In-Truck Communication (2-way & CB)

[TerryD]

For us preparing to be trailready in our K5s what is needed CBwise? I've heard of unlocked ones with extra channels and stuff, antennas, etc but not sure where to start

Just a basic, 40ch CB. No need to get fancy with it because you will generally be talking less than a mile with other rigs. I've seen marginal setups talk 10 or more miles with a clear line of sight. My little $40 cb had done fine the times I've had it on the trail and the one before it did good, it just had the weather channels and some sound processing for the extra $30 it cost.

Even with the extra channels and all that, you'll still have to know what channel someone is listening on and since standard radios are more common, you're most likely to get someone in an emergency on the designated ch9.

 

[ccarley]

Some other thoughts on the radios (myself having my Ham license)

CB legal output: 4 watts
FRS legal output: 0.5 watts (doesn't matter what brand, or how many miles they say they reach)
Ham Radio: I believe mine can put out 50 watts... and there are some modern ones that push more from a vehicle too.

All that being said, I have a CB, a 2-meter Ham radio, a handheld CB, a handheld Ham radio, and handheld FRS radios with me in my Suburban.

The nice thing about the Ham radio is that you can set it up for basically 2-way communication. The UV-5R, a very inexpensive handheld unit, is actually compatible with FRS and GMRS frequencies, although it pushes more than the legal wattage. In an emergency, the type of person you will find on the Ham radio will probably be able to help out, rather than the yahoos on the CB radio we have around here. There is much more you can do when/if you get into Ham radio as well... GPS integration, cross-band repeating, etc etc.

The price of that Baofeng/ Pofung UV-5R makes it way easier to get into Ham radio.

Clay