Greenhorn on radios

[olskool]

Would you please let me know what to look for and what not to look for in a CB radio? My wife and I are driving about 3,000 miles together but in seperate vehicles (I'm transfering in the military). I want to have coms between the two of us on the trip, but I also want to be able to have the best cb that I can afford in the K5 after the trip. Please help me out on what I should buy.

 

[mtn. burb]

Personally, my Mom and Dad opted for the "3 mile range" Motarola 2 way radios. They drove from So-Cal to Mississippi. No regrets.

 

[olskool]

I really didn't mention that I want a fixed radio in my rig and a handheld with my wife. Are the cheap new "Cobras" as good as the old used stuff for the same price if not more? At least in my truck I want somthing that will last for awile, please advise me if something at walmart will work as well as something from another source.

 

[Z3PR]

I really didn't mention that I want a fixed radio in my rig and a handheld with my wife. Are the cheap new "Cobras" as good as the old used stuff for the same price if not more? At least in my truck I want somthing that will last for awile, please advise me if something at walmart will work as well as something from another source.

Don't waste your money on a hand held. I personally like the 10 meter radios converted for 11 meter (CB). I personally run a President Lincoln 10 meter radio converted to 11 meter.

Now for a cheaper radio in the other vehicle, in all honesty, most CB shops have used radio equipment for sale. If there is a CB shop at a local truck stop, I'd check with them.

 

[maynardogle]

If you really want a quite channel all to yourself, the little FRS radios are pretty good out in the rural areas. Only problem is that you will go through lots of batteries on a long trip. Range is just under a mile car-to-car.

 

[Z3PR]

If you really want a quite channel all to yourself, the little FRS radios are pretty good out in the rural areas. Only problem is that you will go through lots of batteries on a long trip. Range is just under a mile car-to-car.

That's what upper and lower sideband if for. Even if you only have 11 meter, you can always use sideband of one of the unused channels. Now with the export radios like I like, then you even have the alpha channels if you want a private convo. Or with my President Lincoln, you can slide in between channels.

 

[trukker]

Uniden pro 510 is good as it gets for simplicity ,value and reliability. You might want to get an external speaker though. Because the internal speaker is hard to understand when talking to someone with a loud radio or a lot of echo.

 

[olskool]

Thanks for the replies so far. I'm not in need of anything high tech so what do you think about a brand new "Cobra 19 ultra" that I saw on Ebay for $10. Is it worth it?

 

[rebelk5frk]

Hard to complain about $10. The cobra 19 is a "no frills" cb but if all you need it for is to talk to the next car, then it should be fine.

 

[darkshadow]

are the little hand held jobs on the same channels as a regulare CB?

 

[Z3PR]

are the little hand held jobs on the same channels as a regulare CB?

You can buy hand held CB radios. They're pretty worthless for anything other then a spotter too talk to you in im honest opinion.

 

[darkshadow]

no i was wondering it you colt conect a cb to a handheld moterola or simaler walkie talkie type.

co worker has moterola one and i have a hand held CB I wanted to talk truck to truck on long drives, as they have zero interest in buying a cb

 

[Z3PR]

no i was wondering it you colt conect a cb to a handheld moterola or simaler walkie talkie type.

co worker has moterola one and i have a hand held CB I wanted to talk truck to truck on long drives, as they have zero interest in buying a cb

I would think no. CB is AM 11 meter. I have no idea what freq range the bussiness band radios use and if they are AM, FM, CW, or something else all together.