I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a CB in my car for a while now and when recently looking for some I find that you can also have a handheld model which seems ideal for me. (I was thinking since I don’t have a cell phone, I’d like to have some way to call for help if I get stranded somewhere, and since I hike the portable would be great to take in case I fall into a ravine or something.)
Any tips or hints for me? Do “regular folk” use CBs at all anymore or is it primarily truckers looking for “smokies”? I have this rosy vision of having a pseudo-internet chatroom going on in my car, heh heh.
sorry, but i think you are dreaming. during a long distance trip last year, i took one along to see what was out there. all i ever heard was yammering amped-up truckers, babbling incohearanty to no-one in praticular. (i spell for shit!) unbelievable verbal diharea and nonsense! no offense to cb owners and users but the intellect level seems to be pretty close to “none”. i imagine most cb’s are mounted right next to the 8-track tape player…
i also have one in my jeep (primarily cause it fits perfectly in the dash cut-out where the ashtray used to live, but theres no 8-track!) and it is good for hearing static and about as good as dixie-cups on string for calling for help or talking to offroading buddies. (im lying-- i have no buddies)
sidenote: i’m glad the guy who invented the “walkie-talkie” did not have a part in naming any other notable inventions. had he designed dishware, plates would be called “holdie-foodies” and pots would be known as “cookie-stuffies”. whatever…
I use a handheld CB mounted in my convertible when my car club goes on a run. I use a Cobra 75WXST (IIRC) that I had mounted in the trunk and the handset is removable when I am not using it.
The observation you made about the truckers is correct. The only reason I ever get it out and turn it on (when not on a club run) is when I’m out on the interstate and the traffic starts backing up. The truckers will tell each other what’s going on in plain English then. All other times, they are using slang and voice-changers that are real hard to understand.
If you want to call for help, get a cell phone that has not been activated at a pawn shop and a car cord for it. When you try to make a call, you’ll be directed to a pay-per-call service and be asked to provide a credit card for billing. 911 is supposedly free.
If you want to talk to people who really want to talk to you while you’re driving, I would suggest going the ham radio route with a hands-free kit. If you’re that desperate for it, that is. The truckers generally won’t talk to you.
Talk to your spouse on a long trip, that’s my advice.
I have a CB in my car and a ‘home base’, there are people out there, I know South Bend has channel 2 down.
Each area has their own local channels, but I’d say get one with uppers and lowers in it, you’re more likey to run into a conversation. And one that will run through the channels until you find a convo as well.
I have an RCI 2990 (I think thats the number, too cold to run out and see) and its great, and you can mike and drive at the same time.
If you’re female, you’re more likey to get a trucker to strike up a convo with you, its likey not the convo you’d want, but hey.
And you have to have a handle, somehting people remember.
If you’re ever in Southwest Michigan, yell for Miracle Whip, you never know I might be out there.
The old Ford pickup I bought had a Kraco De-Luxe CB installed along with a Muntz 4-track tape player. I ditched the 4-track but figured the CB might come in handy. Prior to that I hadn’t ever really messed with the Citizens Band side of the house.
I had it tuned up before a road trip so that modulation and such were correct and found they are extremely useful to locate hidden speed traps on the Interstate, perhaps moreso than a radar detector, which are prone to false-positives and useless against laser versions, “instant on” types, and such. “Smokey at mile marker 187” is a typical broadcast. Certainly they make a good addition to a radar detector for those who find them essential. I’m not condoning speeding or suggesting that anyone breaks traffic law, but it’s certainly good to be forewarned, don’t you agree?
I’m not sure what it’s like in the US, but I figure truckies are truckies whatever country you’re in.
We have a couple of CB’s. We use them to communicate with each other when we are going on 4WD trips. As soon as we leave the National Park or State Forest, we tend to turn them off (unless we’re on a long road trip) because of the garbage that goes on there. Think of a chat room filled with the stupidest, most illogical people you can think of, and then imagine not just reading their words, but hearing the loud, obnoxious drawling. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great people out there using them… just don’t expect too much. They usually don’t have much range, so before you think about going hiking with one, check out the range on it, you might find it would be next to useless. Then again, mobiles are next to useless over here in National Parks, too.
The only other thing we use it for, is occasionally if traffic is extremely heavy on the freeway, we’ll listen in on the truckies channel, and find out where the accident is, which lane is moving quickest and whether or not it’s worth taking the exit before the accident (if possible) or if the Highway is backed up just as much.
Wow, gatopescado, you paint with a fairly wide brush, don’t you? I have had an interesting immersion into the world of “drivers” (what professional truckers call themselves) recently. I drove a 16-wheeler for about a month in order to spend time with my dad and brother, who are both drivers. Now, I will admit, I often turned the CB off because of long-winded, ratchet-jawed drivers, but I also found it useful in most cases, and absolutely essential in cases like Michigan blizzards. And I should note, I didn’t use it to exceed any speed limits: there are other trucking rules that tend to make that less desirable than you might think.
Also, as SlightDistrurbance implies, there are base stations scattered around that are willing to provide all sorts of information, from traffic conditions (passed on by truckers, mainly) to directions to the nearest hospital. Pretty useful, in balance.
Oh, and I should add this. Channel 19 is still the US trucking channel, and the one where you find most of the jerks. For that reason, many drivers agree to talk on other channels so they can be heard. That leaves 40 channels (sans emergency channel 9) to work with; ideal for folks on a trip to stay in touch, and more versatile than FRS.
Forget CB radio, get a Amateur (Ham) Radio License.
Its easy and free(license is free, there is a small fee (less than $6.00) to cover the cost of the test session), the test is not hard, one or two nights study and Morse code is not needed for the entry level license.
Complete handheld FM transceivers(aprox 1-6 watts output) for the popular 2 meter VHF band can be bought at your local Radio Shack store for just a little more than a good CB radio and allow access to range extending repeater radios mounted on tall buildings and towers(they say that there is nowhere in the continental U.S. that you can go an not reach at least 1 open repeater).
Higher powered mobile radios (25-70 watts,1-4 bands VHF-UHF-SHF) costing about the same as a good car stereo are available giving you the ability to talk simplex (radio to radio, no repeater involved) at 50 miles or more with antennas that are only 3-12 ft long for base station and less than 3 ft long mobile.
You can legally run up to 1500 watts output power, bounce signals off the moon, talk thru orbiting satellites in space (O.S.C.A.R),
run your own fast scan TV station. and talk to the astronauts on the space station and that’s just scratching the surface of the hobby
Peace
LIONsob AKA KC5LNN
I’ve got a CB on my motorcycle, not one that came with it either. I find it usefull for lots of things. Knowing where the cops are is one, but they also tell you when there is crap in the road, crazy drivers, truck stops, and cute women.
It’s also nice to be able to talk to other bikers on the road, especially when riding in a group.
If you’re planing on getting a hand held, I’d get a plug for it for better power, I have one that doens’t work worth squat on batteries. You might also want a bigger antenna. And if you ever see a guy on a red motorcycle in a red suit from Maryland say hi.
First of all…
Andy, is that you!!!
Ahhh-memories of childhood! My father used to play around on a CB, although he is the preppiest, least streetwise guy out there. Learning the lingo was fun, though!
His handle was the “Skinny Dipper”.
He used to let me talk sometimes; guess he would tell the truckers that his little girl was with him right off the bat-I dont remember everhearign any bad language. This was back in the
late 70’s.
My favorite CB phrase?
A “City Kitty”, used to denote a female cop!
