New to the CB Radio. Help me out!

[SeekerK1]

My name is Kenneth, and I recently saw a CB radio in a catalog for a cheap price and the description elaborated on how a lot of vehicle operators still use them in the age of smart phones for surprising reasons and briefly discussed what these reasons were. I became quite interested and am now considering buying my first CB radio. Now of course these devices were far more mainstream and better known when I was growing up than in the current era but apparently they do have certain qualities that make them more beneficial than the mobile devices that are commonly used now. I understand they make it simpler for listeners to access weather, emergency and information stations as opposed to the regular radio that is installed in every vehicle and also enables the listener to transmit signals back to the other end (as it's a two way radio). One online reviewer on a store website mentioned that when he and his wife were in a restaurant one night they returned to their car to find the CB radio on loudly with a snow storm warning advisory on it and this saved them from heading into that storm. That is one instance where a weather station comes in handy but how helpful are these radios when it comes to general information as opposed to the need to be advised about the weather or of a heavy traffic condition such as a lane or road closure due to an accident or construction? Also how can one tell what feedback will come from which of the 40 stations? I'd like to make a decision as to whether it would be worth my buying one of these CB radios so I'd greatly appreciate any feedback from any of you out there who have had much experience with them and vast knowledge about their usage. I hope to hear from you!

[MDYoungblood]

Hello SeekerK1,
Welcome to the forum. Back in the late 60's through the 70's and the beginning of the 80's CB radio were used for what your asking in your post, some is still used today but not as much. If you are just wanting emergency, weather, and traffic info a good GPS/Navigation unit or even an app on your cell phone would be worth more than a CB. The majority of CB'ers now a days use the radio to chat with locals (usually an evening thing) or shoot skip (talk long distances), truckers use them sometimes for info but mostly to "B&C" about work.
Just about all the members here have a CB in their vehicles as well as a base station at home, I've personally been into CB radio since the mid 60's.
As a new member could i get you to post a intro in the "Welcome to the Forum" topic, [Please login or register to view this link] , so others can say "Hi", thanks.

3's

Greg

[jessejamesdallas]

Think of CB Radios as "walkie-talkie's"...Only you have 40 channels instead of just one to talk on...

If your thinking of getting one to keep track of road conditions, you maybe disappointed. You would get better results from tuning in a local Talk Radio station in your area on your car stereo on the AM...

Now some CB's do have a "weather band" which is nothing more than NOAA radio broadcasting local weather...Also CB's with the weather channels will have what is called "Weather Alert" fetcher whch is a alarm that go's off when NOAA set's off a weather warning in your area. This alarm will sound whether you have the CB turned off or on at the time... (usually there's a switch you can disable the alarm so it doesn't go off every time a thunderstorm rolls threw)

Personally, on the CB's I have had that had weather band, I always kept the alarm turned OFF...Reason being, if your driving down the road in rush-hour traffic, and that silly alarm go's off, it could cause you to have a wreck trying to turn the dang thing off!

Another thing to consider is going to be the antenna...Best place for a CB antenna is on the roof. And a ideal length CB antenna is going to be a 9' antenna...Now a 9' antenna on the roof is not practical for most people (including myself) so there are shorter antenna's available, but to get the most out of your radio, they would still need to be placed on the roof...You can place them on trunk lids, mirrors, bumpers, or where ever you want, but by doing so you will be compromising your signal and a less than satisfactory result with your radio.

Then there's the cost...Get a $39 CB and a $20 antenna, don't expect much out of it..."CB" to some stands for "Constantly Buying", meaning you will end up spending allot more for a decent CB Radio set-up!

Now....The good part!
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Can't think of any at the moment, so just think of "CB Radio" as a hobby, rather than a useful tool for keeping up with traffic conditions and weather reports!

[dgbacb4148]

Kenneth,
The previous suggestions from MDY and JJD are the best answers you could ever ask for. It's a individual preference, just make sure you read their advise a couple of times for your satisfaction. Good luck.
David g.

[Transistor 9]

SeekerK1 CB can be an exclusive club. There probably aren't as many ways to use a CB as there were back in the 70s and 80s. but if you check out some videos on a very popular website you will see that truckers just love CBs for the things you're talking about. I think you can use a CB for what you want if you learn how to get someone to come back to you and let you know what you need to know. Don't forget, those truckers are out there for days on end and they like to chat and find out a few things too. Get enough contacts under your belt and you should have no problems.

Yes, you will spend money. Don't get the cheapest radio at Wallyworld and the cheap antennas they sell. you will be disappointed. Look online for a good deal on a higher end CB and a good antenna and then come back here and get answers on how best to use them. Those hobbyists out there need new contacts too, so don't be afraid to take the plunge. The other alternative is to get an Amateur Radio Operators License and become a ham and then you can use 2 meter handhelds and mobiles like CBs to talk on repeaters to people in the area. They might not be on the road and quite so helpful in all respects, but they could tell you where to get a decent meal when you're on the road and some places to stay away from too.

Glad to have you if you want to stay, and don't be shy speak up.

73s

[SeekerK1]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! Now I certainly understand that CBs aren't nearly as popular as they were in the earlier eras of motor vehicles (obviously if they were then they would be as common as mobile phones are now) but I also understand that they provide benefits that smart phones don't such as the opportunity to talk with locals by two way radio similar to the way it's done in police cruisers and FBI agents' cars between the occupants and their headquarters. I'm not that familiar with this technology as of yet but I figure there's probably some way to put this to incredible personal use for one's self and have read outstanding positive reviews on the Amazon website on a particular model. If these radios have 40 different stations then each of those must serve an individual purpose or theme. One question I have right now is: What do the information channels consist of mainly (as opposed to the weather and traffic channels)? MDYoungblood: Sure I'll post an introduction later today.

[jessejamesdallas]

Let me try and put it as simple as I can... channel 9 is designated for Emergency use only...however no one monitors the channel anymore...Channel 19 is still used by some truckers although most truckers will turn their radios off when they get near a big city...Channels 36-40 are generally used for SSB which is a whole other subject...The rest of the channels are for "chit-chat".

Like I pointed out earlier CB is more or less just a 40 channel walkie-talkie with limited range of 1 to 6 or 8 miles depending on your location and antenna set-up...

Now you will hear people from other States occasionally on some channels, this is called "skip", however most of these people will be on base stations, and/or running illegal power such as linear amps... (this is on the regular AM channels)

Now if you buy a CB radio that also has SSB then you might be able to talk skip without running illegal power as long as you have a decent antenna set up.

[MDYoungblood]

Let me try and put it as simple as I can... channel 9 is designated for Emergency use only...however no one monitors the channel anymore

Actually there are still some around, this one is local to me, [Please login or register to view this link]

3's

Greg

[jessejamesdallas]

Let me try and put it as simple as I can... channel 9 is designated for Emergency use only...however no one monitors the channel anymore

Actually there are still some around, this one is local to me, [Please login or register to view this link]

3's

Greg

Yeah, I knew there was a few REACT stations around the Country, but for the most part, most went by way of the doe-doe-bird...Around here, Mexican skip is about all you here on channel 9.

[SeekerK1]

Isn't there any way to tell what you'll find on which channel?

[jessejamesdallas]

Isn't there any way to tell what you'll find on which channel?

no....CB Radio is not like Cable TV or your car stereo, there's no format on whats on a channel... Did you ever have a walkie-talkie when you were a kid? You just turn to whatever channel you want to, and if you hear someone, you try and talk back...That's it...

Think of all the channels as dead-air...Nothing on any of them except maybe someone caring on a conversation with another person about the weather or how big their radio is...

[PNK PANTHER]

Hello and welcome to the CBRT Forum from West Virginia. Glad you joined us. Waving a big hand attcha !!!!!!!

[DeltaMike15]

My 1st CB radio was a Cobra 148 used as a base station and an Antron99 that I extended out the window of my bedroom in high school. This was in mid 90's and CB was slowly being replaced by BBS and internet chat rooms. Since then I've not thought much about CB until recently when I moved from the East Coast to Midwest and started traveling long distances with my SUV. Amazingly, chit chat and lingo hasn't changed much in the past 20 years, except now every other person is running an amp since they can order it from anywhere in the world, thanks to the internet... I usually have my RF Gain turned down in the city since I'm picking up a lot of RFI (RF Intereference) from power lines, traffic lights, etc but recently ordered a couple of things to experiment with cutting out that stuff... I recently drove from NE to KY to see my folks and it was a joy having my CB on ch19 and still hearing truckers report cops hiding in certain spots or road conditions/hazards. I then drove to SD and back and had the radio keep me company again, so I'm definitely getting back into the hobby. It can be addictive and before you know it, you'll find yourself experimenting with different antennas, radios, mics but it is rewarding making contacts. I still enjoy is as much as I did 20 years ago.