CB craze of the late 70s.

Power and performance are good for caravanning, and professional OTR drivers still provide traffic reports when asked. The magnetic antenna easily goes on and off the top of the truck, coax cable thru the window, and the whole setup conceals easily under a seat when not in use.

Only problem we encountered was alternator whine - requiring either an aftermarket noise filter - or the easier solution: running the radio on internal batteries rather than the 12V plug.

Cobra website

[Airstream25]

Originally Posted by davidz71

One of my sons has a hand held CB in his truck. He has a connection where he can connect an external antenna for additional range and clarity. It works for him.

The external antenna mentioned above is a huge improvement over the very inadequate antennas the hand helds come with. Look to Wilson for quality Mag mount models. The door gasket generally has enough flex to close on the antenna lead so no modifications are required.

[gaylejoe]

What kind of range should I expect with the handheld. So far I'm not impressed with it. I get a 5 mile range with a handheld nav/com aviation radio with the antenna which came with the unit. We have 2 cheap Cobra's walkie talkies that have a great range but this CB handheld right now is the pits. I was wanting to use it on the ground in Bozeman but now I have my doubts.

[Airstream25]

Originally Posted by gaylejoe

What kind of range should I expect with the handheld. So far I'm not impressed with it. I get a 5 mile range with a handheld nav/com aviation radio with the antenna which came with the unit. We have 2 cheap Cobra's walkie talkies that have a great range but this CB handheld right now is the pits. I was wanting to use it on the ground in Bozeman but now I have my doubts.

I only get about 100 yards range with my Radio Shack hand held CB using the little "rubber ducky" antenna that it came with.

CB radio waves are about 11 meters. Typical car roof top external antennas are 1/4 wave length or about 2.25 meters and extend the clear range to a few miles. Range to the rear that is obstructed while towing an Airstream will be a lot less.

FRS (Family Radio Service) and GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service) radios might be what you are referring to with your general comment about "Cobra's walkie talkies". They operate with about 0.7 meter wave length so adequate antennas are a lot shorter than what a CB requires.

FRS is limited to about 1/2 watt power but GMRS can go up to about 5 watts making them a much better choice.

In my opinion, a CB radio with an external antenna is the best choice (other than a ham radio ) while driving and a GMRS radio is the best choice when walking.

[RoadKingMoe]

We keep a Cobra HH 38 WX ST in the center console and a Wilson Little Wil mag-mount antenna in the back seat. The antenna connects to the radio with a SO-239 to BNC adapter.



I've never put batteries in the radio, using the lighter plug instead, and never used the rubber ducky antenna. It's worked well for trips over the road.

[mistral blue]

Originally Posted by RoadKingMoe

We keep a Cobra HH 38 WX ST in the center console and a Wilson Little Wil mag-mount antenna in the back seat. The antenna connects to the radio with a SO-239 to BNC adapter.



I've never put batteries in the radio, using the lighter plug instead, and never used the rubber ducky antenna. It's worked well for trips over the road.

What do you mean by, "in the back seat"?

[RoadKingMoe]

Originally Posted by mistral blue

What do you mean by, "in the back seat"?

We have an extended cab truck. We keep all kinds of stuff on the floor below and in front of the rear seat. The mag mount CB antenna stays there when not in use. So does the mag mount 2m/70cm ham antenna. We use mag mounts because the truck only clears the garage door by less than 3 inches.