cb or ham or both?

[Hexlobular]

PM sent.

 

[philagothon]

I am a truck driver, so I'm sure I'm biased. But, I think both have their place. There's already been a lot of talk about HAM, and I will leave that to those who know more than I.

CBs don't have to be expensive. The Uniden Pro510XL's mentioned earlier are a great choice for someone that doesn't need all the bells and whistles of a bigger radio. They are small and are easy to tune for a few extra watts*. The Cobra 29 is another popular radio and can be found used on eBay in the $50 range. Fiberglass antennas are fine, and a 4' is much better than a 3'. Avoid the cheapies though, the antenna is a vital part of the system. Francis antennas are a great choice and only ~$20. Stay away from dual antennas, they are not needed for 99% of 4-wheeler installations and often cause more problems than they solve. Also, find someone with an SWR meter to help tune the antenna setup. A stock radio with a great antenna setup will usually out-perform a "peaked and tuned" radio with a crappy antenna setup.

CBs are handy for short range communications. Just know that any over-the-air communication is public and can be monitored.




*This is technically illegal, but so is driving 3 mph over the speed limit. I've never heard of someone getting busted over having a basic tune-up on a CB. Stay away from linear amps and MOSFET mods and you shouldn't have (or cause) any problems.

 

[Hexlobular]

I am a truck driver, so I'm sure I'm biased. But, I think both have their place. There's already been a lot of talk about HAM, and I will leave that to those who know more than I.

CBs don't have to be expensive. The Uniden Pro510XL's mentioned earlier are a great choice for someone that doesn't need all the bells and whistles of a bigger radio. They are small and are easy to tune for a few extra watts*. The Cobra 29 is another popular radio and can be found used on eBay in the $50 range. Fiberglass antennas are fine, and a 4' is much better than a 3'. Avoid the cheapies though, the antenna is a vital part of the system. Francis antennas are a great choice and only ~$20. Stay away from dual antennas, they are not needed for 99% of 4-wheeler installations and often cause more problems than they solve. Also, find someone with an SWR meter to help tune the antenna setup. A stock radio with a great antenna setup will usually out-perform a "peaked and tuned" radio with a crappy antenna setup.

CBs are handy for short range communications. Just know that any over-the-air communication is public and can be monitored.




*This is technically illegal, but so is driving 3 mph over the speed limit. I've never heard of someone getting busted over having a basic tune-up on a CB. Stay away from linear amps and MOSFET mods and you shouldn't have (or cause) any problems.

I have 3 of the Pro 510XL's. I used them for multi-car trips, and figuring out where the traffic jams were when I drove a lot. They're virtually indestructible; I know a lot of Jeepers like them for the size and ability to take abuse. I used mine with cigarette lighter plugs and magnetic antennas, and they still got the job done. I've had these for a long time, but I think they still have the same model for sale.

 

[Sailor]

I put my Cobra 25 in the attic and do not use it anymore. With kids in the car often I could rarely use it. Language is pretty strong on CB.

 

[Katana1]

HAM here. It's not just the equipment, it's also the knowledge. Day-to-day, CB will be short range < 10 miles, more if you are base. Yes, there are exceptions. A ham knows which bands to use and what time of day to use them to do what needs done.

Quick comparison. A CB radio is 4 watts output AM or SSB modulation. A ham radio can have up to 1,500 watts with more modes than you can remember. Plug a computer into a ham radio and you will be amazed at what can be done. Typical ham radio power is 50 or 100 watts in a mobile/base and 2 to 6 watts for a hand held radio.

It's not always about distance. In my view, for emergencies, talking to a station thousands of miles away is not likely to result in immediate help.