About CB radios?

Question

I'm planning to buy a CB radio soon and I want one that can be put in my house and in my car when I travel. I have considered getting a hand-held portable one but I have heard they don't work so great. What brand or kind should I get?

I also don't have a handle or anything, do I need to register or something or can I just buy the radio and start talking?

Answer 1

No license needed - I think it has been that way for 20 years or so. The FCC just gave up trying to regulate that chaotic band.



There are a few brands left out there and they all are going to work well. A store like Radio Shack will have one or two models. You are going to want a small "mobile" unit that runs off 12 volt DC from the car. You'll also need a 12 volt DC power supply for home. Probably 5 amp rating or so. You'll need an antenna for the house and one for the car too. Radio Shack has all that.



Have fun!

Answer 2

it depends on how much you want to spend. and what features you want. if you want one you can put in the house and the car just go with a mobile radio, one that can be in the car. dont worry about a base unit if your gonna move it back and forth.... cuz you dont want that in a car anyway.



if you want a standard 40 band am cb radio for not too much money a cobra 29 isnt a bad start. if you plan on using it in the house, you will probably like a sideband radio better



Galaxy DX 949 is a great radio for this, or the 959 (it has a built in freq. counter.



you know you will need a nice big antenna for the house right?



their is no way to register a name or call sign or handle or anything for CB radio anymore. not since the 70's you can just buy the radio and use your own name or make something up.



if you plan on using sideband most people pick a 3 digit number, and use that. if you get the side band you will be AMAZED at how many people around you have it as well.



Enjoy

Their is so much info CB's out their so much is false, so much is good stuff, theirs a lot to learn.

heres a good place to start asking questions, or w/e

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/cb-radio-forum/



edit: Fisherman i dont mean to disrespect you but the sunspot cycle as far as they can tell is .. pretty good right now, which is actually kind of annoing you turn on the cb to talk down the road and your hearng the other side of the country... i cant wait till it dies down a little bit, my squelch is almost all the way up. :-/ 2010 they say will be the top, i really dont want it to get much worse >:O

Answer 3

ST1:



CB is fine and you can be successful with it. But I recommend that you also consider the "family band" radios. You will see them at Radio Shack too and they are often listed in Cableas and Bass Pro Shops for sporting use. They are VHF radios designed for line of sight short distances up to a couple of miles depending on the terrain. The channels are much clearer and have more privacy. My wife and I use them all the time to stay in touch while I am out working on our ranch.



On the other hand if you want a CB for emergency use then go for it. There are kits which have some emergency tools and a hand held CB radio. I took a quick look on the web but couldn't quickly find one, but I know they are there. A hand held with a cigarette lighter plug and a magnetic mount antenna for your car roof would be the ticket. A hand held with a telescoping antenna for the house would be a good choice.



Remember that we are at the very bottom of the sunspot cycle, so the CB band signals will be line of sight. There will be no "skip" for several more years.