CB help

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On the Rocky Mountain National Park rally my Radio Shack hand help CB was a joke. I could only hear Charles two cars in front of me (and he mumbles :laugh) and someone three cars behind me. I even went out and bought an external antenna for the Jeep.

Now I thought these things transmitted a mile easy. I was assured it had the maximum power. Leslie was all the way in the back of the 40+ caravan was talking with Charles in the front. I could only hear Charles' side, Leslie a little bit sometimes. Leslie was on some sort of HAMMY-10, 11 (or what ever) meter thingy.

So my questions are:
What should I get?
How/Where do you mount it in the Tahoe?

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Michael, I really like Cobra CB's ... and have used them for years.

Before the advent of cell phones, I always felt safer traveling with a CB ... besides, in the 70s BT (Before Trailer), I used to drive like the proverbial bat out of hiding ... and the CB and truckers kept the smokies off my tail.

And to be honest with you, even in a Suburban equipped with On Star, satellite tracking, two cell-phones, etc., because we're often way off the beaten path, I still feel safer having a CB on board.

I have two fairly new CB's ... both Cobra's ... and depending on the type / duration of the trip, switch them out.

One Cobra has a built-in weather scanning band radio ... that automatically scans through the NOAA weather radio bands.

The other, is a little Cobra 19 ... a tiny yet-full-strength (4 watts -- Maximum FCC allowed), cheap (that's the best part) that's compact in size ... real easy to wedge between the driver's seat and console, connected to a magnetic mount antenna.

The Cobra 19 is the radio that I was using to communicate with Les. In my opinion, it really does a good job of getting the signal out while also being sensitive enough to receive distant signals.

Here's a quick link (but I didn't buy it here ... you can find it cheaper locally or other places on the net, I'm sure!) for the Cobra 19. (also this webpage says the radio receives weather band stations ... but it doesn't! The webpage is wrong!)

http://www.alfenterprises.com/cobraC19DXIII.htm

Again, the webpage says the Cobra 19 receives weather stations! It doesn't! The Cobra CB/weather band radios are twice this size!

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what's you 10-20? , over. :laugh

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It sounds like you are having a ground problem in your CB system.
http://www.wilsonantenna.com/fgk.htm This site if followed will solve your problem.
In my opinion, [35 yrs as a trucker] it is the BEST ANTENNA on the market, and the antenna is what you need behind "any" CB radio, be it a 'cheapy' or a 'get in your wallet' one.

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Orginally posted by Michael Sanders

So my questions are:
What should I get?
How/Where do you mount it in the Tahoe?

Skip the CB and get a set of the Family radios, commonly called FRS radios. They are about the size of cell phones and they go with you so no mounting necessary. Just about everybody has them now and they are cheap enough you can buy an extra to loan out if necessary. They go a mile or two front and back of you when driving but not much farther.

If FRS won’t fit the bill, as stated before a good antenna is needed but just keep in mind that CB is pretty anemic.

HTH
Rich

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<<just keep in mind that CB is pretty anemic.>>

You know, when I was in high school, I had a Radio Shack CB and magnetic antenna. It was nothing for me to go 15 miles, and not uncommon to get 35 miles. I had that radio until last summer. Last time I used it, I couldn't get much past a mile. The radio hasn't changed. The antenna might have deteriorated some, but the real problem is crowded airwaves. With all the cell phones, cordless phones, wireless computer networks, pagers, police radios, radio stations, TV stations, satellite broadcasts, FRS radios and so on, it's tough to get a radio signal out anymore. I used to listen to WLS-AM radio (Chicago) routinely when I was in college in north-west Arkansas. I've listened to it in Tampa Bay, Florida as recently as 1980. Now, I can barely get it at all in Northern Indiana, only about 110 miles from the tower. To get the best performance, both you and the person you are talking to need high-quality antennas. I really don't think there is a big range distance between brands, although sound quality (both at the mic and at the speaker) will vary quite a bit.

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Paul,

Just so you know, most of the high power radio stations in Chicago are no longer clear channel stations and have to reduce power and use antenna arrays to redirect their radiation in the evening hours.

Wbbm news radio 780 I think may be the only one left.

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Orginally posted by Paul E HenningThe antenna might have deteriorated some, but the real problem is crowded airwaves. To get the best performance, both you and the person you are talking to need high-quality antennas. I really don't think there is a big range distance between brands, ...

Although I agree there is more traffic on the airwaves, I disagree that is the problem. I'll bet dimes to doughnuts its an equipment problem. CB is near HF so it can be heard at quite long distances but it is [b] very unreliable. In Ham radio, we just call it skip but I guess it would take a small book to fully describe it.

As far as antennas, I believe there is a difference in quality but nothing will work great unless a tuner is used, they are worth their weight in gold and good ones sell for about that price. Of course you wont want to buy one for a one-car instillation, contact your local Ham club and see if a 6-er will get an antenna tuned (it will here).

I still think ditching the CB is the best bet. If you want to spend the money of a full CB unit, put it towards a good FM unit and save the headache. I use a 2 meter Ham radio but wish I had a dual band with 70 cm, next one though.

HTH
Rich