CB radios still used??

[BobHanke]

I started selling CB radios for Radio Shack in 1974. It was a booming business at that time. Lots of family and friends on the various channels then. Now most of that seems to have gone away. On the road channel 19 is the best source of information regarding accidents and other problems. However, it is mostly trash talk and not fit for family to hear. If you experience a slow down, tune in to get the info and shut back off. Antennae are a big issue depending on the type of rig you have. TT's and 5ers can do well with most of the ground plane style antennae on the tow vehicle, but class A & C's are at the mercy of much less efficient antennae choices due to the fiberglass and aluminum of these rigs. Professional RV groups normally recommend FMRS walkie-talkies as they are FM and work well over short ranges such as in caravan and in camp.

[Jim Schings]

Flybob, correct re: power and license. Power is 5W GMRS and 1/2W FRS. Licensing for GMRS is simply filling out a form for a 5 Year license, That license authorizes all family members. So no big deal. (Remember when CB required a License? Also just a form for the FCC. )

[Taranwanderer]

Good points about center of vehicle mounting and SWR. Lucky for me, when I recently installed one in my truck, Krawler has sn old-school SWR meter from Radio Shack, so we were able to tune the antenna down to 1.5. I can live with that.

Oh, and pics of the install to follow in a moment...

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by BobHanke

I started selling CB radios for Radio Shack in 1974. It was a booming business at that time. Lots of family and friends on the various channels then. Now most of that seems to have gone away. On the road channel 19 is the best source of information regarding accidents and other problems. However, it is mostly trash talk and not fit for family to hear. If you experience a slow down, tune in to get the info and shut back off. Antennae are a big issue depending on the type of rig you have. TT's and 5ers can do well with most of the ground plane style antennae on the tow vehicle, but class A & C's are at the mercy of much less efficient antennae choices due to the fiberglass and aluminum of these rigs. Professional RV groups normally recommend FMRS walkie-talkies as they are FM and work well over short ranges such as in caravan and in camp.

19 has been referred to as a "call" channel in my time, now it is where most people hang out at and talk for miles on end.

I-5 corridor was 17 as well as some places east of the Mississippi.

I remember QSL parties and gathering in my preteens, The so called resurgence in the late 70's early 80's due in part by movies and music.

CW McCall, White Line Fever and so on..

It's your money, spend it well.

[Taranwanderer]

Let's see if FRF decides to cooperate with my pics today...NOPE. Instead of putting them upside down today, it rotated them 90 degrees to the left. Sorry, but here they are:

[sdsferraro]

I talk on Sideband. I get better reception with it and further distance. I have heard allot more people talking on LSB. Of course there is still trash talkers and people that want to over power everyone else.

[downtime]

Originally Posted by Timex

Ditto for me. You can squelch it down pretty good. It is sometimes entertaining to hear some of the conversations. When you get somebody on there that has a vulgar vocabulary, it gets turned down until they are out of range. But it does help in knowing what traffic situation is ahead. Listen to the truckers when there is a slowdown, they'll tell you which lane to get in.

Ditto as well ! The wife doesn't like the chatter so I watch when I turn it on as to keep her happy but even she has said it has come in handy so it stays on board.

[HikerBob]

Originally Posted by Jim Schings

Yes, FRS doesn't need a license. However it is against the law to use non-FRS radios on the FRS bands, They must be FCC type accepted as FRS radios.

As far as I can tell from the information that came with the BaoFeng UV-5R radios I have, they are FCC approved for FRS use. If they're not, I might have to return them.

[Blackhat6mike]

I'm a licensed ham [N7MIP], but only run CB/SSB in the truck, Rarely turn it on as the language coming from some of the truckers is not something I want my wife to hear. Good for emergencies.
We use GMRS/FRS radios from the TT to our boat and while positioning the TT at the campsite. Over water, they have several miles of range on our units. Come in very useful on lakes when I'm out fishing or hiking. Five watts work well enough to cover our needs and do well on the road especially if you have the right antenna setup. You can code them so no one else can understand you.
We use a magnetic antenna for the CB on the center of the truck's roof and have it turned down to 1.5 SWRs. Can't ask for any better than that.
I keep the CB squelched down tight so I only hear others that are VERY close.

[glfillion]

What you used to have a CB for (traffic info), can now be done by Waze, an app on your phone or tablet. It tells you about construction delays, cops, broke down vehicles, etc. It will even re-route you which a CB can't!

[toslow]

i like the fact i can always get local directions when needed, and yes the entertainment sometimes become a little overwhelming.

but like was said before just squelch or gain them out

[Flybob]

Originally Posted by Jim Schings

Flybob, correct re: power and license. Power is 5W GMRS and 1/2W FRS. Licensing for GMRS is simply filling out a form for a 5 Year license, That license authorizes all family members. So no big deal. (Remember when CB required a License? Also just a form for the FCC. )

Per FCC GMRS Site.

The FCC currently charges a $90.00 fee for GMRS licenses. Some applications, such as government entities, are exempt from this fee. A license is valid for five years.

[Jim Schings]

Originally Posted by HikerBob

As far as I can tell from the information that came with the BaoFeng UV-5R radios I have, they are FCC approved for FRS use. If they're not, I might have to return them.

Sorry. The BaoFeng UV-5R is NOT US FCC type accepted. It is technically illegal to operate on the FRS bands. You can find this in many searches, or a call to an FCC office.

Jim

[Jim Schings]

Originally Posted by Flybob

Per FCC GMRS Site.

The FCC currently charges a $90.00 fee for GMRS licenses. Some applications, such as government entities, are exempt from this fee. A license is valid for five years.

FlyBob, back early in 2015 the FCC placed on the table that within 90 days they were terminating the $90 fee and only going to charge "administration fees". I don't know if that ever happened, but as it turns out the admin fees were going to be $65 ! I cant seem to find any current prices listed on the FCC web site. Reference?

[Dave53]

I've used one for years. It's saved us from many traffic jams. The trucker talk can be "entertaining "

[dieselguy]

We continue to use a CB as 4-5 of us get together a few times a year and caravan down to a lake. We find a little used channel say 14 and run on it during travel time. We're older and like the option that everyone in the TV can listen in. We also are able to get thru life without a cell phone permanently attached to ones left hand ... Ha!

[DadOfTwo]

Years ago I bought some handheld CBs with rubber duckie antennas for caravanning, and, like others, quickly found that the output is attenuated by the glass so badly that you can't talk to another driver even close by...

So I got mag mount antennas, and discovered that range improved, but not only are there folks using language I don't want to hear, there are a lot of idiots out there with CBs that are intentionally being as obnoxious as possible.

Then I got my first set of frs radios and discovered that the higher frequency isn't impeded by glass nearly as bad, and a little frs handheld has much better range and clarity than a handheld CB, the batteries last much longer... Great for caravanning. And, like mentioned before, great for talking to a backer, or just using around the campsite.

For caravanning I have two frs radios that have removable duckie antennas and came with mag-mount antennas. Increases the range at least a little, but I'm not sure it's a big deal. Besides, I think they are against the FCC rules. I think legally frs radios have to have a permanent, non-removable antenna attached directly to the transmitter. I think that's why frs radios with removable antennas are hard to find. Radio Shack and Midland both made a model with a mag-mount antenna, but they only offered them for a short time. I think the FCC made them stop. But that's speculation.

Originally Posted by Blackhat6mike

//snip//
We use GMRS/FRS radios from the TT to our boat and while positioning the TT at the campsite. Over water, they have several miles of range on our units. Come in very useful on lakes when I'm out fishing or hiking. Five watts work well enough to cover our needs and do well on the road especially if you have the right antenna setup. You can code them so no one else can understand you.

Just to pick a nit, you really can't code them so no-one can hear you. Strictly speaking. They've been marketed as 'privacy codes,' but they don't really give you any privacy. They make it sound like encryption when it's really selective hearing.

If you set a code, it really means that you can only hear other radios that are using that same code. However, radios that are not using a code, and other devices like scanners and such, can still hear everything you say.

This is kind of a soap box of mine. Partly due to deceptive marketing (promising privacy), and partly due to the fact that I think they impede proper radio etiquette.

The etiquette part comes from the old rule about monitoring a frequency for a couple minutes to see if someone else is using it, before you start using it. If you have a code set, you are prevented from hearing other people using that frequency, and could talk right over them without ever knowing.

[Timex]

We use the FRS radios to back into a site, etc. Funny thing happened a couple years ago- the rv park we were staying in, the workers at the park, used the same frequency we were using. So as I was backing in the BOSS was telling me which way to go. I started hearing phrases like:
Did you call me? No, not me. Huh? What are you talking about? Is that you Bill? I can't understand what you are saying!
It went on for a minute or so and I just waved to the wife to just forget the radio and use hand signals.

Sometimes, the batteries are run down on them(now who forgot to check them?) so we just use our cell phones.

[OldCoot]

Use to use a 102" whip antenna with a big spring on the bottom and mounted on the rear bumper. Could get about 20 miles with a HALLICRAFTER CB-3-A. Buddy wired a Q bird in it that would broadcast 30 miles.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by GreenImp

In my opinion, the very rare occasion where a CB could save you from a delay/ticket/whatever, is not worth the non-stop noise pollution that the CB has become. You couldn't pay me enough to have one of those things in my vehicle and turned on while on a trip. The Citizens Band is not what it once was.

Now having one around that can be turned on for an emergency...I can see (a little) value to that. But still haven't owned one for nearly 2 decades.

But still haven't owned one for nearly 2 decades.. What are you basing your opinion on?