CB's

Erik Ks farmer · Dec 18, 2011

We have trouble with cell phone coverage in some of the areas around the farm and got to thinking that it would be nice to mount some inexpensive CB's in the trucks and tractors to communicate with the help. Anyone have any experience with some of the units under $50? Would like to hear what models have worked well and which to stay away from. Thanks!

oldtanker · Dec 18, 2011

The Uniden and Cobra ones work well. Bout the only ones I would look at.

Be sure the SWRs are good and they will work fine.

Rick

John Harmon · Dec 19, 2011

I have two Cobra 40 channels,one in the truck and one in the Motor Home.The Motor Home is fibreglassed body so ground plain Anttena won"
t work on it very well.Finding an Anttena to work on it would be a plus. Need some advice.

mkirsch · Dec 19, 2011

Get yourself a mirror-mount CB antenna like the truckers use. No ground plane required.

rrlund · Dec 19, 2011

Do you still need an FCC license for those? I did when I got mine back in the 70s. Had to pay back then,but they went free after that. Didn't know if you still needed one at all or not.

BCnT · Dec 19, 2011

you need a marine type antenna for a boat...has built in ground plane.

LJD · Dec 19, 2011

We needed radios for talking back forth - from the fields or woods to home. This in an area with a lot of hills. We've got CB and FS/GMRS.
Usually the little FS/GMRS radios work just as well as the CB with better voice quality and they're much smaller. They will often work a 1/4 miles away in deep woods and much further in open areas. Since CB is on AM, it can pick up interference from ignition systems on gas tractors.

CB has more power but is on AM and requires a big antenna and a lot of batteries. A 1/4 wave CB antenna is over 100" long.

FS/GMRS is on FM and a 1/4 wave antenna is only 6" long. Many have built-in weather radios which I like. Small enough to fit in your shirt pocket.

I've found a big difference in small FS/GMRS radios even though they are supposed to have the same power.

My newer Midland GXT 1050 goes almost twice the distance as my older Midland GXT 710.

My hand-held CBs are Radio Shack TRC-222 and has a 48" antenna. 8" X 3" X 2"

JMS/.MN · Dec 19, 2011

I had 5 CB radios in the late 70s....we are flat here, but they worked poorly...sometimes could not talk home a mile away. Went to business band in 1980, UHF (Ultra High Frequency)- first units were $800 each and worth it, now a few hundred bucks. Have 5 plus a hand-held. We have talked 23 miles between pickup and tractor, 40+ miles from p/u to the 70 foot tower I built at home. Over 20 miles with the hand-held to the tower. In 1980, only 8 people in MN were on our frequency, but we had "Call Guard", a second frequency that unlocks only our radios. Then we usually don"t hear others as well. I remember two- a construction company in MPLS-(70 miles away) guy called back to the shop from south of metro, wanting a screwdriver. Another was a long-haul trucker we"d hear on I-94 on Sunday nites...tried calling him but never a response. I"d never mess with a CB again, except they can be handy on the highway.

Kansas4010 · Dec 19, 2011

We're in the same area and I have the same trouble with cellphones to. I have pretty good luck with moterola walkie talkies. They're portable and light.

CB's

Erik Ks farmer

Well-known Member

oldtanker

Well-known Member

John Harmon

Member

mkirsch

Well-known Member

rrlund

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BCnT

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LJD

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JMS/.MN

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Kansas4010

Well-known Member

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