Which cb radio to buy (1 Viewer)

Oct 1, 2013
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Have we time travelled back to 1979 ?

Woo hoo. I'm 19 and can wear me flares again :)
 
May 8, 2016
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Regret to say that you'll feel quite lonely. Suggest you get a novice radio licence and at least you'll have people to talk to
 

Jaws

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Regret to say that you'll feel quite lonely. Suggest you get a novice radio licence and at least you'll have people to talk to
Maybe its just you they don't wanna talk to !
I have plenty of conversations on the chicken box..
@Mart grump .. I would suggest you get a multi band unit, something like this will cover most of the options:

https://flubit.com/gifts?gclid=CP6A...=0d3733742fb04fb00190fb7c3154e2d0&fo_s=gplauk

Do remember though, the radio is only half the story.. You will need a decent antenna as well.. And if you know nowt about it get someone on board to set it up, tune the aerial and make sure it is all working ok.
What type of motorhome do you have ? I might be able to suggest a mount and antenna
 
May 8, 2016
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To be honest, I haven't been listening much of late, so happy to take your word for it and glad it is still alive at least. Thinking of bolting in my FT450, but laziness has got the better of me so far

Naturally 2M and 70 cms on board

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Jaws

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Regret to say that you'll feel quite lonely. Suggest you get a novice radio licence and at least you'll have people to talk to

Forgot.. In the past 8 years of motorhoming I have had maybe two of three QSOs on 2mtrs, none on 70cms but lord knows how many on the CB
( perhaps folk do not wanna speak to me on amateur radio bands LOL !! )

But that said, I would have to agree re getting an amateur radio licence.. It is REALLY easy to get nowadays.. And you get a better sense of achievement for doing the exam.


If anyone is interested, google amateur radio clubs in your area.. Almost all clubs run a short Foundation licence course..
When I used to teach the stuff my courses ran for 6 weeks.. it is 10 to 12 hours in total and requires little in the way of math ability, physics, electrical or anything else past real basic stuff
About the hardest part is to learn the licencing conditions..

You can get all the details here: http://rsgb.org/main/clubs-training/for-students/foundation/
 

Jaws

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To be honest, I haven't been listening much of late, so happy to take your word for it and glad it is still alive at least. Thinking of bolting in my FT450, but laziness has got the better of me so far

Naturally 2M and 70 cms on board

Hmmm.. I am always more than a bit paranoid running HF in modern vehicles ( esp 15 mtrs )..
And what antenna would you go for ? A G-Whip ( or sausage fingers as I reckon the look like ! ) ?
In the mid 80's I produced and sold my own brand of monoband HF mobile sticks.. The trick is to get the coil and shunt to work on a wide enough bit of a band to make it worth while.. Or spend a fortune on an auto ATU .. Something like the MFJ 993 for instance

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Jaws

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We have a Carthago A class c line
That could prove a bit troublesome .. I believe it is pretty much all fibre glass..
The very best set up I reckon would be a pair of fire sticks in 'twin trucker' mode.
Basically you mount one antenna on each mirror arm and they are connected by a tuned length of coax which puts them in phase and reduces the need for a massive ground plane to work properly (you buy the coax harness pre made so it all just plugs together)
If you have solar panels you could put a mount on one of the frames.. FAR from perfect but better than nowt :)

Ohhh.. Another thought
If you have a tow bar mount a 9 foot stainless steel whip on it.. You will not be able to hear or reach very far back behind you but it will give you great forward facing results :)

But I would like to have a snoot around before making any further suggestions.. there may well be a real easy way to proceed :)
 
May 8, 2016
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Hmmm.. I am always more than a bit paranoid running HF in modern vehicles ( esp 15 mtrs )..
And what antenna would you go for ? A G-Whip ( or sausage fingers as I reckon the look like ! ) ?
In the mid 80's I produced and sold my own brand of monoband HF mobile sticks.. The trick is to get the coil and shunt to work on a wide enough bit of a band to make it worth while.. Or spend a fortune on an auto ATU .. Something like the MFJ 993 for instance
Sorry, I edited that post, to include the references to 2M and 70cms, and you are right - it is pretty quiet out there. My limited (very early days) experience with CBers was enough to prejudice me for life. Perhaps I aught to sort out a proper antenna at home and revisit.

Hell, I haven't seen a Radcom for years! I keep meaning to play with some of that fancy DCS/packet stuff, but haven't got around to it and there are a few idiots still around. With a shed load of 19 sets to restore (managed to get one sorted, 2 more to go - I am a glutton for punishment and all things valve) I just don't have time. My usual QSOs are on aviation or marine bands nowadays (licensed), and they're not exactly chatty.

The Foundation licence ( shouldn't have used the term "Novice") is seriously worth having, as you say, and not exactly onerous. I might see if the missus would consider taking it, it could make life a whole lot easier over in .PT

The 450 is the ATU equipped version. I was toying with the idea of the Yaesu ATAS 120, but where to fit it, ground planes and so forth. I doubt I'll get round to it, but in a couple of years I expect to slip into semi retirement to exit with grace in around 5 years.

As you reminded me the other day, been a long time since the RAE.

Getting late, so 73's and I'll leave Mart in your knowledgeable hands
 

Jaws

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Sorry, I edited that post, to include the references to 2M and 70cms, and you are right - it is pretty quiet out there. My limited (very early days) experience with CBers was enough to prejudice me for life. Perhaps I aught to sort out a proper antenna at home and revisit.

Hell, I haven't seen a Radcom for years! I keep meaning to play with some of that fancy DCS/packet stuff, but haven't got around to it and there are a few idiots still around. With a shed load of 19 sets to restore (managed to get one sorted, 2 more to go - I am a glutton for punishment and all things valve) I just don't have time. My usual QSOs are on aviation or marine bands nowadays (licensed), and they're not exactly chatty.

The Foundation licence ( shouldn't have used the term "Novice") is seriously worth having, as you say, and not exactly onerous. I might see if the missus would consider taking it, it could make life a whole lot easier over in .PT

The 450 is the ATU equipped version. I was toying with the idea of the Yaesu ATAS 120, but where to fit it, ground planes and so forth. I doubt I'll get round to it, but in a couple of years I expect to slip into semi retirement to exit with grace in around 5 years.

As you reminded me the other day, been a long time since the RAE.

Getting late, so 73's and I'll leave Mart in your knowledgeable hands


GB7TDG was the packet BBS I ran for many many years ( and associated nodes )
It is an interesting mode and the software is pretty challenging too.. But if you run a BBS it does somewhat preclude the use of 2mt and 70cms for voice most of the time ( unless you can afford cavity filters :) )

Oddly, never played seriously with 19's.. I suspect it is because I was originally trained as a tv engineer ( before moving on to RF design )
Bottle circuits are lovely to work on mind.. But if I remember rightly are the 19's not full of those god awful toffee capacitors ? So first job on a rebuild would, I suppose, be the rather laborious one of replacing the whole lot !

Sorry.. in full ( boring for most folk ) ham radio mode here..

Thinking about buying a cb radio don't know where to start any ideas

Thinking further on the OP, yes, I have a CB and use itr quite a lot, BUT do remember a certain amount of luck is involved I reckon.
I know a couple of people who installed a cb and never spoke to a soul, I know others who spend so much time chatting whilst out and about they drive their SOH batchy !

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DanielFord

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We got all of our kit from Thunderpole, I will be at the van later, so I'll take a few pictures of the install.
We have a TTI CB81 installed, and a Midland Allan42 mobile unit.
 

Dognewf

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if you have a marine radio licence, does that cover land use?
 

Jaws

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if you have a marine radio licence, does that cover land use?
Errr.. I spose it might on the flood plains of Devon !!
But generally, no :)

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Dognewf

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and it was about 30 years ago when i did yachtmaster stuff, might be a bit out of date even for water use!

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May 8, 2016
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GB7TDG was the packet BBS I ran for many many years ( and associated nodes )
It is an interesting mode and the software is pretty challenging too.. But if you run a BBS it does somewhat preclude the use of 2mt and 70cms for voice most of the time ( unless you can afford cavity filters :) )

Oddly, never played seriously with 19's.. I suspect it is because I was originally trained as a tv engineer ( before moving on to RF design )
Bottle circuits are lovely to work on mind.. But if I remember rightly are the 19's not full of those god awful toffee capacitors ? So first job on a rebuild would, I suppose, be the rather laborious one of replacing the whole lot !
Packet BBS! Saw it in use more than a few times, and was rather impressed. I can see the need for filters on 2 and 73cm.

The 19 set is a throwback to my youth, when those things were around and my first major project was to work out all the various PSU requirements and build my own. Then a few tweaks to get it running a tad below top band for reasons you will understand. That is until I became acquainted with a certain Eric Gotts (a name you may recall, who had a particular interest in my radio setup) My love for the 19 s is pure nostalgia, and those caps are the first to get pulled. Nothing compete with the glow of an 807 final PA

Time to get an antenna back up in the spring

and it was about 30 years ago when i did yachtmaster stuff, might be a bit out of date even for water use!
Never out of date, but the Foundation licence would be a complete doddle for you
 
May 8, 2016
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Oh yes.. A G3 if I remember rightly
Aye, he was that, and a lot of other names besides. He drove over my first home brew - ahem - top band rig having raided my bedroom and giving me the rucking of my life (the PA valve went out the window as they kicked in the door). I was 13 at the time.

Fond memories

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adonisito

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What exactly does "squelch" do. I remember the late 70's CB craze, but never knew what that did.
 

Jaws

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Imagine a radio that is not receiving a station or a signal...
All you get is background noise ( AM reception is not so much an issue but FM is REALLY annoying ! )
By adjusting the squelch you can eliminate the noises until a signal is received
You can adjust the squelch to 'open' depending on the strength of a signal received

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Jaws

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Is the bike rack any use as a ground plane?
Yesssss... You could probably get the tuning of the antenna reasonable but as to the radiation pattern ( where the signal will go to and where it will pick up from ) I would not like to say.. I suspect it would not have a fantastic range to be honest

I use a simple hatch back mount on the bonnet lip myself, similar to this one:
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