CB Radio Question

[drbrick]

More we Explore on YouTube - CB Antenna

[rmkrum]

Please note that Ham radio equipment does not, and cannot use CB frequencies. It’s a completely separate radio service.

I’m a Ham Radio operator, and have a complete station installed in the Airstream with antennas on top for 2-meter FM and connections for portable HF antennas. I’m authorized to transmit at over 100 watts of power. CB is only good for 4 watts. I can communicate all the way around the planet under the right conditions.

[sheriff1]

You can always tell a ham guy, it’s impossible to tell them much...

[KK4YZ]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

please note that ham radio equipment does not, and cannot use cb frequencies. It’s a completely separate radio service.

I’m a ham radio operator, and have a complete station installed in the airstream with antennas on top for 2-meter fm and connections for portable hf antennas. I’m authorized to transmit at over 100 watts of power. Cb is only good for 4 watts. I can communicate all the way around the planet under the right conditions.

. — .

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by KK4YZ

. — .

KE4GNK, over...

(Morse code is not one of my abilities...but I gotcha)

[ShawnSk]

Originally Posted by PatLee

Bill M - thank you for describing your experiences about trying to find a CB that satisfies. Even when young, I always had difficulty in understanding radio transmissions, or the words in songs being sung while everyone else around me seemed to understand what was said. I dread that happening to me with a CB when I need it most - or not understanding what is being said by the caravan leader as I drive - which turns the CB into junk as far as I'm concerned. I like your suggestion to stop in a truck stop; they probably do have the best recommendations.

Have you thought about studying for your amatuer radio license? Its not necessary for CB but I have noticed I have gotten alot better at hearing transmissions after listening to faint HF signals

[PatLee]

Jim - Going to Alaska!
Thanks so much for taking the effort and time to respond and post photos. They do make the Z-mount for post 2015 F-150s.
Rich - I am not that handy - with no wish to become that handy. I prefer keeping shops that do handy stuff in business. Plus they do it right to begin with and all they want in return is my credit card. I will be going that route.

[Mollysdad]

The best thing about CB is it discourages people from buying real radios. "Come-on".

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by PatLee

Jim - Going to Alaska!
Thanks so much for taking the effort and time to respond and post photos. They do make the Z-mount for post 2015 F-150s.
Rich - I am not that handy - with no wish to become that handy. I prefer keeping shops that do handy stuff in business. Plus they do it right to begin with and all they want in return is my credit card. I will be going that route.

I'm handy and I still prefer the professionals sometimes. If I already have the tools I will attempt it. If not, the price of the tool(s) vs. the cost of the professional has direct impact on my choice.

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

The best thing about CB is it discourages people from buying real radios. "Come-on".

I think cell phones and Waze have all but killed CB radio on the highways, although truckers still use them a lot for various reasons. Speed limit is no longer the double nickel and Waze will tell you about traffic and where the bears are. Garmin will tell you where the gas stations, restaurants and pickle parks are.

[KK4YZ]

Originally Posted by richw46

I'm handy and I still prefer the professionals sometimes. If I already have the tools I will attempt it. If not, the price of the tool(s) vs. the cost of the professional has direct impact on my choice.

I know where you’re coming from. I’m the same way. But this “install” (if you want to call it that) requires only a 10mm socket and ratchet..and some duct tape😀

Ok there might be another open end or box wrench needed....

Usually I weigh the hassle of taking the car somewhere vs the hassle of DYI. I just take the path of least resistance.

[KK4YZ]

Originally Posted by sheriff1

You can always tell a ham guy, it’s impossible to tell them much...

Especially a “ham guy” who’s worked in electronic test & measurement and specialized in RF/MW antenna measurement 😀

[Rich W]

Originally Posted by KK4YZ

I know where you’re coming from. I’m the same way. But this “install” (if you want to call it that) requires only a 10mm socket and ratchet..and some duct tape😀

Ok there might be another open end or box wrench needed....

Usually I weigh the hassle of taking the car somewhere vs the hassle of DYI. I just take the path of least resistance.

If it were me, I'd just get the 4 watt Cobra HHRT with the BNC connecting antenna so I could plug in an external antenna. Legal 4 watts is plenty for a caravan and you could hear the leader's mounted radio just fine. I assume they would not get further than a mile apart and I'd want the leader's cell number if we got out of range.

I never found the antenna to be the hard part, there are so many available options. I've installed clip on to the trunk lid, magnetic, clamp on the bumper, bolt in the bumper and 102" SS whip in the quarter panel. They even made a roof antenna that looked like a luggage rack so you could talk on the flat side . Cars were much more open back then and it was easy to run wires and cables. New cars are pretty much airtight and cable routing is more difficult.

Mounting the radio is the hard part. On my 4Runner there is no place to mount it. I have seen some units that are really shallow and will fit in the cup holders or small storage place in the dash. Dashboards aren't as open as they used to be in the 70s.

Thankfully, Garmin, Waze and cell phones have made highway travel much easier.

[LilPeanut]

Right Channel Radios-excellent resource. I have a 2018 F250 and the aluminum problem. I don’t want a permanent mount. I tried a mount in my stake hole but I didn’t get good coverage or SWR. So I went with a quick disconnect, spring and a hood mount and (most important) a NGP cable and antenna. That means no ground plane. It solved everything for me. I have a small cobra that is an all-in1. Keep it in the glovebox and I mounted the little box it plugs into in the mini box above the glove box, whatever that box is called.

[Jammer]

Hello again Pat

Originally Posted by PatLee

1. Some models come with a receiver box (or whatever) that looks like it should be mounted inside the truck. I would rather not install anything in the truck. In that case, which CB would you recommend? Which model works well in this situation?

Generally, any new, commercially available, 12v CB radio will serve your needs. You can wire the power to a cigarette lighter plug if you do not wish to wire it permanently.

2. Some models show magnetized antennas that stick to the top of the truck. I own a 2017 F-150. Ford started building their trucks out of aluminum that year so these magnetized antennas won't stick, right?

As posted upthread, there are zigzag-type antenna mounts that will bolt to the fender of your truck. I have one on my F-250. You will have to drill a hole in the firewall for the antenna cable. Also, you may find that it is helpful to place a couple of blind rivets between the zigzag mount and the fender, close to where the mount exits the gap between the hood and the fender, to make it more solid.


A well-chosen and properly installed antenna system is crucial to success in mobile radio, and is more important than the radio itself, and more important than the power (wattage) the radio puts out.

3. Is having an antenna on outside of vehicle essential/helpful to the CB transmitting?

Yes. A limitation of CB is that it requires large antennas to be effective. Anything less than 9 feet is a compromise. A 4' antenna is a reasonable compromise. The 8" antennas typical on handhelds will perform so poorly as to be of doubtful utility.

4. I've seen that the higher the wattage, the farther a CB will transmit. What wattage would be best?

Wattage has been measured different ways over the years. Nearly all commercially available CB radios that mount in a truck are 4 watts, and they will work fine.

5. Can you speak in plain English on a CB or must you adopt the jargon of the long hauler?
Thank you.

You can speak any way you want. If you're talking to other people in a caravan, they will expect you to be, you.


If you want to engage with long-haul truckers you will be more successful if you blend in with their language, style, and idioms, as is true in any other walk of life.

[PatLee]

Hey there, Jammer - thanks for addressing my original questions, one by one with 'just the facts, Jack." Where have you been all my life? I've learned ALOT about CBs from this thread - thanks everyone!!
Pat

[Jwf]

I use the Midland 75-822 because it is the best of both worlds. It can be used as a handheld when you leave your truck and converted to a mobile unit when you need it during the caravan.



I also have a 2019 Expedition and I got a magnetic antenna for it. When I went out to attach it it wouldn't stick anywhere. At first I thought the laws of physics as I understood them had changed then I realized that like the F150 the Expedition also switched to an all aluminum body. So I started to look at a fender mount option but then decided in the end to go with Midlands window mount antenna instead. I haven't tried it yet but the few reviews on the Midland site are all very positive in how it improves the range.

[Rollinstone]

Traveling XC years ago I was listening in to truckers tell each other riddles. I added mine: "If a chicken and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how long will it take a woodpecker with a wooden leg to kick the seeds out of a dill pickle?" *crickets* Finally one of the truckers chimed in, "I don't think he's gonna give us the answer."

[RonJudi]

Absolutely essential outside antenna for up to 5 miles coverage. Mechanical ground ok. Bracket mounts also work. Anything that bonds to frame or skin ground.

[Bambi75]

Originally Posted by Jwf

I use the Midland 75-822 because it is the best of both worlds. It can be used as a handheld when you leave your truck and converted to a mobile unit when you need it during the caravan.



I also have a 2019 Expedition and I got a magnetic antenna for it. When I went out to attach it it wouldn't stick anywhere. At first I thought the laws of physics as I understood them had changed then I realized that like the F150 the Expedition also switched to an all aluminum body. So I started to look at a fender mount option but then decided in the end to go with Midlands window mount antenna instead. I haven't tried it yet but the few reviews on the Midland site are all very positive in how it improves the range.

I also use the Midland 75-822 and have used it on many caravans. It can be used with batteries or plugged in with an attached 12 v plug with dongle for an external antenna which is essential. I use a magnetic mount antenna since the top of my Cayenne is not aluminum